Guyana Times -- Monday, February 11, 2019

Wakapoa Village gets $19M bridge

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

Issue No. 3832

THE BEACON OF TRUTH monday, February 11, 2019

PRICE

Mandatory Article 106 90-day due elections

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Jamaica rejects Guyana’s P11 rice shipment

“Guyana heading into dangerous waters” – Gaskin Page 3

– Govt urged to take proactive approach to address issue

Govt remains committed to human development – Harmon Page 9

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon addresses recipients of the Government of Guyana Scholarships to local institutions

Guyana takes lion share of cases before CCJ

Page 3

– presented 52% of cases compared to Caribbean neighbours

NA Hospital CEO Skeletal remains of human found in remains on the job Page 10

…Minister Cummings intervenes

$80 vat included

mining camp

Page 2

Chinese P8 nationals allegedly wanted for murder charged with illegal entry Finally, Minister says hinterland roads to P14 be fixed

Decomposed body of P15 Wakenaam man found Wismar P13 Hospital recommissions maternity ward, other units

2 news

monday, february 11, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

UG bomb threats

Murder suspect confesses to killing Foulmouth man

Student to make court appearance today U A niversity of Guyana student Sheliza Jaffarrally, who was questioned in relation to the bomb threats made against the tertiary institution, was charged and is expected to make her court appearance today at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court.

She will answer to the offence of misuse of a telecommunication device under the Telecommunications Act of Guyana. The young woman has retained Latchmi Rahamat as her attorney. A Police source confirmed that the young lady was officially charged on Sunday.

Jaffarrally was reportedly taken into Police custody where she was questioned in relation to threats which surfaced primarily on social media.

The University had postponed all classes until February 11 after a second bomb threat was directed at the learning institution on Thursday morning, thus resulting in the administration’s call to protect the lives of students and implement responsive measures.

Thursday was the second consecutive day on which a threat was issued, resulting in another visit from both the Guyana Fire Service and the Guyana Police Force to conduct a thorough search of the premises.

The University on Thursday said that time is needed for response mechanisms to be put in place in the case of any emergency and as such all classes were suspended. On February 11, all activities are scheduled to resume as per normal, the institution in a statement said, adding that it will also enable the institution to assess situations which occurred over the recent days.

After Police ranks completed their search, it was noted that there have been “no significant threats” and further, that mischievous persons are behind these acts to disrupt the campus’ atmosphere.

A meeting was convened on Wednesday evening with Vice Chancellor Ivelaw Griffith and other senior officials where “the situation was assessed and they were advised that the situation arose from mischievous students, either by themselves or other persons.”

This first bomb threat emerged earlier on Wednesday which indicated that other persons would be planting explosives at various institutions. The posts were prevalent on Facebook as seen in the name of an unknown individual going by the name of “Ki Ra” on Wednesday saying, “This is not the end”.

Apart from these threats, other schools within Georgetown received threats as well, raising concerns among parents about the level of security.

The first, aimed at School of Nations, escalated when the Director, Brian O’Toole, was shot. He is said to be recovering well. Circumstances at the Bishops’ High School and Queen’s College resumed normalcy.

thirty-three-year-old man who was being sought for the murder of 32-year-old Cebric Williams of Foulmouth, Essequibo River, was apprehended and has since confessed to the heinous crime.

The man, also of Foulmouth, was arrested on Friday last and would have given a caution statement.

It was reported that on the night in question, the now dead man along with the suspect and his sister were imbibing when an argument

broke out over a criminal incident that occurred in 2009.

During the argument, the suspect became annoyed, whipped out a knife and dealt one blow to the victim’s neck before fleeing the scene. The injured man was picked up and taken to the Bartica Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The man escaped and has been on the run until his arrest on Friday. He is expected to be charged shortly.

Decomposed body of Wakenaam man found

P

olice are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a man whose decomposed body was found on Saturday.

64-yearold Shamlall Ramroop of Belle Plaine, Wakenaam, Essequibo River, was last seen alive on Tuesday.

His son, who identified

the body, revealed that his father was an alcoholic and might have died of natural causes since there were no marks of violence about his body.

The body was taken to the Suddie Hospital Mortuary where a post mortem is expected to be performed.

Skeletal remains found in mining camp

T

he skeletal remains of a human were on Saturday evening discovered in a mining camp at Armu Backdam, Cuyuni River. The remains are suspected to be that of Royo Persaud, the owner of the mining camp.

Guyana Times understands that the discovery was made by a 37-year-old

man who had gone to the mining camp to check on Fraser since he was not seen for some time.

Upon his arrival at the camp, the remains were found lying on the floor.

The discovery was reported to the police and a team of investigators has since been dispatched to the location.

news

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monday, february 11, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Monday, February 11 – 09:00h-10:30h and Tuesday, February 12 – 09:30h-11:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Monday, February 11 – 07:40h-09:10h and Tuesday, February 12 – 08:30h-10:00h.

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

WEATHER TODAY Light rain showers in the early morning followed by sunny intervals can be expected during the day.

Partly cloudy skies are expected in the evening, with temperatures ranging between 21 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-easterly to North North-easterly between 2.23 metres and 5.36 metres.

High Tide: 08:32h and 21:00h reaching maximum heights of 2.45 metres and 2.40 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 14:30h reaching a minimum height of 0.77 metre.

saturday, FEBRUARY 09, 2019

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Mandatory Article 106 90-day due elections

“Guyana heading into dangerous waters” – Gaskin

A

s Government persists in its reluctance to respect Article 106 of the Constitution and call elections, many are of the view that if a date is not set for elections soon, the nation could descend into chaos.

One such person who holds this view is outspoken political commentator and economist Ramon Gaskin, who said that the time has come for the Government to obey the rule of law.

He told Guyana Times on Sunday that “Guyana could be heading into dangerous waters.”

The former advisor to late President, Dr Cheddi Jagan said it was clear based on acting Chief Justice Roxane George’s ruling that after March 19, the Government would be illegal. He believes if President David Granger does not set a date for elections before that time, it will lead to pandemonium.

“After March 19, the Government will be illegal.

So, we are heading in real serious waters. If they don’t resign and call elections, it will not help quell this rising situation in Guyana. But it doesn’t appear to me that Government is in any mood to call elections,” Gaskin stated.

He thinks that Guyanese are already tense about the situation, and businesses are confused by what is taking place. Gaskin, therefore, believes that if there is no clear path to an election, it could lead to a possible unstable political and economic situation in Guyana.

According to him, this could also lead to Guyana being blacklisted by international agencies, Governments and other major groupings. He pointed to the case in neighbouring Venezuela, where President Nicolás Maduro has been accused of violating the Constitution of that country.

Gaskin said this was no different from the situation taking place here, except that the violations were blatant and being played out for every major country in the world to bear witness to.

“But for the good of our country, Guyana, the President and the Opposition Leader must meet and work this out,” he added.

Disrespect

The political commentator told this newspaper that from all indications elections were possible this year, but the various delaying tactics being applied to the sit-

Political commentator and economist Ramon Gaskin

uation were just meant to frustrate the people. Gaskin concluded, therefore, that this boiled down to blatant disrespect towards the Chief Justice’s ruling.

“They (Government) are dragging it out to campaign longer and make plans if they win or lose…

They carrying on as if nothing has happened, and as if there was no no-confidence motion, no ruling by the Speaker of the National Assembly (Dr Barton Scotland), and the CJ didn’t rule.”

Gaskin said while Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has stated that he was not interested in extending the date, they may need to extend the date, because since the passage of the no-confidence motion, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has not started any preparation.

He said, “I think they need six to eight weeks to get their acts together, but 148 days is absolutely ri-

diculous. They should work round the clock to get it done. That is what they are being paid to do…But this Government is now dragging out this issue by appealing the matter, which will carry you until year end and GECOM is waiting on the decision of the court…”

Jagdeo has indicated that should GECOM continue to delay its election preparations, seeking legal remedies to compel such preparations are a possibility.

“We believe GECOM could be ready in the timeframe by March 19. Because if they have to have 50 days for Nomination Day and two weeks to notify the parties, they still have 50 days remaining.

“And simultaneously, they can proceed with the procurement of material and all the other logistics, including training on an accelerated basis. We see this whole issue of house-tohouse registration, which will take six months to a year, as a red herring.”

GECOM successfully ran the Local Government Elections in November 2018, less than three months ago. The President of Guyana, according to the Constitution, has to dissolve Parliament and issue a date for elections.

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monday, february 11, 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

Jobs vs Infrastructure

P

rime Minister Moses Nagamootoo gleefully quoted Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) President, Dr William Warren Smith who has “attributed economic growth in Guyana to “robust construction”… not only the on-and-off shore infrastructures in advance of first oil, but also to the mega projects such as the CJIA, the East Bank and East Coast highways, etc.” Forgetting that these projects were all initiated by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration, the claim must be considered in conjunction with that of the Government’s Secretary of Finance, who pointed out: “(Guyana’s) pool is taxable income is dwarfed by the large-scale incidence of unemployment and insufficient start-ups to replace business failures.”

The Finance Secretary asserted that: “It was empirically determined that youth unemployment among the 15 to 24-year-old cohort was at 21.6 per cent, representing almost twice the unemployment rate of other adults.”

What this means in effect is that in gloating about “economic growth”, the Prime Minister ignores that from a human perspective, there has been no development, since the latter in mixed economies such as ours depends to a large extent on the populace having jobs that could allow them to live in dignity without depending on handouts. It is especially tragic that the greatest level of joblessness is found among youths, which have been augmented with the 7000 sugar workers who were fired along with several thousand Amerindians from the Youth Entrepreneurship and Apprenticeship Programme (YEAP).

The “Rust Belt” of the US should remind us that a country can have all the infrastructure in the world, but if the people do not have jobs, then that country will go down the tubes. There is nothing wrong with infrastructure in and out of itself. Schools, roads, bridges, and hospitals are all good. The fact that they are built with loans that have to be repaid sooner or later is another matter that we will skip over for the moment. But of what use are schools if the graduates cannot find jobs with their “education? Of what use are roads if the ordinary citizens cannot afford the price of gasoline, much less the price of a car to get from here to there, because at best they are stuck at subsistence wages if they’re lucky enough to have a job? Of what use is electricity when the poor housewife can’t even pay her “light bills”?

When a person has a job that can provide the basic needs of his family – food, shelter, clothing and perchance, transportation – then this is the beginning of a life of respect and dignity. Even if there is minimal infrastructure, once there are jobs, the infrastructure will come. Jobs mean businesses and enterprises and these mean taxes – both personal and corporate - for all levels of government.

People with jobs will assert themselves and demand that the Government use those taxes to provide infrastructural amenities. The people may even create the infrastructure for themselves. It’s quite a virtuous circle.

And this should not be some kind of theory to Guyanese, who all have relatives who were barely eking out a grubby existence here – in the canefields, farms or the streets – and then grasped the opportunity to emigrate and work in North America. Within a couple of years, they had a house, a car or two, and money in the bank. Their success offers us a clue to the solution to our problems in Guyana – and this is Jobs! Jobs! Jobs! There are no shortcuts. But this Government has no clue about creating jobs; hence, the Finance Secretary wailing about taxes and gratuitously advising youths to become “entrepreneurs”.

They have all the right rhetoric: free enterprise, incentives, investments, profits, etc, etc. The only problem is that none of them have any experience in actually creating jobs. They may know how to appeal to Courts, or rent pharma warehouses or sole source contracts. But open a business that creates jobs and handles the pressure of meeting a payroll every month end? There, we have a problem.

And this is Guyana’s problem under the People’s National Congress (PNC).

The Santa Rosa Roman Catholic Church in Region One (Barima-Waini) – one of the oldest Catholic Churches in Guyana Photo)

(James Deeges

Adel al-Jubeir: “We’ll investigate Khashoggi murder on our own” … dismisses inquiry by UN rapporteur, says “there was no order” to kill Saudi Journalist

S

audi Arabia does not need a United Nations or international investigation into the murder of Journalist Jamal Khashoggi because its "competent legal system" can handle the matter, said its Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.

Adel al-Jubeir told the US TV programme “Face the Nation” on Sunday that the October 2, 2018 slaying of the Journalist inside the Saudi Consulate in Turkey was "a massive tragedy" and denied it was sanctioned by Saudi Arabia's leadership.

US intelligence agencies concluded the killing would almost certainly have needed the approval of the Kingdom's de-facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS).

In December, US Senators backed a measure accusing MbS of ordering Khashoggi's murder.

"The Crown Prince had nothing to do with this," Jubeir said. "There was no order given to murder Jamal Khashoggi and the whole country is shocked by this.

"It was a mistake. It was committed by officials of the Saudi Government acting outside their scope of authority. The King ordered an investigation," said Jubeir.

Eleven suspects have been indicted and referred to trial in Saudi Arabia with five facing the death penalty. The proceedings have not been public.

“Her own opinions”

Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extra-judicial executions, carried out a week-long inquiry in Turkey into the Khashoggi killing and concluded in preliminary findings it was "a brutal and premeditated killing, planned and perpetrated by officials of the State of Saudi Arabia".

Her final report is due in June.

Callamard said Saudi Arabia also "seriously undermined" Turkey's efforts to investigate Khashoggi's killing at its Istanbul Consulate.

Saudi officials say they don’t know where Saudi Journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s remains are despite having suspects in custody [Osman Orsal/Reuters]

She has asked for access to Saudi Arabia and expressed "major concerns" about the fairness of proceedings for those facing trial in the Kingdom over Khashoggi's murder.

"The UN rapporteur that you talked to is not engaged in a UN investigation," Jubeir said.

"She is doing this on her own, in her capacity as rapporteur of human rights, and she went to Turkey and she came back and issued opinions that are her own, these are not United Nations' opinions," he said.

He said there was no reason to allow UN access to the country for an investigation.

"We have done the right thing. We acknowledged that this happened, we acknowledged that these were officials of the Saudi Government, we acknowledged that they had no authority to do this and we jailed them and now we're putting them on trial," he said.

“We don't know”

An audio recording of Khashoggi's murder obtained by Turkish intelligence agencies has been shared with officials from Saudi Arabia, the United States, Germany, France and the United Kingdom, as well as Callamard's team.

The Journalist was dismembered inside the Consulate. Khashoggi's remains have not been located.

"It is important for us that the body is found, that we have a place at which his beloved ones could say prayers," said Khashoggi's fiancée, Hatice Cengiz, on Friday.

Asked where Khashoggi's body is, Jubeir said "we don’t know".

He said they have asked the suspects, that there are "a number of possibilities" and "this investigation is ongoing".

"I would expect eventually that we would find the truth." (Al Jazeera)

guyanatimesgy.com

monday, february 11, 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

Is this the new PNC tactic?

Dear Editor, General Elections must be held in Guyana, I repeat, General Elections is mandated for this nation by March 31, 2019, and true to form, the PNC and their thug machinery are coming up with these what I would call, new tactics. Well, it is not a totally new exercise because the moment elections are to be held in this country, there is bound to be a sudden upsurge in crime and criminal activity of some sort from the wellknown PNC machinery and ‘blame it on The PPP/C’ sort of thing.

This is a known strategy of theirs. Criminal activities of a certain kind destined to create fear and instability at election time are bound to show up in Guyana, period!

We have grown accustomed to these things.

Anytime the PNC has to face the electorate, things of this nature surfaces; the only thing this time is that they seem to have adopted another strategy, that is, trying to put PPP or PPP/C

persons in the criminal spotlight. Trying to put the blame on the PPP for the instability in society and divert people’s attention from the real issue at hand, which is an imminent election.

Hence, we question claims that the niece of a Former PPP Member of Parliament is planning to bomb the University of Guyana.

It is rather odd that a student of the said institution would want to blow it up. The timing and the person who is said to have made those calls are highly suspect incidents that call for the most careful scrutiny ever.

And even if we are tempted to believe this, the timing of this bomb threat has given them away. Why when an election is due would you get such a threat and from a PPP person? Who would want to believe this? All of the events leading up to this story has a PNC copyrighted script written all over it.

They are trying their utmost to hang on to power while emasculating the Constitution and creating

panic and confusion at the same time.

What is even more revealing is the fact that her full name, Sheliza Jaferally, relation to a former PPP/C Member of Parliament as well as her photograph are splashed in bold all across the Government mouthpiece, Guyana Chronicle.

This is pure bullyism. It shows how desperate these people are at diversionary tactics.

In the first place, persons who have committed the most dastardly of deeds, even murder, are not treated this way so this latest bomb threat by a harmless student speaks volumes of the desperation campaign the PNC are waging at this time.

So the PNC in their bid to hang on to power is pressing the panic button, bringing back the fear factor in society just before another election.

Respectfully, Neil Adams

Trademark of the APNU/AFC Government is incompetence, mismanagement, corruption and cronyism

Dear Editor, The recent visit by the CEO of GWI Dr Van WestCharles in Berbice to resolve issues that are confronting Berbicians can be considered a propaganda stunt to defend himself and GWI. I am still trying to understand the reasons why the CEO came to Berbice to host a press conference to address issues which are still not resolved. The location of the press conference and the refusal to visit the affected areas is a reflection that the political alignment of the CEO influences him to make those decisions.

The exorbitant bill increases, the quality of water, the unavailability of water in various areas for weeks, the promise of the CEO to disregard payments on water meters

until quality water is been provided, the continuous damaging of public infrastructure eg road, streets, etc, the refusal of GWI officials to treat customers with respect, was not addressed by the CEO. The issues were disregarded and blame was transferred to other agencies.

The increase rates by the Public Utilities Commission without looking at the quality of water is very much disrespectful to the Guyanese people. The Public Utilities Commission is a definite failure in its mandate to ensure that Guyanese are protected from utility companies. GT&T, GPL and the GWI are operating in blatant disregard for the quality of services it provides but ensures that the financial obligations by customers are be-

Companies and contractors need some control

Dear Editor, I wish to be pellucid on the onset of this commentary which I believe is extremely important at this juncture.

I welcome the oil and exploration companies and inventors to our beloved Guyana. ExxonMobil I believe, as per my commentaries in previous appeals, will make Guyana an example of a unique partnership between ExxonMobil, its affiliates and the citizens of Guyana.

However, we as Guyanese need to institute regulations and laws to protect prime properties and lands so that it will remain in the hands of Guyanese.

This will give us Guyanese a chance of protecting our assets and developing ourselves.

It has been observed that these oil companies have been buying out properties, prime residential lands and lands for office spaces. This free flow of investment by the international corporations and their affiliates will definitely inflate prices for land and properties as it is known that these companies have tremendous financial resources.

Renting properties from Guyanese will cause us to build to international standards and specifications needed by the investors

and oil companies and give Guyanese an opportunity to raise their standards and control the valuable assets of Guyana.

I have already seen that prime lands and homesteads are being bought out by foreign corporations. This will definitely deny wealth from being circulated amongst us.

Investors and expatriates will always need to export their earnings during and after production.

If the Government of Guyana along with the Opposition does not act on this promptly, Guyana will stay in what the late Prime Minister of Jamaica described some of us in the Caribbean as: beggar my neighbour policy.

I can’t blame the foreign investors and exploration companies for trying to do it all and take it all if they can.

Corporations and businesses operate as persons and they look after their self-interests and the shareholders first. We as the owners of our independent country must ensure we protect our assets and our citizens and get maximum benefits for our country and people.

In my opinion, the current and the previous Government have made several errors as if they were sleeping when the contracts were signed and Memorandums of

Agreement were initialised.

Or they were just not conscious and thoughtful to the realisation of the necessity to safeguard our lands and properties.

My appeal to our Government and Opposition is to take the example of Trinidad. Trinidad, according to information, never allowed such companies to purchase properties or lands but they could rent, thereby giving their citizens a chance to invest and to be partners in national wealth creation.

My understanding also is that no country in the world allows oil companies to buyout residential properties or build properties on lands locally purchased. They go into contracts that they find acceptable to build offices and residential properties.

We must ensure that valuable lands and properties are secured for our children and our children’s

children for generations to come. Otherwise, we will have to rent lands, flats, houses and offices from the foreign investors and we will become nothing and own nothing.

Wake up Government of Guyana, current and/or future. Wake up Private Sector Commission of Guyana.

Wake up Chambers of Commerce.

Our ordinary citizens must do the things that are necessary to direct the Government, Opposition and politicians to listen to us and to protect our assets. In my opinion, it is also a useful and most tangible idea for a political party to make this a part of their national manifesto for future governance. The days are far gone when people will merely vote for race.

Guyanese need excellent management and leadership. We the people need to be respected by the politicians. I wish to politely re-

mind the politicians that the people of the country are the bosses of the politicians.

They can be fired by the people at any time for poor management of resources and failing to protect our assets for the benefits of the people.

Sincerely, Roshan Khan Sr Chairman/ Founder RK’s Guyana Security Services Commissioner: Ethnic Relations Commission

ing justified. It is factual that customers pay for quality and efficient services but receive the worst and inefficient services by these utility companies.

The APNU/AFC coalition Government Ministers continue to support party activists, friends, families, and rogue Government officials in very important positions. The Health Services in Region Six continue to be plagued by this disease resulting in loss of lives and denying people the rights to efficient services. Ministers and Government officials only waste taxpayers’ money to visit and make commitments but as customary, as they leave, the promises evaporate.

The recent refusal to remove the CEO of the New Amsterdam Public Hospital as was agreed and promised by Government officials is the trademark of this APNU/AFC coalition Government, where incompetence, mismanagement and cronyism prevail over the people.

The Residents of Region Six continue to suffer under the APNU/AFC coalition Government because of Corruption, Incompetence, Mismanagement and Cronyism.

God help Berbice.

Respectfully, Zamal Hussain

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Foundation

By Robert Myers, PhD

F

ew parenting challenges are quite as terrifying as handling a teenager. Sure, potty training may seem like an endless battle at the time, but it looks like a piece of cake in comparison to parenting a teen. Horror stories of teenage moodiness, rebellion, and questionable taste in friends leave many parents feeling grossly unprepared for the unavoidable drama on the horizon.

The key to successfully tackling this phase is to take a deep breath, relax, and remember that teens are not monsters. They’re just kids going through a lot of physical, emotional, and social changes – all at the same time. Parents can build and maintain a healthy relationship with their children throughout the teen years with a bit of patience and a lot of love. The following tips help parents create a lasting bond that makes navigating the teen years somewhat easier:

Talk

Although teens seem to prefer spending most of their time in their rooms, they do want to know that their parents take an interest in their lives. The key to conversing with a teen is to keep it casual and relaxed. Much to a parent’s surprise, an informal “How was your day?” can prompt many teens to open up. Talking regularly about friends is a helpful way to monitor what’s happening in a child’s peer crowd. It also shows teens that their parents are genuinely interested in what’s happening in their personal lives. Goals, accomplishments, struggles, and any individual interests (sports, movies, music) are fantastic subjects. The point of these daily discussions is to establish a fun, relaxed, and enjoyable exchange of information. It’s incredibly important that these chats never turn into a scolding session; that will only turn teens off to the whole idea. Parents should aim for at least 15 to 30 minutes of conversation each day at a time when their kids seem particularly chatty–after school, in the car, at the dinner table, or before bed are great opportunities.

Listen, listen, listen

guyanatimesgy.com

Once the conversations start flowing, parents should let their teens take the reins. That allows them to steer the conversation in the direction they desire. Great listening provides teens the chance to unload what’s on their mind.

It’s helpful to respond to them with appropriate comments and questions and encourage them to elaborate. Listening

is incredibly crucial during difficult or touchy conversations.

Parents should try to listen to their teen with an open mind and respond constructively if their teen approaches them with a problem. It can be difficult for parents to remain calm when their child has done something wrong, but it’s essential to maintain this open line of communication. A hasty reaction may cause a teen to clam up in the future.

Establish and enforce rules

Although it’s important to listen and remain rational while discussing troubling situations with teens, it’s equally important to set standards. Teens need to learn acceptable behaviour, and they need to know that there are consequences in life when they break those rules. Parents should avoid screaming, shouting, and belittling, but merely enforce whatever punishment fits the offense.

Spend time together. Spending quality time together is a great way to build a strong bond. Life gets hectic, and crazy schedules can leave many teens feeling forgotten and isolated. Taking time out of a busy schedule to hang out together makes a teen feel valued and appreciated. A simple gesture, such as going for a hike, grabbing an ice cream, or catching a movie, will make a world of difference.

Be a parent

It’s easy to blur the line between parent and friend when desperately trying to form a bond with a teen. It can be tricky to listen and be open-minded like a friend while still setting and enforcing rules and boundaries. Even though it may cause small arguments, teens need responsible parents who look out for them and keep them safe. Parents concerned that doling out punishments will break their bond with their child should remember that teens often respect parents who stick to their word (even though they’d never admit it).

The teen years can be quite a rollercoaster, but they don’t have to be a monstrous nightmare. Parents can develop an unbreakable bond with their teens with regular conversations, fantastic listening skills, and understanding but firm demeanour. Spending quality time together and showing genuine interest in their hobbies, friends, and personal lives will strengthen that bond. Patience and an open mind are incredibly helpful when raising a teen, and they can make these years incredibly enjoyable. (childdevelopmentinfo.com)

R

aising a teenager is difficult for the best of parents, just as being a teenager is difficult for all teens, regardless of how easy a childhood they had. But these are the years when parenting needs to be done delicately. Watching your teen draw away from you can be hurtful and worrying but this is when your child needs that space, and you need to give it to them.

Once children are born, they get progressively more distant from their parents, growing their independence so that they can become their own people. Teenagers are the culmination of this. Teens need space to discover themselves as separate beings from their families.

It is valuable growing space that you need to respect.

Though it’s hard to leave your teenager alone, especially as their behaviour becomes more and more worrisome, you must create boundaries – for both you and them. This can be as formal or informal as you feel is necessary. Make sure they are aware that you will respect these boundaries that you’ve set for yourself.

Consider giving your teen a say in the boundaries that they would like to see in place. Even if some of them are unreasonable, having this discussion should give you insight into what your teen is thinking, feeling and needing.

But don’t let go of your teen entirely. During this phase it can be tempting to just give up entirely once you’ve started down this path, but resist the temptation. Your teen, more than ever, needs to know that you love them and are there for them. This is a time when many risky behaviours take place and when your teen will test your limits.

Everyone needs space, but no one more than teenagers. As they’re slowly separating themselves from their family identity, they need room to discover themselves. Boundaries are important for giving teenagers their privacy but also important for safety and consistency. Let your teen know that they will have a little more space to themselves but don’t allow that to create a license for chaos.

The 5 Love Languages of Teenagers: The Secret to Loving Teens Effectively is a great resource for parents that provides an approach that will help them to openly communicate with their teen while allowing them to have the space they need to develop a sense of direction to successfully move toward increased independence. (childdevelopmentinfo.com)

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monday, february 11, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

2018 annual report

Guyana takes lion share of cases before CCJ

– presented 52% of cases compared to Caribbean neighbours

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he Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has released its annual report for cases it adjudicated between 2017 and 2018, showing that Guyana presented the lion’s share of cases compared to its Caribbean neighbours for judicial settlement.

According to the report, Guyana presented 52 per cent of the total cases filed, followed by Barbados (22 per cent); Belize (19 per cent) and Dominica (six per cent).

According to the report, a total of 32 new matters were filed during this period.

These include 13 applications for special leave and 19 Notices of Appeal. The report notes that 17 cases came from Guyana, seven cases from Barbados, six from Belize and two from Dominica.

“Civil applications and appeals represented the clear majority (88 per cent) of the new matters while the number of appeals filed in this year more than doubled the number filed in the previous judicial year,” the annual report states.

Over the past year, there have been a number of cases from Guyana being referred to the CCJ. These include ‘the third term case’ of Cedric

Richardson v the Attorney General of Guyana, Hyles and Williams v the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and Medical Council of Guyana v Jose Ocampo Trueba.

Other cases included the Deorani Singh versus Attorney General of Guyana, Guyana Stores Limited versus the AG and Sattie Basdeo versus the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).

The CCJ’s hearing of cases from Guyana is unlikely to lessen, with the current no-confidence cases that are before the local judiciary. Following acting Chief Justice Roxane George upholding the passage of the December 21 no-confidence vote, Government had made it clear that everything was “business as usual” until it could appeal the ruling and a definitive decision is made at the level of the CCJ.

Appeal

On Tuesday, Government asked the Appeal Court to set aside some of the judgements made by the Chief Justice.

The first case Attorney General Basil Williams is appealing is the case of the Attorney General v Speaker of the National Assembly and Opposition Leader.

The Caribbean Court of Justice

The second is the Attorney General v Christopher Ram. The initial case directly pertains to the passage of the no-confidence vote in the National Assembly by a majority of 33 to 32 on December 21, 2018. In that case of the Attorney General v Speaker of the National Assembly and Opposition Leader, Williams’s submission argues that “there was a miscalculation of the majority of all elected members as required under Article 106 (6) of the Constitution for the Government to be defeated

on a vote of no confidence”.

The Government’s submission had claimed that acquiring 33 instead of 34 or more votes breached Article 106 (6) of the Constitution and was unlawful. It had also claimed that the Speaker’s certification of the vote by issuing Resolution 101 was not conclusive.

In the second case, Ram had argued that Cabinet should have resigned as per the Constitution. Ram had successfully sought to have the High Court validate the no-confidence resolution

and have Government comply with constitutional provisions to demit office and call elections no later than March of this year.

Ram has also argued that Cabinet’s failure to resign with all convenient speed and to fix an election date could lead to uncertainty and a constitutional crisis if neither occurs in keeping with the Constitution.

The Chief Justice had upheld both cases, ruling that the no-confidence vote was validly passed, and that Cabinet should have re-

signed. However, Williams, in his appeal, is claiming that the Chief Justice made an error in both of these rulings.

Particularly, the Attorney General expressed that the Chief Justice’s decision was “unreasonable and cannot be supported having regard to the evidence”. He is seeking an order setting aside both rulings and all consequential orders, adding that more submissions will be made upon receipt of the CJ’s written ruling.

Meanwhile, the report noted that a training programme for gender sensitivity is ongoing in several Caribbean countries, including Guyana. According to the report, such programmes are geared towards ensuring these officers are equipped with knowledge about best practices.

“The training programmes examined a variety of gender sensitive issues such as custody, gender-based domestic violence, child support, the various ways in which international law can be utilised to assist the process of adjudication and judicial education techniques for planning and implementing programmes,” it stated.

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monday, february 11, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Smyth Street execution

Ballistics expert identifies ammunition found at crime scene

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s Morris Prince’s trial continued at the High Court before Justice Navindra Singh, police ballistics expert, Inspector Eon Jackson identified multiple bullets and spent shells of ammunition which were retrieved from the crime scene.

This suggested that several shots were fired when businessman O’Riley Small was killed on March 19, 2016.

Jackson, who has over 20 years’ experiences in ballistics, told the 12-member jury that he examined ten .40 spent shells and two .40 bullets which were handed over to him by Corporal Radcliff. Jackson observed that the 10 cases were all discharged and from examination, he reasoned that the weapon used was either a .40 pistol or a 10mm pistol.

He prepared an analyst’s report and wrote his statement.

The witness then identi-

Murder accused Morris Prince

fied the exhibits which were admitted into evidence. He explained that when a firearm is being discharged and it explodes, hot gases force the residue into the air. He further stressed that gunshot residue remains on the body for about 36 hours.

Police Corporal Radcliff had testified that gunshot residue was found when he tested Prince while he was in custody but the defence had argued that a police station would have been contaminated with such a material.

It was on Wednesday last that the jury was told that the defendant, Prince, was not only seen with a gun at the crime scene but was later found with an article of clothing that was similar to what the shooter was clad in. This had been the evidence for ex-Corporal Derwin Eastman, who claimed he saw Prince, in a “crouched over” position at the crime scene with a gun and asked him if the weapon was licenced.

He had noted that he went back to the scene to see if Morris was still there, but he had “left the scene”.

Corporal Eastman said that they later went to the Rio

Night Club where Morris was contacted and was later taken into custody.

Charlene Forde, sister of the deceased man, had recounted that she heard rapid gunshots just as she was about to open the door to let her brother in.

According to reports, the deceased man was executed when he had reportedly entered his yard at Lot 2 Smyth Street, Werk-enRust, Georgetown, after he returned home from a night out.

It was reported that he was approached by a man who discharged several rounds in his direction thus causing him to sustain multiple injuries.

The defendant is being represented by Attorney Mark Waldron while State Counsels Tuanna Hardy, Abigail Gibbs and Teriq Mohammed are prosecuting the case.

Dispute between PTA, Mon Repos Primary admin settled

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fter almost one week of being locked out of the Mon Repos Primary School’s premises, parents can now enter to drop off their children.

This is according to the Education Ministry, which on Monday revealed that an intervention was made which would now permit parents to enter the school under certain conditions.

The Ministry in a statement said the parents were staying in the school’s compound during instructional periods which was not allowed.

An agreement was, however, recently made by the school’s administration with the Ministry which will allow parents to bring their children into the school as per normal, but when the bell rings, “those parents who are still within the confines of the school awaiting the dismissal time should be encouraged to go home and return at dismissal time for the children,” the Ministry informed.

An emergency ParentTeacher Association (PTA) meeting was scheduled to discuss these matters.

A group of parents gathered outside the Mon Repos Primary School last Tuesday

The Ministry assured that normalcy has been restored, and the situation would continue to be monitored closely to ensure that all stakeholders were on-board and efforts are made to strengthen the school-community relationship.

Parents of pupils who attend the Mon Repos Primary School on the East Coast of Demerara last Tuesday protested the administration’s recent move to ban them from entering the school to visit their children since a laptop went missing.

According to the up-

set parents, a meeting was held with them last Monday when it was announced that they would no longer be able to visit the children during the day or even enter the school to pick them up or drop them off as a result.

The fuming parents complained that this drastic step would serve as a major hindrance since many of their children, especially those in Grade One, depend on their parents to use the washroom and even eat.

The parents said that they would have even been willing to use a visitor’s or parent’s badge if the school

provided one, just so they could be with their children.

Earlier in January, the Ministry was forced to intervene in a similar matter at the Diamond Primary School on the East Bank of Demerara.

Guyana Times understands that the ban on parents was imposed after a teacher reported that she had lost her laptop as well.

After the report was published by this newspaper, an intervention was done by the Ministry which led to the parents being allowed to enter the premises again.

Chinese nationals allegedly wanted for murder charged with illegal entry

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hree Chinese nationals who are allegedly wanted for murder in their homeland were on Friday charged for illegally entering Guyana when they appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan.

The men, Zhou Ou, Yix Zheny, and Dagvi Wong were charged jointly for the offence which stated that between December 1 and 31, 2018, at Lethem, they entered Guyana illegally by crossing a land frontier and failed to present themselves to an immigration officer.

With the aid of an interpreter, the men were sentenced to two months in prison, after which they will be deported.

The prosecution contended that the men were nabbed by Police in Lethem on February 5, 2019, and were asked to present their passports.

When the officer checked the documents, he discovered that the nationals entered Guyana illegally via a bus from Brazil.

Further, when Interpol was contacted, it was revealed that the three men are wanted for murder in China and Brazil.

Abusing…

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…democratic governance rom the moment Brig (rtd) David Granger started stocking his Administration with ex-Army and Police officials at every level – from himself at the apex, to his Cabinet to Heads of Department and so-called “autonomous agencies”, like GPHC – your Eyewitness warned about the dangers this practice posed to our fledgling democracy. Democracy, after all, is based on making decisions by discussion and debate – and the willingness to actually LISTEN to the other side.

Armed forces, on the other hand, operate on the principle of “unity of command” within a hierarchical chain of command. Meaning, when the fella above you yells, “Jump!!”, the most you dare ask is “How high?”!!

This orientation has been ground into the army types surrounding Granger for decades and has become second nature. But in Guyana, this anti-democratic reflex has been augmented by the perspective of the man who “moulded” our Disciplined Forces after he became leader in 1964 – Forbes Burnham.

Burnham didn’t beat around the bush…he declared openly – and it’s recorded in the GDF’s magazine, Purple Beret – that he didn’t expect any “abstract loyalty” from the armed forces, but a personal one where they swore fealty to Burnham at the PNC’s Congresses!! So, when those soldiers killed the Ballot Box Martyrs, they did so because they were indoctrinated with the principle of PNC uber alles – including Guyana!! It doesn’t get more antidemocratic than that, does it? And guess who was in charge of inculcating this anti-democratic perspective in the army?

No other than the man who’s today President of Guyana!

Surprised he’s trampling on every democratic institution in Guyana – from the Constitution; the Legislature and the Judiciary!

He can do this because all those ex-Army officials running the show passed through his hands – literally!!

Look at the latest stunt of the PNC – Imagine a government picketing GECOM to demand new house-to-house registration!! That’s just not so subtly putting pressure on the supposedly “autonomous” body, to delay the constitutionally due March 19 elections as far back as possible!! On the day after Nagamootoo and Lawrence et al, had accepted the NCV as “the working of democracy”, hadn’t the GECOM PRO pronounced they could comply with the new timeline??

But Lowenfield is an ex-Army officer, isn’t he? He doesn’t need any Masonite signal to tell him what to do – the commanding officer has now ordered him to jump and all he wants to know is “How high, sah?” Granger may say that these high-handed actions are necessary to “protect the PNC’s base” – but isn’t this exactly what Burnham had said??

And look what he did to ALL Guyana!! Damnation and ruination!! Does the PNC base want to repeat history?? …the agriculture sector Someone told your Eyewitness that maybe the PNC doesn’t really have it in for agriculture just because most agriculturalists are PPP supporters; it’s that they really don’t have a clue about agriculture. Your Eyewitness doesn’t agree with that thesis. The fact that they appointed Noel Holder as Minister of Agriculture when he wasn’t even a member of the AFC shows they knew exactly what they were doing – consigning it to the dustbin of history through clueless bumbling!!

But seriously folks, look what the PNC is doing about agriculture behind the four African Guyanese villages of Buxton; BV; Ithaca and Mocha. They first obtained a loan of $2.5 billion from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and worked out a comprehensive plan that started with organising the folks from the villages into cooperatives.

They then bought farming equipment, financed and executed land clearing, restored and upgraded drainage and irrigation canals; installed a drainage pump in each of the communities; built all-weather dams and provided technical support for farmers and arranged for marketing to Caricom.

They know exactly what they’re doing!! …the Chronic Whether one thinks the girl who posted those bomb threats to UG was “troubled” or a terrorist, did the Chronic REALLY have to link her with the PPP, just because she’s the niece of an official??

Ow, man!! Nasty!!

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

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monday, february 11, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Govt remains committed to human development – Harmon

Some awardees of the Government of Guyana Scholarships at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre, on Saturday

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inister of State, Joseph Harmon on Saturday said that the increase in the number of Government scholarships awarded since May 2015 is evidence of Government’s commitment to national development and the eradication of poverty and ignorance.

Minister Harmon, who was at the time speaking at an orientation session for awardees of Government scholarships, held at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre (ACCC), said Government’s budgetary allocation to the education sector was also a sign of its commitment to the sector.

Scholarships have increased from 464 for the period 2011 to 2014, under the former Administration to 1251 between 2015 and 2018 while the current allocation to the education sector is over $52 billion.

Minister Harmon said the David Granger-led Administration, since tak-

ing office, has placed education at the top of its developmental agenda, since it was recognised that there was a shortage of trained personnel in almost every field while pointing to the disparity in the provision of public services.

In recognition of the deficiencies within the public service, Minister Harmon said, the Government took a conscious decision to focus heavily on education.

“Our commitment to education development and training was reflected in the allocations for education in national budgets that have from 2015 to date, been increased constantly and incrementally from $33 billion in 2015 to $52.2 billion in 2019. President David Granger, then Opposition Leader while speaking about the opportunities for development that were available in an address to graduates of the Cyril Potter College in 2012, said that those opportunities can be achieved

only by people with a firstclass education. We, therefore, upon our assumption of office in May 2015, committed to a programme of continued and continuous training to provide adequate and suitable manpower resources at all levels to complement the legislative and administrative changes being made to encourage capital investments and to create an enabling environment for sustainable development,” he said.

The Minister of State said it was against this background that the National Scholarships Programme should be viewed. In addition to local scholarships, the Government of Guyana has continued to provide awardees with opportunities to study in the United Kingdom, United States, Japan, China, Cuba, Russia, Canada, India and Mexico.

These awards have increased significantly over the years as the period 2015 to 2018 saw 316 overseas

Tenders out for Diamond projects

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he Public Infrastructure Ministry is moving ahead with the construction of a car park, market and second entrance to the East Bank Demerara village of Diamond.

The projects will be carried out in three phases, Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson said on Sunday.

The Ministry has already tendered out for phase one, which will see the construction of a market and taxi stand in the community. Following

phase one, phase two will take effect and will see the extension of the road to First Avenue and beyond. Phase three, which will go to tender in the third quarter of 2019, will cover the extension of the existing roads to the East Coast (East Bank bypass).

According to Minister Patterson, having failed to construct the Diamond Entrance Overpass back in 2017, the Government continued to seek alternatives.

With the help and cooperation of the Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL), he

said the Government was able to access lands for the car park, market and a second entrance to Diamond.

In September 2017, the Ministry announced that plans to construct the country’s first vehicular overpass had to be cancelled.

Minister Patterson had said that the construction could not have materialised since there was not enough space for the overpass to end. He explained that the land was sold by the previous Government to a private individual.

scholarships being awarded as against 191 for 2011 to 2014.

In addition to the increases in scholarship awards, measures have been taken to make the process of selection fairer, transparent and relevant with the appointment of a Scholarship Awards Committee within the Department of Public Service. That Committee is responsible for interviewing and recommending applicants based on merit.

“This year, there are 47 awards for the Guyana School of Agriculture and 167 for the University of Guyana. You represent the best of those who applied for scholarships since the system now in place for selection scholarship awardees is transparent and meritocratic. Scholarship awards

since 2015 have to be viewed within the context of our Government’s policy on education and our regard for the education sector. There can be no doubt about our Government’s commitment to the education and training of our young and notso young people,” Minister Harmon said.

Meanwhile, Minister of Public Service, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine congratulated the awardees while urging them to put the Government’s investment to good use. Dr Roopnaraine said the Government would continue to invest in the education sector so that every Guyanese could have access to higher learning.

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monday, february 11, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

NA Hospital CEO remains on the job …Minister Cummings intervenes

New Amsterdam Hospital CEO Dr Samantha Kennedy

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hief Executive Officer (CEO) of the New Amsterdam Hospital Dr Samantha Kennedy remains on the job after junior Health Minister Karen Cummings reportedly intervened in the matter.

The intervention came one day after the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) was advised that Dr Kennedy was removed from the post.

The issues at the New Amsterdam Hospital were highlighted in several media reports, with residents in Berbice demanding better service from the medical institution.

Director of Regional Health Services, Jevaughn Stephen told the media that Dr Kennedy still remains as the CEO of the New Amsterdam Hospital.

Guyana Times understands that following the

embarrassing reports in the media and the RDC announcement that Dr Kennedy was fired, the junior Health Minister, who is Dr Kennedy’s godmother, reportedly sought a less harsh decision.

Efforts by this newspaper to contact Cummings proved futile.

Dr Kennedy went to the hospital on November 5 last year and has been the centre of much controversy as several allegations were levelled against her. The first being that she took six weeks’ leave two days after taking up the appointment.

Several regional officials had also reported that it was difficult to meet with the CEO, who also refused to carry out an instruction from the RDC only last week.

The CEO also stopped doctors from being on call according to a report coming out of the Region Six RDC on Thursday, which had weakened the Hospital’s capacity to deliver health care.

When Regional Health Committee Chairman Zamal Hussain addressed the RDC on Thursday, the Health Services Director was at the RDC meeting.

During his press conference on Friday, Stephen was reminded that he was present when Hussain reported that the Hospital will have to get a new CEO.

Chairman of the Regional Health Committee Zamal Hussain

“At the RDC, programme managers are there, but they only respond when the Chairman ask us to respond.

I only responded when I was asked to respond, and I only responded to what I was asked to respond to. After the RDC, some members of the media came outside and they asked me and I responded to them about the CEO,” Stephen said at his press conference.

However, comments which Stephen gave to the media on Thursday are con-

Dr Karen Cummings

trary to his press statement on Friday when he told reporters that the CEO was temporarily appointed until they appoint another one.

According to Hussain, they were told that the decision to replace Dr Kennedy was taken because of her negligence.

Hussain is of the belief that the public attention that the decision received exposed the incompetence of the Government. This, he said, they are now trying to cover up.

MoE to purchase 2 more Mobile Units this year

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n light of the recent bomb scares and shooting threats, the Education Ministry intends to purchase two other Mobile Units to be used for counselling students who are left traumatised.

Guyana Times understands that the Ministry is in the process of purchasing the two units which will add to the existing one.

In fact, bids for the supply and delivery of the multi-purpose vehicle was read at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) on Tuesday with eight local companies indicating their interest.

The first Mobile Psychosocial Unit, valued at some $17 million, which is intended to transport welfare officers to areas where persons are in need of counselling, was commissioned

The Mobile Unit

in November last year.

The supply of these units in a timely manner will be appreciated by parents from the schools which were issued threats over the past few days.

It was only on Tuesday last that parents of children who attend School of the Nations accused the Ministry of not doing

enough for their kids.

Anna Lisa FraserPhang, who is also the President of the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) of School of the Nations complained that in a meeting the parents were told: “they would do whatever they can”.

She added, “When Monday rolled around, and we were expecting and told that we would have the Mobile (Unit) and counsellors available to our children at the school, we have not seen any of them.”

The parent said she understands that the counselling service was extended to other schools, although that school needs it just as much as any other school.

“We were offered very little and given even less, we demand more of our authorities,” the parents cried.

Nonetheless, the Education Minister, Nicholette Henry, had pointed out that the counselling programme will seek to help students and even transfer them to specialists if needed.

Meanwhile, acting Deputy Chief Education

Officer Ingrid Trotman noted that the emotional needs of students cannot be overlooked.

She added that the Unit would help to reduce stress levels and provide a quick response to areas where trauma is being experienced by persons.

The Unit is fully equipped with a refrigerator, stove, air conditioner, bathroom and other facilities to benefit the officials who will be travelling to hinterland areas, among others, to provide counselling.

Plans were first unveiled

by Chief Education Officer Marcel Hutson back in June for the implementation of the project.

Currently, there are officers in each administrative region who are responsible for conducting counselling sessions with students – be it one-on-one, smallgroup or large-group interventions.

The unit serves as a tool to bring together not only psychologists from the Education Ministry but officials from other agencies who are specialised in specific cases.

It was clarified that it was not a case where counselling was not being done, but this new initiative was a step taken by the Ministry to ensure that counselling could be done in a more effective manner.

It was further explained that in a situation where students were found drinking alcohol, the team would also be activated, with not only the welfare officers but with public health officials, making the counselling process more influential.

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monday, february 11, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Jamaica rejects Guyana’s rice shipment

– Govt urged to take proactive approach to address issue

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ollowing the recent confiscation of 70 metric tonnes of White Cinderella rice from Guyana by Jamaica’s Industries, Agriculture and Fisheries Ministry, there have been widespread criticisms centred at the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB).

As such, former Agriculture Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy said that a concerted effort is needed to have this issue addressed at the soonest possible time to ensure that the loopholes that may exist are corrected quickly and effectively by the

wharf before loading. This system is intended to avoid poor quality product being exported and the system is intended to protect Guyana’s reputation as an important rice exporter,” he explained.

However, the Jamaican authorities impounded some 1575 bags of rice from Guyana. The grains, which were exported by a local distributor, were inspected and was found to have signs of mould, clumping discolouration and wetting and as such, detained by a food storage inspector.

Dr Ramsammy said this issue warrants an ex-

Former Agriculture Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy

continued Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, the former Minister also noted that the industry is also an important employer and opportunity for small entrepreneurs. “These small and large farmers invest more than $40 billion to $50 billion annually in Guyana’s economy and bring in between US$200 million to $300 million annually in export earnings. It is an industry that the Government must continue to support and protect.”

70 metric tonnes of White Cinderella rice from Guyana was rejected by Jamaican authorities

Board.

He reminded that there are standard protocols for rice and paddy being exported. The GRDB maintains that a unit of inspectors must certify all rice and paddy before they are exported. This applies to all rice and paddy, no matter who are the exporters or where is the destination.

“All paddy and rice exported must be approved for export by the GRDB. The inspectors visit both the source (rice factory or warehouse) and also inspect the cargo at [the]

planation from the GRDB. Asked what action he would have taken if this situation had occurred while he was Minister, he said, “I would have demanded an immediate independent investigation. In addition, I would have contacted my colleague Minister in Jamaica to assure him that we will ensure that if there is any fault on our part we will take measures that it does not happen again. I would not have been silent and invisible.”

In underscoring the importance of rice to Guyana’s

Obligation

Dr Ramsammy also pointed out that the visibility of the industry is because of its indispensable role in GDP growth and in keeping a large section of the population employed. As such, he said that Holder must be very visible in ensuring nothing adversely affects the industry.

“Without its export market, rice will die. The Government has an obligation to be proactive and aggressive in ensuring nothing threatens the market.

Jamaica is one of the important destinations for Guyana rice. This is not the first time things have gone

wrong in Jamaica,” he also observed.

Dr Ramsammy recalled leading various teams on at least three occasions to Jamaica, meeting with the Ministers of Trade and Agriculture, and with Jamaican importers and regulators to ensure that these issues are addressed.

“This was being proactive…I also know Minister Robert Persaud did the same. I know that Minister Holder has never done so,” he added.

He continued, “I believe that given the frequency of poor quality rice and paddy exported that the GRDB must be held account-

able. Clearly, the scrutiny and oversight the Board needs to exercise have been breached. The Board of the GRDB, like their Minister (Noel Holder), has been missing in action. With the politicisation of the Board, management has been marginalised to the detriment of the industry.”

After samples of the rice shipment were sent to the division’s microbiology lab for testing, the results from the tests demonstrated that the rice contained microbial levels which are beyond the accepted limits, thus making it inapt for human consumption.

This seizure is first for

the year but an epidemic of poor quality rice exiting Guyana was seen in the recent months when Panama rejected some 20 containers of rice from Guyana back in September 2018.

The GRBD said it learnt of the confiscation through media reports. Efforts were made to contact the agency responsible for the shipment and the Board is yet to receive an answer.

Rice is the second largest contributor to the Agriculture GDP of Guyana.

Guyana is presently the largest paddy producer and one of the leading exporters of rice in the Caribbean region.

(Samuel Sukhnandan)

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monday, february 11, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

GuyOil says fuel certified Move to reduce fuel price is ‘political gimmick’– operators I

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ver since the Guyana Oil Company (GuyOil) announced a reduction in gas prices which took effect from Monday last, vehicle owners and operators are of the belief that it is nothing but a political gimmick to score points.

This move comes weeks after oil prices would have dropped drastically on the international market.

Super 95 Gasoline is now being wholesaled at $208.00 per litre or 27.44 per cent less, and Gasoil (LSD) at $207.00 per litre which 15.85 per cent less.

Meanwhile, retail customers will pay $218.00 per litre for Super 95 Gasoline or 30.77 per cent less and $217.00 per litre for Gasoil (LSD) or 19.72 per cent less.

The move to lower these prices came as a surprise to citizens, who expressed that it is seen as a “political gimmick”, given the present situation of the country following the no-confidence vote.

Speaking with this publication, Lingo (only name given) stated, “I see this as a political gimmick. It ain’t really make nothing much because is the same expense when it raise back higher. This decrease is only for what going on now. This look like it would rapidly increase back in like a short time after or during this period.”

Another operator, Cleon noted that it is too early to determine if the new prices would be beneficial. “We have to wait and see because at the end of the day, we got to calculate how much we get out of the amount that we buy. It’s early to say what’s the impact.”

Government sought to indicate that this reduction came after Caricom suspended the Common External Tariff following the closure of Petroleum

Trinidad (Petrotrin).

Petrotrin was previously Guyana’s main fuel supplier.

“Caricom’s subsequent approval would have also led to a reduction in acquisition costs. The Government, through The Guyana Oil Company, is therefore proud to cause these reductions to the benefit of all consumers,” the company stated.

However, statistics show that the prices for oil have been declining since November 2018, where it stood at

system used in cases like these, where the taxes can be adjusted based on the movement up or down of the gas price so that the benefits would be passed on to the people.

Given the mounting criticisms and the need for serious attention to be paid to the issue, the PPP/C General Secretary had said that “The Government, through public pressure, must adjust the rate at the pump. They have a lot of room. They have the fiscal space as well as the tax play to make

US$50.78 per barrel. In December, the prices were at US$45.41 per barrel.

At present, oil is priced at US$55.26 per barrel.

The parliamentary Opposition has long called on Government, through GuyOil, to reduce gas prices. At a previous press conference, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo had said that there is fiscal space to make the adjustment with the tax regime to allow a reduction of gas prices for local consumers.

Jagdeo had related that under the previous Administration, there was a

that adjustment.”

He had recalled when the prices for crude oil stood at about US$75 per barrel, lower than the US$120 high, before the rapid tumble a few years ago to about US$28.

“We had argued that with the rapid tumble, the benefits should have been passed on to the Guyanese public, who would have seen lower prices at the pump and in their electricity bill. They never did that. And what happened was that they raked in billions in revenue; they collected over $25 billion at GPL alone.”

n light of a recent article published in Guyana Times under the caption “Questions mount over quality of GuyOil fuel”, the company in its response stated that its product is certified and called the article “outrageous”.

In a brief statement on the matter, the State entity reassured its customers and the general public that fuel sold by the company is subjected to rigorous quality control tests and is certified to have met all required specifications.

GuyOil went on to say that contrary the reports published, it has “not received any reports from its customers or franchise holders which indicate that they have experienced any challenges in the operation of their vehicles as a result of fuel purchased from its service stations.” This response from the company came after numerous complaints surfaced in the press indicating that quality of gasoline could have been responsible for multiple vehicles overheating and catching fire leaving operators and some occupants to dart for safety.

Some persons related that GuyOil was among the stations they had purchased from and when this newspaper sought a comment from representatives last week, such attempts proved futile. Notably, after several minutes waiting

on the line, calls were being transferred to various departments, purportedly within the company.

Among the complaints mounted by members of the public was that peculiar fumes were emanating from the fuel and complaints that vehicles were overheating.

A mechanic relayed on Friday that he began to encounter difficulties with several vehicles which he claimed was using fuel from GuyOil. A motorcycle started to overheat soon after fuel was purchase from the entity. As such, the mechanic told Guyana Times that he then emptied the gas tank and refilled it with another gasoline brand. When this was done, the motorcycle’s engine reportedly began to run smoothly and without any difficulties, he claimed.

The man, who chose to remain anonymous, had further claimed that he contacted the gas station where the fuel was purchased but was unable to speak with a representative. Only recently, four vehicles erupted in flames.

Reports are that the first fire occurred at High Street and Brickdam on Wednesday after persons saw the driver stopping his vehicle and thick smoke which emanated from the bonnet transformed into an uncontrollable fire. turn to page 14

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monday, february 11, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Wismar Hospital recommissions maternity ward, other units – to boost other services

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he Upper Demerara Hospital (UDH) at Wismar, Linden, Region Ten (Upper Demerara-Berbice) has re-established its maternity ward and several other medical units in an effort to have more patients utilise its services.

Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr Steve Mark recently told Guyana Times that over $15 million was spent on upgrading the maternity ward and other units which now boasts several modern amenities.

The stigma of only catering to Human Immuno Deficiency Virus (HIV) infected patients has prevented persons from utilising its services for many years, but according to Mark, there are lots of other services which patients can benefit from as he alluded to brand new and refurbished amenities.

“The maternity ward is opened, it’s comfortable, it’s spacious...We want to encourage more patients to come and utilise the hospital”, he noted. While it will cater for basic deliveries, Mark said systems are in place for emergency cases.

“Right now our materni-

ty ward will do basic deliveries. We cannot do surgeries at this point in time...we can do basic care until we have our operating theatre established...anything that we can’t deal with, if a pregnant lady comes with complications we have scenarios worked out in which we can have the consultant come over here and deal with it or if they can’t deal with it over here we transfer them readily...If there’s a service that the community at large needs we will work to have it provided”, he said.

Presently, the hospital has an active maternity clinic, including high risk, antenatal, prenatal, post-natal and teenagers. Regional Chairman Renis Morian recently visited the medical facility where he donated a quantity of baby-friendly items to the maternity department.

Presently, the hospital also offers paediatric services, family health, skin clinic, HIV treatment, x-ray and 24-hour emergency services. Plans are also ongoing to re-establish the male ward.

“We’re trying to move it in another direction. So

Regional Chairman Renis Morian handing over a donation

A section of the rehabilitated maternity ward

when we’re finished here we’re hoping to house normal male patients...We had some tiling done and so forth”, the Medical Superintendent related.

He added that they are also working to re-establish its paediatric unit. While there is a facility, Mark said it is not functional.

Nevertheless, he said the hospital has been seeing a lot of children over the last few months.

“We’ve been dealing with them. We don’t have to send them over the river (to the Linden Hospital Complex at Mackenzie). This is why I’m pushing so hard for a paedi-

ic set up here...We have [a] medical clinic...and we have many other smaller clinics we’re planning to bring on board”, Mark stated.

A number of doctors are on board, he added, while pointing out that residents need not be afraid to come in and utilise the services.

“We have about five doctors here. We have one doctor doing outpatient...one sitting at [the] Emergency Room...we have three working shifts, Monday to Friday...We want the hospital to work like how it used to back in the day – manage patients, do deliveries.

We have plans later to open

atric area, because the other day we had 4 children that drank rat poison and I had to send them over the river for observation, and we have the facility here. We can observe them”.

Other units are also expected to come on board shortly, according to the official.

“Also for this year, we would have initiated an orthopaedic clinic that’s supposed to start right here at Wismar...and that would be a twice-monthly clinic. It’s a new clinic we’re going to be starting back every fortnight...We plan [on] doing psychiatry later on. We’re getting a psychiatry clin-

a minor operation room... we opened a small satellite pharmacy,” he noted.

Mark, who has been working at the hospital for about a year and previously at the LHC, said there are a few achievements that he is proud of which he attributes to the hospital’s medical system. He said the hospital still has a lot of potential but there is need for it to move forward.

“The same work that I was doing over there to move Mackenzie Hospital forward, the same work I want to do over here”, he noted. turn to page 14

14 NEWS

monday, february 11, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Hundreds pay tribute Finally, Minister says to former NICIL CEO hinterland roads to be fixed

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cores of officials and residents on Saturday turned up at the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) Ground to pay final respects to former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) Horace James, who passed away on January 30 following a battle with cancer.

Paying tribute were close family and friends and numerous officials including Minister within the of Social Protection Ministry Keith Scott, former Prime Minister, Samuel Hinds, former People’s National Congress leader, Robert Corbin and officials attached to the Linmine Secretariat and Linden Electricity Company Inc (LECI), amongst others.

James’s brother, Bryan James, in presenting his eulogy, reflected on his life and achievements while noting that teachers would always refer to James, who originally hailed from Mahaicony as a “scholar”.

He recalled that James would always make time for family despite his work life, which also led to him being awarded the Golden Arrowhead of Achievement in 2016.

Minister Scott in his tribute, extended condolences to James’s family on behalf of

Lindeners mourn the passing of former NICIL CEO Horace James

the Government of Guyana as he described him as an “outstanding son of the soil” who has made significant contributions towards the development of the mining and bauxite fraternity.

The Minister posited that James has left a rich legacy on the country’s social, political and economic landscape as he also referred to him as a “trailblazer” who is gone too soon. “...the full impact of his work remains immeasurable...In every office that he occupied his performance was of an unquestionable standard which qualified him to be a true game-changer in the fields of both national and human development... his works and achievements are so dynamic that he will

live on for many generations to come,” he noted.

Representative of the Linmine Secretariat, Emmet Alec in his tribute made the call for memorabilia to be established in the community and be named after James.

James, who was a Lindener, also served as Director of the Linden Technical Institute, Head of the Linmine Secretariat and CEO and Deputy CEO of the bauxite company, Linmine.

He also served as the first Regional Chairman of Region Ten (Upper DemeraraBerbice) and Chairman of the LECI, among numerous others. James was laid to rest on Sunday following a home going service in Georgetown.

He was 68 at the time of his passing.

$14M injected into Berbice health sector

The new treadmill for the physiotherapy department at the NA Hospital

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illions of dollars in supplies have been procured for the 29 health centres and five hospitals in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) in addition to the $14 million that has been injected to improve the delivery of health services in the region.

The region has budged $35 million to be spent on health this year and as such, several beds, freezers, refrigerators, ironing boards, workstations, chairs, washing machines, and personal items were included in the list of supplies to be purchased.

Director of Regional Health Services, Jevaughn Stephen explained that the money will be spent in three phases.

“In our second stage of procurement, we will look at more of the medical equipment. We will ensure that we liaison with standard and technical support and the Public Health Ministry to ensure that we have

Some of the supplies handed over to the Health Centres and hospitals

uniformity in the medical equipment that we will be purchasing. Items such as biochemistry analysers, anaesthetics machines…”

A digital X-ray machine will also be purchased for the New Amsterdam Hospital during the second phase of procurement which will also see two state-of-the-art theatre beds being purchased for the New Amsterdam Hospital.

Meanwhile, among the items handed over to the health department on Friday were nine beds which will be used in the newly-constructed doctors on call facility.

According to Stephen, all the amenities to make the doctors who will be on call, comfortable have been purchased.

“Doctors being on call are something mandatory by the Ministry of Public Health but we want to have the facility that is up to standard so that when they are on call they can be relaxing somewhere in comfort. So that

building has nine bedrooms and we are furnishing them with the necessary beds, cupboards etc. There is a living room and we are putting in some sofa sets so that doctors can be very comfortable.”

The Director said if the doctors are comfortable, then maximum can be demanded out of them.

The lack of adequate storage facilities at the New Amsterdam Hospital in the past has created presumed shortages.

Stephen said the three freezers are expected to address that issue adequately.

Speaking at Friday’s presentation ceremony, Regional Health Committee member Philip Rose said he wishes to see the continued development in the health sector.

Regional Executive Officer Kim Stephens said the administration is hoping that the supplies will aid in providing essential health services.

A section of the roadway from the Mahdia airstrip

Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman walks along a paved section of the Mahdia Main Road during his visit to Region Eight

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ehabilitation and construction of the Itaballi to Puruni Road should commence within the coming weeks, according to the Public Infrastructure Ministry.

According to the Department of Public Information, responsibility for this specific road falls under the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC); however, the Public Infrastructure Ministry says it recognises the urgency for repairs.

This is being agreed to by Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman, who visited Mahdia, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) on February 7. During the visit, the issue of derelict “roads” was raised by min-

ers and other residents of the Mahdia community.

“We are reminded that come hell or high water, night or day, we do have a responsibility to get them (roads) fixed,” declared Minister Trotman.

He said the height of the rainy season was usually the worst period for hinterland roads, adding that the Government is working quickly to get them repaired.

The Minister said he would expect that the very complainers who also use the roads would assist in ensuring that they were not further damaged.

“Trucks are being overloaded with too much fuel and even when the roads start to go bad, instead of easing back on its use, some

truck drivers are proceeding without any regard” … “We have a dual responsibility, both the users – the miners, the loggers – as well as the Government, to ensure that the roads are kept open.”

According to the Minister, the Government through the Natural Resources Ministry will work along with the Road Services Division of the Public Infrastructure Ministry and the GGMC to get the roads ready in a short time.

The Public Infrastructure Ministry via a press release also reiterated its commitment to lending its assistance and working with the GGMC to have the roadways, especially the Itaballi to Puruni Road fixed as a matter of priority.

Wismar Hospital recommissions...

He highlighted that Wismar has an approximately equal population as Mackenzie as it relates to healthcare and the hospital is capable of serving the population and even assist other medical facilities.

“Because everybody claiming that Mackenzie Hospital is overworked, overcrowded,

you have to wait long and out [patient] waiting time over here is short. We want the hospital to be viewed as a hospital, to be treated as a hospital”, Mark said.

“Last year, we spent probably more than $15 million to refurbish the maternity ward...the female ward...electrical refurbishing, we built

GuyOil says fuel...

The vehicle, bearing registration number PJJ 5656, was badly damaged.

The second was a bus contracted to the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) which was crossing over David Street, heading in the direction of the Rupert Craig Highway. The driver, Tameshwar Mullin, had noticed smoke stemming

from under his seat. After parking and exiting the vehicle, he lifted the seat and saw the flames.

The third vehicle was a minibus that caught fire on Thursday in Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

Police in D Division (West Demerara-East Bank Essequibo) are also the inves-

from page 13

a guard hut, fence work, we have weekly medical clinic that we will change to 2 days a week... We have family health, HIV, we have a lab”, he added.

He further added that the hospital needs the support of not only management but also the Public Health Ministry. from page 12

tigating the circumstances under which a route 32 minibus, travelling to Vreed-enHoop, West Coast Demerara, crashed and caught fire on Thursday. However, the driver reportedly claimed that a fire started in the vehicle which resulted in the crash though some passengers disputed this claim.

news

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monday, february 11, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Wakapoa Village gets $19M bridge T

he community of Wakapoa in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) now boasts a newly-constructed wooden bridge equipped with steel rails and solar lights through a project undertaken by the Public Infrastructure Ministry.

The project was recently undertaken by the Public Infrastructure Ministry at a cost of $19 million.

The Wakapoa residents, especially women who fetch farm produce and children attending school, are very relieved since the bridge serves as the main access on their daily route.

For many years, villagers traversed between the two islands of Mairi to Boroda, walking on logs. Later a small wooden bridge only two feet wide was built, but it became dilapidated and caused several injuries.

The Department of

The newly-constructed bridge

Public Information (DPI) recently visited the community and spoke with some of the residents.

Orlinda Richards told the DPI of her unfortunate incident. “Crossing with my load from Myrie to Boroda my foot went through the old bridge, it was so pain-

Wakapoa’s Toshao, Howard Cornelius

ful… when my foot passed through the bridge I couldn’t pull it back out because it was stuck… when it (eventually) came out it was bleeding heavily …it was rough for the next three months and I had five children to send to school – two secondary and three prima-

ry….for 28 years I’ve been in this community I never seen development but thank God today that I can see this bridge.”

Following her unfortunate accident, the Wakapoa residents collaborated and made the decision to use social media as a platform to

highlight their problem.

Resident Joyce Fredricks who was one of those persons said, “We came together and we also prayed about it. Eventually, we got word that persons were coming to inspect the walkway…. and that led to us getting our new bridge and I’m so

thankful.”

Farmer and member of the village, Oscar Phillips is also pleased with the newly-constructed bridge “It will really be a benefit for us because I know the bridge is a really nice gateway from this community of Boroda end to Myrie, and from my part actually about two miles from here and it will really facilitate me to go and do my farm work.”

According to Toshao of Wakapoa, Howard Cornelius it was announced at the 2018 Toshao’s Conference that the construction of the new bridge would be undertaken by the Infrastructure Ministry. Cornelius also noted that several residents from the community gained employment through this project. “We thank the Government for being proactive and funding this bridge” The bridge will benefit almost 350 residents.

16 advance to finals of Carib Soca Monarch

Vanilla dishing out her tune in Linden on Saturday evening

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ixteen of the 17 contestants vying for the title of Carib Soca Monarch are one stop closer following the semi-final of the competition on Saturday evening in the mining town of Linden.

Those going through to the finals on February 16 are Jumo Primo, Lil Colywin, Static, Vanilla, Nesta, Sexy Berry, Miss Finesse, True, Ryan T, Real Proof, Passion, Vintage, Natural One, Sasha Melody, Stephen Ramplal and of course, reigning Soca Monarch Brandon Harding who will be defending his

A section of the band in full swing

Stephen Ramplal and his back-up dancers

crown.

The 17 competitors braved the stage to represent their communities in a bid to be crowned Monarch for 2019.

The spectators were on their feet jumping, waving, and gyrating to the songs which carried a wide range of themes. Making the night even more enjoyable was Master of Ceremony Malcolm Ferreira, who had the crowd rolling with laughter with his comical commentary and interaction with the crowd.

Popular local artiste Kwesi Ace and the Fame Band gave a warm-up performance that led the way for the first singer and

young monarch hopeful, Roderick “Static” Allicock did not hesitate to hint at his intent to take the crown. With his bouncy lyrics “tell Jumo to go his way, he old and grey” he had the crowd swaying with laughter and cheer.

Lindeners also had an overwhelming response to the other home-grown artistes including, Lil Colwin with his extraordinary performance of “Full Access” and Collin “Real Proof” Prince with his “Push Back” performance.

These Linden artistes did not disappoint as they were ranked among the best performers for the night, as their props with J’ouvert power, water, fireworks, backup

newcomer, Shaima “Sexy Berry” Muna with her song, “Goddess of Soca”. She was followed by Melissa “Ms Finess” Pestano with her “I don’t watch no face” performance.

They were followed by soca veteran Jumo “Rubber Waist” Primo, who woke the crowd up with his song “Tribute”. With absolutely no costume or props needed, he had the crowd on their feet as he directed their attention to the variety of instruments on the stage as his tune pays homage to the musical instruments and its operators.

Having been in the business for a number of years, Jumo’s performance was no surprise. However, Linden’s

dancers, exotic choreography and eye-catching costumes made the show even more satisfying.

Another of the high-ranking performances for the night was Vanilla’s “One Voice” which spoke of the need for Guyanese to shun disparity and live in love and unity.

Soca was on fire in Linden and the judges had a testing time during the elimination process. The competitors were assessed on their song topic, diction, party appeal, stage performance and crowd response among other things.

Reigning monarch, Brandon Harding said, “This is a competition and I thrive

Roderick “Static” giving it his all

Allicock

on competition. I know I am up against the likes of Jumo and Vanilla and Nesta, and there are some really good songs and good talent who are in it to win it, however, the only person who will beat Brandon is Brandon,” The Carib Soca Monarch will walk away with $1.5 million, while the runner-up will walk win $750,000, while there is $500,000 and $250,000 for third and fourth place respectively. There’s also the $100,000 “Best New Comer” prize going to the top novice.

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guyanatimesgy.com

monday, february 11, 2019

Regional

Venezuela crisis: US, Russia present rival TT$2.4M in cocaine UN draft resolutions found at Pt Lisas Port

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he United States has presented a draft resolution on Venezuela to the United Nations Security Council, triggering a Russian counterproposal.

The US draft resolution calls for international aid deliveries and presidential elections in Venezuela while stressing “deep concern with the violence and excessive use of force by Venezuelan security forces against unarmed, peaceful protesters”.

The US expresses “full support for the National Assembly as the only democratically elected institution in Venezuela”, said a copy of the text obtained by AFP news agency.

In response, Moscow came up with an alternative resolution, expressing its concern for Venezuela’s territorial integrity and political independence.

The Russian draft criticises any “attempts to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of Venezuela”.

The US is sponsoring a campaign for international recognition of Venezuelan Opposition Leader and head of the country’s elected legislative body Juan Guaido over President Nicolás Maduro.

Last month, Guaido declared himself the interim Head of State.

While no date has yet been set for a vote on the American draft, negotia-

The United Nations Security Council meets to discuss the situation in Venezuela in New York [File: Carlo Allegri/Reuters]

tions are ongoing.

Showing its support for President Maduro’s regime, Russia will likely use its veto power to block the US resolution, according to diplomats.

Meanwhile, Colonel Ruben Paz Jimenez, deputy of the Directorate of the Military Hospital in Maracaibo, announced his support for Guaido.

In a video shared on social media on Sunday, the military leader said “90 per cent” of his colleagues in the armed forces are unhappy and urged fellow troops to allow humanitarian aid into Venezuela.

A week ago, an Air Force general also switched sides, saying he was

backing Guaido.

Humanitarian aid sent by the US recently arrived in the Colombian city of Cucuta on the border with Venezuela.

“Venezuela won’t allow the spectacle of fake humanitarian aid because we’re no one’s beggars,” said Maduro.

“Venezuela is not suffering the humanitarian crisis fabricated by Washington over the last four years to justify intervening in our country.”

He blamed the shortage of food and medicine on US sanctions, which mostly target regime individuals as well as State oil company PDVSA. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

olice are searching for an Arima, Trinidad businessman whose name and address appeared on documents relating to a container where over two million worth of cocaine was found at Plipdeco.

According to Police reports, officers of the Organised Crime and Intelligence Unit (OCIU) along with officers of Custom and Excise Division seized 24.56 kilograms of cocaine in a container destined for St Marteen.

In a media release, Police said the container arrived on the port at Point Lisas last Tuesday from Maturita, Arima. The container was scanned and its contents were found to be suspicious, the release said. OCIU officers were contacted and opened the container where the packages were searched and the drugs with an estimated street value of TT$2.4

million were found.

Plipdeco Chairman Ian Atherly said he was awaiting an official report on a discovery and expressed delight that the scanners placed at the Point Lisas Port had played a major role in the discovery of the drugs.

“At the moment I am awaiting a report from the Plipdeco President who is himself trying to get a report from Customs regarding the matter.”

Atherly said the mobile vehicle and cargo Inspection System Scanners which were donated by the US Customs and Border Protection last year, “have already begun to do their job.” He said he was confident that more illegal items would be intercepted thanks to the scanners adding: “I hope a lot more will be detected as we do our part in tightening security at our ports of entry.”

(Excerpt from Trinidad Newsday)

Dominica Government demands apology from Crash involving UN armoured vehicle OAS Secretary General kills 4 in Haiti

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traffic accident involving a United Nations armoured vehicle killed four people and injured nine in Port-auPrince on Saturday, according to Police and the UN. The vehicle of the United Nations Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH) lost the use of its brakes while driving in the capital and collided with a collective taxi – known as a tap-tap – according to witnesses.

An investigation is underway to determine the specific cause of the accident.

“Four tap-tap passengers

Demonstrators burn tyres during a protest, in Port-au-Prince, on February 9, 2019

were killed and several others were injured in the accident,” Police spokesman Gary Desrosiers told AFP. Two MINUJUSTH Policemen and a Haitian Policeman were among the

wounded, Desrosiers said.

MINUJUSTH put the toll at four dead and nine wounded, among them a Haitian citizen and eight United Nations Police.

“It is with profound

sadness that the United Nations has learned of the deaths of four people as a result of a road accident involving a public transportation vehicle and a UN Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) that occurred tonight,” it said in a statement Saturday night.

MINUJUSTH – which currently includes 995 Police Officers – was deployed to Haiti in October 2017 to succeed another UN mission created in 2004 following the ouster of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

The mission’s mandate is scheduled to end in October 2019. (Jamaica Observer)

J’can scammer jailed after threatening ex-CIA, FBI director

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Jamaican man, who admitted to targeting the former director of both the FBI and CIA in a lottery scam, was on Friday sentenced to nearly six years in a US prison.

Keniel Aeon Thomas, 29, has been in jail in New York and DC since his arrest in 2017 and is to be deported

to Jamaica after serving the sentence. His attorney said he has been beaten multiple times in jail because of his nationality, according to a CNN article.

The US media network reported that, based on prosecutors’ filings, Thomas threatened the former FBI and CIA Director,

William Webster, and his wife, Lynda, that he would set their house ablaze or have a sniper shoot them in the back of the head if they didn’t pay him thousands of dollars.

After his arrest in late 2017 when arrived in New York to visit a friend, Thomas pleaded guilty to

one extortion charge. He admitted to threatening the Websters, CNN said.

At the sentencing on Friday, Chief Judge Beryl Howell of the district court in Washington noted that Thomas had more than 30 victims and had collected hundreds of thousands of dollars from them. (Jamaica

Observer)

Jamaica: Former PNP Councillor Madge Morris murdered in St Thomas

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ormer People’s National Party (PNP) Councillor Marjorie “Madge” Morris, was Sunday morning shot dead at her home on Albion

Boulevard in Yallahs, St Thomas.

It has been reported that residents summoned the Police after hearing explosions coming from Morris’

home about 06:30h.

The responding officers found the 67-year-old woman lying on her kitchen floor with multiple gunshot wounds.

Morris, who served as councillor for the White Horses Division in St Thomas, was pronounced dead at hospital. (Excerpt from

Jamaica Observer)

OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro (GP)

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he Dominica Government is demanding an apology from Organisation of American States (OAS) Secretary General Luis Almagro, after he posted a message on social media regarding free and fair elections in the country.

In the message posted on his Twitter account on Thursday, Almagro said he had met with the island’s former Ambassador to the OAS, Crispin Gregoire, who “expressed his concern that the upcoming elections in Dominica are not free and fair”.

“He also requested OAS official assistance to help ensure a level playing field in the country,” Almagro added.

But in a two-page letter to Almagro on Friday and reproduced in the local media here, Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Francine Baron demanded that the OAS Secretary General immediately remove the mes-

sage from his Twitter account as well as apologise.

“You are the head of the Organisation of American States, an organisation that the Government of Dominica has invited for the last two elections, to monitor our elections in Dominica.

As with any system in the world, our electoral system is not perfect, but observers have consistently held that our elections are free and fair,” she wrote, informing him that general elections are constitutionally due in 2020.

She said that recommendations have been made regarding ways to improve the electoral system “chief of which is through the introduction of voter identification cards and the revision of the voters list”.

Baron said that the Electoral Commission has approved a system for the introduction of the cards and the legislation to facilitate the process has been drafted. (Excerpt from CMC)

guyanatimesgy.com

monday, february 11, 2019

17

Around the World

Algeria: Bouteflika confirms South Korea signs deal to pay more presidential run for 5th term for US troops after Trump demand

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lgeria’s ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on Sunday announced his intention to run for a fifth term in office in the North African country’s presidential elections set for April.

The announcement came in a statement from Bouteflika to the nation carried by the state news agency APS. The 81 year old President, who has been in power since 1999, suffered a stroke in 2013. He is rarely seen in public.

On Saturday, Algeria’s ruling National Liberation Front (FLN) fielded Bouteflika as its contender for the April 18 vote.

In recent years, the Opposition has raised questions about Bouteflika’s fitness to stay in power.

Bouteflika acknowledged his ill-health, but insisted he was still able to continue running the country’s affairs.

“Of course, I am no lon-

Algeria’s President Abdelaziz Bouteflika looks at journalists after casting his ballot during the 2017 parliamentary election in Algiers

ger as physically strong as I was before. I haven’t hidden this one day from our people. However, the firm willpower to serve my country has never left me and will enable me to overcome difficulties related to illness,” he said.

Bouteflika also promised that if re-elected he will institute political, economic and social reforms.

“If you give me the hon-

our of your precious trust next April, I will invite within this year all forces of the people to hold a national symposium, which will focus on reaching consensus on reforms,” he said, addressing Algerians.

He added the envisaged forum could propose constitutional changes, but he gave no details about what these could be. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

fficials signed a short-term agreement on Sunday to boost South Korea’s contribution toward the upkeep of US troops on the peninsula, after a previous deal lapsed amid US President Donald Trump’s call for the South to pay more.

About 28,500 US troops are stationed in South Korea, where the United States has maintained a military presence since the 1950-53 Korean War. The new deal must still be approved by South Korea’s Parliament, but it would boost its contribution to 1.03 trillion won ($890 million) from 960 billion won in 2018.

Unlike past agreements, which lasted for five years, this one is scheduled to expire in a year, potentially forcing both sides back to the bargaining table within months.

The allies had struggled to reach a breakthrough

File photo: US army soldiers take part in a military exercise at a training field near the demilitarised zone separating the two Koreas in Paju, South Korea

despite 10 rounds of talks since March, amid Trump’s repeated calls for a sharp increase in South Korea’s contribution.

A senior South Korean ruling party legislator said last month that negotiations were deadlocked after the United States made a “sudden, unacceptable” demand that Seoul pay more than 1.4 trillion won per year.

But both sides worked to

hammer out an agreement to minimise the impact on South Koreans working on US military bases, and focus on nuclear talks ahead of a second US-North Korea summit, Seoul officials said.

About 70 per cent of South Korea’s contribution covers the salaries of some 8700 South Korean employees who provide administrative, technical and other services for the US military.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Ebola death toll in DR Congo passes Spain Catalonia: Madrid mass 500 – Health Ministry protest over talks policy

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ore than 500 people have died from the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but a vaccination programme has prevented thousands more deaths, the country’s Health Minister said.

“In total, there have been 502 deaths and 271 people cured,” said a Health Ministry bulletin published late on Friday, reporting on the outbreak in the east of the country.

But Health Minister Oly Ilunga Kalenga said that, for the first time, a vaccination programme had protected 76,425 people and prevented “thousands” of deaths.

“I believe we have prevented the spread of the epidemic in the big cities” in the region, he said.

“The teams also managed to contain it’s the spread of the epidemic to neighbouring countries,” he added.

“The biggest problem is the high mobility of the population,” the Minister added.

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A mother of a child, suspected to have died from Ebola, cries near her coffin in Beni, North Kivu Province of DRC

The outbreak started last August in the North Kivu region, which borders Uganda and Rwanda.

The latest outbreak is the tenth in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since Ebola was first detected there in 1976.

The deadly outbreak is the second largest in history, behind the devastat-

ing West Africa outbreak that killed thousands a few years ago, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The security situation in the east of the country, where armed rebels have terrorised the population for years, has made treating the disease difficult. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

ens of thousands gathered in Madrid for a protest by right-wing parties opposed to a Spanish Government plan to ease tension in the Catalonia region.

The centre-right Popular Party (PP) and Ciudadanos (Citizens) say Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s plan to appoint an intermediary for talks with separatists amounts to treason.

Like the right, the ruling Socialists also oppose Catalan independence.

Far-right groups including the Vox party are also present at the protest, held under the slogan “For a united Spain.

Elections now!”

Protesters filled the Spanish capital’s Colon Square and nearby streets, many of them chanting “long live Spain”. Police put the total number of demonstrators at 45,000.

They say the Government’s offer to separatists to hold round table talks and appoint a special rapporteur amounts to capitulation and they want elections scheduled for 2020

Protesters angered by the Government’s outreach to Catalan separatists call for new elections in Spain

brought forward.

Speaking shortly afterwards at a local election campaign meeting, Mr Sánchez said his Socialist party had always been on the side of dialogue, and was now attempting to resolve a crisis made worse by the PP while it was in power.

Meanwhile the separatists accused the Government itself of abandoning dialogue.

Mr Sánchez heads a minority Government that relies

on the support of other parties including Catalan nationalists.

His Government faces a key vote on Wednesday on its proposed 2019 budget - failure to approve it could lead to a snap election.

Catalan nationalist parties have said that their support for the budget depends on whether Mr Sanchez’s proposed talks with separatists include the issue of independence. (Excerpt from BBC News)

will ask MPs for more time to get legally-binding changes to the controversial Northern Irish backstop, which she believes will be enough to secure a majority in Parliament for her deal.

But the following day, Labour will attempt to force the Government to hold the final, “meaningful vote” on Mrs May’s Brexit deal by February 26.

“If the meaningful vote has not happened, so in other words things have not concluded, then Parliament would have that further opportunity by no later than 27 February,” said Mr

Brokenshire.

But Labour’s shadow Brexit secretary, Sir Keir Starmer, says he believes the Prime Minister is “pretending to make progress” on the Irish backstop issue.

He says what she actually intends to do is return to Parliament after the March 21/22 European Council summit the week before Brexit and offer MPs a “binary choice” - her deal or no deal.

There are fewer than 50 days until Brexit. The law is already in place which means the UK will leave the EU on March 29, 2019. (Excerpt from BBC

US-China trade talks resume this week, focus on Brexit: More votes promised as Labour says May intellectual property running down the clock

U

S negotiators are preparing to press China this week on longstanding demands that it reform how it treats American companies’ intellectual property in order to seal a trade deal that could prevent tariffs from rising on Chinese imports.

A new round of trade talks begins in Beijing today, after the most recent set of negotiations concluded in Washington without a deal and with the top US negotiator declaring that a lot more work needed to be done.

A White House official said on Friday that prepara-

tions were under way and the talks would continue to focus on pressing Beijing to make structural reforms.

The White House announced a timeframe for the Beijing talks in a statement. It said lower-level officials will kick off the meetings today, led on the American side by Deputy US Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish.

The two sides are trying to hammer out a deal ahead of the March 1 deadline when US tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports are scheduled to increase to 25 per cent from 10 per cent.

China’s Commerce Ministry said in a statement on Saturday that the two countries would have a “further deep discussion on issues of mutual concern” on the basis of what they talked about at the last round of talks in Washington. It gave no details.

Escalating tensions between the United States and China have cost both countries billions of dollars and roiled global financial markets.

If the negotiations do not progress sufficiently, the US officials said increased tariffs will take effect. (Excerpt from Reuters)

M

Ps will get another chance to vote on Brexit this month even if Theresa May has not been able to negotiate a deal by then.

Housing Secretary James Brokenshire admitted it might not be the final, decisive vote on the PM’s deal that Labour and some Tories are demanding.

The Prime Minister needs to get a deal approved by Parliament by March 29 to avoid a no-deal Brexit.

Labour has accused her of “cynically” running down the clock.

On Wednesday, Mrs May

News)

18

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monday, february 11, 2019

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

dilbert

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

Let your emotions and intuition lead the way. If you express your feelings and thoughts, you’ll come up with a suggestion that will be well received. Romance is featured.

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

Truth matters. Stick to the facts, and consult an expert who can get you up to speed if needed. Promise only what you know you can fulfill.

CANCER

If someone makes a move or change you don’t like, react intelligently. If you let anger take charge, you will lose ground. Offer an alternative that is better for everyone.

(June 21July 22)

Peanuts

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Calvin and Hobbes

WORD GAME

Look on the bright side of every situation you face.

A positive attitude will help you find a solution. A change will encourage greater versatility.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

You may want change, but get the approval of those affected by your plans before you charge ahead.

Diplomacy and sticking to the proper channels are in your best interest.

Take a breather and have some fun. You’ll learn much if you interact with knowledgeable people.

Additional experience will improve your position.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Listen, get ready and consider the possible obstacles. Preparation will make the difference between success and failure. Ask questions and test theories before you take on a challenge.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

You’ll learn through experience and trying new things. Someone quite different from you will offer a suggestion that will take you by surprise. Romance is in the stars.

SUDOKU

You may know what you SAGITTARIUS want, but how to get it will (Nov. 23- perplex you. Before you put Dec. 21) your energy to work, have a feasible plan in place.

solution for YESTERDAY’s puzzle

Emotional matters can be CAPRICORN dealt with. If you start a con(Dec. 22- versation and find out what Jan. 19) others want, you’ll know exactly how to move forward.

Understanding, charm and friendly gestures will pay off AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Look over an offer with skepticism. Trust in your ability, not in what someone else tells you or tries to coax you into doing. Don’t let your emotions dictate the choices you make. Facts matter.

Don’t get angry if someone leans on you or asks for help. Consider what you can do and what you feel is fair, and strike a deal.

monday, february 11, 2019

19

UFC 234: Adesanya beats Silva, Whittaker pulls out of title fight U

ndefeated middleweight Israel Adesanya stepped into the main event spotlight and claimed the biggest scalp of his mixed martial arts career with a unanimous decision victory over Anderson Silva at UFC 234.

Nigeria-born Kiwi Adesanya, 29, and Brazilian legend Silva were originally scheduled to face off in the night’s co-main event contest in Melbourne.

They were promoted to the main event of the show after Australian UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker withdrew from his fight.

Whittaker was taken to hospital and had emergency surgery on what UFC officials called a “severe abdominal injury”.

It forced the cancellation of Whittaker’s scheduled world title defence against American Kelvin Gastelum.

Undefeated former kickboxing star Adesanya’s fight against 43-year-old former middleweight champion Silva, who was returning from a two-year hiatus - which included a one-year doping ban, had already been billed as a world title eliminator.

And the pair delivered a thrilling contest at the R o d Laver Arena a s they showcased their spectacular martial arts striking techniques.

After t h r e e rounds o f

gripping action, Adesanya was unanimously declared the victor with scores of 29-28, 30-27 and 3027, taking his career record to 16-0.

Adesanya said it was a surreal experience sharing the octagon with one of his idols.

“This is crazy. This is like, for a kid, just to play… If I’m playing basketball, to play against Michael Jordan.

This is it for me,” he said.

“You guys all play EA Sports. I do this for real - and I do it against the best.”

Silva hinted that he may fight one more time in the octagon, if he can get himself onto the fight card for UFC 237 in his home town of Curitiba, Brazil, on 11 May.

Whittaker’s “freak injury”

Israel Adesanya (left) says he grew up idolising Anderson Silva

Backstage at the event, UFC president Dana White revealed the extent of Whittaker’s hernia

injury, saying an occurrence of the ailment during his scheduled fight could have been “fatal” for the Australian world champion.

“He’s in the recovery room with his wife and his family,” White said.

“This is one of those freak accidents where the doctor said he’d literally

never seen this type of injury in a young person.

This usually only happens to old people.

“His bowel and his intestines poked through the hole and it didn’t happen yesterday [at the weigh-

ins]. They think he had this problem and it’s been going in and out.

“And it’s one of those situations had it popped out during the fight, it could have been fatal for him.

So this is really serious.

“We don’t know exactly what happened with the doctor.

Hopefully they popped it back in and sewed it up and if that’s the case, he’ll be out of action for four weeks.

“This was a f r e a k , freak injury. Our doctor here at the UFC, who’s been doing this for 30 years, has never seen it ever in his career and not in a young person. It’s usually in much older people.” (BBC Sport)

Munro, bowlers star in New Zealand’s series-clinching win over India

I

n a game that had numerous momentum shifts, New Zealand were able to withstand the pressure of bowling in the slog overs to chart the home team’s series-clinching fourrun victory in the third and final T20I against India.

Despite the best efforts of Krunal Pandya (26*) and Dinesh Karthik (33*), the visitors ended up with 208 for 6 while chasing down a target of 213.

With five overs to go, the visitors needed an imposing 68. However, the duo of Karthik and Krunal joined hands to lift the side.

Karthik, who replaced MS Dhoni at the crease, started his innings on the right note by pulling Daryl Mitchell for a six.

It was in the 18th over of the innings when India clawed their way back into the game with Krunal taking a heavy toll on Tim Southee. The all rounder manufactured room to thump the experienced pacer a couple of times through the off side. He also received a bit of luck as an inside edge whistled past the short third man fielder and onto the boundary hoardings.

Krunal and Karthik continued to put up an impressive exhibition of power-hitting with a couple of sixes off Scott Kuggeleijn in the

to push the total past 200.

Kuldeep Yadav was the lone bowler from the Indian side who troubled the hosts and returned impressive figures of 2 for 26 from his quota of four overs.

Meanwhile, the Indian camp would ponder about their lacklustre fielding following the end of their 10-se-

ries unbeaten streak in the shortest format (9 wins and a draw). The point was evidenced by Khaleel Ahmed fluffing a sitter on the on side to give Munro a reprieve off Hardik. Alongside the drop catch, there were also quite a few fumbles and misfields. (cricbuzz)

3

SCOREBOARD

penultimate over. In the last over bowled by Southee, the tourists required 16. The veteran pacer, though, used all his experience to keep a lid on the big hits as India slid to a defeat.

For large parts of India’s innings, whenever the visitors threatened to take the game away from New Zealand’s grasp, they lost wickets. Vijay Shankar and Rohit Sharma strung together a stand of 75 runs for the second wicket to keep India in the hunt.

At a crucial juncture of the game, Shankar tried one shot too many and fell to Mitchell Santner. Rishabh Pant, batting at No.4, then hit the accelerator pedal with a string of powerful

blows. He was severe on Ish Sodhi and Santner by clubbing the spin duo for three sixes across two overs. At one point of time, Pant had raced to 23 off just six balls.

With Pant looking in ominous touch, a few fingernails would have been chewed in the New Zealand camp.

However, Mitchell and Blair Tickner mixed up their pace well to pull things and that eventually led to the wicket of Pant. The wicketkeeper-batsman could only slog a low full toss from the debutant Tickner straight to Kane Williamson at midwicket.

Rohit, who struggled to up the ante, was dislodged

by Mitchell as India dipped further. Karthik and Krunal

tried to revive India’s chase but they had too much to do.

A large share of the credit has to go to New Zealand’s bowlers for the win. The wicket was flat and to make matters worse for the bowlers, dew settled in during India’s innings.

Earlier, Colin Munro explored all corners of the ground to compose a scintillating 40-ball 72 and set the platform for a massive total.

He tore apart the bowling of Krunal by collecting two sixes and two boundaries. The highlight of his innings was the six he clubbed off Hardik Pandya into the downtown territories.

Tim Seifert (43) and Colin de Grandhomme (30) also played crucial hands

New Zealand Innings (20 overs maximum) TL Seifert † st †Dhoni b Kuldeep Yadav . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 C Munro c HH Pandya b Kuldeep Yadav . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 KS Williamson (c) c Kuldeep Yadav b Ahmed . . . . . . . . 27 C de Grandhomme c †Dhoni b Kumar . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 DJ Mitchell not out . . . . . . 19 LRPL Taylor not out . . . . . 14 Extras (lb 4, w 3) . . . . . . . . 7 TOTAL (20 Overs, RR: 10.6) 212-4 Did not bat: MJ Santner, SC Kuggeleijn, TG Southee, IS Sodhi, BM Tickner Fall of wickets: 1-80 (TL Seifert, 7.4 ov), 2-135 (C Munro, 13.2 ov), 3-150 (KS Williamson, 14.4 ov), 4-193 (C de Grandhomme, 18.2 ov) BOWLING : B Kumar (4-037-1), KK Ahmed (4-0-471), HH Pandya (4-0-44-0), KH Pandya (4-0-54-0), K Yadav (4-0-26-2) India Innings (target: 213 runs from 20 overs)

S Dhawan c Mitchell b Santner 5 RG Sharma (c) c †Seifert b Mitchell . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 V Shankar c de Grandhomme b Santner . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 RR Pant c Williamson b Tickner . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 HH Pandya c Williamson b Kuggeleijn . . . . . . . . . . . 21 MS Dhoni † c Southee b Mitchell . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 KD Karthik not out . . . . . . 33 KH Pandya not out . . . . . . 26 Extras (lb 1, w 11) . . . . . . 12 TOTAL (20 Overs, RR: 10.4) 208-6 Did not bat: B Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, KK Ahmed Fall of wickets: 1-6 (S Dhawan, 0.5 ov), 2-81 (V Shankar, 8.3 ov), 3-121 (RR Pant, 12.2 ov), 4-141 (RG Sharma, 13.6 ov), 5-145 (HH Pandya, 14.5 ov), 6-145 (MS Dhoni, 15.2 ov) BOWLING: MJ Santner (3-032-2), TG Southee (4-0-47-0), SC Kuggeleijn (4-0-37-1), BM Tickner (4-0-34-1), IS Sodhi (2-0-30-0), DJ Mitchell (3-0-27-2)

20

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monday, february 11, 2019

Agüero hits hat-trick in Chelsea’s humiliation by Man City F

or Manchester City, it was a supreme way to round off an immaculate week. One by one, they have been ticked off: first Arsenal, then Everton and, finally, a Chelsea side that looked in need of smelling salts before the midway stage of the first half. Three games, 11 goals, nine points, and more fool anyone who thought this might be the most difficult assignment of the lot.

What actually happened was a peacock-like spreading of City’s feathers, featuring a four-goal blitz inside the opening 25 minutes, another hat-trick for Sergio Agüero and the feeling, once again, that if Liverpool can beat this team to the Premier League title it will rank as the most exceptional performance of any of the championship-winning sides from Anfield through the years.

If anything, it was just a surprise City did not add even more sheen to the margin of victory bearing in mind there was never a single part of the match when they looked bored by their own brilliance. City, to put it into context, have now scored twice or more in every single Premier League home match this season, a feat no top-division team has managed in 15 successive games since Tottenham Hotspur from March to December 1965, with Bill Nicholson in the dugout and Jimmy Greaves terrorising opposition defences.

Including the cup competitions, the reigning champions have accumulated 33 goals from their last six home games. It feels like a statistic from another time, a sepia-tinted era of baggy shorts and boggy pitches.

For Agüero, it was his 15th hat-trick in City’s colours and perhaps it would be impertinent to dwell too long on the mo-

ment, at 1-0, when he also produced possibly the worst miss of all his years in English football.

Two yards out, Agüero might argue you would have to go back in time even further to find similar. No matter: his first goal came five minutes later and perhaps there was a measure of anger contained in his firecracker of a shot, 25 yards out, into the top corner of Kepa Arrizabalaga’s net. Missing a sitter, scoring a screamer – who cares if it was unorthodox when Agüero has 25 goals in his last 16 starts for City at this ground?

By the time they were done, Pep Guardiola’s team had moved back above Liverpool to the top of the table, albeit having played a game more, and it did not seem unreasonable to wonder whether this r e -

sult might seriously endanger Maurizio’s Sarri’s position as Chelsea manager. Put it this way: Roman Abramovich has sacked good men for considerably less.

This was their fourth

Sergio Agüero celebrates after scoring Manchester City’s third goal in the emphatic victory against Chelsea which took his side back to the top of the Premier League

successive away defeat in all competitions and everyone connected with Chelsea, not just Abramovich, must be alarmed by their deterioration, particularly having just been whacked 4-0 at Bournemouth.

The sixth goal means Chelsea drop below Arsenal

to sixth place on goals scored.

Yes, there is the Carabao Cup final to come on 24 February and a chance to decorate an increasingly problematic season with some silverware. Just do not bet your mortgage on it: the opposition at Wembley will be … Manchester City. Maybe Guardiola will start David Silva next time, too.

Chelsea have not even managed an away goal since 30 December but their problems here owed more to chaotic defending and a collective meltdown after it all began, four minutes in, with Kevin De Bruyne slipping a freekick behind the opposition defence to find Bernardo Silva completely free. Silva jinked into the penalty area and his low cross flicked off David Luiz to roll invitingly into Raheem Sterling’s path. Sterling found a gap between Arrizabalaga and the goalkeeper’s right-hand post and, after that, it was startling to see Chelsea capitulation.

If nothing else, at least there were some encouraging signs for Sarri that Gonzalo Higuaín can flourish as the new arrowhead to Chelsea’s attack. No team, however, can expect to get away with defending as abjectly as Chelsea did during the period in the first half when most of the damage was inflicted.

Chelsea conceded a goal on average every five minutes and, though an argument could be made that City pressurised them into mistakes, that was not always the case.

Agüero’s second goal was a case in point, originating from Ross Barkley trying to head the ball to his goalkeeper from the edge of the penalty area. It is an old Paul Gascoigne trick and if it comes off, with so many opponents

in close proximity, it looks good. If it does not, it can make the player who tried it look foolish in the extreme. Barkley got it horribly wrong and Agüero pounced to get in front of Arrizabalaga and score with a swivelling left-footed shot.

If Chelsea had been fully prepared, they should not have been taken aback by the early onslaught. City have now scored 15 times in the opening 15-minute periods of their league matches this season and the next most impressive figure belongs to Arsenal, with seven. It was 3-0 after 19 minutes courtesy and Ilkay Gündogan, a player who deserves far more acclaim than he actually receives, swiftly made it four, catching out Arrizabalaga with a 20-yard effort into the bottom corner.

Agüero completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot 11 minutes into the second half, after César Azpilicueta’s foul on the elusive and merciless Sterling, and City’s record scorer also headed one of De Bruyne’s beautifully delivered crosses against the crossbar before making way for Gabriel Jesus.

Oleksandr Zinchenko, drafted into City’s defence and outstanding throughout, supplied the cross for Sterling to finish the scoring.

It was the heaviest defeat Chelsea have suffered in the Abramovich era – the heaviest, indeed, since losing 7-0 at Nottingham Forest in 1991, back in the days of Gordon Durie, Kerry Dixon and Tony Dorigo – and when Sarri went straight down the tunnel at the end without shaking Guardiola’s hand perhaps, to give him the benefit of the doubt, it was not a deliberate snub on the part of Chelsea’s manager. His mind might have been filled by thoughts of what this defeat means for his job prospects.

(The Guardian)

Gervonta Davis knocks out Hugo Westbrook ties Wilt Chamberlain’s Ruiz in 1st round to retain title triple-double record Gervonta Davis (left) claims the victory with one second to go in the first round

U

nbeaten Gervonta Davis retained his WBA super-featherweight belt with a firstround knockout of former champion Hugo Ruiz in California.

It was a 12th straight win by knockout for American Davis and his 20th win inside the distance from 21 fights.

Referee Jack Reiss called a stop to the fight after two minutes and 59 seconds following a late-round bom-

bardment which floored the Mexican veteran.

“I just wanted to put on a great performance,” the 24-year-old said.

Ruiz had stepped in as a late replacement after Davis’ original opponent, three-division champion Abner Mares, withdrew last month after suffering an eye injury.

Following the fight, Davis sported a T-shirt in the ring showing his support for rapper 21 Savage -

the British citizen has been detained by US immigration officials who say he arrived in the country as a child and failed to leave when his visa expired.

Elsewhere, Ruiz’s compatriot Rey Vargas successfully defended his WBC world super-bantamweight title against Venezuela’s Franklin Manzanilla, while Alberto Machado of Puerto Rico lost his WBA secondary super-featherweight belt to American Andrew Cancio.

(BBC Sport)

O

Russell Westbrook

klahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook scored a ninth successive triple-double to tie Wilt Chamberlain’s 51-year-old record.

The 30-year-old led the Thunder to a 117-112 win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday with 21 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists.

Thunder overcame a franchise-high 26-point deficit to beat the Rockets.

James Harden, the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, recorded his 29th consecutive 30-point game, in scoring 42 points.

A triple-double means a player has recorded a double-digit number in three of five statistical categories:

points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks.

It was his 21st 40-point game of the season. No other player in the NBA has more than seven. Chamberlain holds the record for most 40-point games in an NBA season at 63, set in 1961-62.

The 29-year-old is also two 30-point games away from tying Chamberlain for the second-longest 30-point streak in NBA history Chamberlain also holds the top position, having had a run of 65 consecutive games in which he scored at least 30 points in 1961-62.

Harden started Saturday’s game averaging 36.5 points per game, the most any NBA player has averaged since Michael Jordan scored 37.1 in the 1986-87 season.

On Thursday, Westbrook passed Jordan’s tally of eight straight triple-doubles, the longest streak since Chamberlain’s nine in 1968.

Westbrook will aim to set the record for the longest triple-double streak in NBA history on Monday at home against the Portland Trail Blazers. (BBC Sport)

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sports

21

R&R International Cycling 2019…

DeNobrega, Crawford impress one hour, 37 minutes and 15 seconds to win the 27th R&R International 40-mile road race title.

The race – which began at Schoonord, proceeded to Parika and returned to the point of origin for the finish – saw Geron Williams and Brighton John finish second and third respectively, while Andre Green, Deeraj Garbarran and Kemuel Moses filled out the next top positions.

The winner of Saturday’s feature event, Crawford, was overlooked by the organisers after he failed to register and joined the race at Vreed-en-Hoop after it commenced.

Other category winners includPaul DeNobrega ed Sherwin Sampson (juniors); packed weekend of cycling which Alex Mendes (veterans under 50) saw competition on the National and Hector Edwards (Mountain Bike).

Park’s Inner Circuit and on the roads of West Demerara saw Romello Crawford sweeps feature Crawford and Paul DeNobrega record conOn Saturday, the feature 35-lap trasting victories.

Schoolboys and Invitational race of the On Sunday, DeNobrega clocked a time of 11-race programme at the National Park

A

Inner was won by Crawford.

Andre Greene had to settle for second while Michael Anthony finished third, with Cortis Dey, Geron Williams and Paul DeNobrega rounding out the top six performers in that order.

In the Veterans U-50 five-lap race, Jaikaran Sukhai was first ahead of Junior Niles and Warren McKay in that order.

In the Over-50 race, Kennard Lovell won while Linden Blackman was second and Bochal Samaroo finished third.

Meanwhile, in the 12-14 BMX Boys and Girls race, Jaheme Henry was the top rider while Steve Bhimsen and Sherwin Sampson were second and third respectively.

Henry also won the Juveniles race while Bhimsen settled for second and Mark Lewis finished third.

Romello Crawford

Ahye sets year’s fastest 60m time for Caribbean women

T

rinidad and Tobago sprinter, Michelle Lee Ahye, clocked a season’s best in the women’s 60m to close her indoor season at the Millrose Games in New York on Saturday.

Ahye clocked 7.15, which was good enough for second place behind a resurgent English Gardner of the United States.

Gardner got off to a good start and powered to the line in 7.10, which was a new personal best and the second fastest time in the world this year.

The American is looking to get back to her best after two ACL surgeries.

For Ahye, the result beat her previous best time of 7.21 set at the

services

The United States’ English Gardner finishes ahead of T&T’s Michelle Lee Ahye

New Balance Indoor Grand Prix last month but obviously did not come with the gold medal the Trinidadian won on that occasion.

On Saturday, Javianne Oliver, another American, was third behind Ahye with a time of 7.19.

Ahye, the 2018 Commonwealth Games champion, is the fastest Caribbean woman over the distance this year. The next closest of Jamaica’s Remona Burchell who has a best of 7.23 set in Poland earlier this month. The fastest time recorded over the distance this year was set by Poland’s Ewa Swoboda who recorded 7.08 in Karlsruhe Germany earlier this month. (Sportsmax)

Antigua pitch rated as “below average”

J

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eff Crowe of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees has rated the Antigua pitch used for the second Test between the Windies and England as “below average” and the venue has received one demerit point according to the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process.

Crowe cited the uneven bounce at the southern main pavilion end as the reason for the rating in his report, which has been forwarded to Cricket West Indies.

In the revised ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process, which was introduced on 4 January 2018, if a pitch or outfield is rated as being substandard, that venue will be allocated a number of demerit points.

One demerit point will be awarded to venues whose pitches are rated by the match

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Joe Root just couldn’t get out of the way

referees as below average, while three and five demerit points will be awarded to venues whose pitches are marked as poor and unfit, respectively.

No demerit point will be awarded when the outfield is rated as below average, but two and five demerit points will be awarded to venues whose outfields are marked as poor and unfit, respectively. Demerit points will remain active for a rolling five-year period.

When a venue accumulates five demerit points (or crosses that threshold), it will be suspended from hosting any international cricket for a period of 12 months, while a venue will be suspended from staging any international cricket for 24 months when it reaches the threshold of 10 demerit points.

(ICC)

Cavani could miss 1st leg of Man Utd Champions League tie

E 223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

dinson Cavani may miss the first leg of Paris StGermain’s Champions League last-16 tie with Manchester United.

The 31-year-old injured a tendon in his hip after scoring a penalty in Saturday’s 1-0 victory over Bordeaux.

Fellow forward Neymar has been ruled out of Tuesday’s first leg and the return game on 6 March through injury.

In a statement, PSG said the length of Cavani’s unavailability “will depend on the evolution of the injury over the coming days”.

Speaking on French television on Sunday, manager Thomas Tuchel said: “There

is no good news for Edi this morning.”

He added: “There are still examinations today at our training centre, the club will speak a little later, but in my opinion the news is not going to be very good. It will be very difficult for him to play.

“There is a very small hope.

We always hope but t h e

first exams are not good.”

Brazilian forward Neymar suffered a broken metatarsal in a 2-0 French Cup victory over Strasbourg on Wednesday, 23 January and was ruled out for 10 weeks.

This leaves World Cupwinning forward Kylian Mbappe - who replaced Cavani at the weekend - as the only fit member of their first-choice front three.

Belgium right-back Thomas Meunier is also out of the first leg, with PSG confirming he suffered a

Edison Cavani reacts to the incident

concussion during Saturday’s match.

However, Tuchel said there was good news for another of his key players, midfielder Marco Verratti, who started against Bordeaux after three weeks out with an ankle problem.

“Verratti can play and will play,” said the German coach.

“I’m worried because we are missing key players. For the big games in the Champions League, it is absolutely necessary to have key players with a lot of experience.”

PSG are 13 points clear at the top of Ligue 1 but their win over Bordeaux came after their toughest week of the season. (BBC Sport)

22

monday, february 11, 2019

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

Wood’s pace puts England in control against West Indies T

he half an hour before tea produced one of those “Oh, my!” moments. During that time Mark Wood bowled a succession of deliveries in excess of 90mph, including the fastest ball of the series at 94.8mph.

In 19 balls he took the wickets of three startled West Indies batsmen and transformed the match.

In the slip cordon, where Joe Root resides, and on the England balcony, where the coaches were looking on spellbound and jubilant, they must have been thinking “Oh, my!”, an exclamation quickly followed by “What if we had let Wood loose on them earlier in the series?”

To be fair to the decision-makers Wood has never before bowled this fast for England, nor with such potency. He ended with career-best figures of five for 41 and his first four victims were caught in the slip cordon, fine catches since the ball was flying in that direction at high velocity. In an electrifying spell he soon had that slip cordon creeping backwards.

Wood found himself on a hat-trick after the completion of his first over, yet he was not the first England bowler in this innings to be in this position. Earlier, Moeen Ali had dismissed Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell with consecutive balls.

It was an extraordinary day of Test cricket with England bundled out for the addition of 46 runs in the morning even though they began with six wickets in hand. Then, as the West Indies openers added 57 without being parted against the old firm of Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad, the England supporters in the party stand decided to have a good time anyway, summoning up more beers and singing along to Sweet Caroline in between overs to keep themselves happy.

Moeen and Wood, two of the least cynical and most popular cricketers on the circuit, soon diverted their attention back to the Test match. Suddenly, there was a red-blooded game of cricket going on and England had regained control. By the close they led by 142 with 10 wickets in hand.

This has been a series for pace bowlers even though England were slow to recognise that. In part, the West Indies’ bowlers have prevailed because they have been quicker and because the home side has been prepared to play on lively pitches, which in Antigua and in St Lucia have had an unusual amount of grass left on them. Grass often translates to pace, which invariably delivers a fine spectacle – no matter the overs are sometimes bowled too slowly for

England celebrate as Shimron Hetmyer is taken out

the authorities and the curmudgeons. Even so, we have yet to watch any cricket on the fifth day in this series and that now seems unlikely again after the clatter of 16 wickets on Sunday.

The first six dismissed batsmen were Englishmen unable to capitalise on all the hard work of Saturday afternoon. Jos Buttler, his feet stuck on the crease, was bowled through the gate by a fast delivery from Shannon Gabriel without adding to his overnight score.

Ben Stokes had scored 79, his highest innings since his return to the side after the last Ashes series, when he fell victim to a superb diving catch by Shane Dowrich in pursuit of a top-

edged pull.

Jonny Bairstow’s return to No 7 was unproductive; he agonised for 32 balls for his two runs before being bowled off the inside edge, driving at Roach.

Moeen flickered very briefly and the tail declined to wag.

Perhaps Stokes and Buttler had played better than we thought on the first day.

The West Indies openers did not seem to encounter too many problems.

Broad and Anderson beat the bat as they often do but Brathwaite survived while Campbell started to prosper.

The left-hander struck a lofted straight four and a clipped six against Anderson and began to bristle against Broad, who withdrew the gaunt-

let by bowling a little shorter against him. This limited Campbell’s run-scoring options as well as the chances

of Broad dismissing him.

Sensibly, Root turned to Moeen with swift success. Brathwaite, a model of sobriety against all other types of bowlers, swung towards wide long-on where Anderson held another fine outfield catch. This was the fourth time in the series Moeen has dismissed Brathwaite.

Next ball, Campbell was on strike since the batsmen had crossed and he flicked towards midwicket, missed the ball and was lbw.

Now Wood galloped to the fore with the wind behind him. In his first over Shai Hope sliced a drive to gully where Rory Burns held a sharp chance and his effort to catch Roston Chase off a lifter next ball was even better. Shimron Hetmeyer survived the hat-trick ball but edged to Root at first slip just before tea against another rapid Wood delivery.

After the break Darren Bravo fell in similar fashion. In his eight-over spell, interrupted by tea, Wood had taken four for 37. The West Indies middle-order had been blown away and Wood had advanced his career prospects significantly in the process.

Keemo Paul played a couple of exotic shots before he was stumped from his first delivery from Moeen.

With Wood resting normal cricket resumed for a while.

Stokes was not summoned, an indication he is not fully fit but eventually Broad had Dowrich lbw on review.

More likely to bring a smile to Broad’s face was a stunning one-handed catch, running backwards at mid-off, to dismiss Alzarri Joseph, who was swiping at Moeen.

Root then recalled Wood to allow him his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket and a standing ovation. (The Guardian)

Magnum Mash Cup Futsal Tournament…

Deen, Pedro record hattricks in massive wins

SCOREBOARD

England 1st Innings RJ Burns lbw b Paul . . . . . 29 KK Jennings c Bravo b Paul . 8 JL Denly lbw b Gabriel . . . . 20 JE Root (c) c †Dowrich b Joseph . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 JC Buttler b Gabriel . . . . . 67 BA Stokes c †Dowrich b Roach . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 JM Bairstow † b Roach . . . . 2 MM Ali c Bravo b Joseph . . 13 MA Wood c Joseph b Roach . 6 SCJ Broad not out . . . . . . 0 JM Anderson c Paul b Roach 0 Extras (b 5, lb 11, nb 6, w 16) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 TOTAL (101.5 Overs, RR: 2.72) . . . . . . . . . . . . 277 Fall of wickets: 1-30 (KK Jennings, 16.1 ov), 2-69 (RJ Burns, 32.2 ov), 3-69 (JL Denly, 33.2 ov), 4-107 (JE Root, 47.5 ov), 5-232 (JC Buttler, 85.1 ov), 6-256 (BA Stokes, 93.6 ov), 7-270 (JM Bairstow, 99.5 ov), 8-275 (MM Ali, 100.2 ov), 9-277 (MA Wood, 101.3 ov), 10-277 (JM Anderson, 101.5 ov) BOWLING: KAJ Roach (25.5-1148-4), ST Gabriel (24-6-49-2), AS Joseph (17-2-61-2), KMA Paul (21-7-58-2), RL Chase (10-0-400), KC Brathwaite (4-0-5-0) West Indies 1st Innings KC Brathwaite (c) c Anderson b Ali . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 JD Campbell lbw b Ali . . . . 41 SD Hope c Burns b Wood . . 1

DM Bravo c Root b Wood . . 6 RL Chase c Burns b Wood . . 0 SO Hetmyer c Root b Wood . 8 SO Dowrich † lbw b Broad . 38 KMA Paul st †Bairstow b Ali . 9 KAJ Roach not out . . . . . . 16 AS Joseph c Broad b Ali . . . 2 ST Gabriel b Wood . . . . . . 4 Extras (lb 4, nb 3, w 10) . . . 17 TOTAL (47.2 Overs, RR: 3.25) . . . . . . . . . . . . 154 Fall of wickets: 1-57 (KC Brathwaite, 18.3 ov), 2-57 (JD Campbell, 18.4 ov), 3-59 (SD Hope, 21.5 ov), 4-59 (RL Chase, 21.6 ov), 5-74 (SO Hetmyer, 27.1 ov), 6-79 (DM Bravo, 29.2 ov), 7-104 (KMA Paul, 34.3 ov), 8-145 (SO Dowrich, 45.2 ov), 9-148 (AS Joseph, 46.3 ov), 10-154 (ST Gabriel, 47.2 ov) BOWLING: JM Anderson (93-31-0), SCJ Broad (15-442-1), MM Ali (15-4-36-4), MA Wood (8.2-2-41-5)

England 2nd Innings RJ Burns not out . . . . . . . 10 KK Jennings not out . . . . . 8 Extras (nb 1) . . . . . . . . . 1 TOTAL (10 Overs, RR: 1.9) 19/0 Yet to bat: JL Denly, JE Root (c), JC Buttler, BA Stokes, JM Bairstow †, MM Ali, MA Wood, SCJ Broad, JM Anderson BOWLING: KAJ Roach (42-4-0), ST Gabriel (3-0-90), KMA Paul (3-1-6-0)

Part of the action on Saturday between Alexander Village and Hustlers

T

en matches, eight winners; that is how the night unravelled on Saturday when the second edition of the Magnum Mash Cup Futsal Tournament continued at the National Gymnasium.

The other two showdowns ended in stalemates, but were not short of action.

Among those registering convincing victories were Ansa McAl who dominated Agricola 7-1 in the opening match of the night.

Delroy Deen’s hat-trick ( goals in the 6th, 10th, 17th minutes) and braces from Reon Hopkinson (12th, 15th) and Akin Curry (18th, 19th) ensured the commanding win even though Akeem Pompey scored a the equaliser in the seventh minute for the opposition which was easily overshadowed.

Gold is Money were right on the money with their 7-0 destruction of California Square. Michael Pedro recorded the other hat-trick of the night in the final match on the cards. He scored in

the 13th, 14th and 16th minutes while Randolph Wagner supported with a double (4th, 15th) and Colin Nelson and Phillip Rowley netted a goal each.

Sophia enjoyed a comfortable 5-1 victory over Rhythm Ballers. Sophia were led straight off the whistle

by Shemroy Arthur, who scored in the first and 14th minutes while a goal each from Dwayne McLennon, Ryan Jeffery and Stephon Maycock were enough to get them the win. The opposition’s lone goal was scored

by Orville Stewart.

Showstoppers were almost stopped in their tracks

by Island All-Stars, but perseverance prevailed in a seesaw battle which ended 3-2.

Showstoppers netted first when Marvin Josiah found the back of the net in the ninth minute, but Devon Hyman’s quick double (14th, 15th) put the All-Stars in a firm position.

However, Dexroy Adams had a similar burst of success for Showstoppers and

capitalised by finding the equaliser in the 17th minute, then followed up with the decider in the 18th minute.

Tiger Bay tore apart Silver Bullets 3-0 as Deo Alfred scored in the 8th and 15th minutes while Akeem Saul supported with a goal in the 19th minute.

Another three goals were shared between two teammates as Back Circle got past East La Penitence 3-1. The efforts of Stephon McLean (9th, 17th) and Cecil Jackman (2nd) overpowered East who had their lone goal scored by Alwyn Moore.

Stabroek Ballers were also victorious with a 2-0 triumph over Capital Strikers, as were North Ruimveldt who needled Mocha 1-0.

Meanwhile, Alexander Village played to a 1-1 draw with Hustlers while Melanie and Kingston’s showdown ended nil-all.

The action continues on Wednesday, February 13 at the same venue.

guyanatimesgy.com

monday, february 11, 2019

2018-2019 Regional 4-Day Tournament…

23

Jaguars back to winning ways

– Johnson hits twin fifties after Hemraj’s blitz Captain Leon Johnson raised his bat for the second time in the match

By Brandon Corlette

L

ed by Leon Johnson’s second half-century of the match, Guyana Jaguars registered a sevenwicket win over Jamaica Scorpions on the final day.

The Guyana Jaguars Captain found some rhythm in his batting, scoring an unbeaten 61 as Jaguars chased 170 with ease. Chandrapaul Hemraj’s blazing 42 set the tone in the run chase on the final day at Providence.

After early morning rain, the players went onto the field at 10:35h; Jaguars resumed the day on 25-0, in pursuit of 170 runs for victory. Hemraj and Tagenarine Chanderpaul picked up from where they left off, stroking the ball exquisitely around Providence. Jaguars were playing with a run rate of over five runs per over, with Hemraj being the aggressor.

The Hemraj show concluded when he played

away from his body and was brilliantly caught at third slip by Brandon King.

He scored an aggressive 42 from 29 balls, including seven sweetly timed boundaries and one six, which he hooked off Derval Green.

Hemraj’s wicket ended the 57-run partnership with Chanderpaul.

Sherfane Rutherford went to the batting crease with the score on 57-1, but his stay was brief.

He stroked Jerome Taylor into the extra-cover boundary, but the introduction of Green from the northern end led to his demise.

The Indian Premier League (IPL)-bound batsman was bowled with a beauty from Green, as he attempted to play a big shot, but missed the ball completely.

Rutherford scored five from 13 balls, facing 11 dots. The patient Chanderpaul was partnered by his skipper with the score on 72-3.

Chanderpaul was timing the ball sweetly, but finding the fielders on most occasions. The introduction of off-spinner Kenroy Williams saw Chanderpaul’s solid innings concluded. He was out leg before, playing forward for a 73-ball 33, including five trademark boundaries.

Jaguars kept a healthy run rate of four runs per over despite the loss of

Jerome Taylor reacts after Sherfane Rutherford was given not out (Brandon Corlette photos)

wickets. Vishaul Singh and Johnson ensured no further hiccups as the pair batted until tea with the score on 108-3 from 28 overs, requiring 62 runs in two sessions.

Johnson was unbeaten on 22 while Singh was on 2.

The morning session saw 83 runs scored in 24 overs with the loss of three wickets in a session that belonged to the Jaguars.

In the afternoon session, Jaguars required 62 runs with seven wickets in hand.

After lunch, Johnson took on the spinners, playing textbook shots as his confidence grew during his progressive innings.

Fittingly, the match was sealed with a Johnson four as he and his team returned to their successful ways. Guyana Jaguars ended on 171-3 in 43 overs with Player of the Match Johnson unbeaten on 61 from 86

balls, hitting 10 fours and one six, while Singh was 26 not out. Jerome Taylor, Green and Kenroy Williams had one wicket each for the Scorpions in the second innings.

The victory marks the first for newly-appointed Head Coach Rayon Griffith, and his deputy, Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

Guyana Jaguars have extended their dominance, leading the points table and inching closer to a fifth consecutive title. Jaguars have three more matches this season, with their next opponents being the same Jamaica Scorpions, in Jamaica, from February 21, at Sabina Park.

3

SCOREBOARD

Jamaica Scorpions 1st Innings 358 all out Guyana Jaguars 1st Innings 321 all out Jamaica Scorpions 2nd Innings 132 all out Guyana Jaguars 2nd Innings 171-3 T Chanderpaul lbw K Williams 33 C Hemraj c King b Taylor . . . 42 S Rutherford b Green . . . . . 5 L Johnson not out . . . . . . 61

V Singh not out . . . . . . . . 26 Extras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Total 171-3 (43ov) FOW: 1 - 57(CHANDRAPAUL HEMRAJ, 10.4 ov) , 2 73(SHERFANE RUTHERFORD, 16.1 ov) , 3 - 93(TAGENARINE CHANDERPAUL, 21.6 ov) Bowling: J Taylor 8-1-36-1, D Green 9-4-32-1, K Williams 11-4-20-1, D Bulli 10-242-0, J Blackwood 3-0-170, C Walton 2-0-20-0

GCB Senior Female T20 Tournament…

Brilliant Berbice brush aside Demerara to clinch 6th title

– Select U-19 continue to impress

By Brandon Corlette

I

t was the final round of the 2019 Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Senior Female T20 Tournament: two matches were played at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC). Berbice remained untouchable defeating Demerara by six wickets while GCB Select U-19 outplayed Essequibo by 51 runs.

The first match saw Berbician and Select U-19 Captain, Shabika Gajnabi stroking a quick-fire 41 that earned her the Player-ofthe-Match accolade. In the second match, Erva Giddings was awarded Player of the Match for her three wickets that set up the match for Berbice.

Essequibo v Select U-19

Erva Giddings was superb with ball in hand

Owing to the constant rain in the capital city, the match was reduced to seven overs. Select U-19 scored 79-3 in their seven overs.

Opening batters Mandy Mangru and Gajnabi set the tone early in the innings, adding 61 runs for the first wicket. The first over cost 13 runs as Mangru and Gajnabi were in a no-nonsense mood.

Gajnabi was the first wicket to fall at 61-1; she was out caught for a breezy 41 off the bowling of Onica Stoby. In came Cherry An

Fraser, who had a short stay at the crease – falling for a duck.

Mangru occupied the crease, but she eventually fell for 13 off the bowling of Valery King.

The Select U-19 team were the prime candidates to win after they racked up 79-3 in their seven overs. In Essequibo’s reply, they struggled from the inception, as they managed only 29-1 in seven overs. Mangru, who is an impressive off-spinner, got the lone wicket of Lisa Charles, as the Select U-19 continued their triumphs, registering their second win in the shorter format, after upsetting Demerara.

Demerara v Berbice

In the main event played after the first match, Bourda were in for a treat as the rivalry between Berbice and Demerara continued. Demerara took first strike on a Bourda pitch that began playing slow. The home team, Demerara managed 57-9 in their allotted 20 overs as the batters failed to acclimatise to the conditions. Demerara skipper Akaze Thompson showed her worth with a top score of 16.

Bowling for Berbice, Giddings had standout bowling figures of 3-9 from 4 overs. Subrina Munroe grabbed 2-16 in her

four overs, including one maiden. Sheneta Grimmond, Plaffiana Millington and Tremayne Smartt had one wicket each, in a complete bowling performance.

Berbice required 58 runs to win in their 20 overs as they were b a t ting un-

der clouds, in front of the noisy Bourda crowd. The ladies in red had to fight for every run as Demerara played with spirit. Openers Melanie Henry (09) and Marian Samaroo (02) fell cheaply to Kaysia Schultz, but Grimmond steered the ship for the Berbicians with a brave 31.

Grimmond lost Giddings (06) and Smartt (00), who were both removed by Thompson, but Sherica Campbelle and Grimmond ensured no further hiccups.

Berbice ended on 58-4 in 12 overs, completing victory by six wickets to fittingly take their sixth title.

At the post-match presentation, Berbice Captain Smartt collected the winning trophies for the T20 and 50-over formats. The tournament was used to promote the game and select female teams for the upcoming regional tournaments in Trinidad f r o m March 2019.

Sheneta Grimmond hits one over square for a boundary (Brandon Corlette photos)

monday, february 11, 2019

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

guyanatimesgy.com

2018-2019 Regional 4-Day Tournament…

Jaguars back to winning ways Leon Johnson found his groove in a confidenceboosting innings

Page 23 Chandrapaul Hemraj was in top form; he played the shot of the match (Brandon Corlette photos)

– Johnson hits twin fifties after Hemraj’s blitz

Wood’s pace Brilliant Berbice brush aside puts England in Demerara to clinch 6th title control against West Indies GCB Senior Female T20 Tournament…

Page 22

Page 23

– Select U-19 continue to impress Team Berbice showed off their trophies after winning their sixth title (Brandon Corlette photo)

England’s Mark Wood celebrates taking the wicket of West Indies’ Shai Hope

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