Guyana Times -- Monday, August 19, 2019

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P8 Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 4020

THE BEACON OF TRUTH monday, august 19, 2019

NIS in $748.4M half year deficit

PRICE

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Govt mulls 188MW natural gas powered P15 plant

Page 7

– loss of more than 20,000 jobs major contributing factor

Govt taxation strangles struggling economy – Ali ... cites higher income and trade taxes

Page 3

80-year-old man who P8 allegedly raped child in car released from custody Canal No 1 P14 Polder farmers continue to lose crop as flooding persists

Melynda Paulinea Smith was on Saturday evening crowned Miss Emancipation when the pageant was hosted at the National Cultural Centre. Coming in as first runner-up was Denita Prowell followed by Alicia Boodie in the second runner-up spot and Marissa Scott copped the third runner-up spot

There should be transparency between foreign investors and Govt – Jagdeo Moruca man Anna Regina beaten to residents, death during businesses under water argument

Construction worker found unconscious in P2 Linden

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Man dies as vehicle turns turtle along P13 Tepuru Trail

2 News

monday, august 19, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Anna Regina residents, businesses under water

S

everal sections of Anna Regina, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) were on Sunday under water owing to excessive downpours over the weekend.

As a result, Mayor Rajendra Prabhulall and his deputy, Rudolph Williams met with residents and the business community, located between Anna Regina to Walton Hall to assess the damage.

The Mayor, in his address, stated that the Town Council was concerned about the flooding after a two-hour downpour.

“I came on the ground to look at the situation and what was discovered is the pump at the Hampton Court and Windsor Castle sluice is not working due to damage incurred on the radiators,” the Mayor stated.

Town Mayor Rajendra Prabhulall and Deputy Mayor Rudolph Williams

The residents have suffered tremendous losses with many household appliances, paddy and fertilisers damaged or ruined, and the rains have created much inconvenience.

“I am very concerned as a mayor, because the town

has one small excavator machine. We will be taking swift action tomorrow morn-

Damaged paddy

ing (Monday) in the Windsor Castle area. I already spoke to the Town Clerk and we will be making arrange-

ments to bring the machine in the area to dig out the small pipelines and look at the drainage immediate-

ly, along with other areas within the town,” Prabhulall highlighted.

The Mayor further stated that the Town Council would be taking immediate action to get the workers to clean the drains and canals, but believed that the Council needed two new excavators to assist with the drainage works.

Meanwhile, when contact was made with persons in the area late Sunday afternoon, they reported that the water at Walton Hall and Devonshire Castle has receded. The Mayor has promised to address the issue of poor drainage at the earliest.

Construction worker found unconscious in Linden

A

construction worker was on Saturday found in an unconscious state with several injuries along the Washing Pond Public Road, Mackenzie, Linden, Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice).

The man, 38-year-old Samuel Porter of West Watooka, Mackenzie, was immediately taken to the Linden Hospital Complex by public-spirited persons where he was treated and later transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Based on information received, the discovery was made at approximately 05:00h. The Police were

contacted afterwards by staff of the Linden Hospital Complex.

At that time, the man had not been identified, but soon after, his sister, Deesa Bethune, contacted the Police and confirmed her

brother’s identity.

Bethune told the investigators that she last saw her brother on Friday around 17:30h at his mother’s residence in the West Watooka Village. Shortly after, he left home and went

to Mackenzie to purchase an item.

He never returned home and he did not make contact with any of his family members.

The Police have confirmed that Porter sustained several injuries to his feet, hands, and head. At the site where the man was found, there were bloodstains on the road and pavement.

Several persons in the area were questioned, but no useful information was gathered.

Porter remains a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital in critical condition. Investigations into the incident are ongoing.

news

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monday, august 19, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Monday, August 19 – 05:00h - 06:30h and Tuesday, August 20 – 05:00h - 06:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Monday, August 19 –06:25h – 07:55h and Tuesday, August 20 – 06:50h - 08:20h.

Govt taxation strangles struggling economy – Ali ... cites higher income and trade taxes

FERRY SCHEDULE Parika and Supenaam departure times - 05:00h, 11:00h and 16:00h daily

WEATHER TODAY Sunny intervals will prevail throughout the day.

Clear to partly cloudy skies are expected in the evening. Temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-Easterly to Westerly between 1.34 metres and 3.57 metres.

High Tide: 06:38h and 18:56h reaching maximum heights of 2.62 metres and 2.56 metres.

Low Tide: 12:32h reaching a minimum height of 0.63 metre.

saturday, AUGUST 17, 2019

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PPP/C Presidential Candidate Irfaan Ali

D

espite an economy in which the traditional productive sectors have struggled, the 2019 Mid-year report shows that tax collection has risen and will continue to rise for the rest of the year. This is according to People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Presidential Candidate Irfaan Ali. According to Ali, in a statement on Sunday, the Government squeezed more tax revenue out of the population in the first half of 2019 – $108.9 billion, than it did in the first half of 2018 ($100.6 billion).

“The increase was attributed to higher income taxes, value added taxes and trade taxes,” Ali said. “The increased taxes financed the growth in current expenditure which ballooned from $92,848 million by the end of June 2018 to $97,325 million at the end of June 2019.”

Ali also alluded to projections, noting that the report estimates the collection of $91.8 million in income tax, $95.8 billion in VAT and excise tax, $25.1 billion in trade taxes and $10.6 billion in the category of ‘others’, by this year end.

“This represents an increase of $3.8 billion,” Ali said. “The half-year report also revealed that the Government intends to extract more from the Private Sector in the form of nontax revenue. The budgeted amount of $8.4 million from this source was increased to $8.8 million.”

A breakdown of tax collection documented in the report shows that Value Added Tax (VAT) collection increased by $2.1 billion to $24.8 billion between January and June of this year. The report notes that VAT from domestic goods

rose by $2 billion owing to higher payments from manufacturing, distribution, services, and oil and gas.

According to the report, the net property tax paid by the Private Sector was $3.6 billion, with some individual payments reaching $700 million. Current tax payments from companies increased by $24.7 million, while arrears payments for companies and individuals were $127.8 million and $101.7 million respectively.

Meanwhile, personal income tax revenue grew by $2 billion, or 16.4 per cent, compared to the corresponding period last year. According to the report, companies in the oil and gas sector accounted for 61 per cent or $1.2 billion.

“The other entities contributing to the increased collections were mining companies, public institutions and telecommunications companies. The number of employers making payments rose by 6.3 per cent or 120 employers during the first half of 2019, in comparison to the same period in 2018. Arrears payments were $0.2 billion for PAYE and $0.6 billion for individual income taxes,” the report says.

Ali also called out the Government for its lessthan-truthful analysis of the Balance of Payments (BOP) figures. He noted that the Government has made a concerted effort to downplay what is, in reality, a disaster.

The economist also pointed out that the overall bal-

The Mid-Year Report

ance before grants widened from $2.6 billion at the end of June 2018 to reach $5.9 billion by the end of June 2019.

“These funds will be utilised to finance other goods and services that is projected to increase to $60,791.1 million, from a budgeted sum of $59,843 million for this category of government expenditure. The emoluments were maintained at

$70,151.1 million.”

“In the first half of 2019, the overall balance of payments registered a deficit of US$86.9 million – 37.9 per cent smaller than the previous half-year’s deficit of US$139.8 million. This was supported by a higher surplus on the capital account, despite a higher current account deficit,” the Presidential Candidate said.

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guyanatimesgy.com

monday, august 19, 2019

Views Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544, 223-7230, 223-7231, 225-7761 Marketing: 231-8064 Accounts: 225-6707 Mailing address: Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, marketing@guyanatimesgy.com

Whither civil society?

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wo years ago, the success of the Movement Against Parking Meters (MAPM) to bring out a wide crosssection of Georgetown to successfully protest the imposition of the said meters by PNC elements in the City Council precipitated murmurs of hope about the possibility of “Civil Society” reasserting itself. But sadly, even as the PNC at the national level started to repeat history by reasserting its hegemonic control over the State through bullyism and the raw exercise of power, civil society appears to have become preternaturally cowed and has refused to raise their hands or heads.

It took some of the leaders of the same organisation, MAPM, whose consciousness had obviously been raised to recognise the responsibility of civil society to return to the streets last week and remind their cohorts of their historic role.

The notion of a “civil society” has an ancient lineage, going back to antiquity. But its present parameters were first outlined after the modern state system was launched in 1646.

Since then, “civil society” has been juxtaposed against the potentially predatory state – the Leviathan. Political parties arose in civil society as vehicles for mobilisation to capture the state. But by definition, they were “partisan” and soon were considered at best only liminally part of civil society, and at worse, part of the political order. “Civil society” were those associational elements, in one formulation, mediating between the family and the political order.

During the periods of dictatorship in many countries in the modern period – such as occurred in Guyana during the 1970s – political parties were rendered impotent and ineffectual even though they might not actually have been banned. With elections routinely rigged, political parties in Guyana basically served as fig leaves to “democratic” pretentions. In such a climate, civil society asserted itself against the oppressive PNC Burnhamite Leviathan state.

The political parties made common cause with religious bodies, elements of the business community, trade unions, the Bar Association and other “civic” institutions. As early as 1978, reacting to the PNC’s cynical referendum to end referenda, a wide swathe of civil society mobilised to oppose the imposition and precipitated the lowest turnout in any official polling exercise in Guyana’s history. Many civic society groups were subsequently formed to demand “free and fair elections”.

Against a background of political impotence as late as 1990, with “free and fair elections” in the air, civil society became very active and effective in bringing citizens into the streets. During the upsurge in violence following the 1998 PNC protests, we had elements of civil society – such as the “Social Partners” comprising the Private Sector Commission, the Guyana Bar Association and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) – becoming active. They played a key role in the onslaught against the State run by the PPP at the beginning of this millennium.

But sadly, since 2018, even though we have had the PNCled Government leading an assault on the fundamental tenet of democracy in refusing to respect and obey the Constitution on the need to hold elections within three months after the successful passage of a no-confidence motion, most of civil society have remained quiescent, if not comatose at the transgression. While the courts are duty-bound to adjudicate cases brought before them – even they can summarily dismiss some as “abuse of process” – all Guyanese know that when the PNC did a volte-face and speciously claimed that 33 was not the majority of 65, when they had been governing on that basis since 2015, they were returning to Burnhamite form. Which is to hold on to power by any means necessary.

It was at this conjuncture when the PNC Leviathan has clearly indicated it was not prepared to follow the tenets of the social contract as embodied in the Constitution, which conferred legitimacy to it, that civil society, should have come out into the streets. It is still not too late.

Unless “civil society” hangs together now, its members will hang separately soon.

Dancers from the Guyana delegation performing their piece “Decades of Dance”, choreographed by Vivienne Daniels at the Queens Hall Theatre in Trinidad for CARIFESTA XIV’s Dance Showcase (DPI photo)

Surrounded by tragedy, Venezuelans are laughing like crazy

…gallows humour when the daily grind is so difficult and the future so bleak that crying is the only other option

H

e knew this one was going to get laughs.

“Raise your hands if you’re only in here because the power is on.”

It was an easy lay-up for Oscar Martinez, one of the dozens of comedians drawing standing-room-only throngs in Venezuela’s mostly miserable capital. He had another sure hit when he picked a couple out of the audience, asked a few questions, and discovered the woman had a Spanish passport.

“So you’re engaged and you’re migrating, or are you engaged because you’re migrating?” The crowd roared.

The crisis in the country is officially a laughing matter. Venezuelans have always been quick to turn catastrophe into jokes. It’s a long tradition here. We’re loud, irreverent, informal to a fault and wildly funny. (At least we think so.)

But stand-up comedians are having a moment like never before, with shows almost every night of the week.

In a city with few pleasant diversions, “comedians are the new celebrities”, said Camila Mirabal, a 23-yearold who works in human resources. Going out for dinner or even to the movies is prohibitively expensive for most, and there isn’t much else to do for entertainment, unless your idea of fun is hanging out in a mall where the shops don’t have much in stock. A bonus when it comes to stand-up: There’s often no charge, beyond the

cost of a beer or two.

Martinez, wearing a loud Hawaiian shirt, offered another explanation, along the lines of the old adage about laughter being the best medicine. “Going to therapy is too expensive,” the 31-yearold said after a recent gig at Cusica in an upper-class neighbourhood in the hills.

“And we have to talk about what’s going on.”

Considering what’s going on, “the jokes almost write themselves”.

The hardships – empty grocery store shelves, power blackouts, taps that run dry and the refusal of Nicolás Maduro to go away, to name a few – are punchlines. It's dark humour, made for desperate situations and hopeless times. That famous line between tragedy and comedy is getting thinner and thinner in Venezuela.

Politics are definitely not off-limits, even though

the autocrat does not appreciate witticisms at his expense: Two firefighters in Merida state were jailed for more than a month late last year after they posted a video of a donkey touring their fire house, referring to the animal in a voice-over as Maduro.

“Laughing is subversive when you know it puts you in danger,” said Ricardo del Bufalo, 27, who often sings during his routines about being forced to brush his teeth with knock-off Colgate and how fraudulent elections drove him to drink.

Alessio Vargas, at a recent show at La Intima, took a poke at Maduro by impersonating his mother, using a very thick Colombian accent, nudging at the longheld theory that the man running Venezuela into the ground was, in fact, born on the other side of the border – and the fervent wish that he

had stayed there.

Martinez tends to focus on day-to-struggles, making fun of himself to soften up his fans and let them know, he said, that he’s a victim, too. He veers occasionally into politics: On stage at Cusica, he pushed out his stomach to mimic someone who’s been eating too well and said, “Listen, I know I have the body of a Chavista.” That, of course, got big guffaws.

Most of the comics perform in venues on the eastern, wealthier side of Caracas. And there don’t appear to be any Chavista jokesters on the circuit in any part of town.

Comedy in Caracas is in a bubble, said Alessandra Hamdan, 32, who directs the Improvisto theatre company. “We’re all largely patting each other’s backs.”

Whatever. “We’re desperate to laugh.” (Bloomberg)

guyanatimesgy.com

monday, august 19, 2019

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You can send your letters with pictures to: Guyana Times, Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, Guyana or letters@guyanatimesgy.com

GECOM too must honour Constitution The PNC is at the end of its rope

Dear Editor, The rule of law is the foundation upon which modern civilisation rests. In its absence, anarchy prevails!

Dictators are born when those in authority remain silent as our Constitution and the rule of law are trampled upon in hope that someone else will have the courage to speak up. And very often, the rhetoric lacks teeth: The threat of sanctions and the political will to implement them. While no one wants to see Guyana return to the dark days of election rigging, election violence and the wanton destruction of private property that is the hallmark of the PNC, one cannot disregard the dangerous and irresponsible threat made

by Attorney General Basil Williams at a forum held at the Marriott Hotel, where he alluded to violence and the destruction of property if Government should lose this election.

I caution, this is not a threat to be taken lightly.

There are also growing evidence and real concerns that the man who many thought possessed the attributes of a great leader is showing signs of impending tyranny that mimics his idol. But times have changed. We’re living in an era of advanced technology and instant communication. David Granger will never be allowed to replicate the things Forbes Burnham got away with.

In the recent case brought before Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George in the High Court by the outspoken advocate against corruption, Attorney Christopher Ram, challenging the legality of the House-to-House (HtH) Registration, the Chief Justice last Thursday ruled that although the HtH is not illegal or unconstitutional in itself, residency is not a qualifying requirement, and therefore the names of those on the list of the National Register of Registrants

(NRR) and Official List of Electors (OLE) cannot be removed unless deceased or they become disqualified.

This ruling vindicates the PPP/C’s call to the nation to boycott the HtH Registration to protect the constitutional right of every Guyanese to vote, regardless of where they may be, provided they’re already on the NRR database and are in Guyana on Election Day. Although the Court refused to set a date or a deadline for elections, the Chief Justice made it clear that there should be compliance with the provisions of the Constitution. That is, elections in three months.

The Chief Justice also ruled that GECOM cannot operate as if it is in a dormant elections cycle, which echoes the ruling of the CCJ that, “The Guyana Elections Commission (“GECOM”) has the responsibility to conduct that election and GECOM too must abide by the provisions of the Constitution”.

What is puzzling, however, is GECOM’s reluctance to stop the HtH Registration when nothing can be achieved from continuing this process. The Chief Justice already ruled that the names of those on the list of the National Register of Registrants (NRR) and Official List of Electors (OLE) cannot be removed unless deceased, or they become disqualified. So, what’s the point in continuing this charade? Why does the new GECOM Chairperson have to wait to receive a hard copy of the Chief Justice’s ruling before deciding on the way forward?

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see that this is another delaying tactic being employed by GECOM. Readers may recall that GECOM’s original plan was to scrap the database known as the National Register of Registrants (NRR) and create a new one. If this was allowed to continue without be-

ing challenged, every eligible Guyanese who has a Guyana National Identification Card and is already on the NRR database, but who was not home at the time the GECOM scrutineers visited would have been deleted from the List and could not vote in the upcoming elections.

But now, because of the Chief Justice’s ruling last Thursday, if you are on vacation, if you are in the interior working or some other place away from home, if you are a bush pilot and is hardly ever home, or if you’re sick or giving birth in a nearby hospital, GECOM cannot now take you off the List if you’re not home or refuse to reregister when the scrutineers come visiting. And don’t let them con you into believing that if you don’t register, you wouldn’t be able to use your current ID card to do business next year, that’s not true! And certainly no one can charge you for “not registering” if you already have a Guyana National Identification Card that says you’re already registered.

So why is GECOM continuing to spend billions of dollars on a useless HtH campaign now that the Chief Justice has ruled that eligible voters cannot be deregistered? Why is it taking so long for the new GECOM Chairman to act?

The only clear pathway in keeping with its constitutional obligations is for GECOM to now swiftly move to Claims and Objections and stop or postpone this charade.

The Leader of the Opposition has been very tolerant and reasonable since the passage of the No-Confidence Motion, emphasising the need for Government and the Opposition to work together in the best interest of our country. But after Granger’s unwillingness to negotiate in good faith, to accept

the conditions under Article 106(6) and 106(7) of our Constitution and to call elections within the allotted three-month timeframe; and because of his determination to stay in power all cost, we see no need to return to Parliament to give this cabal legitimacy through a twothirds majority vote to further plunder the resources of our nation by campaigning under the guise of ministerial outreaches. So, for all intents and purposes, David Granger and his entire Administration are all usurpers, illegal, illegitimate and unconstitutional.

But despite his public pronouncement that he’s waiting on GECOM to advise him, it seems that David Granger has already set a date for elections. This was revealed last Friday during a disappointing Skeldon outreach by Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Valerie Garrido-Lowe while speaking to about five supporters and over 150 empty chairs. She announced that “Elections will be this year, according to the President.”

Then during a press conference, the PNC/APNU chief apologist, WPA Executive Member David Hinds “forecasts” that elections could be held “sometime in December”.

This decision to have elections one year after the no-confidence motion is believed to have been made at Congress Place, and is being leaked to influence GECOM to give the Administration more time. It is therefore obvious that the Government Commissioners at GECOM are being used to carry out the mandate of the PNC Leader and others at Congress Place. That must stop now!

Sincerely, Harry Gill PPP/C Member of Parliament

Airport efficiency suggestions Dear Editor, It is nice to see the upgrades that have been done to the CJIA airport. The new facilities will provide a comfortable, modernised experience for travellers. To complement these improvements, I would like to make a few suggestions to improve the ease of transit experience for passengers.

1. Simplify the process for filling out departure and arrival records – An online system to check-in and complete the forms necessary for departure and arrival records should be implemented to ease the burden on families travelling with small children. The current process of filling out individual forms for each traveller is fatiguing and time consuming for persons (like myself) who travel with 2-3

small children in tow. Let’s have a secure form accessible by passengers online and authenticated by a security code generated by the system and sent to the passenger. Also, have the option for one form to be used to cover a family of two parents and three small children, filled out by one of the adults.

2. Make scanning luggage easier and more convenient – Instead of having to load your luggage up on a trolley then taking it to a special scanner for use by multiple passengers, why not have multiple scanners located at each customs aisle. This way, the airport can scan multiple passengers’ luggage simultaneously and significantly decrease time spent going through customs. This will benefit

both arriving and departing travellers and can allow the airport to serve more flights daily.

Development should not be limited to facilities and aesthetics only but should incorporate the policies, procedures and training provided to airport personnel to handle flights. There has been an uptick in the num-

ber of foreign visitors passing through Guyana, and as oil comes to the barrel, there will be more. Having an efficient, functioning system for travellers will be critical to ensuring they have a good experience entering or exiting the country.

Sincerely, Shazaam Ally

Dear Editor, Ever since the December 21, 2018 successful passage of the no-confidence motion, the PNC has been engaging on non-compliance of Article 106 (6) and (7), which say that the President and his Cabinet shall resign and a date be set for General Elections.

The PNC has violated this aspect of the Constitution to this day, with the most recent delaying tactic of national Houseto-House Registration. They have embarked on a veneer of House-to-House Registration which in their terms is the cause for the delay in the President not resigning nor setting a date for elections. This aspect of the Constitution is deliberately sidestepped.

House-to-House Registration which could take at least 20 months is never linked to the President and Cabinet resigning their post, yet David Granger insists that the two are intricately linked.

Knowing that ruse of the PNC, the Chief Justice ruled that House-to-House Registration is a valid process, but, that is a programme for the situation in “normal times”; she reiterated the fact that we are not in normal times and another process must be explored. Madame Justice George in her wisdom, as it were, “ruled in their favour” thus disbarring them from making another one of these senseless appeals.

Had she ruled that House-to-House is ille-

gal, Basil Williams would have seized the opportunity to appeal which would have taken another endless cycle of appeals and counter appeals which would take us past September 18.

The PNC would have again broken the law, continue their illegal stay in office and think it is funny. However, all of that is of no effect because the Chief Justice has put a block on that illegal route by the PNC for good. Now that things are “in their favour”, they must honour the Constitution as well as the CCJ’s ruling, that elections have to be held on or before September 18.

The point to note here is that with Madame George’s ruling, there is added pressure on the PNC; they must finish the House-to-House Registration, the Claims and Objections, and that aspect of the Constitution that says the President and his Cabinet shall resign and call elections all within the timeframe which ends on September 18. As we say in Guyanese creole is “sh..t to clean now”, Granger and cabal are in hot, hot mess, because they must honour Article 106 (6) and (7) to the letter.

If they do not respect the constitutional requirement, then the Opposition has every right to go straight to the CCJ, not the local court for redress. Granger, your days are numbered.

Respectfully, Neil Adams

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monday, august 19, 2019

Page

Foundation

Taking care of your body: L

Why do I need to take care of my body?

earning how to take care of your body is part of growing up. As you get older, your body will change as you go from being a boy to a man. This is called puberty. During puberty, you will get: oily skin and hair hair that grows on your face (above your lip, on your cheeks, chin, and neck); under your arms; on your legs and in your private area (the part of your body covered by your underwear) sweat that smells stinky, especially under your arms a deeper voice erections, ejaculation, and wet dreams.

These changes will happen slowly.

You will have to learn new routines to keep yourself clean and healthy.

What should I do every day?

To stay smelling fresh and clean, you should: Put on clean underwear and clothes every day.

Wash your hands and face every day with soap and water. Use a towel to dry off.

Take a shower or bath by yourself.

When you take a shower or bath, you can wash all your body parts and your hair.

Use deodorant every day. This will make your underarms less sweaty and stinky.

Brush your teeth at least twice a day and floss every day. This will help prevent bad breath and cavities.

What about shaving?

As the hair grows on your face, you may want to shave it. Ask a parent or other trusted adult how to use a razor.

It may take time to get used to how it feels to shave. Electric razors are noisy and might tickle a little. Other razors are sharp and can cut you if you are not careful. Be careful when using

T

rees come in various shapes and sizes.

In this activity, children will measure trees in different ways and become familiar with tree scale and structure. They will also learn the importance of standard units of measure and measuring techniques.

a razor.

All boys have erections, ejaculations, and wet dreams. They are normal and part of growing up.

If you wake up in the morning and your underwear and sheets are wet and sticky, you had a wet dream. Take off your dirty underwear and pyjamas.

Remove your dirty sheets. Wash yourself and put on clean underwear and clothes.

What kind of underwear should I wear?

Choose underwear that is comfortable for you.

Some boys like boxer shorts because they are easy to put on and take off. Other boys like briefs because they feel more supported when walking, running, or jumping around.

Try different kinds of underwear until you find the ones that are right for you.

This feels like a lot to learn!

How can I remember?

Having a new daily routine may take some getting used to. Here are some fun ways to remember what to

do:

Make a schedule so you know when to wash your face, shave, or take a shower.

Use a picture chart or list that tells the steps for getting washed in the morning.

Put numbers on the supplies you use, like soap, shampoo, and deodorant, so you know what to use first and what comes next.

Be prepared!

Be prepared each day by making special kits with all the supplies you need for taking care of yourself. Make a kit for your morning routine that has soap, a toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, deodorant, and a brush for your hair. You can have another kit with all your shaving supplies.

Ask your mom or dad to help you put your kits together. Choose things that you like. If you don’t like the smell or the feel of some of the supplies, you can always go back to the store to buy something different. You have many choices. Pick whatever is best for you.

Doing the activity

Any time you are outside, select a tree to measure.

Begin by thinking how you might measure something without the proper tools.

Then measure small outdoor objects (leaves, branches, rocks) using your own body parts: a foot, hand, arm, or finger.

Estimate the following of the selected tree: Height Circumference Diameter at Breast Height (DBH) Width of Canopy (or Crown Spread) Use a six-inch ruler or five-foot piece of string for assistance. Calculations can be estimated in body measurements (hand spans, arm lengths, etc) or accepted units of measure (feet, metres, etc) Why might it be useful to measure trees?

On a sunny day, Measure shadows and use a ratio comparison to determine tree height. The mathematical proportions are outlined in the box below.

(kidshealth.org)

(www.plt.org)

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monday, august 19, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

NIS in $748.4M half year deficit – loss of more than 20,000 jobs major contributing factor

A

s a result of more than 20,000 persons from various sectors including the sugar industry losing their jobs, the Finance Ministry’s Half Year report revealed that the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) is in a worsening position, as its multimillion-dollar deficit continues to grow while revenue collection increases.

According to the report.

NIS recorded an overall deficit of $748.4 Million for the year, compared to the $715.6 Million it recorded in the same half year period for 2018. Revenue col-

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

lection so far for 2019 was $11.9 Billion, 9.7 per cent more than the same period for 2018.

“This improved position resulted from higher wage bands, on account of an increase in wages and salaries, as well as improved collection of outstanding contributions from delinquent employers,” the report says.

At the same time, however, NIS continues to struggle with collecting contributions from the self-employed persons. Some $492 Million was collected from the self-employed.

According to the report, this is 22 per cent lower than the halfyear target of $627.8 million, despite ongoing campaigns.

According to the report, NIS is working closely with the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) to update its database of self-employed persons. And as of June 15, 2019, self-employed persons can pay their contributions using Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT) Mobile Money.”

As fast as money has been coming in, the scheme has also had to keep up with the payment of claims.

According to the report, expenditure for the period under review increased to $12.6 billion, from $11.5 billion at the end of June 2018, mainly due to an increase in benefit payments. The report notes that these payments were 91.4 percent of total expenditure.

“The latest forecast projects a deficit of $546.7 million, a worsening position from a budgeted surplus of $469.3 million. This was

paying NIS, so those are people who are not contributing to NIS,” Jagdeo had explained.

This translates to decreased inflows for NIS and payouts that would remain constant or increase. In the last financial statement issued by the Scheme, it had showed a deficit of over $800 million.

mainly due to a shortfall of $1 billion or 4.5 percent in employee contributions, compared to the amount budgeted for at the halfyear, as well as an increase of $449.3 million, or 1.9 percent in benefit payments,” the report says.

Cause and effect Since the dismissal of thousands of sugar workers, late payment of their severance and the firing of about 2000 Amerindian Community Support Officers (CSOs), financial analysts have highlighted their concerns about the financial status of NIS. Earlier this year, Chartered Accountant Christopher Ram, in an interview with Guyana Times on Guyana’s unemployment rate, had explained that this may impact payments to NIS and income tax.

According to the accountant, many persons do not see their NIS deduction in the positive light of being a contribution to their future pension, but rather they see it as a deduction from an already small salary.

Tax collection is not the only thing taking a hit when there is large-scale unemployment, as NIS contributions are also affected. For instance, concern has been expressed that layoffs in the sugar belt could undermine the Scheme’s position.

This is particularly so if the Scheme were to pay

Chartered Accountant Christopher Ram

unemployment benefits.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo had previously said that the idea of paying out these benefits did not take into account the current financial status of the Scheme and its ability to meet its current obligations.

He had noted at a press conference that the last actuarial report recommended that focus be placed on building the reserve to avoid a deficit. In fact, it was disclosed in that report that the life of the Scheme should come to an end by 2022 unless strategic plans for revenue earnings and expansion of the investment portfolio were effectively implemented.

“What has happened since is that this Government has fired 7000 sugar workers, [and] many others. Let’s say maybe 20,000 more have lost their jobs. Take of the 20,000, just take another 8000 who were

The National Insurance Scheme

Applications for Law School scholarships must be submitted by August 30

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he coalition Government is offering a limited number of scholarships for the Legal Education Certificate (LEC) at the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad and Tobago for the 2019-2020 academic year.

Currently, law students at the University of Guyana complete the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) programme after which the top 25 graduates are granted entry annually into the Hugh Wooding Law School to get their LEC. However, in recent years, Guyanese students in Trinidad have been complaining bitterly about the system, particularly the limited intake when the law classes at UG are packed

Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad and Tobago

with close to 100 students.

Additionally, they also complained about the high cost of obtaining the LEC, which is pegged at more than $3 million, and this excludes education materials, accommodation and daily

expenses such as food and transportation.

Nevertheless, some students will be able to offset these with the limited scholarships being offered by the Department of Public Service. turn to page 9

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monday, august 19, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

WPO recognises top performers at NGSA

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he Women’s P r o g r e s s i v e Organisation (WPO) of Industry on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) has recognised 11 students who performed exceptionally at the recent National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA).

This is the eighth edition of the award ceremony hosted by the group for “special children who passed the examinations”.

Those honoured on Sunday are Neeraj Jorge, Safiyyah Azeez, Vishnu Persaud, Saif Yawat, Joylon Fernandez, Sarah Khan, Gabriella Dublin, Ali Javed, Deo Narine, Alana Singh, Utaf Abdin and Jaspaul Mangru.

The students, who are all resident in the Industry area, received trophies for their performances.

WPO General Secretary Seila Veersammy congratulated the students for their exemplary performances at the 2019 NGSA and wished them the best as they embark on secondary school life.

Preparing the students for what lay ahead, Veersammy admonished them to always keep their heads held high.

In the same breath, the Member of Parliament (MP) called for more sponsorship in order for more students to be recognised.

“This (ceremony) depends solely on sponsorship; if we

The tale…

W

The awarded students

get more sponsorship, we will be able to shine the light on more children and to give more hope and appreciation to them,” she urged.

Avinash Parasam, a previous recipient of two scholarships from the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), shared his experience with the students and urged them to remain humble and to work hard for all of their achievements.

“Practise humility, stay humble. It is very misunderstood as to what ‘stay humble’ means, but being successful doesn’t mean that you should always boast or wearing your certificates on your sleeves; you should remain humble, and once you

can do that, you will see how many persons recognise how important you are,” Parasam stated.

Vanessa Benn, sister of former Minister Robeson Benn, in delivering the feature remarks, urged the students to increase their knowledge by continuing to read daily. She further encouraged them to remain proud of where they came from.

“Be proud of where you came from, don’t ever feel that because you are from Industry and not from one of the fancier areas, you aren’t good enough, you are. You have put in a lot of work in preparing for this exam and it is a good time to tell your-

self that now I must continue to work hard and to look at the other areas where I can improve. Now you are becoming an adult and you need to broaden your horizon, read and utilise the tools like the Internet that you have available,” Benn urged the students.

Benn also recognised the parents of the students and thanked them for the work and dedication that they put into their children.

“You deserve to be recognised because you not only took the time out to bring your children here today, but you have through your hard work helped them to be here, so thank you.”

80-year-old man who allegedly raped child in car released from custody

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he 80-year-old East Coast Demerara (ECD) resident who allegedly raped a 12-yearold girl in his car was released on bail after the 72-hour detention period expired, but the Police were continuing their investigations into the matter.

This is according to C Division (East Coast Demerara) Commander, Senior Superintendent, Calvin Brutus, who explained that although concerns are being raised about the man’s release from custody, the alleged child rapist could not be detained more than the mandatory 72-hour period.

However, he stressed that although the man is out of the lock-ups, it does not mean that the case would be swept under the rug.

“We have got to do one part and the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA) has to do theirs … but our part is very simple, the CCPA’s part is more complex, because it has a process to be followed, so it would take longer with them than

C Division Commander, Senior Superintendent Calvin Brutus

us. However, we need what they are doing as part of the file so it can be completed before it can be sent for legal advice,” he explained.

Commander Brutus further stated that when handling such sensitive matters, in-depth and proper investigations have to be conducted to avoid any oversight on the part of law enforcement authorities. Any blunder, he added, can lead to dismissal of the matter, and the perpetrator can walk free.

The Police, Brutus noted, have information that the alleged perpetrator might have other victims in the village. It is believed that he might have paid the relatives of those abused girls to “keep quiet”.

The Commander noted that regardless of how long ago such a crime was committed, the Police can legally investigate them as well.

“I have heard that is his modus operandi, is to target poor people because they

want the money. But if it comes to us and we know the identities, then yes, we can still handle those cases, but persons need to come forward and give us that information,” he added.

Last week, the alleged child rapist reportedly lured the 12-year-old female into his vehicle and drove her to his home; even before she exited the vehicle, he ran his hands along her body and repeatedly inserted his fingers inside her private parts.

But before he could proceed to molest the child further, his neighbours noticed the girl in the car, and called out to him.

It was reported that the man vehemently denied that someone was in the vehicle with him, but one neighbour jumped the fence and as she approached the car, the child was seen. An alarm was raised and the Police were contacted.

The man was immediately arrested and the child was taken into Police custody and subsequently handed over to the CCPA.

Labourer released on bail for narcotics possession

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Charlestown, Georgetown resident was on Friday released on $30,000 bail after he was charged with having 12 grams of marijuana in his possession.

Twenty-three-year-old

James Murphy, a labourer of Charlestown, appeared before Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

He denied the charge which stated that on August 14,

2019 at Lombard Street, Charlestown, he had in his possession 12 grams of marijuana.

Murphy was represented by Attorney-at-Law Paul Fung-A-Fat, who asked that his client be re-

leased on reasonable bail.

Police Prosecutor Traceyann Gittens did not object to bail being granted to the defendant. The matter will be called again on August 30, 2019.

…of the neglected spouses ith elections coming before year end – according to what Granger evidently told his Minister Cummings – the Caretaker Coalition’s mini-parties hanging onto the PNC’s skirt have begun to scramble for a return engagement. A political coalition’s like a marriage with a prenup – but one where the agreement on the terms of the prenup has to be redone before each election! Things change!!

At such times there can even be a divorce – so matters can get pretty messy – think PNC/UF!! They can get even more hairy when, as in this case, the coalition’s like one of those Russian dolls that open up to reveal different levels of identity. Here the major partner in the marriage is APNU and the minor partner is the AFC. But APNU opens up to reveal that inside there’s the mammoth PNC along with a number of smaller dolls.

There’s the JFAP: the TV party that most folks see as a comedy show and a protest option when they don’t like NOTA – none of the above. They never got a seat at any elections and are thankful for the (very) junior ministry! There’s also GAP, which once received a seat from “hinterland votes”, but has faded into oblivion; Steve Scott’s NFA, which no Guyanese can say what the initials stand for and finally, the WPA, which has pimped off the name of Walter Rodney for decades, only to betray his memory by coalescing with his murderers.

So, what’s going on coalition-wise on the eve of the elections? Well, a month ago, the AFC voted to have their leader Khemraj Ramjattan be their PM candidate. Now they were taking a lot for granted – to even assume the APNU/PNC wanted to have them on their coattails once again!! But that decision set off a fierce infighting between the erstwhile besties Nagamootoo and Ramjattan for the nod. In the meantime, the Cummingsburg prenup’s being “renegotiated”.

Within the APNU Babushka, the WPA’s always asserted they are gamechangers and deserved more than they received. Pretty much like the stunt they pulled with the PPP in 1992 – when they ended up losing “corn and husk”.

Your Eyewitness figures it’ll be déjà vu all over again!! But in the meantime, they’re doing the PNC a favour by insisting the AFC got much too much the last time and should be cut down to size. It goes without saying whatever’s cut off should go to the WPA!!

And the other Babushka “parties” inside APNU? They’re being smart and playing possum. That way they figure their names will remain to ensure “diversity” without too many demands!!

Just keep your eyes on the AFC vs WPA catfight!! …just doesn’t add up Your Eyewitness has been trying desperately to get his head around the numbers tossed around by Minister of Citizenship Winston Felix in the “Case of the Vanished Haitians”. He must admit ever since the Ministry was hived out of Ramjattan’s bailiwick and given to the PNC “Bannuh”, he’s been very leery. Since when did records of births, deaths and migration ever interest the PNC – unless it was to fiddle with elections?

Anyhow, Felix finally claimed that of the 7306 Haitians unaccounted for up to now, only 391 were now missing since 6925 had entered Brazil via the border at Lethem where “except for 129, the majority left.” Now let’s give Felix the benefit of the doubt and accept he received from Brazil the numbers who’d entered. But how in the world could he be told how many left??

Left Boa Vista? Nope – no system to capture that!! Left Brazil? Well, Brazil has over 100,000 Haitians…how can they keep tabs on these specific 6796 who’d entered from Lethem??

Something’s fishy. And it needs to be checked out!! …of the forgotten bottom Just as we did with the NGSA, the country went bonkers over the high flyers in the CSEC and CAPE results.

As your Eyewitness has been saying for years, we’ve forgotten the bottom 99%.

Readers are invited to send their comments by email to eye@guyanatimesgy.com

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monday, august 19, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Guyana Forestry Commission gets new Board – as Govt admits funding options for agency limited

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he Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), which has been featured prominently in the media in recent months owing to its restructuring, has had a new Board of Directors approved to oversee its operations until next year.

According to a gazetted notice, the new Board will be led by incumbent Chair Joselyn Dow. Other members include Latchmin Punalall, Dr David Singh, Clayton Hall, Audwin Rutherford, Vanessa Kissoon and Commissioner James Singh. Also included are representatives from the Forest Producers Association, the Ministry of the Presidency, Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Ministry, the Guyana Manufacturers and Services Association and the Ministries of

Agriculture and Business.

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Winston Jordan, at a press conference last week, alluded to the Commission’s difficulties in bringing in revenue and paying staff. He noted that the Commission has had to contend with a ban on the importation of greenheart into the United Kingdom, among other things.

“We are limited by what we can do, because Parliament is not in session.

So even if we want to support them, we’ll have to go to Parliament to get supplemental. That is not possible at this stage, so we’ll have to see if there are any other creative approaches to getting them some money to tide them over,” Jordan had said.

“They have had a num-

ber of challenges that have reduced their revenue intake. The BaiShanLin concessions were returned, so they are not earning anything from it. It has not been given out. Greenheart exports, problems there.

The whole issue of timber not expanding at the rate it should.”

Notwithstanding these problems, including payment of the Forestry Commission’s own staff, the 2019 Mid-Year Report had shown that the sector was one of the few economic success stories. The report had said that the forestry subsector was estimated to have grown at the half-year.

This growth encompasses the production of timber, including logs, round wood, primary lumber, split wood and fuelwood. According to

The forestry sector has experienced contradictory times with a growing sector and a struggling regulator

the report, the production of these commodities rose 7.8 per cent above the level achieved at the end of June 2018.

“This pushed growth in the sector to 8.5 per cent in the first half of 2019. The improvements to interior roads in the latter half of 2018 saw

community loggers, particularly in Region 10, realising higher production levels in the first quarter of 2019.

Production continued to surge, driven by small-scale concessions and community forestry operators.”

“At the end of the first half, log production grew by

6.8 per cent, mainly on account of the increased extraction of greenheart logs to meet local demand. On the other hand, weaker international demand for round wood resulted in a contraction of this category in the second quarter, which resulted in a 2.6 per cent decline relative to the previous half-year,” the report adds.

According to the report, primary lumber producers recorded gains of 32.4 per cent in the first half, which was attributed to them capitalising on local demand for construction. The report also projects a positive outlook for the remainder of the year for the sector.

“Given these factors, the forestry sector is conservatively expected to expand by 5 per cent, 3.1 percentage points above the projection in Budget 2019,” the report says.

“Guyana is grateful for your service” – Minister Hastings-Williams tells US Army New Horizons team

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inister of State, Dawn HastingsWilliams on Sunday extended gratitude on behalf of the Government and people of Guyana to the United States Air Force New Horizons team, which has built three community centres, one women’s shelter and provided health services to 13, 346 persons during their exercise here from May to August 2019.

Speaking at a simple thanksgiving ceremony held by the Gonsalves family at their Republic Gardens, East Bank Demerara home, Minister Hastings-Williams said that the team has done well and has the gratitude of a nation.

“The New Horizons medical outreaches to the Guyanese people are very much appreciated. In 2009,

Minister of State, Dawn Hastings-Williams

the Bel Air Nursery School and East La Penitence Health Centre were built in Georgetown by the team.

This year, the team conducted training and made new impacts in new communities, recording 13,346

patient encounters during their medical outreaches,” she said.

The New Horizons exercise seeks to train US military civil engineers and medical professionals, who work alongside Guyanese military and health professionals in joint humanitarian assistance exercises.

Head of the contingent remaining in Guyana, Colonel Kenneth Bratland, in his remarks, said that this year, the team worked in Linden, Port Mourant, New Amsterdam and Georgetown, constructing three community centres in Linden and Yarrowkabra and one women’s shelter in Linden. The group also provided medical care, including ophthalmologic care and surgery.

During their time

Applications for Law...

Requirements for eligibility include: being the holder of the Bachelor of Laws Degree, with a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.3, obtained within the last five years; applicants must be 35 years old or under; and must have an offer of acceptance from the Hugh Wooding Law School for the 2019-2020 academic year.

Present students at the Hugh Wooding Law School must have passes for the first year of studies with at least three courses passes with Grade A. Application forms can be uplifted from the

Scholarships Division at the Department of Public Service within the Ministry of the Presidency.

Alternatively, they can be downloaded from the Department’s website.

Completed applications must be returned to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of the Presidency, Department of Public Service located at Lot 164 Waterloo Street, Georgetown or submitted via the Department’s website.

Over the years, the need for a local law school has been excessively highlighted and as such, Government has undertaken to step up

from page 7

such an institution here in a joint venture with Jamaican partners.

In fact, after a run-in with the Council for Legal Education (CLE) over permission for establishment of the school, Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams had disclosed in September last year that the path has been cleared to build the local law school here. He noted that a feasibility study was completed and sent to CLE for its appraisal.

Reporters were told it has been proposed that the JOF Haynes Law School be constructed on 10 acres of land provided by UG.

here, the team also provided training and transfer of knowledge to their local counterparts from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), the Public Health Ministry and several health institutions including the Linden Hospital Complex, where they were able to perform 39 surgeries using 129 different techniques.

He noted that while the

team worked hard, the hospitality and warmth of the Guyanese people must also be acknowledged since it helped to make the mission even more successful.

Hostess for the event, Mildred Gonsalves, who opened up her home to the team, said that she felt that the team should be thanked for the exceptional service they have provided to the

country and as such, the event was organised.

New Horizons is an annual US Southern Command training and humanitarian exercise that is led by the Twelfth Air Force (Air Forces Southern) in various countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Guyana previously hosted successful New Horizons exercises in 2004 and 2009.

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monday, august 19, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Sophia residents to benefit from 100 core homes, 2000 home subsidies

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he Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) under its Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme will facilitate a major upgrade in Sophia, Greater Georgetown by constructing core houses and roads among other infrastructure.

On Friday last, officials of the CH&PA gave members of the media a tour of B Field Sophia where works were currently ongoing.

Its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Leon Saul listed the works to be completed.

“We would be spending approximately US$7.5 million here in (the) Sophia area and basically what we are doing, we would be upgrading approximately 12 kilometres of roads to as-

The site in C Field, Sophia proposed for a community centre to be constructed

phaltic concrete. We will be doing concrete drains, two playfields will be upgraded; additionally 2000 residents will benefit from home improvement subsidies and 100 core houses will be built,” Saul stated.

The CEO was keen to note that this year, 50 of the core houses are expected

to be completed while 300 home improvement subsidies will be distributed. The remaining houses and home improvement subsidies will be done in 2020.

Home improvement subsidies and core houses will be granted to low-income households – those persons who earn $75,000 or

less per month and own a plot of land within the project boundary that is also low income, meaning it cost $300,000 or less.

Subsidies will be approved if the homes that are occupied are considered inhabitable. However, if the houses are not strong enough to accommodate repairs, the owners may qualify for a core home.

Once qualified, the applicant would be required to pay $100,000 as a contribution towards the core home. The core houses are 400 square-foot flat concrete buildings that cost $4 million.

For home improvement subsidies, $500,000 worth of materials will be granted and recipients will have to provide for labour.

The Deputy Director for Community Development, Donell Bascom explained that thus far, 456 verification visits were conducted in Sophia while 87 households were inspected which would have been dubbed eligible to qualify for a core house.

“By the end of August to mid-September, we will be able to complete the beneficiary selection process and have persons notified of the outcome of their applications from Sophia,” Bascom stated.

She added that this project was special as it provid-

ed employment for residents of the community.

Meanwhile, Anthony Ragnauth, another officer attached to the CH&PA, detailed the scope of works to be conducted. It was noted that the project has been divided into six lots. These lots have already been awarded to six different contractors via the National Procurement and Tender

completed two.”

The community works are slated to be completed by March 2020. Already, members of the community have lauded the positive change that they have noticed and expressed their willingness to work with the contractors to see the project’s speedy completion.

The first Adequate Housing and Urban

CH&PA CEO Leon Saul addresses the media in the presence of other officials, including community leaders

Administration Board (NPTAB).

Ragnauth told the media, “Presently, the works are ongoing. We had some delays with the weather which affected mostly the road works; nevertheless we have gone ahead with the construction of culverts, reinforced concrete drains, revetments and out of the eight bridges that are slated to be constructed, we have

Accessibility Programme, which provides an opportunity for Guyanese citizens to improve their standard of living, was launched back in January 2019 at C Field, Sophia.

The project became a reality as a result of the collaboration between the CH&PA and the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB), which is funding the project.

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monday, august 19, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

There should be transparency between foreign investors and Govt – Jagdeo

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pposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has clarified that he does not have anything against foreign investors coming here, but insisted that they should not be doing underhand deals with the caretaker coalition Government.

Two week ago, Jagdeo had disclosed that ‘carpetbagger’ investors, including some from Trinidad, were entering into secret deals with the Government, and cleaning up prime real estate. But his statements did not sit well with some foreigners looking to come invest here, particularly those within the Caribbean Region.

In fact, days later, a

spokesperson from Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce told the Caribbean Media

Corporation (CMC) that the comments made by the Guyanese politician were “currently being discussed”.

However, the Opposition Leader last week defended his remarks, saying that there is nothing wrong with foreign investors coming here, but insisted they should be transparent in their transactions. “(We don’t want) not carpetbaggers flowing through here and before we know it, there’re no opportunities for our people, and that is what is being done. Not that I have anything against Trinidadians or anyone else coming here as investors.

But what I have problems with is when this government, in this period of illegality and a caretaker role, went to an investors’ conference in Trinidad paid by taxpayers and after the investors’ conference, was working out private deals,” Jagdeo stated.

According to the Opposition Leader, investors were giving money to Government officials who went to the investors’ conference in Trinidad last month and in exchange they are given tracts of lands in prime

Opposition Jagdeo

Leader

Bharrat

locations across Guyana, including at Diamond on the East Bank of Demerara; Wales on the West Bank of Demerara, and even along the alignment of the East Bank to East Coast bypass road. He noted too the land which was earmarked for the now cancelled Specialty Hospital is being negotiated for or is already gone.

Previously, Jagdeo had disclosed that many ‘carpetbagger’ investors are coming here to take advantage of underhand deals and are benefitting from land giveaways, at a time when the Government should be in a caretaker mode.

“The ‘carpetbaggers’ are

Moruca man beaten to death during argument

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miner was on Saturday evening beaten to death by another man during an argument at Kumaka Water Front, North West District (NWD), Region One (Barima-Waini).

The dead man has been identified as Oswald Henry of Moruca, NWD.

Based on information received, the now dead man and the suspect were at a shop consuming alcohol when an argument erupted.

During the argument, the suspect armed himself with a piece of wood and dealt Henry several blows to the head.

As a result, Henry re-

portedly fell to the ground in an unconscious state. He was picked up and rushed to the Kumaka District Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. His body was taken to the hospital’s mortuary to await a post-mortem.

The 20-year-old suspect was arrested, and was now assisting Police with their investigation.

coming… In Diamond, the Trinidadians are coming in and getting a ton of land there and a lot of them are paying bribes. I don’t have a problem with Trinidadians coming here and investing but not in this period,” he had stated.

The Opposition Leader noted that this situation was particularly worrying especially in the absence of a local content policy to protect Guyanese interests.

“Let me tell you something about local content.

Before the Government changes, almost all of the opportunities that are gonna be available for our people are gonna be gone… There is no local content policy. We will become second-class citizens in this country because this government doesn’t care, and is not looking out for Guyanese and is part of these deals,” he stressed.

According to Jagdeo, while Guyana can benefit from the expertise of its

Director of Energy, Mark Bynoe

Trinidadian neighbours, he believes Guyanese should be able to broker the same benefits as foreigners.

“When are you gonna protect our people? When you gonna have the courage to protect our people through a solid local content policy... I don’t have a problem with people from Trinidad coming here. I believe they have a lot of expertise in the oil and gas sector; we need skilled people but they must come in transparently and

Guyanese must have the opportunity to access the same resources they are getting now at this rate,” he lamented.

To this end, the Opposition Leader went on to note that, “we have to have a local content policy – within the month of a new PPP Government – that emphasises Guyanese benefitting from these things.”

Local stakeholders have been long pushing for a local content policy especially since oil production is expected to commence in the first quarter of next year.

Nevertheless, Energy Director, Dr Mark Bynoe earlier this month disclosed that the first draft of the Policy is completed and that they are working on establishing a Compliance Unit to monitor data from the sector and ensure that the oil resources are managed prudently. He had promised too to have issues raised by Guyanese addressed.

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monday, august 19, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Number of house lots allocated keeps shrinking

– even though demand increases

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overnment had paused the distribution of lands and had instead embarked on an initiative which forced Guyanese into buying prebuilt houses.

This has caused the distribution of house lots to reduce significantly since the change of Government in 2015 despite the fact that the demand has not decreased. It was evident in the 2017 Annual Report of the Housing Authority which was laid in the National Assembly a few months ago.

The report shows that a total of only 1131 house lots were allocated in that year for qualified applicants. In fact, the report states that the original target of allocations for that year was merely 1000.

This does not compare favorably with the previous year, when according to the report, 2020 house lots were allocated, an improvement on its original target of 1100. This includes 625 low to moderate income house lots and 1395 middle to high-income house lots.

But both of these years’ figures pale in comparison to the number of hous-

es lots distributed in previous years under the former People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Administration. In the CH&PA’s 2013 annual report, its programme performance assessment had indicated that 4417 house lots were allocated, just shy of the 5900 target.

Under the previous Administration, over 100,000 house lots were distributed and over 200 core houses were made available to underprivileged families, while a programme for professional groups provided 200 teachers, nurses and Policemen with fast-track access to loans for home construction.

However, as the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) forges ahead with the construction of more core houses, this time in Sophia, Greater Georgetown, the agency has assured that corrective measures were taken to address the faults that were reported by residents at the houses at Perseverance Housing Scheme, Providence East Bank Demerara.

Chief Executive Officer of the authority, Lelon Saul said that he is certain that those concerns were ad-

A section of the Perseverance Housing Scheme in Providence

dressed while noting that once they are in receipt of complains, they act immediately.

Last month, several home owners complained of faults on the core homes, some of which they were forced to fix themselves owing to the long delay.

One resident, Seeta Singh told this newspaper that her ceiling was falling apart. She explained that there seemed to be a leakage with the zinc as the ceiling is swollen and the ply board was falling off both inside and outside the home.

Another resident, who also lives in the area, complained that his window

frames were falling off and he is fearful for his safety.

At that time, he said his

home was visited by a contractor about two weeks ago, who promised to fix

the default but showed up informing him that he had “run out” of materials.

Meanwhile, Richard Coddet, another resident in the scheme, told this publication that he had been living in his home for about three years now and is still experiencing trouble because of faulty foundation and roof works. “From the inception when we got this home, we encountered a lot a lot of problems but at the end of the day, overall, we are grateful because we are happy to have a home. We had leaks, we had cracks, we still have cracks and the house seems to be sinking because of the foundation,” he explained.

GFS continues probe into fire that destroyed commander’s home

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he Guyana Fire Service (GFS) will take at least one month to complete their investigations into the fire that has gutted ‘G’ Division (Essequibo Coast-Islands) Commander, Crystal Robinson’s home.

In an interview with the Guyana Times on Saturday, Robinson said that this was related to her recently by investigators attached to the Guyana Fire Service.

She is quite curious as to what might have stated the fire.

She nevertheless, was appalled as to the lengthy period the investigation will take to complete.

“I can’t really say if I am satisfied with the investigations, because I don’t know what their investigation entails because they had to get people from the Ministry of Works and different places to do their investigations so it takes time. I am still waiting on them”.

On August 10, a fire of unknown origin completely gutted the newly appointed Commander’s West Coast

The remains of the house owned by G Division (Essequibo CoastIslands) Commander Crystal Robinson

Pageant at the National Cultural Centre when she received a call at about 00:30h that her house was on fire.

She explained that by the time she reached her Lot 154 Back Street, Stewartville, WCD, home, the house was completely engulfed in flames and as such, she could not save any household items.

The GPF continues to support the Commander as acting Police Commissioner hands over a cheque to Robinson

Demerara home.

Robinson in a previous interview had stated that she was at the Police

Firefighters, who arrived at the scene late, were also unable to save anything from the blaze.

It was reported that the first fire tender to respond to the fire got stuck in mud while the second arrived without water.

By the time the third fire tender reached the scene, the house was already destroyed. Robinson said that she lived in that home for 51 years with her parents and other relatives. Luckily, none of the five occupants were at home at the time of the fire.

According to her, a neighbour observed flames in the garage and contacted the Guyana Fire Service (GFS).

Robinson said that three vehicles were destroyed by the fire. Ever since the fire, Robinson has been staying with a relative. She is eagerly awaiting the completion of the investigation in order to start reconstruction.

So far, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has pledged its “full support” to bring relief to Robinson and her family.

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monday, august 19, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Special Audit into UG’s finances at standstill due to uncertainty on payment plan

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he special audit into the finances at the University of Guyana (UG) is at a standstill as authorities are yet to figure out who will stand the expense to conduct the probe.

This is according to Auditor General, Deodat Sharma, who told the Guyana Times that although the payment plan has not yet been finalised, plans are still onboard to have the audit done.

“We still got it in plans… we are still waiting to hear but we have not gone in as yet and at the same time

Auditor General Deodat Sharma

also, there is the main issue of who going to pay the fees, we got to really get that clarified. The Education Ministry’s Permanent Secretary had stopped the audit, so if we go ahead, somebody has to pay the fees. Normally, we have got to ensure that somebody acknowledges the payment,” he stated.

The Auditor General noted that no ground work has been done as yet while noting that other options to conduct the audit may have to be utilised.

Initially, the Audit Office

University of Guyana, Turkeyen Campus

Man dies as vehicle turns turtle along Tepuru Trail

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he driver was killed and four others were injured after the vehicle in which they were travelling turned turtle along the Tepuru Trail, Mazaruni River, Region Seven. Dead is Carlos David, 31, of Four and Half Miles, Bartica, Region Seven.

Those injured are Emanuel Williams, 28, of

Five Miles Bartica; Denzil Lindore, 24, of Four Miles Bartica; Chris Williams, 27, of Five Miles Bartica and Wesely Rodrigues, 27 Lot 158 Four Miles Housing Scheme Bartica. Emanuel Williams and Lindore were reportedly treated at the Bartica Regional Hospital and sent away while Chris Williams and Rodrigues

were admitted as patients.

Based on information received, the vehicle bearing registration number GLL 1388 was proceeding along the Tepuru Trail at a fast rate when it is alleged that David, the now dead driver, pulled from a pot hole and lost control.

As a result, the pickup collided with a baranka thus causing it to topple several times before coming

to a halt. The occupants of the vehicle all received injuries and were picked up and taken to the Bartica Regional Hospital where David was pronounced dead on arrival.

His body is at the hospital mortuary awaiting a post mortem. The two men who were admitted are said to be in a stable condition.

Investigations into the fatal accident are continuing.

2 multi million-dollar elevators commissioned at Peters Hall overpass

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wo multi-million-dollar elevators are now operational at the Peter’s Hall overpass, East Bank Demerara (EBD), which were constructed to reduce road fatalities around that heavily trafficked area.

This is according to Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson who commissioned the elevators on Friday last. He stated that the other elevators are scheduled to be up and running soon. Focus is being placed on the one at Houston, Greater Georgetown in time for the new academic year.

However, five persons from the community were selected to operate the two elevators at Peters Hall.

The operators will be working a shift system from 6:00h to 14:00h and from 14:00h to 22:00h.

The decision to close the lifts at 22:00h. is because there is little visibility of pedestrians after the aforementioned time.

The young people will be outfitted with safety vests and radio sets. In the event of an emergency, the operators will be able to connect with their supervisor at the Demerara Habour Bridge Corporation (DHBC).

Minister Patterson also charged the young operators to be respectful at all times and to treat the general public inclusive of children courteously.

He noted that plans are in place to construct more overpasses in busy areas of the country.

“We are working on one in the middle of Agricola.

Right in front of the school…

be mixed feelings about the structures.

Construction of the pedestrian overpasses had commenced mid-2017.

The overpasses were intended not only to reduce the high level of road carnage and enhance public safety, but to also eliminate traffic congestion along the East Bank Road, which is said to be the busiest in the country.

One of the newly commissioned elevator lifts at the Peters Hall overpass, EBD (DPI photo)

The preliminary designs are already out. That is the number one priority in my 2020 budget…we will be installing overpasses on the East Coast. I know four areas are already identified.”

Meanwhile, Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Jaipaul Sharma who was also present at the commissioning of the Peters Hall elevators, highlighted the increased safety the overpasses provide, as well as the employment opportunities.

“We are giving back to the community. The workers here [at Peters Hall] are from the community and from each area that we have an overpass, the young people from the community will be given an opportunity to work at the facilities.”

Additionally, Public Infrastructure Engineer

Mark Green related that an emergency response system is in place should there be a power failure.

The cost for supply and installation of each elevator is said to be $13M with each having a maximum capacity of 400kg or accommodation capacity for about five persons at a time.

In April last, Government had announced that it would have been installing elevators at five pedestrian overpasses along the EBD corridor.

It was further announced that two elevators each will be installed at five pedestrian overpasses located at the Houston, Eccles, Peters Hall, Providence and Diamond villages on the EBD. Since the overpasses have been completed and accessible to the public, there have been and continue to

of Guyana had contracted an independent company to conduct the much-needed and highly anticipated audit into UG – in light of allegations of mismanagement of funds.

This particular audit was first ordered by the Education Ministry after a request was made by the two workers’ unions at UG to have such an investigation launched. The Ministry was reportedly going to stand the expense associated with the investigation.

Shortly after the independent company commenced its work into the matter, the Education Ministry withdrew its request for the audit, with no explanation given.

Almost two months ago, AG Sharma has noted that the backlog of years UG did not complete its audited financial statements was a cause for worry.

Sharma, whose agency audits Government’s public accounts on an annual basis, explained the importance of having those accounts edited to 2018. He was not convinced about the UG administration’s sincerity in clearing this backlog.

The University of Guyana Senior Staff Association (UGSSA) and University of Guyana Workers Union (UGWU) have levelled these accusations, in particular. The Unions had joined forces to question why monies were allocated in previous budgets to entities which do not exist and what became of those funds.

They had also demanded answers from the administration on how much money was spent on nonessential events within the last two and half years – which included, but were not limited to, the Law and Society series, the TurkeyenTain talks, and the ViceChancellor’s installation ceremony.

They had argued that while these monies were being spent, the core units of the University, which include faculties and schools, had been informed that no money is available for essential repairs and payment for stationery, among others.

In his 2016 Audit Report, Sharma had found that $209 million had been unaccounted for from the University of Guyana’s Science and Technology Support Project, funded by the Government of Guyana (GoG) and the International Development Association (IDA) under Credit Agreement No 4969-GY. However, the University had insisted that the monies were used for infrastructure projects on the campus, including a fibre optic cable to provide students with Wi-Fi. It had also noted that some of the monies were used to renovate the faculty buildings.

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monday, august 19, 2019| guyanatimesgy.com

Canal No 1 Polder farmers continue to lose crop as flooding persists

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he cash crop farmers in Canal No 1, Polder, West Bank Demerara, (WBD) continue to live in a state of distress as their produce are dying out as a result of excessive flooding in the area.

The farmers’ crops have been under water for the past month. The farmers are now forced to count their losses which amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The flooding, residents claim, are as a result of poor drainage systems in the areas.

Presently, the canal is overtaken by vegetation, causing it to be clogged.

Compounding the situation, stones and asphalt from a road which broke away some time ago have

Some of the flooded areas in Canal No 1 Polder, West Bank Demerara (WBD)

slipped into the canal causing the water to remain on land.

According to the farmers and hundreds of affected residents, the area has always been affected by flooding, however, this is the first time that they have been affected for such an extended period.

Works have in the past been carried out by the Neighbouring Democratic Council (NDC) to clear the drainage system however, the farmers are contending that the said work was not properly done.

The Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of Region Three (3) has also been made aware of the situation, however to date, no intervention is forthcoming.

Ramzan Shaw, a farmer who has lost over $300,000 worth of crops and who continues to lose, is now crying out for help.

According to the farmer, his livelihood is being threatened since over 30 peach trees, 20 breadfruits trees and several others crops have died due to excessive water.

Shaw calls for a channel to be dug which will see the water on the land being drained off at a rapid pace.

“The canal in front of us, it is full of moss, what they do is they come and weed it top top and after two mornings, it grows back and flood again. Now they need to dig a channel in the canal, build the dam

which will leave the channel in the middle so that the water can keep running off” Shaw said.

According to the farmer, if those responsible for the drainage system visit the area to hear the residents’ concerns, then flooding would not be an issue since it can easily be fixed with the proper intervention.

Another farmer, Anil Seegobin also reached out to this publication. “You can tell that if this flood here last lil longer, that all me tree them go dead out, me really glad if somebody can come and help, we out man,” the man said.

Efforts made yet again to contact the RDC on Sunday proved futile.

Parfaite Harmonie residents decry deplorable roads

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esidents of Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara (WBD) continue to cry out for urgent intervention in fixing several roads in their community which have be-

come a nightmare for commuters and pedestrians.

The roads which were promised to be rehabilitated in 2018 by the Central Planning and Housing Authority (CH&PA) continue to be inundated with potholes which undoubtedly cause severe damage to vehicles.

With the continuation of the rainy season, the holes continue to deteriorate.

These roads are made of loam and are yet to be properly rehabilitated with asphalt. As a result of this, the roads are easily eroded and are in need of frequent rehabilitative works.

As such, the residents are calling for an intervention and for the roads to be properly done in order for

their distress to end.

“You think is fair? Not all of us have vehicles so we usually have to walk out the streets to get to the main road before we can catch

One of the badly damaged roads

a car and it hard, because sometimes you walking into work with muddy shoes and in a state of embarrassment because of the roads, you head does hurt when you think of walking out there and oh lawd, when the rain fall, its worst” Natasha Abraham complained.

Shayann Benjamin told the Guyana Times that as a result of the poor roads, taxis are refusing to make pickups at certain locations.

“Sometimes you need a taxi to go somewhere and when you tell them which street, they outright tell you that they can’t make that, that their vehicles get mess or damage,” she explained.

Another resident, a taxi driver detailed the horrors of ploughing in to the potholes.

“I was struck for several hours because I take the risk to drive through one of the streets, but the hole was deep bad but rain was falling the day so I couldn’t see how deep the hole was. So I decide now to drive through and I end up stick in deh.

You know how long, I try but nothing worked. One of my partner had to come with he bus and he pull me out”.

In 2018 Minister within the Communities Ministry, Valerie Adams-Yearwood had promised to have the roads in Parfaite Harmonie upgraded but nothing has been done since.

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monday, august 19, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Govt mulls 188MW natural gas power plant T

he infrastructural landscape of Guyana is set to undergo a significant shift with the extraction of oil and gas from 2020 and the Coalition Government intends to use the nation’s newfound natural gas to bolster GPL’s electricity grid.

This was according to Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson on a report from the Department of Public Information.

“So, we have gas. What we are doing is building out the architecture. It comes

in by pipeline and we will have a 188megawatt power plant,” the Minister stated.

Destined to come on stream by 2021, Minister Patterson related that natural gas, “is the cheapest and cleanest of the non-renewable sources [of energy].”

This initiative will comply with the Government’s Green State Development Strategy (GSDS) Vision 2040, which seeks to ensure oil extraction in association with natural gas production is done most beneficially.

With the new power plant in operation, it is expected to produce a surmountable amount of energy unlike any existing power plant in Guyana, Minister Patterson noted, “we will have more than enough power in the coun-

The Kingston #2 Plant is situated at Kingston, in central Georgetown

try”.

Also, the new power plant will result in astronomical savings for the country since power generation costs will decrease.

“The money that you save that would have previ-

ously used to buy diesel and fossil fuel to run GPL, you can put that back into the economy,” said the Public Infrastructure Minister.

Bearing oversight for GPL, Minister Patterson explained that the new

power plant, while a medium-term solution to achieving redundancy in the power company’s network, is not the only measure being pursued. GPL has been granted permission by the Minister to purchase an additional 33 megawatts that will allow the utility company to have a total capacity of 160megawatts.

“That gives you about 40 megawatts of reserves based on our current load.

So, that will carry you until 2021 when you have the gas in line and the new generating sets [with the new power plant],” Minister Patterson conveyed.

At present, GPL falls short of the total reserves needed in the system.

Minister Patterson further explained that the power company must not only be able to meet its peak de-

Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson

mand but must have excess capacity in reserves. While the international convention demands 10-15% of reserves that function in cases of emergencies, GPL stands at eight percent.

Stakeholders working to push domestic tourism in Guyana

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s efforts continue to push Guyana as an eco-tourism destination, local stakeholders are simultaneously working to promote domestic tourism.

Affordability and accessibility continue to be among the major hindrances to exploring many of the country’s mostly untapped hinterland region but this is something authorities are working to change.

In fact, Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Lieutenant Colonel (ret'd) Egbert Field, recently told reporters that his agency is currently in discussions and working along with counterparts in the tourism sector to ensure that more Guyanese get the opportunity to see their country first before visiting others.

“We have step up a team and they are working together [with the tourism sector] to look at the increase in domestic tourism and having Guyanese moving around Guyana more regularly. So we’re working with them. We’ve had a meeting and we’ve put out a document together, and this is all towards helping domestic tourism,” Field stated.

Currently, tourism is Guyana’s third largest export sector, bringing some $30.1 billion into the economy in 2018.

Recognising this industry is the major money earner in many of Guyana’s neighbours in the region, the GCAA Director General underscored the importance of building the industry here.

“So we’re working closely with the tourism department ‘cause we also recognise that it’s not just to bring in tourists from overseas but also the local residents – some of whom have never gone to Kaieteur or Annai but find themselves in New York and Toronto, and can’t answer the question what Lethem looks

they leave and go to another destination, they will be able to sell the things we have. It’s highly unlikely for someone to sell the things that they don’t know about, and it’s somewhat shameful to know that you know about Manhattan and (all those places) abroad, but you cannot sell Fort Island, you can’t sell Sloth Island,” the Minister posited.

He said Guyana’s brand of tourism product is different from anything that is being offered by its Caribbean neighbours; that is, the usu-

GCAA Director General Egbert Field

like,” he posited.

The development of domestic tourism is something, Business Minister Haimraj Rajkumar, who has responsibility for Tourism, has been pushing since his appointment earlier this year. In fact, he believes that in order for the country to be successfully marketed abroad, it first needs to be promoted locally.

“I do believe that citizens of Guyana can act as ambassadors of our country and help sell our tourism product. But when you look carefully, you find that people spend (their) vacations in other countries rather than in Guyana, and many of those persons would have hardly visited a place in another county (other) than (the one) which they live in,” Minister Rajkumar pointed out at a reception hosted by stakeholders in the tourism sector back in June.

However, he noted that for the initiative of promoting Guyana’s tourism to succeed, a collaborative approach is needed.

“I think we, as stakeholders in this sector, should put our heads together and somehow try to encourage local tourism; tourism that our citizens can be able to afford – a destination that can be affordable and a destination that can be easily accessible; so that when

Business Minister Haimraj Rajkumar

al sand, sun and sea.

“We have something different, and we have an opportunity to create a different package and product.

But even though it’s different, we must be able to package it in such a manner that it becomes desirable, so that people would want to be part of this. We must be able to put our energies together to become one of the leading sustainable tourism destinations,” he noted.

The Business Minister, further clarified that in order for the tourism indus-

try to move forward, it is necessary to analyse and see where its strengths and weaknesses are so that it can be capitalised on and developed.

Already, Guyana is making its mark in sustainable tourism, having been named the 'Best in Sustainable Tourism' at LATA Achievement Awards back in June, taking place during 'Experience Latin America', Europe's largest B2B travel conference focused on the Latin America region.

Carifesta XIV

Standing ovation for Guyana’s dancers

Scenes from Guyana’s “Decades of Dance” choreographed by Vivienne Daniels at the Queens Hall Theatre in Trinidad for CARIFESTA XIV’s Dance Showcase

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he graceful yet compelling movements of the dancers from Guyana’s delegation, on Saturday evening, had members of the audience calling for an encore. Wrapped in soft flowing garments, and swaying to melodious music, the dancers gave every lift of the arm, every dip of the torso every twirl deep meaning. The choreography enthralled the audience and did Guyana proud.

The dance troupe, which included members of Guyana’s National Dance Company, performed ‘Decades of Dance’ created by Vivienne Daniels at CARIFESTA XIV’s Dance Showcase. The event was

held at the Queens Hall Theatre in Trinidad.

Richard Ambrose, a delegate from the St Lucian contingent told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that Guyana’s presentation took his breath away. He said this demonstrates the nation’s cultural and creative industry is going in the right direction.

“It was beautiful to see Guyana represented because we do not know everything about your art and culture.

The dancers were amazing; there was a lot of passion… a lot of energy, a lot of effort towards great technique… so kudos to those young people,” he said.

Another delegate from St

Lucia, Christopher Duncan said he could not take his eyes off the performance, “not even for a moment”.

“Spectacular is the word I use to describe it. There was one male dancer in particular… he defined purpose, drive and determination…to see him flow with that flexibility …it was wonderful… the rest I think spoke for itself, it was magnificent,” he said. Duncan said he will be keeping a close eye on the dancers moving forward Before the Guyana dance troupe bowed out for the night to enjoy the rest of acts slated, some of the members shared with DPI their thoughts about their performance.

Sattie Udho, said, “it felt amazing to perform with such amazing artists and represent our country… we felt it deep in our hearts that we made Guyana proud.” Maresha Arthur was pleased with the group’s performance. “It was a wonderful experience to be able to represent my country putting my best foot forward while being an ambassador for my country. Our performance is a memorable one.”

It is expected that Guyana’s “A year in a day” dramatic presentation set to take centre stage, on Sunday evening, will truly capture the essence of Guyana and its citizens in a microcosm.

monday, august 19, 2019

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16

Regional

UN pleads for more help Argentina’s Economy Minister to relieve Venezuelan resigns as peso sheds value refugee crisis A

Venezuelan migrants get on military trucks to get a free ride from the Ecuadorian-Peruvian border service to Tumbes, after processing their documents, on the outskirts of Tumbes, Peru, June 15, 2019

U

nited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi appealed on Sunday for more humanitarian aid for Venezuelan refugees pouring into neighbouring countries where they are overwhelming social services and sparking local tensions.

Grandi had planned to visit the Brazilian border town of Pacaraima this weekend, but authorities advised him to cancel due to protests by residents unhap-

py with the arrival of more than 500 Venezuelans a day.

Pacaraima residents closed shops on Saturday and marched through the streets to shouts of “Out with the Venezuelans”, “Pacaraima is ours”, “Out with the UN”, and “Brazil for Brazilians”.

The UNHCR estimates 4.3 million Venezuelans have fled economic and political turmoil in their country, mainly to Colombia where there are 1.2 million and to Peru, Chile and Ecuador.

Some 180,000 have stayed in Brazil.

The UN and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) put out a humanitarian appeal for US$770 million at the start of the year and has received less than US$180 million, Grandi said in a telephone interview after visiting Chile and Brazil.

“This is really one of the most under-funded humanitarian appeals in the world for one of the biggest crises,” he said.

Financial institutions such as the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank are engaged, but need to speed up their help, he said, to help sustain health and education systems.

“We protect the more vulnerable, but the rest has to be done by bigger actors with more money, and I don’t see that happening yet anywhere in the region,” he said.

Grandi said there were signs of anti-immigrant sentiment spreading across the region, reflected in mounting restrictions on the movement of Venezuelans in Andean countries. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Cerebral palsy student passes 6 CSEC subjects

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ith a broken leg and on a broken wheelchair, Josiah Thomas defied all odds to achieve remarkable success at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination.

Josiah, 18, who was born with cerebral palsy with little chances of ever walking or talking, passed six subjects, with a Grade One in information technology (IT).

Results were released on Friday night and his amazing triumph was posted on Facebook by Minister in the Ministry of Education, Dr Lovell Francis.

In his FB post, Francis wrote, “Everyone please join me in celebrating young Mr Josiah Thomas of New Grant, a student of Rio Claro East Secondary School.

“Josiah was diagnosed at birth with cerebral palsy but through sheer grit, determination, hard work and the support of a loving and dedicated mother, he has graduated with six (yes six) subjects at CSEC, including a grade 1.

“Not even a broken leg suffered on the eve of these exams proved able to deter him. Congrats to Josiah, his mother, his student aid and the whole New Grant and Rio Claro East families.

“What a champion!”

Josiah attributed his success to the support of his

rgentina’s Economy Minister, Nicolas Dujovne has resigned amid a financial crisis exacerbated by the President’s defeat in a primary poll.

The country’s peso shed 20 per cent of its value against the US dollar after President Mauricio Macri suffered the resounding loss last Sunday.

In a letter to the President, Dujovne said he had given his all.

Macri was beaten in the primary elections by his left-wing rival Alberto Fernández.

Fernández’s running mate is former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner who presided over an Administration re-

membered for a high degree of protectionism and heavy-handed State intervention in the economy.

He won the primary with 47.7 per cent of the votes with Macri receiving 32.1 per cent.

Following the primary result, credit-rating agencies Fitch and Standard & Poor’s downgraded the country’s debt rating amid concerns about a possible future default.

Days after the defeat, Macri announced a series of measures including income tax cuts and increases in welfare subsidies. Petrol prices will also be frozen for 90 days.

Dujovne said that the Government’s economic

team needed “significant renewal”.

“I believe my resignation is in keeping with my place in a government that listens to the people and acts accordingly,” he wrote.

He will be replaced by Hernan Lacunza, the current Economy Minister for Buenos Aires province.

A Cabinet shuffle has been rumoured for several days.

Macri was elected in 2015 on promises to boost Argentina’s economy with a sweep of liberal economic reforms.

After taking power, he sought to restore international trust in the economy with budget cuts and the elimination of subsidies.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

2 killed by cops in Santa Cruz, Trinidad

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olice Commissioner Gary Griffith has come out swinging in defence of Special Operations Response Team (SORT) officers who have been accused of opening fire and killing at least two people in Santa Cruz on Friday night.

And while the friends of Rochyon King Ashterman, 19, want to see justice served in this instance, Griffith is calling for the public to be fair to his officers, who are also fighting for their lives every time they encounter criminal elements.

The deadly shooting, which occurred just opposite the Empire Bar along La Canoa Road around 21:00h, left Ashterman and a female

Killed: Rochyon King Ashterman, 19

friend dead.

The two reportedly died inside the car Ashterman had been driving. A third civilian who was liming outside the bar and was injured during the incident was hos-

pitalised up to Sunday evening. The fourth person injured during the shooting was a Police Officer, who was shot in the leg an treated at hospital and discharged.

The woman’s identity has not yet been released by Police, and residents of La Canoa on Sunday reported she was not from the area.

Ashterman, of Arouca, was the son of popular DJ Rodney “Fireball” King.

Denying claims by Police that they returned fire after Ashterman and the occupants of the car opened fire on them, close friends of the deceased accused masked officers of committing the latest Police killings. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

No evidence to support British media’s intruder claims

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Josiah Thomas of New Grant Secondary School during his graduation (Source: Dr Lovell Francis’ Facebook page)

parents Junior and Sharon Thomas, brother Anderson, staff and students at Rio Claro East Secondary School.

He said he went to school on a wheelchair which his mom “bandaged” with leather after he fell through the worn material. She travelled with him to and from their New Grant home to his Rio Claro school every day of the examination because the special bus which transported him was down. (Excerpt from Trinidad Newsday)

ideo captured by Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) shows no evidence indicating there was an intruder in the house where British visitor Natalie Crichlow was burnt in a fire.

The 44-year old suffered burns over 75 per cent of the body, when a fire broke out at her brother’s Bartlett Tenantry, Sargeant’s Village home on July 28.

She succumbed to her inju-

ries on August 6.

Dismissing claims headlined in the British media that Crichlow had been strangled by an intruder, doused with a flammable substance and set alight while lying in bed, Police Commissioner Tyrone Griffith stated the CCTV taken from a neighbouring residence showed no one had entered the dwelling prior to the breakout of the fire.

ducting operations about 23:45h, a team went to a sports bar on the road.

During a search of patrons, a Ruger 9mm pistol with a magazine containing eight 9mm rounds of ammunition was taken from the man’s waistband.

He attempted to mislead the Police by telling them he

was a member of the security forces and a licensed firearm holder. Investigations, however, proved his claim untrue and he was taken into custody in relation to the incident.

His identity is being withheld at this time, pending further investigations, the Police said. (Jamaica Observer)

Firearm seized from pretend cop in Kingston

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man who purported to be a law enforcement officer was arrested after he was found in possession of a firearm and ammunition on Lyndale Avenue, Kingston 20, Jamaica on Saturday, August 17, the Police have reported.

The Constant Spring Police said that while con-

“Investigations to date have focused on closed circuit television from an adjacent house and this is of a very high quality.

Examination of this footage has clearly demonstrated that no one entered those premises for hours prior to the fire taking place. The corrugated fence was fully intact apart from the sheet that was removed to provide access to the victim.

“The footage showed that the fire originated in the area of the kitchen and was concentrated there. The side of a saucepan was completely burnt away leaving at the bottom remnants of food.

Two gas bottles were found in the kitchen area, one with no negligible damage and the other having the area where the gas head normally connected the bottle melted,” the top cop told the media following a Post-Cabinet conference at Government Headquarters on Thursday.

(Excerpt from Barbados Advocate)

guyanatimesgy.com

monday, august 19, 2019

17

Around the World

Afghanistan: Scores killed Gibraltar refuses US request to seize in Kabul wedding blast Iranian tanker A G t least 63 people have been killed and scores wounded in an explosion targeting a wedding in the Afghan capital, according to officials, in the deadliest attack in Kabul this year.

The suicide blast took place on Saturday night in the men’s reception area of the Dubai City wedding hall in western Kabul in a minority Shia neighbourhood packed with people celebrating a marriage.

Women and children were among the casualties, said Nasrat Rahimi, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) group claimed responsibility for the attack on Sunday.

The blast comes as the Taliban and the United States are trying to negotiate an agreement on the withdrawal of US forces in exchange for a Taliban commitment on security and peace talks with Afghanistan’s US-backed Government.

The Taliban denied any involvement, calling Saturday’s blast “forbidden and unjustifiable”, but Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said that the group “cannot absolve themselves of

At least 63 people have been killed in the blast targeting a wedding in Kabul [Wakil Kohsar/AFP]

blame, for they provide [a] platform for terrorists”.

In a series of tweets on Sunday, Ghani strongly condemned the “inhumane attack” and called for an “extraordinary security meeting to review and prevent such security lapses”.

The blast occurred near the stage where musicians were and “all the youths, children and all the people who

were there were killed,” witness Gul Mohammad told The Associated Press news agency.

The groom, Mirwais Elmi, recalled greeting smiling guests in the afternoon, before seeing their bodies being carried out hours later.

The attack “changed my happiness to sorrow”, the young man told local TV station Tolo News. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

ibraltar has refused a request by the United States to seize an Iranian oil tanker at the centre of a diplomatic standoff between Tehran and Europe.

British Royal Marines had seized the vessel in Gibraltar in July on suspicion that it was carrying oil to Syria, a close ally of Iran, in violation of European Union sanctions.

That detention ended last week, but on Friday a US court issued a warrant for the seizure of the tanker, on the grounds that it had links to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which Washington has designated a “terrorist” organisation.

Gibraltar’s Government said on Sunday it could not comply with the US request because of European law.

“The Central Authority’s

inability to seek the Orders requested is a result of the operation of European Union law and the differences in the sanctions regimes applicable to Iran in the EU and the US,” the Government said in a statement.

“The EU sanctions regime against Iran – which is applicable in Gibraltar – is much narrower than that applicable in the US.” Iran has denied the tanker was ever headed to Syria.

Al Jazeera’s Andrew Simmons, reporting from Gibraltar, said the authorities in the overseas British territory had determined that US sanctions on Iran were not applicable in the EU. Tehran said on Sunday it was ready to dispatch its naval fleet to escort the tanker – now renamed the Adrian Darya-1 – if required. (Excerpt

Government to revoke the autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir, India’s only Muslim-majority region.

The officials said security forces had been pelted with stones on 47 occasions on Saturday night in the Kashmir Valley, and more than 20 on Sunday. One said the protests were growing more intense.

On Saturday, about two dozen people reported to Srinagar’s two main hospi-

tals with injuries, mainly from pellets fired by Indian forces, said the officials, who declined to be named.

Residents and Police said many people with pellet wounds were not seeking treatment for fear of being identified and arrested.

The state and federal governments did not respond to questions about the number of incidents and the level of injuries. (Excerpt from Reuters)

from Al Jazeera)

Hong Kong protesters throng India reimposes some curbs streets peacefully in Kashmir as stonethrowing spreads

I

ndian authorities reimposed restrictions on movement in parts of Kashmir’s biggest city, Srinagar, on Sunday after overnight clashes between residents and Police in which dozens were injured, two senior officials and eyewitnesses said.

Since Saturday there have been a series of protests against the decision on August 5 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s

Anti-extradition bill protesters march to demand democracy and political reforms, in Hong Kong, China, August 18, 2019

H

undreds of thousands of anti-Government protesters rallied peacefully in Hong Kong on Sunday, filling major thoroughfares under torrential downpours in the eleventh week of what have been often violent demonstrations in the Asian financial hub.

Sunday’s turnout showed that the movement still has

broad-based support despite the ugly scenes witnessed in recent days when protesters occupied the Chinese-ruled city’s airport, a move for which some activists apologised.

It was the calmest weekend protest since the latest demonstrations against perceived creeping Beijing influence in the former British colony began.

“They’ve been telling ev-

eryone we’re rioters. The march today is to show everyone we are not,” said a 23-year-old named Chris, who works in marketing and was dressed all in black, including a scarf covering his face and baseball cap.

“It does not mean we won’t keep fighting. We will do whatever is necessary to win, but today we take a break, then we reassess.”

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Gran Canaria: Wildfires displace 4000 on holiday island

A

round 4000 people have been evacuated as wildfires rip through Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands.

The fires, which started on Saturday, are advancing on two fronts in a mountainous area of the island.

Ten planes and helicopters, as well as about 700 firefighters on the ground including 200 from the mili-

tary, are being deployed.

Efforts to tackle the fires are being hampered by high temperatures, strong winds and low humidity, officials say.

“The fire is not contained nor stabilised or controlled,” Canary Islands regional president Angel Victor Torres told a news conference.

Requests for assis-

tance had been made to the Spanish Central Government, he added.

The fires started near the town of Tejeda. Around 1700 hectares (4200 acres) have been destroyed and 11 roads have been closed.

Hundreds of people were evacuated due to separate wildfires on the holiday island last week. (Excerpt from BBC

News)

Zimbabwe sanctions: Sadc calls on US and EU to drop policy

A

group of 16 African countries has called on the United States and European Union to “immediately lift” economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe.

The policy was hurting the region, said Tanzania President John Magufuli, who is also the Chairman of the Southern African Development Community (Sadc).

The sanctions were imposed in 2002 when Robert Mugabe was President.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa blames them for crippling development in the country.

He says removing them would attract Western investors to Zimbabwe after close to two decades of economic isolation.

Zimbabwe is reeling from high inflation and shortages of basic supplies such as fuel, power, and water.

Inflation is currently at a 10-year high, shrinking sala-

Zimbabwe has been reeling with high inflation and shortage of basic supplies, including bread and fuel

ries and pensions, while the price of bread has increased five-fold since April. About five million Zimbabweans are currently in need of food aid, according to the United Nations.

In March, US President Donald Trump’s Administration extended economic sanctions by a year, saying they would not be removed unless political reforms take place.

Some 141 entities and

top officials in Zimbabwe are on the US sanction list, the Reuters news agency reported in February quoting a US official.

President Mnangagwa, who came into office in 2017 after the Army ousted his predecessor, has been facing protests against his economic policies.

Last week, Police violently dispersed anti-Government protesters in the capital, Harare. (Excerpt from BBC News)

18

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MONday, AUGUST 19, 2019

ARCHIE

A passionate attitude can ARIES (March 21- help you reach your goals, April 19) but discipline and practicality will ensure that you get there without suffering setbacks on the way. Personal gain and romance are featured.

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to make a move. Take your time, plan your actions and leave no room for error.

Spend more time taking GEMINI care of your physical, emo(May 21June 20) tional and financial needs.

Refuse to get caught up in someone else’s drama or extravagance. Protect your reputation.

CANCER (June 21July 22)

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You know what’s required, so refuse to let the little things get in your way. Take care of business as well as your physical and emotional health.

Learn as you go. An open mind and a desire to do things on your own will tip the scale in your favor.

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Step up and take charge.

VIRGO (Aug. 23- If you want to change, do Sept. 22) something about it. Focus on the end results and don’t stop until you reach your goal.

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SUDOKU

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Don’t reveal information PISCES that might be used against you (Feb. 20or put you in an awkward poMarch 20)

sition. Moderation should be practiced, regardless of what others choose to do. Personal improvement is encouraged.

monday, august 19, 2019

A

nyone predicting that Marnus Labuschagne would be the man to shepherd the Australians towards safety in this Test match might well have been led off to a darkened room to undergo testing for concussion. Two days ago this scenario was unthinkable. Yet on the final day of a Test match that kept us all intrigued to the end, there was Labuschagne, an adopted Queenslander recently of Glamorgan, batting through 30 overs to allow Australia to keep their 1-0 lead intact.

Earlier in the day, Labuschagne became the first-ever concussion replacement in Test cricket.

To no one’s surprise, Steve Smith woke up “with a bit of a headache and a feeling of grogginess” and was withdrawn from the match by the Australian team doctor, Richard Saw. Hence Labuschagne was drafted into the team. After this innings, batting in Smith’s slot at No 4, he may stay there for a while.

He came up against an England side scenting an unlikely victory via the unaccustomed services of Jofra Archer and Jack Leach, who shared six wickets between them. By the same token, Australia were indebted to the resolution of equally unlikely characters, Travis Head and Labuschagne.

Labuschagne was born in South Africa and lived there for 10 years before his family emigrated. One profile on a leading website explains that he grew up speaking only Afrikaans before making this startling observation: “He only became fluent in English after moving to Australia.” He has also become fluent at striking a cricket ball.

The circumstances of Labuschagne’s entry into

this Ashes series could hardly have been more demanding.

With 48 overs to bat, Australia were 19 for two in their sixth over and Archer was on the rampage again, having removed David Warner and Usman Khawaja in swift succession. His first ball was a bouncer, which flew over the batsman’s head; his second was a little fuller; it jagged up the slope a fraction and thudded into the grille of the helmet. Labuschagne fell to the ground and then sprung back up again like a startled boxer.

Earlier, there had been much talk of “like for like” replacements, but this was taking the letter of the law too far.

Once again Archer had eyes popping with his effortless pace combined with the capacity to maintain a testing line. Both Warner and Khawaja had prodded tentatively – no one lunges forward at Archer – and Australia were rocking. Labuschagne may have

played and missed a few times against such pace, but he gave the impression of enjoying the contest. Soon he was middling the ball for most of the time during a critical innings of 59.

After tea, Australia lost Cameron Bancroft, who was lbw to a scuttler from Leach, but Labuschagne continued to play his natural, forthright game. So too did Head, though he was badly dropped on 22 at second slip off Ben Stokes by Jason Roy, who has had a match he might like to forget – though that may not be so easy. Even Labuschagne’s dismissal, like his arrival on the scene, was freakish. A full-blooded sweep against Leach ricocheted from the thigh of Jos Buttler at short leg and Root, after many replays, was judged to have taken a clean catch. Leach immediately had Matthew Wade snapped up at bat-pad; then Joe Denly pulled off a stunning one-handed catch at square leg to dis-

Joe Root gives Jofra Archer a hug

patch Tim Paine off the bowling of Archer.

In the end, the match was an honourable draw, but the presence of Archer, the successful recall of Leach and the possible absence of Smith at Headingley change the complexion of the series. Archer, provided he is not overbowled, is a fantastic new asset and while Labuschagne responded to his call-up quite brilliantly, any Test side is weakened if Smith is removed.

At the start, there was still the possibility of an England defeat. Despite a 70-minute delay due to rain, they had some serious batting to do, albeit in the knowledge that Smith would be taking no further part.

They began warily. In the first half-hour, Buttler mustered two runs and while Ben Stokes at the other end advanced more quickly, the runs did not necessarily come from the middle of his bat.

For a while Stokes needed all his phlegm to survive, a quality with which he is well-endowed nowadays, especially against Lyon.

A couple of reviews were tried by Paine, but neither was worthwhile. It is clear that in later life Paine, as a former captain of Australia who has conducted himself impeccably throughout a stormy period in their Test history, will have many suitors eager to employ him, but they are unlikely to include anyone from the International Cricket Council (ICC) who is charged with the task of recruiting for their elite panel of umpires.

After lunch, Buttler departed for 31, hooking at Pat Cummins for the first time.

This was a modest innings in terms of runs and an extremely slow one by his standards, but it was a valuable one. Meanwhile, Stokes became ever more forthright,

19

Joe Root reacts to a close call as the match is drawn at Lord’s

charging to his seventh Test century and his first since August 2017.

Suddenly he became the Lyon tamer, thumping two consecutive sixes over midwicket, and advancing down the pitch to Peter Siddle. It was a brilliant innings of two halves and a clear vindication of the tweak to the or-

der. Stokes had come out at five rather than Buttler and that now seems the better option. Stokes and Bairstow, in skittish No 7 mood, added 97 in 14 overs, whereupon Root enjoyed the rare luxury of a declaration. He has another luxury to hand now, the gem that is Jofra. (The Guardian)

3

SCOREBOARD

England 2nd Innings RJ Burns c †Paine b Siddle . 29 JJ Roy c & b Cummins . . . . 2 JE Root (c) c †Paine b Cummins 0 JL Denly c & b Siddle . . . . 26 BA Stokes not out . . . . . . 115 JC Buttler c Hazlewood b Cummins . . . . . . . . . . . 31 JM Bairstow † not out . . . . 30 Extras (b 5, lb 19, nb 1) . . . 25 TOTAL 258/5d (71 Overs, RR: 3.63) Did not bat: CR Woakes, JC Archer, SCJ Broad, MJ Leach Fall of wickets: 1-9 (Jason Roy, 4.1 ov), 2-9 (Joe Root, 4.2 ov), 3-64 (Joe Denly, 18.5 ov), 4-71 (Rory Burns, 20.2 ov), 5-161 (Jos Buttler, 56.6 ov) BOWLING: PJ Cummins 176-35-3, JR Hazlewood 13-143-0, PM Siddle 15-4-54-2, NM Lyon 26-3-102-0 Australia 2nd Innings (target: 267 runs) CT Bancroft lbw b Leach . . 16

DA Warner c Burns b Archer 5 UT Khawaja c †Bairstow b Archer . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 M Labuschagne c Root b Leach . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 TM Head not out . . . . . . 42 MS Wade c Buttler b Leach . 1 TD Paine (c) † c Denly b Archer 4 PJ Cummins not out . . . . . 1 Extras (b 4, lb 18, nb 1, w 1) 24 TOTAL 154/6 (47.3 Overs, RR: 3.24) Yet to bat: PM Siddle, NM Lyon, JR Hazlewood, SPD Smith Fall of wickets: 1-13 (David Warner, 3.3 ov), 2-19 (Usman Khawaja, 5.3 ov), 3-47 (Cameron Bancroft, 13.6 ov), 4-132 (Marnus Labuschagne, 35.6 ov), 5-138 (Matthew Wade, 37.1 ov), 6-149 (Tim Paine, 40.6 ov) BOWLING : SCJ Broad-7-0-29-0; JC Archer-15-2-32-3; CR Woakes-3-0-11-0; MJ Leach 16.3-5-37-3; BA Stokes-3-1-16-0; JE Root-1-0-7-0; JL Denly-2-2-0-0

Balotelli signs for hometown club Brescia Mario Balotelli

M

ario Balotelli has signed for hometown club Brescia after agreeing a “multi-year” contract with the Serie A outfit.

The Italy international was a free agent after his short-term deal with Marseille expired and when negotiations with Brazilian club Flamengo broke down, he looked set to start the new season without a club.

But Brescia President Massimo Cellino told Gazzetta dello Sport Balotelli made it clear he wanted a move to Stadio Mario Rigamonti on August 12 – his 29th

birthday.

“That day he expressed his desire to return to his city,” said Cellino of Balotelli, who spent much of his childhood in the region of Brescia.

“Hence all those rumours have only caused confusion, because there was no written agreement and Flamengo rushed to Monte Carlo to trip us up.”

Balotelli scored eight Ligue 1 goals in 15 appearances for Marseille in 2018-19, but the club’s failure to qualify for the Champions League forced them to lower their wage budget and allow him to leave.

Prior to his move to Stade Velodrome, Balotelli impressed during a two-and-a-half-year spell at Nice, where he scored 33 league goals in his first 51

appearances, before enduring a difficult start to the 2018-19 campaign.

Cellino has high hopes for him at Brescia.

“I have good feelings,” said Cellino.

“I’m sure Mario will give everything for survival, which remains a difficult goal.

“It is also a way to thank Brescia, who is very close to me. I won’t talk about figures, but this operation costs a lot.”

Balotelli could make his debut when newly-promoted Brescia begin their Serie A campaign with a trip to Cellino’s former club Cagliari on Sunday, August 25. (Sportsmax)

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

monday, august 19, 2019

Daniil Medvedev stuns Novak Djokovic to set up Cincinnati final with Goffin R

ussia’s Daniil Medvedev stunned the world No 1 and defending champion, Novak Djokovic in the Western and Southern Open semi-finals on Saturday.

The No 9 seed dramatically stepped up his game after losing the first set in Cincinnati, eventually prevailing 3-6 6-3 6-3 to set up an unexpected final against David Goffin.

After losing the first set, Medvedev decided he had nothing to lose midway through the second, becoming more aggressive in his play, particularly on second serve. It changed the complexion of the match, as the previously dominant Djokovic suddenly looked vulnerable.

“I was s o

tired in the first set and playing Novak, I thought I’m not going to be able to keep the intensity,” world No 8 Medvedev said in a courtside interview with ESPN. “Then there was one momentum change in the second, and I just started playing unbelievable.”

At three games all in the second set and 0-30 down on serve, Medvedev begin powering down second serves to reel off four successive points, including a second-serve ace, before breaking Djokovic in the next game with a down-the-line winner.

Medvedev never looked back and he was delighted to win a match he acknowledged would often have

slipped away in the past.

“Many [other] matches like this I would go crazy and break the racket and lose 6-3 6-3,” he said.

The 23-year-old from Moscow followed up victory over Djokovic at Monte Carlo in April, and reached his third successive ATP Tour final, having lost to Nick Kyrgios in Washington and Rafael Nadal in Montreal.

Djokovic will now turn his attention to the US Open, which begins on August 26 – and the Serb was full of praise for his opponent.

“I did not experience t h i s

too many times in my career that someone goes so big on second serves, and basically just plays two first serves for an extended period of time,” Djokovic said.

“When someone serves a 128mph second serve and goes for every shot, you just have to congratulate him … he played amazing tennis from 4-3 in the second set.

Not much that I could really do. [Daniil] is working his way to the top five. Today I did lose a tennis match, but I didn’t do too much wrong.”

Medvedev, who also beat Djokovic at Monte Carlo in April, was scheduled to play Belgium’s David Goffin in

the final on Sunday, with the winner set to claim their first-ever Masters title. No 16 seed Goffin beat France’s Richard Gasquet 6-3 6-4 in the earlier semi-final.

“I’m really happy,” Goffin said afterwards. “I’ve played the best tennis here in the past few years ... It’s a great moment for me.”

The Belgian also benefited from a walkover in his quarter-final against Yoshihito Nishioka. “It was almost a day off, so I was fresh and physically 100 per cent today to play against Richard.”

Goffin surged to an early 4-1 lead with a backhand

winner down the line to break, before closing out the first set. Gasquet grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second, but Goffin struck back to win five of the next six games – and sealed victory when the Frenchman sent a backhand long.

The women’s final also has an unexpected line-up, with Madison Keys set to take on wildcard Svetlana Kuznetsova. The Russian is ranked outside the world’s top 100, but has enjoyed a fine run of form in Ohio, beating Ashleigh Barty in the semi-final to deny the Australian the world No 1 ranking. (The Guardian)

Ashes 2019: Steve Smith hopes to be fit for Headingley Test

Novak Djokovic congratulates Daniil Medvedev after the Russian produced an impressive comeback to win their semi-final in Cincinnati

Czech Masters: Thomas Pieters wins 1st title in 3 years

B

Thomas Pieters now has four European Tour wins

elgium’s Thomas Pieters won his first title in three years with a one-shot victory at the Czech Masters.

Overnight leader Pieters, 27, carded a three-under par 69 in his final round to finish on 19 under, with his Spanish playing partner Adri Arnaus on 18 under.

England’s Sam Horsfield finished in a tie for third on 16 under with Italy’s defending champion Andrea Pavan.

“I’m relieved,” said Pieters. “It’s been a long time since I last won.”

It is Pieters’ second victory at the tournament in Prague and his fourth European Tour title.

Pieters, who played in Europe’s 2016 Ryder Cup team, last won on the European Tour in 2016 and is ranked 111th in the world.

“It feels good to win again,” he added. “I never doubted myself, but it’s just been a long road of not feel-

ing that great with the golf swing. It feels good to get back on track again and get another win.

“It’s difficult when everybody says you should be winning two or three times a year. It’s always nice to hear that, but it’s almost a negative sometimes because I always felt like I was underachieving, but hopefully there’s many more like this.

“I felt like I was in control today, almost the whole day and I kind of did my own thing.” (BBC Sport)

A

Steve Smith was felled by a Jofra Archer delivery timed at 92mph

ustralia batsman Steve Smith hopes to be fit for the third Ashes Test after being ruled out of the final day of the second Test with a concussion.

Smith retired hurt on 80 on Saturday after being hit on the neck by a Jofra Archer bouncer, but passed concussion tests and returned to make 92.

He will be assessed before the match at Headingley starts on Thursday.

“It’s certainly an area of concern – concussion, and I want to be 100 per cent fit,” the 30-year-old Smith said. “[It is] certainly up to the medical staff and we’ll have conversations.”

Cricket Australia said Smith was ruled out of the fifth day after further tests on Sunday morning showed “some deterioration”.

“With the tests that I’ve done and how I’ve woken up today, I think it’s the right decision,” Smith said.

“I’d obviously love to be out there trying to keep performing and try and help Australia win another Test match, but I think the right decision has been made.

“I’ll obviously be monitored very closely over the next few days with a pretty quick turnaround in between Test matches and I’m hopeful that I can make a recovery and be OK for that.”

Smith was replaced by Marnus Labuschagne, who became Test cricket’s first concussion substitute and can bat in Australia’s second innings.

Under Cricket Australia’s concussion protocol, there is no minimum amount of time a player must wait before playing again, although a statement said the “short

turnaround to the next Test is not in his favour”.

Smith, the player of the match after making 144 and 142 in Australia’s first Test win at Edgbaston, is third in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test batting rankings.

England declared on 258-5 on the final afternoon to leave Australia chasing 267 in a minimum of 48 overs to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

As well as having his fitness assessed on a continual basis, Smith had a scan on his neck on Sunday.

Smith was struck just below the left ear by a 92mph delivery during a sustained spell of hostile bowling from England debutant Archer, who touched speeds of 96mph.

Former captain Smith wanted to continue batting, but left the field for medical tests - which he passed - allowing him to resume his innings 40 minutes later.

When he returned, he appeared to be rattled, first swiping at Chris Woakes, before offering no stroke to be lbw to the same bowler.

Speaking on Saturday evening, Australia Coach Justin Langer said it was Smith’s decision to continue batting and it was made with him having satisfied all medical criteria. In confirming that Smith had been ruled out of the match, Cricket Australia said it was not uncommon for players to pass initial tests, only to display symptoms of concussion between 24 and 48 hours later.

“Steve was closely monitored by medical staff overnight,” read a statement. “This morning he reported after sleeping well he woke with ‘a bit of a headache and a feeling of grogginess’.” (BBC Sport)

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21

Chelsea 1-1 Leicester City: Mount hits the heights before Foxes bite back C

helsea were unable to close out their first win of the Frank Lampard era as Leicester City’s Wilfred Ndidi enjoyed a redemption tale in Sunday’s 1-1 Premier League draw at Stamford Bridge.

Mason Mount embarrassed Ndidi to score his first Chelsea goal in the seventh minute as the hosts started superbly.

But, as in the 4-0 loss at Manchester United seven days ago and the UEFA Super Cup penalty shoot-out defeat to Liverpool in midweek, the Blues were unable to sustain their efforts over the course of the contest.

Ndidi levelled as James Maddison made life increasingly uncomfortable for Chelsea after the interval, meaning Brendan Rodgers’ side have started their campaign with back-to-back draws.

Lampard was serenaded on to the touchline in his first home game at the helm and a party atmosphere was almost ramped up inside the first minute – Pedro thumping a volley from Olivier Giroud’s knockdown into the side netting.

It was a high-tempo start from the hosts, with Kasper Schmeichel denying Mount and smothering Christian Pulisic’s attempted follow-up.

The opener felt inevitable

and Mount pickpocketed a lackadaisical Ndidi to clip into the bottom corner.

Schmeichel was well-positioned to prevent Mount from heading a second before Christian Fuchs made a goal-saving challenge that denied N’Golo Kante.

Leicester grew into the game before the break and Maddison rounded a scrambling Kepa Arrizabalaga before being crowded out five minutes into the second half.

The playmaker twist-

ed past Anders Christensen and hit a shot across the face of goal as Chelsea struggled to find their earlier momentum.

If not in the same emphatic manner as Chelsea’s goal, the equaliser felt like it was coming by the time Ndidi atoned for his earlier error and converted Maddison’s 67th-minute corner.

Maddison’s dazzling, inventive play merited reward, but he lashed wastefully over 17 minutes from time, before playing in Jamie Vardy to shoot wide. The full-time whistle ultimately felt like more of a relief for a Chelsea side exhausted and overrun by that stage.

What does it mean? Lampard’s vibrant side need substance to match style

As in his first two matches in charge, Lampard saw Chelsea play some wonderful football in patches, but once Leicester gained a foothold, they struggled to turn the contest back in their favour.

Having come through an early onslaught, Rodgers’ men stated their top-six

credentials in assured fashion.

Mount and Maddison impress

A week on from Jose Mourinho querying his place in the Chelsea starting XI, England Under-21 international Mount turned in a performance as tenacious as it was technically assured. Maddison is a more established Premier League performer, having created 100 chances last season, and Chelsea found him increasingly unplayable as the game went on. England manager Gareth Southgate will undoubtedly have an eye on such exciting creative talents ahead of Euro 2020.

Azpilicueta lets it slip

Lampard’s Chelsea do appear defensively short, especially as they wait for Antonio Rudiger to regain full fitness in the wake of David Luiz’s departure to Arsenal. The rookie coach could certainly do without the club’s most reliable defensive performer hitting a slump. Cesar Azpilicueta was culpable in the Old Trafford defeat and lost Ndidi for the Foxes’ equaliser.

What’s next?

The Championship’s top two from last season – each bolstered by weekend wins – are next on the agenda for these sides. Chelsea travel to take on Norwich City, while Leicester are in action at Sheffield United. It is time for both to add victories to their promise. (Sportsmax)

“I can run faster” – Blake RAW Nationals (Unequipped) saving big performances set for August 25 for World Championships K

J

amaica World Champion Yohan Blake is increasingly confident of hitting his best form in time for the Doha World Championships, following a narrow win to claim the men’s 100m title, at the Birmingham Diamond League meet on Sunday.

Blake just got the better of Britain’s Adam Gemili, who erased a comfortable early lead by the Jamaican to ensure a photo finish. Both athletes were clocked at 10.07 seconds, but Blake was declared the winner. The United States’ Mike Rodgers was third with a time of 10.09. Another Jamaican in the race Tyquendo Tracey was sixth in 10.14.

It wasn’t the fastest time, considering a barely legal +2.0 seconds, but the Jamaican athlete was pleased with the result nonetheless. “It was coming,” said Blake, who suffered a career-threatening hamstring injury in 2013.

“The weather wasn’t great, but I’m saving the big day for the World Championships and the Diamond League finals in Zurich,” said Blake.

“I can run faster.”

Despite holding the second-fastest times ever run over both the 100m and 200m, Blake has been overshadowed by the American trio of Christian Coleman, Justin Gatlin and Noah Lyles so far this year. Coleman was expected to take part in the Birmingham Diamond League, but had withdrawn from the race earlier in the week. (Sportsmax)

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

Yohan Blake

eeping a keen eye on its calendar of activities, the Guyana Amateur Powerlifting Federation (GAPLF) will now focus its attention on the RAW Nationals (Unequipped), which are scheduled to be held on August 25 in the auditorium of the Saint Stanislaus College on Upper Brickdam, Georgetown.

The event is scheduled to commence at 10:00h while the weigh-in periods are slated from 08:00h to 09:30h. The competition will be one to watch as veterans will return to stake their claim while the newbies will aim to break new records and show off their strength as they fight for supremacy.

Natoya Robinson, last year’s victor in her category, is expected to defend her title. She had set national records for the 84+kg Division when she squatted 165.5kg, bench-pressed 92.5kg, and dead lifted 195.5kg for a total of 453.5kg.

Up for grabs this year is the title of “male overall winner” once held by Carlos Peterson-Griffith.

This title became vacant when the athlete violated both the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) Constitution and the GAPLF Constitution.

Peterson-Griffith set national records of 305kg squat

Natoya Robinson

and 160kg bench press en route to claiming the male overall crown with 509.490 Wilks points. He set a new national record in the deadlift: 345kg His total of 810kg was also a national record.

Therefore, a new winner will be crowned without the dominant factor making his presence felt.

Tickets for the event cost $1000; however, at the gate, persons will have to pay a fee of $1500. Registration for RAW Nationals will close this Wednesday at 21:00h. Some of the spon-

sors on board are Dyna’s Embroidery, Fitness Express, and Buddy’s Gym. Persons interested in competing at the RAW Nationals are required to submit their applications and pay their fees. The forms and monies can be submitted to executive member Martin Webster. A screenshot of the filled-out registration form, along with the deposit slip (which must be submitted) made out to the GAPLF Bank Account, #6552194, will be accepted as well.

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monday, august 19, 2019

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

Ishant shows off red ball credentials after Pujara ton in 3-Day practice match against West Indies A A

century by India’s ever-so reliable number three – Cheteshwar Pujara – and a fifty by Rohit Sharma were the highlights of the opening day of India’s practice match against West Indies A in Antigua.

In the absence of Virat Kohli who was rested on account of a finger injury concern, Ajinkya Rahane led India, but was not quite able to lead from the front.

After the early departure of openers Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul, Rahane walked in to join Pujara and could score only one run before he was dismissed by Jonathan Carter.

After a brisk start, India lost wickets in a cluster and were reduced to 53 for 3 in the 15th over. However, Sharma and Pujara came together and put on a solid stand for the fourth wicket as they stitched together 132 runs. Sharma departed for

68 while Pujara retired after he reached his century that included eight boundaries and a maximum.

In the final session, Pant and Hanuma Vihari chipped in with useful contributions to take India’s tally close to the 300-run mark, but the former lost his wicket in the final over of the day’s play. In the end, India were able to post a total of 297-5 dec.

For West Indies A, Carter was the pick of the bowlers as he grabbed three wickets and bowled at a decent economy of 2.82 in a spell that included six maiden overs.

Heading into the second day, West Indies A were in trouble as they quickly found themselves at 94-5, being pegged back by the excellent Indian bowling.

Despite a fighting 51 off 100 balls from Kavem Hodge, no other batsman could contribute anything substantial. West

Ishant Sharma was able to remove the top order

Indies A were bundled out for 181 with Jahmar Hamilton and Carter scoring a mere 33 and 26 runs respectively.

Sharma was able to bag 3-21, Umesh Yadav 3-19 and Kuldeep Yadav 3-35 with India leading by 112.

With India now heading into their second innings, the pair of Rahane and Vihari further extended the score to a lead of 200 runs at stumps. India lost the wicket of opener Argarwal to Romario Shepherd for 13. India were 84-1 heading into the third and final day of play.

Cheteshwar Pujara struck early form ahead of the World Test Championship clash starting next week

Tucber Park CC Badminton team Academy concludes edge closer to gold CAREBACO Championships

Priyanna Ramdhani during her women’s singles match

Participants along with former Test fast bowler Colin Stuart and Coaches on day four

A glimpse of the mixed doubles semi-final event

T

he Guyanese badminton contingent in Barbados is well on its way to medalling in the Under-19 Division of the Caribbean Regional Badminton Confederation ( C A R E B A C O ) Championships, as the Guyanese players are eagerly awaiting the final showdowns.

After several rounds of keen competition, the Guyanese athletes have secured places in three of five finals in the competition – the women’s singles, wom-

en’s doubles and mixed doubles.

Priyanna Ramdhani had an exceptional night of playing on Saturday as she stormed into the women’s singles final after defeating Suriname’s Kayleigh Moenne. Ramdhani made light work of the player representing Guyana’s Dutch neighbour in a twoset game – 21-9, 21-12.

Soon after, she teamed up with her Guyanese counterpart Tyrese Jeffrey for the mixed doubles semi-finals. There,

the Guyanese pair took on Vance Juteram and Chequeda De Boulet from the twin-island republic of Trinidad and Tobago.

It was yet another two-set match and the Guyanese won 21-11, 21-13.

In the women’s doubles semis, Ramdhani found a formidable playing partner in Trinidad’s De Boulet and the two went on to seal a spot in the final after overcoming Barbados’ McKaila Reid and Sobers Robyn 21-7, 21-4.

Guyana’s only loss in the semi-final round came in the men’s doubles draw, where Tyrese Jeffrey and Akili Haynes were representing the Golden Arrowhead.

While the Guyanese boys fought hard to take the match to three sets, they were edged out

by Barbados’ Kennie King and Dominic Scantlebury, losing 21-19, 15-21, 11-21.

The finals of the event were hosted on Sunday evening; however, up to press time, no results were available. The 17th CAREBACO Championships were held at the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium in St Michael, Barbados.

T

ucber Park Cricket Club concluded a successful five-day cricket academy on Saturday last with 34 graduates.

The participants were engaged in practical and theoretical training from some of the best coaches in the country across the five days of the camp, which was held at the Berbice High School Ground/Tarmac.

Eight participants were awarded individual awards for their outstanding performances. Daniel Narsiah was adjudged the best Under-18 batsman while Javaugn Conway received the award for the best Under-18 bowler. Kevin Kisten was awarded Best Under-15 Batsman, Delon Hendore Best Under-15 Bowler while Justin Meghu copped the best fielder award.

The most promising player of the academy was Abdulla Ibn while Shenia Simon was the most promising female player. Ismaeel Ramsammy received his award for the most disciplined individual.

All participants received certificates while trophies, medals and educational materials were presented to

Coach Julian Moore presenting an award to Justin Meghu

outstanding individuals.

This academy, which had numerous sponsors, was spearheaded by Coaches Julian Moore, Tremayne Smartt and Anthony D’Andrade.

Guyana Cricket Board Territorial Developmental Officer (TDO) Colin Stuart, a former Test fast bowler, visited the camp on the fourth day.

Club Secretary Tamesh Mohabir offered his assis-

tance while Kevin Sinclair and veteran Michael Hyles also visited the camp. The camp further exposed the youths to basic skills in cricket, life and leadership skills, the importance of education, etc. This camp was the first of its kind in the New Amsterdam area and it was a huge success helping the youngsters to improve their cricketing abilities.

guyanatimesgy.com

monday, august 19, 2019

13th annual Guyana Cup…

23

Lucky Star upsets Jumbo Jet duo to clinch feature event

Jumbo Jet’s Valentina clinches the 3 years’ old event

By Brandon Corlette

D

espite heavy rainfall in the morning hours across the Berbice region, Rising Sun Turf Club was thrilled to the highest when Appado rode Lucky Star to an upset win in the feature event of the 13th annual Guyana Cup. Approximately 7000

individuals, including Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, Irfaan Ali, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and other Government Ministers gathered to witness Lucky Star of Cheefon Racing Stables boss the final race, racing over a distance of one mile on the heavy track, to win $2 million.

In second position, Storm Bird continued his form to pocket win $1 million while Settling Star (third) and Simple Slide (fourth) rounded out the top four. Jumbo Jet’s Vera’s Finally and Don’t Overlook, who were overwhelming favourites, failed to perform as expected as they did not clinch top spots.

To kick-start the eightrace event, Catholic Boy won the opening race while Sunday Silencer finished in second in the Soreidom Guyana Inc Sprint, J1 3 Years old and Under.

Race two, the BM Soat J2 Classic, was won by Gold Again followed by Catch a Glimpse, Mary Ann and Stolen Diamond.

In the 1400-metre A Forrester Lumber Yard L Class Cup, which was the fourth race of the day, Storm Bird dominated while Pickachu came in second and Release the Heat third. In race number five, the Super Bet L Class Cup, Colin Elcok’s Fresh Dancer won the 1400-metre race while Secret Flyer placed second, Silver Charm third and Amazon Warrior rode in fourth.

In the sixth race of the day, the MovieTowne Guyana Derby Stakes (3 years old), Jumbo Jet’s Valentina eased to victory while Isn’t He Perfect (second); Mahaica Star (third) and Ebony Prince (fourth) were the other top horses.

TNT looked in fine form but Crown the King got the better position in the G-Class

Valentina won $1 million in that much-anticipated 3-year-old event.

In the penultimate race of the day, the Rising Sun I Class Classic, Not This Time of Shocking Racing Stables clinched first place. Gold Again (second); Mary Ann (third) and Miss

Olympic (fourth) were the other finishers.

Kevin Paul was adjudged champion jockey of the eight-race event.

The Jumbo Jet Racing Committee event, which had numerous sponsors assisting, was hailed as a success.

Winfield Brathwaite Tournament

Guyanese dominate on Night 2

Ryan Benjamin watches on as his opponent hits the mat

I

t was a night of Guyanese dominance on Saturday evening as the schoolboy and junior boxers got a chance to show their skills in the ring at the Winfield Brathwaite Junior Tournament.

With seven bouts on the cards, the second night of the three-night competition promised to be entertaining for the reasonable-sized crowd that gathered at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. And it did not disappoint.

With a lot of expectations weighing on his shoulders, 18-yearold Guyanese team captain Isaiah Moore was pitted against Abdul Taylor of Trinidad and Tobago in

the 52kg youth match. The young pugilist hailing from the Forgotten Youth Foundation (FYF) gym made a case of ‘fighting smart’ on Saturday evening rather than going for the KO, right out of the box.

However, Abdul tested Moore with impressive footwork, dodging what would have been numerous crushing blows. Nevertheless, Moore was able to wear out his opponent and eventually took the win.

Ryan Benjamin had one of the most exciting fights of the nights as he came up against Cayman Islands’ Charlie Nixon in the 63kg Juniors bout. Benjamin was another case of smart fighting, as he put

the Cayman Islander to the test.

While Nixon’s strength was moving around continuously, when Benjamin did catch up to him, his stealthy blows did well to take the wind out of Nixon. Before he even knew it, the referee stopped the match in the second round, giving Benjamin the win.

The result was the same for Young Achievers Gym’s Alex Butcher, who also had a second-round win against Dominica’s Enoch Phillips. The visitor was no match for the Guyanese, who maintained his agility and strength throughout the fight. Butcher’s jabs came in handy, wearing down his opponent for the eventual victory.

In the all-local bouts for the night, Jaqwan Milo went three rounds with Kevin Isaacs, but eventually prevailed with a win. On the other hand, Andre Bess got the better of Wezton Harry when they were in opposite corners.

However, the most exhilarating local display came from Fitz Haywood who won

his encounter by way of knockout.

The FYF boxer got the better of Sheldon McKenzie after just two minutes 15 seconds into the first round – the result of speed, strength, and well-placed jabs.

The Winfield Brathwaite

tournament was sponsored by Courts Guyana, Cevons Waste Management, Associated Packers Industry, Hand-in-Hand and the National Sports Commission.

(Jemima Holmes)

Isaiah Moore (blue) found a remedy for his opponent’s speed

monday, august 19, 2019

Sports is no longer our game, it’s our business

guyanatimesgy.com

13th annual Guyana Cup…

Lucky Star upsets Jumbo Jet duo to clinch feature event

Page 23

The defining moment! Lucky Star completes the Guyana Cup feature event in first place (Brandon Corlette photos)

Action at the race track at Rising Sun

Tucber Park CC Academy concludes

A glimpse of the Juniors’ action

Page 22 Page 23

Winfield Brathwaite Tournament

All the outstanding performers of the Tucber Park Cricket Academy

Guyanese dominate on Night 2

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