Guyana Times -- Saturday, August 24, 2019

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

Issue No. 4025

THE BEACON OF TRUTH SATURday, august 24, 2019

PRICE

Despite Chief Justice ruling

No progress: GECOM

meeting lacked “meaningful” discussions –…Opposition PPP warns Commissioners that duplicate registration a criminal offence See story on page 3

…cautions enumerators to stop threatening Guyanese

CJIA senior manager charged for sexual assault See story on page 8

Page 9

Poor water management by MMA producing more wild rice – farmers

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Region 2 Vice Chair without an office

…accuses REO of P10 sabotage ...Police report filed

Georgetown experiencing low water pressure P12 …GWI says repair works ongoing

50 graduate P13 from TOTALTEC Oilfield safety, operators programme

29-year-old jailed for ganja trafficking P11

Trans Guyana, KLM to begin Europe flights on Sep 1 Page 13

Opinion poll on upcoming elections, political P7 matters underway

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

Saturday, August 24 – 11:30h – 13:00h and Sunday, August 25 – 13:00h – 14:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Saturday, August 24 – 10:30h- 12:00h and Sunday, August 25 – 12:05h – 13:35h.

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

WEATHER TODAY

Despite Chief Justice ruling

No progress: GECOM meeting lacked “meaningful” discussions – PPP Commissioners … Opposition warns that duplicate registration a criminal offence …cautions enumerators to stop threatening Guyanese

Mostly sunny with intervals of cloudy conditions are expected throughout the day. There will be clear skies at night. Temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds: North-Easterly to East South-Easterly between 1.78 metres and 4.02 metres.

High Tide: 10:36h and 23:02h reaching maximum heights of 2.22 metres and 2.27metres.

Low Tide: 04:01h and 16:30h reaching minimum heights of 0.90 metre and 1.04 metres.

PPP Commissioners Bibi Shadick and Sase Gunraj

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wednesday, AUGUST 21, 2019

LOTTERY NUMBERS A

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DAILY MILLIONS

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DISCLAIMER: WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ERRORS IN PUBLICATION. PLEASE CALL THE HOTLINE FOR CONFIRMATION - TEL: 225-8902

he third meeting with new Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairperson and Commissioners on Friday ended yet again without a decision on the way forward, even as the timeline for elections is drawing nearer and uncertainty soars among the population.

The three-hour meeting ended on odd notes after no pronouncement was made on an elections date, or other matters— such as the continuance of Houseto-House Registration. This was the third engagement ever since new GECOM Chair Retired Justice Claudette Singh was appointed.

After the meeting, PPP Commissioners shared their positions that the discussions were not meaningful and insisted that Government is continuing its delaying tactics.

In an invited comment with the media, People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Commissioner Sase Gunraj expressed his disappointment at the outcome. He insisted that timely elections is the foremost issue to be addressed.

“We have not reached any meaningful decisions this afternoon. I can’t even say that the discussions were meaningful. That is as far as I can go. It is clear that the delaying tactics continue and that has stymied any developments that we can have…We need to have elections in a timely manner. That is the bane of all my discussions today,” Gunraj pointed out.

On the other hand, Government-nominated Commissioner Vincent Alexander maintained his position that they have not reached a consensus as yet because negotiations are still in progress. This, he said, circled around main-

GECOM Chair Retired Justice Claudette Singh

spond to the Chief Justice’s ruling,” Alexander mentioned.

Nation is impatient

Government Commissioner Vincent Alexander

taining deadlines and the rationality behind the national registration exercise.

The Commissioner stated, “A decision has not been made. We are still in the course of discussions. We are discussing the way forward. We are discussing the usability of House-to-House [Registration] and the need to ensure that whatever we do is in a timely manner”.

While claims of propositions were made on their end, these details were not disclosed. Another meeting is slated for next Tuesday, where proposals are to be submitted.

“Yes, we have propositions, but I prefer not to be the one to put it out in the public. The public needs to know where we are at in terms of something definitive…All commissioners are free to submit proposals in relation to the way forward, in relation to how we re-

Moments after the meeting was concluded, the PPP’s strongly-worded statement expressed concern about the lack of clarity from GECOM about a likely date when Guyana can head to the polls. The Party advised that the nation is impatient and is certainly bound to be after the CJ’s position that elections were due since March 21, 2019.

According to the PPP, while GECOM procrastinates, the nation is becoming more frustrated and more impatient. “Despite the clear pronouncements from the Chief Justice that elections were constitutionally due since 21st March 2019, and that the House-toHouse Registration can neither result in the creation of a new National Register of Registrants (NRR) database, nor can it be used to remove the names of persons already registered, the Government-nominated

Commissioners continue to irrationally argue at Commission meetings that the data generated by this exercise must be used,” the Party said.

A reminder was given that this ‘deeply flawed’ process lacked scrutiny from other political parties and is boycotted by a large fraction of the population.

Moreover, supporting the use of this data for a second database is illegal under the National Registration Act. “We have already pointed out that this data is deeply flawed, not only by the sheer speed by which it is being accumulated, but also it is not scrutinised by all the political parties, the wrong registration form is being used, and the exercise is being boycotted by tens of thousands of Guyanese.

In fact, they are arguing for this data to be used to create a second database. This is clearly illegal. Duplicate registration is a criminal offence under the National Registration Act”.

Turn to page 7

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SATURday, august 24, 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

The deterioration of the zoo

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t was recently reported in the media that the Department of the Environment, through the Protected Areas Commission (PAC) and the National Parks Commission (NPC), has undertaken a number of initiatives aimed at enhancing the facilities at the National Park so that citizens can enjoy a safe, clean and relaxing environment.

This is indeed good news, as for quite some time now, the park, known to provide much attraction for families and overseas visitors, has been deteriorating at a rapid rate.

Guyanese who have travelled abroad could testify of the differences in standards with our local parks and zoo and what obtains in other countries. At the moment, persons are not that excited to visit the zoo and the parks because of several reasons: they fear they may get robbed, as vagrants and other idlers are seen hanging around; the environment is untidy and smells from a distance; and generally, there is hardly anything new and interesting to see, especially as it relates to the zoo.

For example, the cages at the zoo are occupied by a few birds, exotic cats, including the Jaguar and about two others.

Huge snakes, caimans, turtles and monkeys are among the few animals that could be been seen in the dull and smelly environment. And over at the petting zoo within the park, there are a few donkeys, turtles and goats—again nothing that would cause persons to want to return or encourage their family and friends to visit.

In fact, during a recent visit by this newspaper to the zoo, it was observed that visitors were complaining of the state of the facility. Some even openly expressed that they regretted paying their monies to enter the facility. Additionally, persons were heard expressing worry over the condition of the animals, specifically the exotic cats, which seemed to be sick. Concerns were also raised about the limited space the animals are usually confined to, especially since in their natural habitat, they would be allowed to run about and climb and jump.

This is quite unfortunate as Guyana has so much to offer, not only for locals, but for the entire world to see, especially as it relates to our rich biodiversity. This alone could be a major attraction for visitors when they come to these shores, hence, strenuous efforts should be made to ensure that such facilities are constantly improved and upgraded in keeping with international best practices.

It could be recalled that the PAC had started working with the National Parks Commission in 2012 to enhance the facilities at the park. Under the Three Parks Initiative, the National Park had benefited from many improvements, but efforts to upkeep the standards were minimal resulting in standards falling drastically over the past years.

The PAC had also engaged advertisers and other stakeholders who are responsible for advertisements, buildings and facilities in the Park to encourage them to enhance same. Stakeholders who had sponsored walking trails and other infrastructure were also re-engaged, but we are not certain as to the success of these engagements regarding funding, et cetera, to maintain the facilities.

There is need for the zoo to be transformed from just a holding facility for animals, into an information education delivery facility. There is need for other features such as different zoning areas including a Coastal Wetland Zone, a Savannah Zone, Mountain and Forest Zone, along with other amenities such as information booths, etc.

Most of us would agree that wholesome entertainment for families is lacking to large extent in Guyana. On weekends especially, families look forward to taking their children to places that are interesting; where they can also enjoy a bit of relaxation and fun. The Zoological Park, National Park and Botanical Gardens are ideal places where this could be provided.

While the Government may take the lead in such initiatives, the private sector also has a corporate social responsibility which they must fulfil to the citizenry. The private sector must therefore show, by its actions, that it is serious about working with the Government in enhancing this aspect of national life.

Women of Brazil’s Indigenous tribes have vowed to protect their land as large swathes of the Amazon forest continue to burn (Amazonia photo)

Brazil sends army to fight Amazon fires as EU threatens trade retaliation dress the nation at 20:30h to discuss the measures.

Agriculture Minister Tereza Cristina Dias insisted that Brazil was “taking care” of the Amazon, and that international concerns over the fires should be cooled down.

ing, agricultural and logging companies to exploit its natural resources.

On Thursday, Bolsonaro admitted for the first time that farmers may be behind some of the fires.

As the fires burned, for-

“The news is worrying, but I think we have to lower the temperature. The Amazon is important, Brazil knows that, and Brazil is taking care of the Amazon,” Dias told reporters.

Forest fires in the Brazilian Amazon, which accounts for more than half of the world’s largest rainforest, have surged 83% in number this year, according to government data, destroying vast swathes of a vital bulwark against global climate change.

The government agency INPE has registered 72,843 fires, the highest number since records began in 2013. More than 9,500 have been spotted by satellites over the past week.

Although fires are a regular and natural occurrence during the dry season at this time of year, environmentalists blamed the jump on farmers clearing land for pasture.

Farmers may have had at least tacit encouragement from the firebrand right-wing President, who took power in January.

Bolsonaro has repeatedly said he believes Brazil should open up the Amazon to business interests, allowing min-

eign pressure continued to grow. Several hundred activists protested outside the Brazilian embassies in Paris and London on Friday.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted that the fires were “not only heart-breaking, they are an international crisis,” while a spokeswoman said Johnson would use the summit of G7 leaders this weekend to call for a renewed focus on protecting nature.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and France’s Macron also called for the fires to be on the G7 agenda.

Alexandre Antonelli, Director of science at Britain’s Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, urged that import sanctions be imposed on Brazil because of the fires.

“Immediate action is necessary to extinguish the current fires and prevent future ones,” the Brazilian scientist said.

On Thursday, Bolsonaro responded angrily to what he saw as foreign interference.

“These countries that send money here, they don’t send it out of charity. ... They send it with the aim of interfering with our sovereignty,” he said.

Protesters outside the Brazilian Embassy in London

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uropean leaders on Friday threatened to tear up a trade deal with South America, reflecting the growing international dismay and anger with Brazil as a record number of fires in the Amazon rainforest intensified the unfolding environmental crisis.

Against the global chorus of condemnation, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was mobilisng the army to help combat the blazes, while his administration launched a diplomatic charm offensive to try to mend bridges.

The Trump administration said it was “deeply concerned” about the wildfires, which now look set to be discussed at a summit of G7 leaders in France this weekend.

French President Emmanuel Macron’s office went so far as to accuse Bolsonaro of lying when he downplayed concerns over climate change at the G20 summit in June.

France and Ireland said on Friday they would now oppose the EU-Mercosur farming deal struck in June between the European Union and the Mercosur countries of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.

“There is no way that Ireland will vote for the EU-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement if Brazil does not honor its environmental commitments,” Ireland’s Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said in a statement.

The EU-Mercosur deal

took 20 years to negotiate, but will not be officially ratified for another two years.

Brazilian Business leaders also warned the backlash over Brazil’s environmental record could sink its efforts to join the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a Paris-based club of 37 developed nations whose imprimatur is required by many institutional investors.

Stung by the international outcry, Bolsonaro signed off on sending in the Brazilian army to fight fires, Antonio Denarium, Governor of the Amazon state of Roraima, said on Friday.

Brazil also distributed a 12-page circular, exclusively seen by Reuters, to foreign embassies, outlining data and statistics defending the Government’s reputation on the environment.

Having first dismissed the fires as natural, then blaming non-governmental organisations without evidence for lighting them, Bolsonaro struck a more serious note on Friday, saying he would summon top cabinet members to tailor a response.

Asked by reporters in Brasilia if he would send in the army, he said: “That is the expectation”.

Bolsonaro met with a team of senior officials on Friday afternoon, including the Defence and Environment Ministers, as well as the Foreign Minister, to hammer out a response to the crisis. He was due to ad-

(Reuters)

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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

Local Content not treated How Irfaan Ali changed my life as priority by Govt Dear Editor, It has been 1555 days since ExxonMobil announced the discovery of oil in commercial quantities offshore Guyana.

The APNU/AFC has not produced a final Local Content Policy to date, a draft is promised soon. No local content legislation was drafted or introduced by the APNU/AFC in those 1555 days. For this reason alone, this collection of incompetents known as “the coalition” should never be re-elected, ever.

What exactly is local content? And why is it so important to all Guyanese?

Practically, local content is the development of local skills, oil and gas technology transfer, and use of local manpower and local manufacturing, in other words, building a workforce that is skilled and building a competitive supplier base. This is where Guyanese can benefit via the all-important jobs and

business opportunities that oil brings with exploration and production. Without a Local Content Policy and enabling legislation, Guyanese are fighting for crumbs that fall off the big table.

The APNU/AFC does not believe local content is important; the task was not treated as a priority, it was left to Dr Mark Bynoe, a part-time lecturer at the University of Guyana, with no known experience in the business world.

Bynoe was not furnished with a large budget to hire experts globally, he was given a small budget and he plunked for Mr Wilks, a retired oilman and DAI Global, a company already in the employ of ExxonMobil locally. This level of neglect may not attract a criminal charge, but it should.

Clues as to why local content has not garnered the serious attention it deserves are in the actions of the APNU/

AFC; the structure of the National Resource Fund as passed (illegally) puts control of revenues in the hands of one man, a politician, whoever is the Minister of Finance would have an unhealthy control over every person associated with the management of these funds. The APNU/AFC has passed legislation that has no effective checks and balances.

Given the APNU/AFC’s track record of incompetence, jet-set lifestyles and incompetence, I cannot envisage a fund that grows; it will be more like the gold reserves which have declined from $16.268 billion in June 2015 to $589.3 million today, a decline of 96.4 per cent!

The businessmen of Guyana know how badly APNU/AFC has failed them, now, you, the people, can judge for yourselves.

Respectfully, Robin Singh

Dear Editor, I feel compelled to pen this letter, expressing my gratitude to Irfaan Ali for changing my life. I’m a teacher and have been living in Linden for over 25 years.

Also, I’m a single parent with two kids.

It was sometime in 2012 when I met Mr Ali. He was in Linden at the OneStop-Shop (OSS) exercise distributing house lots. As a beneficiary, and soon to be homeowner, I was ecstatic. That morning I got up early and went straight down to where the OSS exercise was. To my surprise, the place was already crowded.

I went straight to the staff that was distributing numbers, and three hours later, my number was called.

Mr Ali was there, surrounded by two of his staff and was personally meeting and chatting with the beneficiaries as they were served. It was great to see people so excited. Never in the history of Linden has there been so many house lots distributed to the public on such a scale.

People were literally overjoyed.

Finally, it was my turn to draw a lot number from the bag. However, I was suddenly saddened to learn that my number landed me at the back of the scheme. So, like any other concerned citizen, I went straight to the then Minister (Mr Ali). He greeted me with a smile and asked: “Is

everything okay?” A sense of relief suddenly entered me. It was as if, for some reason, I was sure he would resolve my problem. And I couldn’t be more correct.

Not only was I able to get a better lot, but I was overjoyed to learn that a special programme was in place at the Ministry of Housing for teachers. Long story short, not only was I able to secure a loan at an interest rate below market rate but benefitted from discounts on my building materials and even my furniture. In the end, the total cost of my house came in at 75 per cent below my initial estimation.

To this day, I owe my gratitude to Mr Ali for his vision and compassion. I’ve been a proud homeowner for over seven years, thanks to Mr Ali and I’m sure hundreds of families in Linden could attest to similar encounters. In fact, because of Mr Ali, thousands of Lindiners are now better off. I’m disheartened to say, however, that since 2015 the hope of becoming a homeowner came to an abrupt end. But we are optimistic. The upcoming election will present us with an opportunity to right our wrongs. Never again will we be deceived by the “caretakers”. It’s a pity we had to learn the hard way.

Regards, Joycelyn Williams

Sad times for sport in Guyana!

Dear Editor, Today Guyana is going through sad and difficult times in sport. At the just concluded Pan American Games 2019, our athletes returned with no silverware, no medals. And at the press conference, all we were told was “No Government investment, medal-less return and disappointed performance”.

Nicolette Fernandes, thank you, in 2011 you kept the Golden Arrowhead flying high, you brought home

a Bronze Medal from the same games.

Team Guyana was impressive with a forty-member contingent representing eight disciplines. The parade was impressive, however, dishearteningly it was the only part of this outing that impressed. The Golden Arrowhead was not hoisted even once at the presentation ceremony. Oh! The drought continued.

My good friends were quick to criticise the PPP/C

for a lack of sports facilities.

I am proud to remind all Guyana that we have a modern Olympic size swimming pool and we had a worldclass international coach.

The first thing the APNU/ AFC did was to kick out the coach. We built and equipped the Andrew Lewis “Six Head” Boxing Gym and we employed an international boxing coach and the APNU/ AFC chased the coach out of the country and destroyed the “Six Head” Gym. Today the Andrew Lewis Gym is not functioning and it is a disgrace in the community. I visited the area and the resi-

dents were quick to say that they want the PPP to return to Government.

The state-of-the-art international athletic track at Lenora has been devolved into a white elephant by this ruinous APNU/AFC Government.

No coach, no planned programme and the equipment is being sold off and stolen. The new squash court that we built at the Racquet Centre at Woolford Avenue has also been relegated to white elephant status. The PPP/C built a state-of-theart National Sports Resource Centre at Woolford Avenue has met a similar fate thanks

to the incompetent management and a lack of vision by the current Government.

Where are all the developmental programmes? This APNU/AFC Government managed to destroy the Inter Guyana Games with corruption and thievery.

The IGG was put in place to give our very young athletes, while at school, an opportunity to compete on the international stage. Investment in sports is an investment in our people. We need to strengthen our club structures. We need to protect our gains and maximise benefits from the infrastructure that

we have. After four years, the APNU/AFC coalition Government has failed to build a chicken pen to grow two chickens. Our sportsmen/sportswomen cannot afford to purchase a piece of chicken to eat. Sportsmen must be able to eat properly and with the growing and sky-high cost of living, our youths are looking out for a meal. Guyana desperately needs and deserves better leadership! Our young people must be shown the way forward.

Sincerely, Neil Kumar

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Foundation

The importance of playing and relaxing

…how relaxation and playtime can promote a stress-free life

By Georgia Witkin, PhD

M

ost of us take care of everyone else in our lives. As a result, we’re guilty of not taking care of ourselves. But did you know because of this, we’re all running at least 20 minutes short of the time we need for ourselves?

This time deficit is growing as our tech makes us more accessible, often taking the majority of our time.

We try to ‘catch up’ and ‘get ahead’, but that only piles on more stress and less control. The stress of pop-up problems, like an infertility diagnosis, can make you feel like you don’t have time to just play and relax.

This 20-minute deficit of playing and relaxing feeds into a larger problem because this is our way to de-stress!

Why does this happen?

When your sense of control goes down, your emergency response system increases your adrenaline, your body’s natural stimulant. Now, you’ll find yourself still having to deal with the stresses and the side effects of adrenaline.

Adrenaline, which sometimes manifests as panic attacks, is putting your brain and body on alert so you’ll be ready for the next crisis.

But, it’s also using up your serotonin and other mood-

stabilising hormones. That means you’re running low on stability, strength, and calm thinking just when you need it the most.

Play and relaxation, on the other hand, prevent the high adrenaline output and increase those mood-elevating hormones. Not only is relaxation nice, the clinical benefits are shown to increase overall health!

How to de-stress

Make a moment No matter how rushed or stressed you are, create moments for yourself – small pockets of time (20 minutes should do the trick!) where you prioritise mindfulness. This is crucial if you are going through the ups and downs of stressful situations.

Herbert Benson, MD, of Harvard University finds a total of just 20 minutes of pausing a day is enough to decrease stress symptoms by almost 50 per cent. That’s only 20 minutes a day to improve your mood!

There are many ways you can create moments throughout the day. Here are some that I do daily: 5 minutes of solitaire on your phone (with no other distractions) 10 minutes of progressive muscle relaxation in the morning

2 minutes of humming (quietly) while you’re in a long line I often hear that people like to water plants, listen to a book, or even dance. The point is to do anything that makes you happy.

They all count towards your total.

Be present During these moments you create, focus on what you are doing now instead of re-living your past problems. Re-living or pre-living your stressors in the past or future won’t reduce your anxiety in the here and now.

It’s often called mindfulness.

If you think you don’t have the time to pause right now, consider that without downtime by choice, you may have more downtime later, without choice because of exhaustion and stress.

Laugh a lot Our capacity for laughter is inborn, just as we naturally smile when something is funny.

Both signal our fight, flight and fright system to turn off: Our muscles relax. Our blood pressure goes down, and our optimism increases. All are important.

As a bonus, much research suggests laughter also promotes healing and wellness!

Plan play-time Play should never stop (even when we grow up) because, first of all, it distracts us from our problems.

Next, it stimulates our brain’s creativity centres rather than our anxiety centres, releasing the endorphins that help us cope.

Ultimately, it reminds us that we have the capacity for pleasure and allows us to bond with others.

It doesn’t matter what type of play you enjoy – structured games, team sports, acting, cards, Maths or crossword puzzles. They all come with benefits if you’re playing by choice, not compulsion. After all, play is meant to enhance your sense of control, not undermine it.

To increase your play opportunities, surround yourself with friends who enjoy the same thing. It’s easier to play when you are surrounded by others who encourage the same.

Short-term stresses surround us daily. Long-term stresses challenge our emotional and physical strength.

But, we have the power to de-stress ourselves. Through play, pleasure, and relaxation, we can help ourselves through our challenges. If you can’t give yourself permission to use them, I give you permission!

Supply List:

-shoebox -small wooden dowels -clothespins -utility knife -Sharpie Marker -ruler -hot glue gun and glue -wrapping paper to cover the box -spray paint -clear tape -ping pong balls

4. Make a hole on your mark by pushing the tip of the X-Acto knife in and turning it around. It makes a perfect hole when you use a sharp blade. Next push the dowel through and mark the inside of the box where you want the hole on the other side.

5. Put the dowels in and the clothespins on where you want. Mark where the

(psychologytoday.com)

Procedure

1. Determine how you want the clothespins on the dowels. Use two “goalies” on each end and three middle guys. So each child only needs to handle two dowels.

2. Stand the clothespins up and put the dowel right against the outside of the box 3. About 1/4 above the dowel, put a mark for the hole. You want the clothespins to be able to move without hitting the bottom of the box.

clothespins are because you have to take it all apart in order to glue and paint it.

6. Hot glue the clothespins on the dowels.

7. Take your dowels with glued clothespins and paint them.

8. Cover the box with wrapping paper.

9. Cut out a large “goal” on either end of the box.

10. Put the dowels back in and drop in a ping pong ball.

Now you have an adorable kid-sized foosball “table”. (u-createcrafts.com)

news

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saturday, august 24, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Opinion poll on upcoming elections, political matters underway

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he Turkeyn Research and Polling Institute (TRPI) on Friday rolled out an opinion poll to collect the views of Guyanese on a number of issues including current political matters such as the conduct of General and Regional Elections in Guyana.

Opinion polls provide a database for research purposes as well as inform political parties of the views of voters. Questions in this survey will focus on popular support for the various political figures and parties as well as on people’s views on a host of contemporary issues impacting the nation.

The TRPI poll is being supervised by Trinidadian political analyst, Dr Kirk Meighoo, and will be conducted over the coming days throughout Guyana.

“The Guyana poll ex-

amines which political figure has the best shot at unseating the incumbent and which forces have a better prospect at Government format. It also looks at whether the country should have a coalition Government,” Dr Meighoo explained at a press conference on Friday.

TRPI will be conducting this exercise via continuous polling with the first tier starting on Friday and concluding on Monday, when the preliminary findings will be revealed to the public.

According to Dr Meighoo, the poll will be conducted in-person with surveyors placed in all 10 regions to take the opinions of about 300 to 400 participants. He noted that there will be a purposeful sampling as opposed to a random sampling, which can miss the opinions of certain import-

Political analyst, Dr Kirk Meighoo

ant groups.

“It will be a structure based on the demographic characteristics of the population, and that includes regions of residents and also ethnicity. So we would want to make sure that our sam-

ple reflects the official demographic data... Sometimes when you do it purely randomly, there is somewhat of a skewer especially when certain demographics are concentrated in certain areas, you can skip important

No progress: GECOM meeting lacked...

Criminal offence

The PPP also warned enumerators against threatening the public who has refused to participate in the exercise, since reregistering a registered person is a criminal offence. These acts will be reported to the Police and they can face prosecution.

“We caution enumerators to stop threatening Guyanese who are refusing to participate. We advise the enumerators that to register a person who is already registered is to aid and abet the Commission of a criminal offence, for which they are equally liable as the perpetrators and that we will report this matter to the Police with a request to institute

criminal charges,” the PPP positioned.

In their calls for a Claims and Objections cycle, the PPP insisted that actions to violate the Constitution or judicial rulings will not be accepted. It was underscored that GECOM’s actions continue to breech legal frameworks while the hosting of House-to-House Registration exercise is unwarranted.

“We remind GECOM that its actions and inactions continue to violate the Constitution, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) consequential orders and the recent decision of the Chief Justice. We emphasize that GECOM is violating its constitutional duty to the peo-

ple of this country and is continuing to squander hundreds of millions of taxpayers’ dollars in an unwarranted House-to-House exercise.

We wish to, once again, make it clear that the PPP will not support any decision or actions of GECOM that will continue to violate our Constitution, disrespect the rulings from our Judiciary and perpetuate an illegal Government in office”.

During the first meeting last week Thursday with GECOM officials, the written ruling of the Chief Justice was cited as the main reason why a decision was not made.

However, earlier this week, Chief Justice Roxane George delivered her deci-

sion in written format, delivered her written ruling on the No-Confidence motion, issuing a firm reminder to GECOM that a No-Confidence Motion was passed and as such, the body cannot ignore this and proceed as though it’s business as usual.

This reminder is contained in paragraph 113 of the document. According to the written judgement, former GECOM Chairman James Patterson’s order to begin House-to-House Registration did not take into consideration the

groups… So we will have a purposefully sampling element to make sure it reflects the national population,” Dr Meighoo told reporters.

Recognising that there is political crisis stemming from the December passage of the No-Confidence Motion, the political analyst posited that no such exercise has been undertaken to record the views of the populace on these events.

“It’s important in a democracy that the people’s views are taken into account. So this is to ensure that popular opinion can be taken into account by decision-makers so they have some gage to know whether what they’re doing finds national support. Because maybe they’ve been talking to their political supporters… but we don’t yet really know what the country as a whole thinks and this

the only way we can find out. So it’s really for better democratic governance,” Dr Meighoo said.

The political analyst further noted that he will be meeting with leaders from both the Government and Opposition to present them with the findings from the survey.

While Dr Meighoo has been retained to supervise the political aspect, the continuous polling process will also look into social issues such as crime and security, among others.

The TRPI was founded

by Professor Dr Baytoram Ramharack in 1990 and conducted its first opinion poll the following year.

The overseas-funded organisation, which is non-political and non-partisan, had been dormant for some time now before undertaking this polling exercise.

From page 3

December 21, 2018 passage of the No-Confidence Motion.

“The fact is, that the July 2018 decision and that made in 2007 at the 171st Meeting of GECOM to conduct House-to-House Registration, were not made in the context of an NCM,” the CJ wrote in her ruling.

“The NCM is an extraordinary circumstance that GECOM must bear in mind in its decision-making as it conducts the House-toHouse Registration and for that matter, any verification process that has as the

objective the compilation or revision of the list of electors for the required upcoming elections,” the document also noted.

Justice George acknowledged that GECOM is an independent body pursuant to Article 161 and 162, which is not subject to the control of any other authority. But she also noted that GECOM is also subject to the Constitution and laws and thus, the Commission “cannot act as though it is in a normal registration or election cycle”.

8 News

saturday, august 24, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

CJIA senior manager charged for sexual assault

O

ne week after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack advised the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to institute charges against the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) for sexual assault based on evidence obtained, the accused made his first court appearance at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Friday.

Andre Kellman, 54, appeared before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly and was not required to plea to the indictable charge, which detailed that on July 30, 2018 at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) Timehri, East Bank Demerara (EBD), he sexually assaulted a 34-year-old woman.

Attorney for the accused, Glen Hanoman, in a bail application asked the court to release his client.

Reports are the victim had alleged that she was hugged and kissed on her lips by the accused when she visited his office on a work-related matter. In her complaint letter, which was seen by this newspaper, the woman explained that she went to the Deputy Chief Executive Officer (DCEO) to have an issue with her boss’ vehicle resolved.

She alleged that after a commitment was given to have the issue resolved with her boss’ vehicle, the woman said she got up to leave and the

Charged: Deputy Chief Executive Officer of CJIA, Andre Kellman

senior official did the same, but walked around his desk to hug her. She reported that the act was “inappropriate” and she pulled away, but the man allegedly kissed her on the lips.

The victim said she immediately turned and headed for the door, but was intercepted by the senior official, who placed his hand on the door to keep it shut and then allegedly kissed her again, for a longer time.

According to the woman, she left afterwards in shock. The woman had

reported the matter to the airport’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the Human Resources Manager and she was assured that the matter would be investigated.

However, months had passed and she had not heard anything and after inquiring she received a WhatsApp message stating that the issue was “addressed” but with no details about any actions being taken.

When further questions were posed, her inquiries went unanswered.

As such the woman filed a report at the Timehri Police Station. The incident was subsequently reported in the media. Following reports in the media about the incident, the airport pass of the concessionaire staff was revoked.

The airport later confirmed that a senior official was being investigated for sexual misconduct and was sent on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation into the complaint.

Nevertheless, a few days later, the DCEO was back on the job, while the complainant remained at home.

Kellman was initially released by station bail. Meanwhile, after the conclusion of the investigations, a file was sent to DPP, who recommended that charges be instituted against him.

On Friday, he was released on $70,000 bail and the case was adjourned to August 27.

Development…

F

…and the good life inance Minister Jordan and his PNC-led government have been bigging up a claimed 4.1% growth rate Guyana is supposed to experience this year. It is, of course, an election year (if Garrido-Lowe’s hearsay info is to be believed!) and Guyanese are used to the tall tales that will be spun by the Government during the aptly named “silly season”!! But even if it were a “regular” year, Guyanese have to ask what does this trotting out of higher growth rates matter to them when they aren’t experiencing any improvement in their lives.

In their 2015 Manifesto, the APNU/AFC coalition promised Guyanese the “good life” and from an economic standpoint under the rubric, “Industrialisation and Jobs”, would accomplish this by “creating a new economy that will stimulate rapid development through Guyana’s transformation from a raw material producer to a manufacturer of value added goods and services”.

Well, now that we’re entering the fag end of their term of office, Guyanese should look around for this “new economy” that would’ve delivered the good life.

Is it the closure of 4 sugar estates and putting 7000 workers into the streets while allowing 60,000 acres of drained and irrigated land to revert to bush? Khemraj Ramjattan of the AFC did boast last week that his party played a big role in the closure – which wasn’t REALLY a closure but “right sizing” the industry. Well your Eyewitness, like most Guyanese, can accept that possibly sugar doesn’t have a place in a new economy that will produce better paying jobs. But is the solution to throw all those people out of work BEFORE new job opportunities are created?? Is the “good life” going to be lived when you’re scrounging for a living?

But what about the creation of new jobs? The business community had complained for years that the major constraint to their expansion into the manufacturing sector was the exorbitant cost of electricity. This is one of the highest in the world, at more than US 26 cents per kWh. The Govt manifesto had promised to “pay particular attention to the development of cheap energy from our hydropower resources to facilitate the diversification of the economy through the domestic development of higher value added products…” Yet, the Government SCRAPPED the Amaila Falls Hydro Electric Project bequeathed by the PPP administration, towards which Norway had committed US$80M and describing it as the best energy opportunity available for Guyana!!

It’s quite possible Guyanese mightn’t have known what exactly the promised “good life” is, and might’ve let the PNC off the hook. But the ostentatious lifestyle opened up to the Ministers with their immediate 50% pay raises and obscene perks opened their eyes.

Vote them out!! …and constitutional change A lot of folks, especially the newbies to the political scene, are fixated on “constitutional change” as the silver bullet to get us out of our political mess. But if they examine that mess even cursorily, they’d see that while constitutional change might be NECESSARY for Guyana, it sure ain’t SUFFICIENT to do the job. Just look what’s going on and let’s cut the crap.

Which one of us don’t know the PNC knew exactly what was the import of Art 106 (6) on Dec 21, 2018?

Weren’t they rubbing their hands in glee and chortling maniacally when Nagamootoo and the AFC were bringing their NCM against the minority PPP in 2014? And more to the point, listen to Nagamootoo’s and Volda Lawrence’s words right after the vote?? Amna Ally certainly wasn’t shouting, “Bring it on, big boy!!”

The question, of course, is “How do you enforce the Constitution when political players like the PNC will flaunt it with impunity??”

And the answer is: you can’t, in the absence of integrity! Guyana needs a few good men and women! …and local content First oil is nigh upon us, but yet there’s no local content legislation in place to ensure the oil companies will comply.

Meaning, ordinary Guyanese ain’t even getting crumbs like the Government!!

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

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saturday, august 24, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Poor water management by MMA producing more wild rice

RPA representative Mohamed Rafaideen holding a plant of the ‘jaranga rice’

P

oor water management on the part of the Mahaica/ Mahaicony/AbaryAgriculture Development Authority (MMA-ADA) is being blamed for a decline in rice production in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice).

According to Mohamed Rafaideen, who produces rice in the MMA scheme and also a Rice Producers Association (RPA)

Representative, one type of rice is not being counted in the production, and with increased quantities of that wild rice being produced, production figures are declining.

Rafaideen showed Guyana Times several rice fields covered with what appeared to be tall rice plants.

However, a closer look revealed that the taller plants were bearing black grains of

rice.

“This is what we call ‘jaranga’ plants or wild rice or red rice. When one of these grains are opened and you open it, it is red. When this goes to the mill there is a tolerance level for red rice…

That is not as bad as what happens here in the field”.

The rice farmer explained that because the ‘jaranga rice’ grows taller,

it overpowers the variety which is planted.

He attributed the prevalence of the unwanted rice, in such large quantities, to the lack of proper water management. If the MMA can improve this, he posited, then farmers will be able to control the spread of the wild rice.

“What is happening over the past few years, not only

One of the fields where the ‘red rice’ is taking over

in the MMA scheme, you will see a lot of this in all rice-growing areas right now… because for the past few years, these schemes, as they relate to drainage and irrigation, have been neglected. You cannot have proper water management if

you are not able to take water freely out from the field and let water back freely into the field. If you can take out water and let in water freely, then you will be able to manage water levels”.

Turn to page 15

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saturday, august 24, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

blames drug Region 2 Vice Chair without office Minister shortage on health …accuses REO of sabotage ...Police report filed

Regional Executive Officer (REO) Dennis Jaikaran

A

cting Chair of the Pomeroon-Supenaam region is accusing Regional Executive Officer (REO), Dennis Jaikaran of

sabotaging her since she is currently executing her functions without being afforded the courtesy of office space.

Regional Vice Chair, Nandranie Coonjah, who is acting on behalf of Regional Chair, said she is very much disappointed with the dictatorship attitude of Jaikaran, whom she accused of sabotaging her office as Regional Vice Chairman and Chairman (acting).

Coonjah told Guyana Times that the office of the Regional Vice Chairman, which is located in the engineering compound in Anna Regina, was scheduled for general repairs this year and as such, she received a letter to that effect from the REO in March. She added that she got her cleaner to assist her in packing all regional documents along with her personal belongings and was waiting to be relocated but to her surprise, on Friday her office was broken into by the Regional Superintendent and all documents including her personal belongings were removed.

Coonjah said that the REO also locked the Regional Chairman’s office which is located in the Regional Democratic Council’s building and presently, she has

Regional Vice Chair Nandranie Coonjah

no office space to execute her functions. The elected official accused the REO of sabotaging her ability to function effectively. She went on to add that Jaikaran is constantly walking out of the meetings and she feels that corruption may be the reason that he behaves the way he does.

Earlier this year, her driver and vehicle were taken away by the REO and her travelling allowance, when submitted, is not being approved.

Coonjah said that she made an official report to the police at Anna Regina because she fears that there may be a ploy to tamper with her documents. Also, a letter was dispatched to the Minister of Communities.

This is not the first time an incident of such nature has occurred in the region.

In May, there was a showdown between Jaikaran and Alliance For Change (AFC) Regional Councillor, Nathram which ended with the police being called to the Regional Democratic Council Office.

Reports were that Nathram was in an office, which is under the Regional Finance Department and located inside the Regional Compound, when he was padlocked within the building by Jaikaran.

According to Nathram, he was inside his office when the REO placed a padlock on his office door from the outside, locking him in the office.

Guyana Times was told that Nathram then called the police, who went to the compound and finally opened the door. The AFC Councillor had claimed that the incident stemmed from an incident that occurred at the sitting of the RDC. He said that at that meeting, he questioned the attitude of the REO towards the acting Regional Chairman, Nandranie Coonjah – after the REO failed to recognise her. Nathram claimed that since the incident, the REO has instructed the security guards not to allow his vehicle to enter the compound.

However, Jaikaran said he wrote Nathram about two weeks before the incident, indicating that he needed to vacate his office to facilitate renovations. He said he told the Councillor that he would be temporarily housed inside another office until the renovation work is complete. According to Jaikaran, Nathram was not complying and he was forced to put a padlock on the door because there are very important documents and equipment stored in the said office space.

sector employees

…says electronic system will relieve situation

I

n response to claims of widespread drug shortages across Guyana, Public Health Minister, Volda Lawrence has made it clear that there is no unavailability of medical supplies.

According to the Minister, drugs are oftentimes available at the various storage facilities in the respective regions, however, it is the responsibility of the public health sector workers to ensure the supplies are requested before they are depleted.

Lawrence was at the time responding to questions at the sidelines of an event on Wednesday.

“This we have been trying to grapple with and that’s why we are trying to move as quickly as possible to ensure we have electriconise the system, so that persons will be able to see in the system what is happening because many times the drugs and the supplies are there either at the local level at their warehouse or it is at the Ministry’s level and if persons do not make a request then that will not be fulfilled and sometimes we have a lot of system failures where persons don’t do what they’re supposed to in a timely manner,” she explained.

Just one week ago, it was reported that medical supplies were lacking in Region One (BarimaWaini). Toshao of Kamwatta Hill, Maurice Henry stated that complaints were being raised by health officials about the shortage of medicines for quite some time.

“There is shortage of drugs for a long while.

Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence

There’s a young health worker who recently started working and he said he hasn’t received any kind of drugs in adequate amounts although they made requests. When the former health worker was there, we used to get complaints about the shortage of drugs,” Henry noted.

On July 31, the Ministry’s Public Relations Officer, Terrence Esseboom, confirmed that the country’s premier health institution, the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) ran out of medication to treat malaria. The medication was, however, available but the staff did not make a request for it.

The specific drug was not stocked in the main pharmacy so a patient had to endure intense pains and high fever in the hospital’s ward.

This could have been avoided if staffers would have requested the treatment earlier from the Vector Control Services, which is a stone’s throw away from GPHC, the PRO explained.

news

EBE accident leaves several injured

A

Photos captured by the West Demerara Road Safety Council show the extent of the damage to the two minibuses

n accident involving two Route 32 minibuses – BTT 4542 and BTT 4448— on Friday, in the vicinity of Philadelphia, East Bank Essequibo, has left several

persons seriously injured. Guyana Times understands that those injured were rushed to the West Demerara Regional Hospital for medical attention.

Miami health officials issue dengue alert

T

he Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County today issued a mosquito-borne illness alert for Miami-Dade County, according to US media reports.

Reports are that a case of dengue fever of local transmission has been confirmed in a Miami-Dade resident, making this the third local case in 2019. The three local cases do not appear to be related, the report said.

Dengue is a virus spread through bites from the Aedes Agypti mosquito which also spreads the chikungunya and Zika viruses.

The Miami alert included suggestions to secure water containers and the use of insect repellents. (Jamaica Observer)

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saturday, august 24, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

29-year-old jailed for ganja trafficking

S

enior Magistrate Leron Daly on Friday sentenced 29-year-old Stedmond Smart to three years and six months’ imprisonment when he appeared before her and admitted to having a quantity of narcotics in his possession for the purpose of trafficking.

The charge against Smart stated that on August 22, 2019, at Princess Street, Wortmanville, Georgetown, he had in his possession 16.159 kilograms, equivalent to 36 pounds, of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.

The unrepresented man after admitting to the charge told the court that he was keeping the marijuana for his friend.

“I collected it from a friend to keep and he was [supposed to] collect it the following day but he did not show up,” he said in a plea of mitigation.

However, Police Prosecutor

Jailed: Stedmond Smart

Sanj Singh informed the court that on August 22, ranks went to Smart’s home and conducted a search. During the search, ranks searched a bedroom and a quantity of leaves, seeds and stems were found in a blue barrel.

Smart was told of the offence and while being cautioned, he admitted to keeping the illegal substance for a friend.

The Magistrate after listening to the facts jailed Smart.

12 news

saturday, august 24, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Georgetown experiencing low water pressure …GWI says repair works ongoing

F

or the past three days, residents of Georgetown have been experiencing low water pressure as a result of a damaged Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) main at Cemetery

Road, Georgetown.

Several persons reached out to this publication on Friday complaining about the low water pressure and the length of time the situation is taking to rectify.

A fuming resident complained to Guyana Times that he lives not far away from where the damages occurred. He noted that he has been experiencing the full brunt of effects. The man

A damaged section of the water main (GWI photo)

said the water pressure has been so low that it does not reach the pipes in his house.

As a consequence, he argued that he is forced to fetch buckets of water into his home so his wife can cook and carry out her daily routine.

Further, another woman, who gave her name only as Sarah, explained that the situation is very frustrating, given that she will have to still pay a hefty bill at the end of the month. The inconvenienced woman said she hopes her water supply can be restored shortly.

According to the water company, the disruption of service was necessary to facilitate repairs to a damaged 14-inch main.

“Technicians have been working tirelessly throughout the night and continue to work to rectify the problem within the swiftest possible time,” the agency said on its Facebook page.

In another post, GWI said residents in Bell Vue,

Parfaite Harmonie and L’Oratoire who were affected, we do apologise for the disruption earlier and thank you for your patience”.

Just last week, Guyana Times reported that a large section of West Coast Demerara has been without potable water for at least one week.

This publication was told that the water pressure was low for over two weeks,

Maintenance works ongoing at Cemetery Road (GWI photo)

Canal Number Two and Westminister, West Bank Demerara are also experiencing a disruption, owing to the fluctuation of power supply by the Guyana Power and Light (GPL).

The company noted, “Guyana Water Incorporated is working with the power company to resolve this issue within the soonest possible time and apologises for any inconvenience this is causing our valued customers. Customers from

forcing residents to spend lengthy periods using small containers to “catch” water.

However, as of the past week, the water has completely stopped and residents are unaware as to the cause.

The Public Relations Officer of GWI said that the matter was investigated and no issue was found at the well station in sourcing the affected areas with water.

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saturday, august 24, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

50 graduate from TOTALTEC Oilfield safety, operators programme

Trans Guyana, KLM to begin Europe flights on Sep 1

Commercial Manager of Trans Guyana, Alexandra Correia shares a handshake with Country Manager of KLM Airlines, Martijn Broecke in the presence of other TGA officials

B Some of the graduates at the TOTALTEC Oilfield Services safety and operators’ graduation on Friday

F

ifty persons on Friday graduated from the TOTALTEC Academy Oilfields Services training programme. Among those who graduated are three women.

The graduates underwent a rigorous eight-week programme consisting of theoretical and practical training. During that period, the students completed nine courses covering 64 modules of safety and oil and gas operational training.

The recruits, who all attained over 85 per cent pass mark, were trained by First Competence Ltd, which is an approved learning centre certified by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). The programme was provided free of cost since all recruits received full scholarships from TOTALTEC. The graduates include previous students of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions in Guyana, along with some workers who were laid off from the sugar, bauxite and gold mining industries. All 50 graduates will be em-

ployed in sections of the oil and gas sector.

CEO of TOTALTEC, Lars Mangal said that the graduation is a momentous occasion for Guyana.

“I would say that it is a momentous event for the industry in Guyana because we are graduating 50 young Guyanese men and women, the first time that we have been able to get through 50 graduates in three months but we have been able to accelerate since we have started 15 months ago to now have trained 250 Guyanese,” Lars revealed.

British High Commissioner to Guyana, Gregory Quinn shared similar sentiments and further stated that the graduation is a clear indication of TOTALTEC’s benefits to Guyana.

“Today’s (Friday) ceremony marks the start of a new year for 50 young Guyanese who successfully completed the programme.

They have all secured positions in the oil and gas industry, that is a significant achievement and we should all be proud and happy that

they have done so” Quinn briefly remarked.

Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman congratulated TOTALTEC’s CEO for the achievement and for raising the bar for similar academies that will soon come to Guyana.

TOTALTEC Academy has developed programmes to international standards which deliberately ensure gender diversity in their recruitment.

The academy has since formed a strategic alliance with MATPAL Marine Institute which provides International Maritime Organisation (IMO) certified training for seafarers.

The alliance provides new, integrated training programmes, geared to accelerate the development of a world-class Guyanese workforce to participate in both the maritime and oil and gas industries.

TOTALTEC will soon develop the academy into a world class campus spanning 3-acres and which will offer a full curriculum of oil and gas training.

eginning from September 1, Trans Guyana Airways (TGA) will begin its flights to Europe via Suriname.

Trans Guyana Airways has partnered with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines - the flagship carrier of the Netherlands – to introduce this new route.

Commercial Manager of Trans Guyana, Alexandra Correia made the official announcement of the services on Friday morning at the Eugene F Correia International Airport, Ogle, East Coast Demerara.

For now, two weekly flights will be departing Guyana on Sundays and Mondays for Europe.

One-way tickets cost US$233 for an adult and US$186 for children while return tickets cost US$430 for adults and US$337 for children.

Correia told a news conference, “Starting on 1st September, Trans Guyana Airways Beech 1900D will be flying from the Eugene F Correia International Airport to Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport in

Suriname to connect with KLM’s flight to Amsterdam International Airport Schiphol”.

This new route, she added, will be the fastest from Guyana to Amsterdam.

Moreover, she noted, “no visas will be required when in-transit in Suriname and perhaps I should also point out that this route to Europe avoids the USA so there will be no need for a US visa.

The flight times are very convenient. We’ll be departing from Ogle (EFCIA) at around 14:00h and departing Amsterdam at 11:30h,” while highlighting some of the other benefits of this new partnership.

Meanwhile, Country Manager of KLM, Martijn Broecke assured potential passengers of safety and exceptional customer service as he shared on the company’s history.

“I think that many people have heard that KLM is the oldest company in the world that is still operating under its own name and is celebrating its 100 years of existence on the 7th October…we also operate

80 years in Suriname. We started in December 1934 with a three-engined Fokker F-XVIII,” he explained.

The country manager added that customers will be able to cash in on its Flying Blue loyalty programme, which gains the traveller points to purchase tickets, allowance for extra baggage and upgrades among others.

There is also another initiative called Bluebiz, which allows companies to save Blue credits to purchase tickets and ancillary products for employees.

Moreover, passengers on this route can expect free Wi-Fi and other in-flight entertainment.

This new route will increase Guyana’s connectivity to Europe. Last year, Guyana hosted the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Conference where plans were revealed to develop relationships with each member state, including Africa, Asia and Europe.

Several new agreements have since been inked with numerous countries in this regard.

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saturday, august 24, 2019| guyanatimesgy.com

GPF gives over $5M in bursary awards to NGSA students

Chief Education presentation

Officer(CEO)

T

o demonstrate its commitment of recognising academic achievements of its members’ children, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Friday hosted its annual bursary awards ceremony, which saw some 156 students who sat the 2019 National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) and obtained excellent grades receiving monetary awards.

The 156 students received over $5 million.

Statistics of this year’s performance revealed that of the total recipients, the highest recipient gained

Marcel

Hutson

during

his

519 compared to last year’s 515. This year, the figures have shown an increase in overall performance of the awardees, and was deemed most outstanding from previous years.

Recognising this success, Police Commissioner Leslie James in his brief remarks directed words of encouragement to parents and guardians, in which he urged them to show continuous support towards their children’s educational journey as they are Guyana’s future.

“I would equally urge the parents and guardians who

have brought you thus far, to continue to support you towards that achievement towards that goal. It’s not difficult as you would realise today, because whatever you would’ve put in that is what you achieve…it is required of us to mould you as being the potential person for the next generation,” the Commissioner noted.

Meanwhile, Chief Education Officer (CEO) Marcel Hutson, in his feature address, conveyed a similar message to the attendees, as he stressed on the significance of education in today’s society.

“I believe it is opportune, it is right, it is timely to celebrate this fundamental resource, because if as a nation we are going to expand, we are going to grow, we are going to develop, education is pivotal…no nation can really advance purposefully without education,” he underscored.

On this note, the CEO reiterated how important it is for a child’s family, especially their parents, to be

Top award recipient Dellon Graham receiving his award from Commissioner Leslie James

involved in his/her upbringing, particularly in the area of education.

“Change does not happen, it has to be caused and what better place for change to take place than at the

level of the family which is considered the basic unit of society. So parents have a fundamental role to play in equipping children and allowing them to enjoy some degree of education,” Hutson

affirmed.

The student receiving the Force’s top prize of $200,000 was Dellon Graham— grandson of Assistant Police Commissioner Maxine Graham— who secured 519 marks at the NGSA. The awards were handed out at the officers’ Mess Office in Eve Leary, Georgetown, and each of the 156 students received financial grants of $25,000 each, along with a $2000 voucher. Some of the organisations which would’ve contributed financially to offer these awards include: the Ex-Police Association of Canada, Guyana Mutual Insurance Company, and the Zara Group.

Most students who received bursaries on Friday have obtained 400 marks and above at the NGSA examination. On April 17 and 18, some 14,715 pupils wrote the examinations to complete their primary education and gain entrance into the secondary education system.

459 applications filed for timber concessions – Trotman

…68 parcels to be granted by September

T

he Guyana Forestry Commission has been flocked with 459 applications from interested stakeholders after concessions for 68 parcels of land were advertised.

This disclosure was made by Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman and Commissioner of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC), James Singh on Thursday, which suggests that interest still prevails in the traditional sectors.

Generally, the Commission would advertise areas available for al-

location and after the applications are received, they are screened by a Technical Sub-Committee for the requisite criteria.

“We would first advertise areas available for allocation, having checked those areas, and verify that they have stocking. We normally advertise for one month. We receive applications. The applications are screened and processed and then they are reviewed by the GFC Board, Technical Sub-Committee, which has a series of criteria that they use to evaluate the applications. Those criteria are public. The Technical

Sub-Committee would then make its recommendations to the full GFC Board which would then approve the award of concessions,” the Commissioner explained.

The process, Singh said, would take some two months. Since they are in the reviewing stage, the applications should be granted

by September.

“That process would take between one or two months.

Currently, the Board’s Technical Sub-Committee is in the process of reviewing the 459 applications.

Hopefully in September, we’ll be able to make the

GFC Commissioner James Singh

award.”

During World Environment Day last June, the Government said it was looking to make reforestation a mandatory requirement for loggers and miners applying for concessions, so as to preserve and sustain

its forests.

President David Granger had emphasised that protecting the environment is an obligation, not an option.

It was noted that Guyana is proud to be part of the “Guiana Shield,” which is considered to be the “lungs of the world”. To this end, he underscored the importance of safeguarding the country’s forests from harmful activities, such as mining and logging.

“Mining and logging are two of the principal contributors to deforestation. Smallscale mining alone accounted for about 89 per cent of deforestation over the past three years. So small-scale mining has a large-scale impact on the environment.

Deforestation by both mining and logging has scarred our rainforests with craters.

These wastelands result in further land degradation of

Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman

the exposed land. Guyana’s forestry and mining laws will be strengthened to make re-forestation and land reclamations conditional for the approval of mining and logging concessions,” the Head of State posited.

15 EPA to have offices in every region by end of 2020 news

saturday, august 24, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Executive Director of EPA, Dr Vincent Adams and Minister of State, Dawn Hastings-Williams surrounded by senior officers of the EPA, EU, GFC and the FAO

T

he Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will soon have offices countrywide.

This was disclosed by its Executive Director, Dr Vincent Adams. He made the announcement at the close of the EPA workshops that targeted Community

Forest Operators (CFOs).

According to the Department of Public Information, the workshops were aimed at enlightening CFOs on the need to have an Environmental Authorisation before any forest activity. This was done in collaboration with

the European Union/ Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (EU/FLEGT) and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

During the exercise, 12 workshops were held in eight regions, except Regions 5 and 8, as these

pay is late.”

In a live feed on Facebook on Thursday, Duke said he was shocked, perturbed and upset over the Prime Minister’s statement.

Charging that Rowley is not performing, Duke said, “He is turning his failure from managing the public service outwards, away from himself, and placing it upon the public servants. “It worries me. It worries all 80,000 public servants of this country and it hurts us to the core. It says to that mother, that good worker who leaves south at 4 am to come to Port of Spain for an 8 o’clock job, that leaves work at 5- 6

pm to get home that your efforts are not recognised.”

Although public servants were doing yeoman service, he said, they were lacking the basic necessities to carry out their jobs, including toilet paper. Former minister of Public Administration Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan said it was unfortunate the Prime Minister used a broad-brush approach. She said many public officers are desirous of delivering services but are unable to effectively do so because of the current antiquated processes and system and the lack of effective enabling tools to do the job. (Excerpt from T&T Guardian)

Licks for Rowley after calling public servants ‘unproductive’

P

rime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has come under heavy criticism by the head of the Public Service Association (PSA) and social media users for remarking that there were many unproductive public servants.

PSA president Watson Duke took to Facebook to respond to the Prime Minister who made the statement at the Police Academy in St James on Wednesday.

Rowley had said, “Many of them produce absolutely nothing when the day comes. Collect a salary at the end of the month and make the most noise when

do not have any registered CFOs. 319 participants represented 48 of 69 registered CFOs. While the workshops were deemed a success, Dr Adams said that many persons are limited from applying for an Environmental Authorisation owing to Guyana’s geographic setup. To address the issue, he said that the EPA is taking a two-pronged approach to access to the EPA. “The Agency will approach EU and the FAO for the second phase of this project to allow the Agency to meet operators and provide similar services of-

fered at the central office in Georgetown for them to become authorised. So, instead of operators coming to the Agency, the Agency will go to them… For the longer and sustainable term, the Agency will continue to aggressively pursue its goal of establishing an office presence in every region of the country by the end of 2020,” he is quoted by DPI as saying.

Dr Adams added that as a result of the workshops, “the Agency received applications for an environmental permit from five CFOs. A clear indication that this project has result-

ed in CFOs now willing to apply for Environmental Authorisation after their capacities were built through this training”.

Minister of State, Dawn Hastings-Williams said that Guyana has recognised that its forests must be protected and effectively managed. This, she noted, can only be achieved if everyone is in compliance with the Environment Authorisation.

According to the Minister, economic diversification is critical. She challenged the forest operators to be innovative and creative.

Poor water management...

He further pointed out that when water levels cannot be managed, then weed and wild rice will flourish.

“When this happens, it reduces the yield significantly. Right now, in the MMA scheme and right across, farmers are being faced with so much of burden,” Rafaideen lamented.

Among those burdens is a 430 per cent increase of land rentals being imposed by the MMA. According to Rafaideen, while the MMA has increased fees from $3500 to $15,000, farmers do not have access to the rice fields.

“We are standing here on what should be the Main

Access Road, where a fourwheel truck might find it difficult to traverse. We have drainage and irrigation that are being neglected. When you have these systems that cannot get the water out of the field as we need to or into the field as we need to, then we cannot have a proper water management”.

If water cannot be properly managed, weeds will take over the fields, he added.

“In fact, I’ve seen the GRDB (Guyana Rice Development Board) advising farmers to reduce the amount of spraying they have been doing to control the pest”.

The rice farmer noted that recently, the GRDB brought

From page 9

in an engineer and an agronomist who, in his opinion, are not qualified to provide advice on the way forward as it relates to the paddy bug infestation.

The RPA representative also commented on the increases by GRDB. “From $1000 to $7000, and you still have the red rice in their fields? If the fields are properly levelled, that will also help to reduce and other weeds and give better yield. But they have moved the land rent from 1000 to $7000 and there are little or no drainage and irrigation services being provided there is also a little or no access to rice fields,” he stressed.

saturday, august 24, 2019

guyanatimesgy.com

16

Regional

Mexican families scour arid plains for Venezuelans race to Ecuador before new graves of disappeared

Members of ‘Grupo Vida’, which recently opened a tortilla factory to cover the operating costs of their community-led forensic digs, take part in a search for human remains at a plot in the municipality of San Pedro, Mexico [Photo by: Daniel Becerril]

F

ifteen years after her daughter’s disappearance, 55-year-old Silvia Ortiz spends day after day raking through arid scrubland in northern Mexico hoping to find her remains.

Ortiz belongs to a group of families working to uncover graves of some of the 40,000 people who have gone missing in mounting lawlessness since the Government sent in the armed forces

to tackle Mexico’s drug cartels at the end of 2006.

More than 200,000 people have been killed in the violence since then, and shedding light on the fate of the disappeared is one of the toughest challenges facing the administration of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Criminal gangs often bury the bodies of victims in clandestine graves.

Some have been known to try to minimise evidence by dismembering or dousing them in acid.

Meanwhile, Mexican criminal investigators and forensic teams have struggled to keep up with the increased workload during the surge in killings.

Fear of reprisals at the hands of perpetrators can also impede efforts to identify victims.

Decked out in surgical masks and sun hats, Ortiz’s collective – Grupo Vida or “Life Group” – keeps up a near-constant digging operation around the city of Torreon in the state of Coahuila.

The volunteer association made up of relatives of local missing people set out six years ago to uncover clandestine graves, saying Government officials were not trying hard enough to find or identify human remains.

“This is why we say we’re facing a forensic emergency,” said Ortiz, sitting at home with her husband, Oscar Sanchez, surrounded by framed photos of their daughter Silvia Stephanie Sanchez before she disappeared in 2004, aged 16.

She has not been heard from since.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Motion to impeach Rihanna to honour PM Haitian President Mottley at Diamond Ball rejected

L

egislators have rejected an Oppositioninspired motion aimed at impeaching President Jovenel Moise, whom they had accused of high treason, violating the Haitian legislation and was leading the country to “the edge of the social explosion”.

Following a third attempt to debate the motion in as many weeks this week, the legislators voted overwhelming to defeat the move with 53 Deputies voting against the measure, three in favour and five abstaining.

Like in the previous attempts, the Chamber of Deputies had difficulties in getting the necessary quorum and when the Chamber was called to order on Wednesday afternoon, only 64 deputies were present, resulting in the Speaker Gary Bodeau announced a 30-minute suspension.

But when the matter resumed more than an hour later, opposition legislator, Rodon Bien-Aimé, asked the President to verify the quorum, resulting in 83 members being present for the debate.

The motion was then put to the Chamber for debate with legislators demanding all documents relating to the accusation and had forced a postponement when the Chamber met earlier this month to debate the issue.

But following another suspension on Wednesday, Opposition member of the Lavalas party, Vikerson Garnier, claimed not all the requested documents had been provided.

“They are deceivers.

They simply want to damage the reputation of the President of the Republic,” said Claude Lesly Pierre, who later voted against the motion. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

B

arbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley and civil rights activist Shaun King are set to receive this year’s Diamond Ball Award at Rihanna’s annual Diamond Ball.

According to several international news sources, Rihanna released a statement saying: “I can’t imagine a better night than this year’s Clara Lionel Foundation event with Seth Meyers, Pharrell and DJ Khaled. I am particularly honoured to present Prime Minister Mottley and Shaun King with this year’s Diamond Ball Awards for their groundbreaking work.

We are so thankful to them for joining us and making the night better than ever”.

Mottley will be honoured as trailblazer in politics. She was the first woman elected to lead the Barbados Labour Party, and went on to serve as the first female Attorney General and Deputy Prime Minister of Barbados.

She is also recognised for her work in spearheading the Education Sector Enhancement Programme, which aims to increase the amount of young people contributing to the social and economic development of the country through school facility and technology rehabilitation, along with teacher training and curriculum reform.

King will also be honoured for his civil rights activism. He is known for relaunching the Frederick Douglass publication The North Star, and King co-founding social justice lobbyist organisation Real Justice PAC, which looks to elect prosecutors of all levels who support criminal justice reform.

This year’s ball will be held on September 12 in New York City, and will be hosted by comedian Seth Meyers. Pharrell and DJ Khaled are scheduled to perform. (Excerpt from Barbados Nation News)

visa rules take effect

People walk on the Rumichaca International Bridge into Ecuador, where officials have noticed a spike in Venezuelan arrivals before the country’s new visa requirements take effect on Monday [Photo by:

F

Pu Ying Huang/Al Jazeera]

or months, Jose Amaya held out hope that his country would change. Even as his friends, family and neighbours abandoned Venezuela, with its hunger and violence, he refused to leave his home, his car and the only life he ever knew in the city of Maracaibo.

But earlier this month Ecuador, about 1,600km away, announced it would begin to require visas for Venezuelans from August 26, following similar moves by Chile and Peru.

That was when Aymala, 54, concluded that time was running out for him and his three grandchildren. ‘’When we saw the news about the visa, we knew it was time,’’ he said as he waited amid thousands of his fellow displaced country-

men to cross Colombia’s cold and mountainous border into Ecuador while they still could. ‘’We practically gave up hope in Venezuela’’.

Amaya echoed the feelings of many who stood wrapped in blankets beside heaped luggage at the border: Doors were closing to Venezuelan migrants while the political, economic and humanitarian crises that drove them from their homes only promised to deepen.

Amaya travelled with a group of 10 – neighbours and relatives, children and adults – who had gotten together and sold off a Chevy Malibu, AC units, furniture and a PlayStation to buy bus passes across Colombia to meet his 21-year-old son in the Ecuadoran capital of Quito. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Jamaica: Man who disarmed cop arrested

T

he man who is alleged to have attacked, injured, and disarmed a Policeman of his service firearm yesterday at the Cross Roads Police Station in Kingston, Jamaica is now in Police custody.

According to a statement by the Jamaica Constabulary Force, the accused was captured this morning during an operation in Spanish Town, St Catherine.

The man is said to be a security guard who goes by

the name Romario Kevin Abrahams.

The Police say Abrahams will be facing several charges.

Initial reports from the Cross Roads Police are that Abrahams went to the station about 13:00h to give a statement and submit a medical report in a case of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. While being assisted he reportedly attacked and disarmed the Police officer and quickly made his escape. (Jamaica Observer)

Canada, Antigua thrill Carifesta patrons

A

Belizean band playing their country’s traditional music opened the Carifesta country night show on Wednesday, delighting the audience who turned up at the Queen’s Park Savannah with their unique sound.

Canada took the stage next, and showed off their Caribbean influences in music, song and dance.

With the theme Canadian Pride, Caribbean Pride, the show, narrated by Danielle Ellis, stuck to the theme beginning with the first act, Kalabash, a jazz

sextet formed in Toronto in 1993. The band’s focus is on using pan as a lead voice in a jazz ensemble dedicated to experimenting with the layering of rich jazz harmonies over the folk and popular rhythms of the Caribbean.

Colleen Allen, who at times soloed on saxes, flute and clarinet, and Gareth Burgess on pan, delighted the crowd.

Joaquin Nunez Hidalgo (drums), Darryl JosephDennie (keyboards),Andrew Stewart (electric bass) and TT-born bandleader Anthony Pierre ( percus-

SWEET MUSIC: The Antigua and Barbuda Carifesta contingent used drama, song, dance and pan to show off what their island has to offer during Country Night at the Queen’s Park Savannah on Wednesday [Photo by: Sureash Cholai]

sion) also had their stellar solo moments Kalabash also introduced Charmaine Forde to sing Nina Simone’s version of Love Me or Leave Me, which earned her lusty applause from the crowd.

Other performances by the Canadian team came from Roots & Branches Dance and Children Youth Dance Theatre.

Antigua and Barbuda followed with a highly entertaining performance. Their theme was Antigua Me Come From, Barbuda Me Come From. (Excerpt from Trinidad Newsday)

guyanatimesgy.com

saturday, august 24, 2019

17

Around the World

Trump orders US firms out of China Kashmir: Roads blocked, security tightened after Beijing sets new tariffs

U

S President Donald Trump on Friday said he has ordered American companies to exit China after Beijing unveiled retaliatory tariffs on $75 billion in US goods, throwing a new twist into the bitter trade war between the world’s two largest economies.

“We don’t need China and, frankly, would be far better off without them.

The vast amounts of money made and stolen by China from the United States, year after year, for decades, will and must stop,” Trump tweeted.

It’s unclear what legal authority Trump would be able to use to compel US companies to close operations in China or stop sourcing products from the country.

China on Friday said it would impose retaliatory tariffs on $75 billion of US goods, targeting crude oil for the first time and re-

US President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping pose for a photo ahead of their bilateral meeting during the G20 leaders’ summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019

newing punitive duties on American-made autos.

The latest salvo was in response to Trump’s plans

to impose 10 per cent tariffs on a final $300 billion list of Chinese-made consumer goods on September 1 and December 15, including cell phones, toys, laptop computers and clothing.

China’s Commerce Ministry said that on those same dates it will impose additional tariffs of 5 per cent or 10 per cent on a total of 5078 products originating from the United States including agricultural products such as soybeans, beef and pork, as well as small aircraft.

Beijing is also reinstituting tariffs on cars and auto parts originating from the United States that it suspended last December as US-China trade talks accelerated.

“China’s decision to implement additional tariffs was forced by the US’s unilateralism and protectionism,” the Ministry said in a statement. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Ocean Viking: EU nations to take in migrants stuck near Malta

The migrants crowded aboard the ship celebrated when told about the deal

S

ix EU countries have agreed to take in 356 African migrants aboard the rescue ship Ocean Viking, which has not been allowed to dock in Italy or Malta.

The migrants, mostly

from Sudan, cheered and danced on hearing the news.

Malta’s navy will ferry them ashore, but Malta will not let them stay.

France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal and Romania will

host them.

SOS Méditerranée, one of the French charities involved, had urged a resolution after two weeks at sea.

It said people were dying because the system for saving migrants from drowning had broken down.

SOS Méditerranée is running the rescue ship jointly with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

France has agreed to accept 150 of the migrants and Portugal up to 35. The other allocations are not yet clear.

EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos negotiated the deal with Malta and the other six EU countries.

On Tuesday, about 100 migrants stranded aboard

another rescue ship, the Open Arms, disembarked on the Italian island of Lampedusa after 19 days at sea. They were only allowed ashore once five other EU countries had similarly agreed to host them.

Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Salvini calls the rescue ships taxis for people-smugglers and refuses to let them dock in Italy. His tough stance has contributed to the current turmoil in Italian politics, with the collapse of his coalition deal with populist Five Star.

The MSF coordinator aboard the Ocean Viking, Jay Berger, expressed relief that the “excruciating wait” was finally over. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Yemeni Government forces take control of Ataq after clashes

F

orces loyal to Yemen’s internationally recognised Government have taken full control of a key southern city following heavy clashes with United Arab Emirates-backed separatist fighters, according to local sources and media reports.

The clashes in Ataq, the capital of oil-rich Shabwa province, began on Thursday and lasted until Friday morning, security officials told The Associated Press news agency.

The fighting caused deaths and injuries, local sources told Al Jazeera.

In a Twitter post late on Thursday, Yemen’s Minister of Transport Saleh alGabwani said Government

forces were “in control of the situation” in Ataq. He also denied that separatist fighters had occupied streets and buildings in the city.

The clashes mark the latest bout of violence between troops loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and a UAEtrained militia allied to the pro-secession Southern Transitional Council (STC).

On Thursday, Rajeh Badi, a spokesman for Hadi’s Government, accused Abu Dhabi of being responsible for the separatists’ attempt to seize Ataq.

The two groups are part of a Saudi-UAE-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen’s north. The STC, which seeks self-rule

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions forced from their homes in the Yemen conflict [Fawaz Salman/Reuters]

in the south, turned on the Government after accusing a party allied to Hadi of being complicit in a Houthi attack on southern forces in July.

Yemen’s long-running war has triggered what the UN describes as the world’s

worst humanitarian crisis, with 24.1 million - more than two-thirds of the population - in need of aid.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions forced from their homes. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

after call for march

Several Srinagar residents faced difficulties due to the ban on movement

I

ndian authorities tightened restrictions before Friday prayers in Srinagar, the main city of Indianadministered Kashmir, after posters distributed at mosques called for a protest march towards a United Nations office.

The disputed region has been on edge after India’s Hindu-nationalist Government on August 5 stripped the Muslimmajority state of its special status by abrogating Article 370, a constitutional provision that protected the demographic makeup of Jammu and Kashmir and provided it with limited autonomy.

In the lead-up to its controversial move, India sent thousands of additional troops to the region, arrested political leaders, imposed a curfew and shut down telecommunications and internet services.

On Friday, authorities re-imposed restrictions that

have been eased in some areas, with paramilitary troops deployed to prevent any possible protests and roads sealed with coiled razor wires and steel barricades.

Access to the office of the UN Military Observers Group for India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), based in Srinagar’s Sonwar locality and a focal point for many anti-India marches over the past three decades, was also blocked.

Still, hundreds of people took to streets of Soura, a densely populated enclave in Srinagar, to denounce the scrapping of Article 370.

“We will continue to take to roads ‘til this suppression is not over,” said a female protester, as others shouted anti-India slogans and held banners that read “Wake up UN”.

“We have sacrificed our lives, our children and everything, they can’t silence all of us,” she added. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

US names Nigerians in massive fraud investigation

T

he US authorities have charged 80 people, “most of whom are Nigerian nationals”, with participating in a conspiracy to steal millions of dollars, prosecutors said.

They are accused of using business email fraud schemes and romance scams to con victims - many of them elderly.

Police have so far arrested 14 suspects across the US, 11 in Los Angeles alone.

Others are thought to be in Nigeria and authorities there say they will cooperate with the US. Prosecutors say it is one of the “largest cases of its kind in US history”.

The FBI started investigating the case in 2016 in a single bank account but it later extended to cover multiple victims in the US and around the world.

All the 80 defendants have been charged with conspiracy to commit fraud, conspiracy to launder money, and aggravated identity theft, the US Attorney’s

Office in the Central District of California said in a press release.

Those named should be handed to the US to face a trial, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, who heads the Nigerian Government’s diaspora commission said in a statement.

“We... ask those accused in Nigeria to voluntarily turn themselves in to American authorities to clear their names, without which the Nigerian Government should extradite them if relevant international treaties between the two Governments are invoked.”

The actions of a few should not tarnish all Nigerians, she added.

The suspects used illicit money exchangers to move money to Nigeria, generally avoiding transferring the funds directly through banking institutions, the indictment says.

The authorities have listed a total of 252 charges against the 80 suspects. (Excerpt from BBC News)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

saturday, august 24, 2019

ARCHIE

ARIES

Taking a day trip, vis-

(March 21- iting old friends or doing April 19) something informative will

make your day. Spending time with someone who treasures the same things you do will be enjoyable.

TAURUS You’ve got the moves, so (April 20- get out there and do your May 20) thing. You’ll attract attention

dilbert

and enhance your chances of meeting someone who has something to offer. Romance is highlighted.

GEMINI Sit back and breathe.

(May 21- Don’t overly credit rank June 20) speculation. Getting upset before there is good reason to will only make matters worse. Focus on having fun with others.

Peanuts

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Trust in your ability to get things done correctly. Personal improvements can be made that will invite compliments as well as romantic action. Positive change is heading your way.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

If you take care of things that cause stress or problems between you and a loved one or co-worker, it will be uplifting and will have a positive impact on more than one meaningful relationship.

Take part in events that VIRGO (Aug. 23- challenge you or help you Sept. 22) recognize what’s essential.

A personal change will be emotional, but, in the end, it will also be gratifying.

Calvin and Hobbes

Take a moment to think LIBRA over what’s happened be(Sept. 23fore making your next move.

Oct. 23) Words matter, and what someone says should impact the way you feel and how you respond.

SUDOKU

If you want to change, SCORPIO (Oct. 24- make it happen. If you aren’t Nov. 22) happy with the way things are going, it’s up to you to do something. Romance is encouraged, and personal change is featured.

SAGITTARIUS Stop before it’s too late.

Temptation should not be (Nov. 23allowed to consume you.

Dec. 21) Stick to the tried and true, and avoid every kind of risk.

solution for last published puzzle

Size up your domestic, fiCAPRICORN nancial and medical situa(Dec. 22tions and do whatever needs Jan. 19) to be done to fine-tune your life. Embrace good habits, discipline and stress-free environments. Romance is highlighted.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

Focus on home and family. Live within your means and do your best to get along with loved ones. Choose to communicate intelligently and solve differences peacefully.

Keep your emotions PISCES under control and your (Feb. 20- thoughts to yourself. Strive March 20) for stability and avoid situations that are excessive or that could force a wedge between you and a loved one.

saturday, august 24, 2019

19

Josh Hazlewood’s 5-for sparks England collapse – Ashes hopes hanging by a thread

A

dire capitulation with the bat left England’s Ashes hopes hanging by a thread after another thrilling day in this engrossing series.

Credit goes to Australia’s strike bowlers, led by Josh Hazlewood’s devastating five-wicket haul, for putting Australia in a position to win the third Test at Headingley and take a 2-0 lead in the series -- which would allow them to retain The Urn -- with three days still to go in the match.

But England did not help themselves one bit. Bundled out for just 67 in reply to Australia’s first innings score of 179, they made rash shots an all-too-common feature.

Sixteen wickets fell on a day when Joe Denly was England’s top-scorer with just 12; Jason Roy’s struggle to establish himself as a Test opener faltered again; and Joe Root made consecutive ducks for the first time in his career, as questions resurfaced about his batting position.

In all honesty, just about everyone in an England helmet looked out-of-position and out of their depth as Hazlewood struck early en route to claiming 5 for 30. He was well supported by Pat Cummins and James Pattinson, who chimed in with three and two wickets respectively.

Replying to Australia’s seemingly-below-par 179, England were in all sorts of bother at 10 for 2, after Hazlewood had both Roy and Root caught in the slips by David Warner -- who had not only rediscovered some form with the bat, striking 61 the previous day; but also in the field, overcoming a rash of dropped chances earlier in the series to hold four on the second day at Headingley. That represented the most catches ever taken in an innings by an Australia fielder in an overseas Ashes Test.

Roy was out driving at a Hazlewood delivery, which was wide of off-stump and moved ever so slightly to draw the edge; while Root hung his bat out to a good ball, which had a hint of movement off the seam. When Rory Burns gloved a Cummins bouncer to Tim Paine behind the stumps, England were 20 for 3, and from there the procession of cheap wickets continued.

During the evening, as England attempted to claw their way back into the game, Ben Stokes toiled for a mammoth 15.2 overs, with only four balls breaking up his spell be-

3

fore he was called back into action when Jofra Archer suffered leg cramps.

Stokes’s efforts delivered two wickets for England, alongside two for Stuart Broad, as Australia finished in a strong position, Marnus Labuschagne passing fifty for the third time in as many innings and being still unbeaten at the close.

With three days yet to build their lead and then bowl England out, Australia are in the best position they could have hoped for, after grafting in difficult batting conditions on the opening day for their total of 179.

Labuschagne top scored in Australia’s first innings with 74, just as he did as Steve Smith’s concussion replacement with 59 in the second innings at Lord’s.

Australia’s prospects didn’t look so great when Warner was out lbw for a duck, dismissed for the fourth time by Stuart Broad in six innings this series.

Marcus Harris followed soon after, and when Usman Khawaja was out to a loose shot off Chris Woakes, which was caught by Roy, Australia were 52 for 3. But Travis Head and Labuschagne dug in, and it was a long time before Stokes, brought into the attack in the second over after tea, made the breakthrough.

Stokes tried with all his might to make things happen for England, delivering a maiden first up and suffering a dropped catch - Labuschagne juggled and spilled by Root in his second over. In his third over, Stokes hit 89mph bowling to Labuschagne, who - luckily for Australia - left it alone. Not so fortunately for the tourists, Stokes dismissed Head in the next.

Matthew Wade treated an 88mph Stokes’ delivery with disdain, flicking it through midwicket for four, before Stokes responded by peppering Wade with a series of short balls.

Stoke bowled eight overs straight before he was replaced by Archer, but four balls into the over, Stokes had to finish it when Archer was struck down by cramp.

Archer eventually returned to the field, to the delight of the crowd, whose watermelon-shaped beach ball he had saved from the clutches of a security guard earlier. But Stokes bowled on, and eventually struck again in his

SCOREBOARD

England 1st Innings RJ Burns c †Paine b Cummins 9 JJ Roy c Warner b Hazlewood 9 JE Root (c) c Warner b Hazlewood 0 JL Denly c †Paine b Pattinson 12 BA Stokes c Warner b Pattinson 8 JM Bairstow † c Warner b Hazlewood 4 JC Buttler c Khawaja b Hazlewood 5 CR Woakes c †Paine b Cummins 5 JC Archer c †Paine b Cummins 7 SCJ Broad not out 4 MJ Leach b Hazlewood 1 Extras 3 (lb 3) TOTAL 67 all out (27.5 Overs, RR: 2.4) Fall of wickets: 1-10 (Jason Roy, 3.5 ov), 2-10 (Joe Root, 5.1 ov), 3-20 (Rory Burns, 10.4 ov), 4-34 (Ben Stokes, 14.3 ov), 5-45 (Joe Denly, 20.1 ov), 6-45 (Jonny Bairstow, 21.1 ov), 7-54 (Chris Woakes, 24.1 ov), 8-56 (Jos Buttler, 25.1 ov), 9-66 (Jofra Archer, 26.4 ov), 10-67 (Jack Leach, 27.5 ov) BOWLING O M R W PJ Cummins 9 4 23 3

JR Hazlewood 12.5 2 NM Lyon 1 0 JL Pattinson 5 2

0 2 9

5 0 2

Australia 2nd Innings MS Harris b Leach 19 DA Warner lbw b Broad 0 UT Khawaja c Roy b Woakes 23 M Labuschagne not out 53 TM Head b Stokes 25 MS Wadec †Bairstow b Stokes 33 TD Paine (c) † c Denly b Broad 0 JL Pattinson not out 2 Extras 16 (b 1, lb 7, nb 6, w 2) TOTAL 171/6 (57 Overs, RR: 3.0) Yet to bat: PJ Cummins, JR Hazlewood, NM Lyon Fall of wickets: 1-10 (David Warner, 1.2 ov), 2-36 (Marcus Harris, 11.1 ov), 3-52 (Usman Khawaja, 14.1 ov), 4-97 (Travis Head, 32.2 ov), 5-163 (Matthew Wade, 52.6 ov), 6-164 (Tim Paine, 53.3 ov) BOWLING O M R W JC Archer 8.4 2 16 0 SCJ Broad 12 2 34 2 CR Woakes 10 1 34 1 MJ Leach 11 0 46 1 BA Stokes 15.2 4 33 2

13th full over with the wicket of Wade, caught behind by Jonny Bairstow. That prompted Stokes to collapse on the ground, an exhaused grin on his face as his team mates gathered round to congratulate him.

Broad had Paine out amidst some confusion over whether it was lbw or a caught, prompting the batsman to make a hopeful appeal, but he was indeed caught by Denly for nought, nonetheless leaving his side in decent shape.

(Excerpted from Cricinfo)

35 youths graduate from maiden Upper Corentyne/Brian Ramphal Cricket Academy

– Foster hails UCCA as role model cricket association

T

he Upper Corentyne Cricket Association (UCCA) on Wednesday successfully concluded their first ever Brian Ramphal Cricket Academy at the Scottsburg Cricket Ground in Corriverton.

A total of thirty-five youths drawn from clubs between No 43 Village to Moleson Creek attended the Academy, which attracted support from overseas-based Guyanese Brian Ramphal, the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB), Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club (RHTY&SC), and the Corriverton Business Sector.

BCB President Hilbert Foster attended the first day of the Academy on Monday last and hailed the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association as a role model organisation which is leading a cricketing revolution in the area.

The Upper Corentyne Cricket Association Executives were described as hardworking, dedicated, honest, and visionary, with a special mention of President Dennis D’Andrade, Vice President Sydney Jackman, and Secretary Lakeram Latchman, along with Executives Mr Mentis, Mr Victor and Mr Balram. Foster, who was making his 48th visit to the Sub-association since his election last year, urged the cricketers to take full advantage of the opportunities being pre-

sented to them at the Academy.

The BCB, he stated, was investing heavily in youths as it wants to continue the ancient county’s rich legacy of producing outstanding players. The legacy of John Trim, Rohan Kanhai, Basil Butcher and others are being kept alive by Devendra Bishoo, Romario Shepherd, Shimron Hetmyer, Kevlon Anderson, Anthony Bramble, Isiah Thorne, Rampersaud Ramnauth, Shemaine Campbelle, Shabika Gajnabi, and that the BCB was planning for the next generation of players.

He urged the players to put into practice what they have learnt, to research the history of the game, and to seek advice from the older generation of players. He committed the BCB and RHTY&SC to assisting all of the youths to fulfil their full potentials on the cricket field and in the classroom.

Vice President Sydney Jackman, the former Guyana first-class player, hailed the Brian Ramphal Cricket Academy as another red letter day in the history of the Subassociation and hailed the outstanding work of the Foster led BCB. Jackman stated that the main objective is to return Upper Corentyne Cricket Association to its former glory when it won several national titles in the 1990’s, with players like

The UCCA class posed with their coaches

Bhim George.

Coaches Leslie Solomon and Delbert Hicks both praised the discipline and positive attitude of the youths. Solomon urged the youths to practice daily and stated that he was delighted that Berbice would once again be playing Two-Day First Division Cricket, as it would assist players to be more focused. Several classroom lectures were done by retired Head Teacher Clement Edwards on topics such as drug abuse, personal discipline and the importance of education.

Vittori Latchman was named the Overall Best Batsman, Salim Khan the Best Spinner, Trevon Sukhu the best Fast Bowler and Ameer Shaw the Best Wicket-keeper.

Five of the Most Promising Players also carried home Educational Materials and school bags. Three other players also received water pitchers, compliments of the Rose Hall Town Youth& Sports Club, MS. All of the thirty-five players carried home Certificate of Attendance while the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association also recognised the hard work of the two coaches.

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

saturday, august 24, 2019

West Indies-India 1st Test…

Ishant Sharma’s 5-wicket haul derails West Indies SCOREBOARD A blazing final spell from Ishant Sharma, wherein he took three wickets in three overs, broke the back of the West Indies on the second day of the first Test in North Sound, Antigua & Barbuda.

Ishant single-handedly reduced the West Indies from 174 for 5 to 179 for 8, to ensure that what appeared at first to be a see-saw day would eventually go in India’s favour. Ishant also picked up his ninth five-wicket haul in the process, finishing the day with 5 for 42.

It wasn’t his only contribution on the day. Ishant’s crucial contribution of 19 runs to a 60-run partnership with Ravindra Jadeja in the morning also set up India’s batting innings.

West Indies batted two full sessions on the day, losing 3 wickets after lunch and a further 5 after tea. At stumps they were 108 runs behind, but with only two more wickets in hand, following their posttea collapse.

They had begun their innings positively, with John Campbell and Kraigg Brathwaite offering shots. They saw off the new-ball spell from Ishant and Bumrah without much trouble, with Campbell, in particular, going aggressive. He found the boundary four times in the first seven overs, forcing Virat Kohli to bring in Shami. Shami struck right away, finding Campbell’s stumps via the inside edge with a yorker.

Over the next 10 overs, Brathwaite and the debutant Shamarh Brooks consolidated, but not quickly enough, scoring only 12 runs.

Ishant’s inswingers kept them both in check, while Jadeja’s accurate deliveries dried up the runs.

When Ishant bowled full in the 18th over, Brathwaite tried to drive him straight back, but a turning bat forced the ball to pop up kneehigh for Ishant, who was composed enough on the follow-through to hold on to a catch.

The debutant Brooks looked mature in the middle, but he fell trying to cut Jadeja shortly before the tea break. At 50 for 2, he failed to pick the arm-ball, and made room to cut a ball that was too close to him. It found the outside edge, only to lob off the wicketkeeper’s thigh to first slip.

Those two wickets brought in two new men, Roston Chase and Dwayne Bravo, and they had to redo the whole process of rebuilding.

Bravo took the aggressive route despite the three early wickets.

Two fours set the tone for his innings, and a lofted six over long-on made it appear that he was not going to waste balls that were there to hit.

He was trapped lbw on 18 by Bumrah, steaming in from around the wicket. The length ball wobbled in the air before landing on offstump, and Bravo missed his front-foot defense. The ball hit his front leg instead, and the umpire raised his finger, a decision which Bravo unsuccessfully reviewed.

Chase looked the most efficient West Indies batsman on the day, finding the gaps off the fast bowlers and being unafraid to take on Jadeja. He smacked the left-arm spinner over long-on, and even pinched seven runs off a Bumrah over. An exquisite cover drive off Shami seemed to break Chase’s shackles in the 42nd over, but the very next over saw his downfall. Trying to flick Ishant through midwicket, Chase - on 48 - guided a shot straight to short leg, where the alert Rahul stuck his hand out to complete an instinctive catch.

At that stage West Indies were 131 for 5, trailing still by a further 168. That’s where West Indies’ long batting order (briefly) appeared so handy. Believe it or not, Hope and Hetmyer were part of this team’s

lower order. The No. 7 Hetmyer survived a vicious over from Bumrah, wherein he nearly edged a catch to slip, but he soon found his footing.

He sliced Jadeja over mid-off for a four, while his partner, the No. 6 Hope, kept the runs ticking.

Searching for a wicket, Kohli introduced part-timer Hanuma Vihari to deliver some off-breaks, but both batsmen - good against spin thwarted his efforts.

Following a brief rain delay, play continued, but Hope was soon dismissed. Trying to defend a full ball off Ishant, Hope failed to notice the sideways movement away, and edged the shot to the wicketkeeper. Pant did well to dive forward, given that the crossseamed delivery was constantly dipping. It ended an ominous-looking 44-run sixth-wicket stand.

Holder walked in late in the evening, and, together with Hetmyer, looked to see the day off; but Ishant was by no means done for the day. Offering Hetmyer a full-pitched delivery, the batsman’s drive came shin-high for Ishant, who dived marvelously forward -- falling into the pitch -- and successfully completing a second caught-andbowled dismissal.

That exposed West Indies’ tail, and they were further dented when Roach fell three balls later, edging Ishant’s cross-seamed delivery to Kohli at second slip. Ishant’s fifth wicket - the ninth time he earned a five-for in Tests - was West Indies’ eighth, and they can now only hope to reduce the innings deficit when play resumes on Sunday.

Ishant could’ve had a sixth scalp when Holder sliced a skyer to third man, but Vihari, racing in, failed to reach there in time.

As play ended, India walked out the happier side, but it was a day of missed opportunities for West Indies. Each of their batsmen went into double digits, and some even looked splendid, but none continued the way Ajinkya Rahane did for India on day one.

Earlier in the day, Jadeja and Ishant frustrated the hosts with the bat for the majority of the first session, putting on a 60-run eighthwicket stand. Their effort helped India nearly cross 300, adding 94 runs to their overnight total.

India had started the day on 203 for 6, losing overnight batsman Rishabh Pant in the day’s third over. From around the wicket, Kemar Roach found the outside edge with a ball that left the batsman trying to drive, only to be caught by Holder at second slip.

Thereafter Ishant, who made 19, bunted the few balls that were aimed at the stumps, while leaving those that weren’t, collecting the few runs he could. From the other end, Jadeja dealt in ones and twos while picking boundaries whenever he found the opportunity to free his arms.

The day’s first four came off Roach, with Jadeja driving through gully. When Holder went around the wicket, Jadeja was fairly defensive, up until he was offered a short and wide ball. Crunching it through point, Jadeja indicated that the new ball was easier to score off. When Roach looked to cramp Jadeja with a short ball, he swivelled to pull beyond deep midwicket.

The short ball was, however, not so easy for Ishant. Although he played at them with soft hands, he was often attacked, with the deliveries aimed at his midriff, and many balls from Holder came off his glove or handle. A few even fell marginally short of square leg, before Ishant fell to Shannon Gabriel, dismissed by a slow yorker outside the off stump. Ishant tried to dig the ball out, but only managed to roll it back onto the stumps.

3

India 1st Innings KL Rahul c †Hope b Chase 44 MA Agarwal c †Hope b Roach 5 CA Pujara c †Hope b Roach 2 V Kohli (c) c Brooks b Gabriel

9 AM Rahane b Gabriel 81 GH Vihari c †Hope b Roach

32 RR Pant † c Holder b Roach

24 RA Jadeja c †Hope b Holder

58 I Sharma b Gabriel 19 Mohammed Shami c & b Chase 0 JJ Bumrah not out 4 Extras 19 (b 9, lb 8, nb 2) TOTAL 297 all out (96.4 Overs, RR: 3.07) Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Mayank Agarwal, 4.2 ov), 2-7 (Cheteshwar Pujara, 4.6 ov), 3-25 (Virat Kohli, 7.5 ov), 4-93 (KL Rahul, 34.2 ov), 5-175 (Hanuma Vihari, 54.5 ov), 6-189 (Ajinkya Rahane, 59.4 ov), 7-207 (Rishabh Pant, 70.5 ov), 8-267 (Ishant Sharma, 89.6 ov), 9-268 (Mohammed Shami, 90.2 ov), 10-297 (Ravindra Jadeja, 96.4 ov) BOWLING O M R W KAJ Roach 25 6 66 4 ST Gabriel 22 5 71 3 JO Holder 20.4 11 36 1 ML Cummins 13 14 9 0

RL Chase

16

3 58 2

West Indies 1st Innings KC Brathwaite c & b Sharma

14 JD Campbell b Mohammed Shami 23 SSJ Brooks c Rahane b Jadeja

11 DM Bravo lbw b Bumrah 18 RL Chase c Rahul b Sharma

48 SD Hope † c †Pant b Sharma

24 SO Hetmyer c & b Sharma 35 JO Holder (c) not out 10 KAJ Roach c Kohli b Sharma 0 ML Cummins not out 0 Extras 6 (b 4, lb 1, nb 1) TOTAL 189/8 (59 Overs, RR: 3.2) Yet to bat: ST Gabriel Fall of wickets: 1-36 (John Campbell, 7.6 ov), 2-48 (Kraigg Brathwaite, 17.5 ov), 3-50 (Shamarh Brooks, 20.3 ov), 4-88 (Darren Bravo, 29.1 ov), 5-130 (Roston Chase, 42.2 ov), 6-174 (Shai Hope, 53.6 ov), 7-179 (Shimron Hetmyer, 55.3 ov), 8-179 (Kemar Roach, 55.6 ov) BOWLING O M R W I Sharma 13 2 42 5 JJ Bumrah 15 4 36 1 Mohammed Shami

13 3 41 1 RA Jadeja 16 3 58 1 GH Vihari 2 0 7 0

That brought in No. 10, Shami, who lasted just one ball, chipping a full delivery back to the bowler, Chase. With last man Bumrah for company, Jadeja changed gears immediately, slapping Gabriel past the slip cordon to stamp his intent. Shoddy glovework didn’t help West Indies either; stand-in wicketkeeper Hope conceded two boundaries off byes in back-to-back overs as India went past 280.

Bumrah survived his first 11 balls, allowing Jadeja to reach his 11th Test half-century. He got to the landmark by cutting Chase through point. Playing as the only designated spinner in the team, Jadeja played a near-chanceless innings, up until his fifty. But the next ball, Jadeja swept Chase for the Test’s first six.

The fireworks, however, ended prematurely, as Jadeja tried to pull Holder but sliced it to the wicketkeeper. That brought the curtains down on India’s successful recovery, after they were reduced to 25 for 3 on the first day. (Excerpted from Cricinfo)

West Indies Under-15s Rising Stars Tournament culminates in UK

W

est Indies’ Under-15 Rising Stars team completed their summer tour of England last weekend, winning two out of their four completed games, with rain forcing the other matches to be abandoned.

This was the 5th consecutive summer tour to England by the West Indies Under-15 team. It is a reward for the top performing young players in the West Indies Rising Stars Under-15 Championship tournament, held in Antigua this April. Trinidad and Tobago won that tournament.

Steve Liburd, West Indies Under-15 Coach and CWI Schools’ Cricket Development Officer, said: “This year didn’t go perfectly as planned, because a few of the matches were rainaffected. Otherwise, the tour was a very important one in the player development pathway for young Caribbean cricketers”.

Liburd, who represented the Leeward Islands in domestic cricket, continued: “Playing cricket in England is very different to play in Caribbean, it challenges technique more, and gives you a better perspective of your overall game; so it is ideal that these guys got that experience now.

“The players adjusted really well, and I have to commend them for that, which is most

pleasing (to me) as a coach.”Nine of the 13-member squad were getting their first experience playing cricket in England, and Coach Liburd spoke about some of the players who impressed on the tour as players to watch.

Justin Jaggessar “Because he scored a century and a half-century, (he) was an obvious standout from a batting perspective.”

Mavendra Dindyal and Jordan Johnson “Mavendra Dindyal (toured England last year) and Jordan Johnson, from Guyana and Jamaica respectively, looked the part every time they batted also.

As young players at this stage, it’s all about learning to convert scores while enjoying the game.”

Nathan Sealey “Co-captain Nathan Sealey has good potential to develop as a genuine all-rounder, because he bowls good left-arm spin and contributes down the order as a batsman.”

Kamario Grant “Kamario has a Kieron Pollard-like hitting ability that is notable because it’s a special skill that you can’t teach.”

Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams, commenting on

The West Indies Under-15 team in England

the tour, said: “I am really pleased that the cream of our Under-15 players have had this opportunity and have been exposed in a competitive environment. The fact that they have had this opportunity in a foreign environment is an added plus, as it gives CWI a better idea of the strength and potential of these young players.”

The Rising Stars Under-15 programme will next see action around the Easter period in 2020, with the six main regional franchises participating in the West Indies Rising Stars Under-15 Championship.

Summarised scores from matches played are as follows: At Willesden, August 8, West Indies Under-15 won by 165 runs.

West Indies U-15 scored 285 for five off 40 overs. Justin Jagessar made 159, and Mavendra Dindyal 37.

South Hampstead scored 120 all out off 26.3 overs.

Andrew Rambarran took 3 for 9 from 4 overs; Jordan Johnson took 2 for 35 from 7 overs, and Isaiah Thorne took 2 for 20 from 3 overs.

At Northampton Saints, August 11: Game ended in noresult.

West Indies Under-15 made 248/6 off 44.2 overs.

Jordan Morris made 95 not out, Mavendra Dindyal 64, Kamario Grant 46.

At Eastcote, August 12 (1st Twenty/20): England SW & London & East Regions U15s won by 59 runs. England SW & London & East Regions U15s made 212 off 20 overs. West Indies U15 made 153/7 off 20 overs. Mavendra Dindyal made 35, and Jordan Johnson 28.

Second Twenty/20: England SW & London & East Regions U15s won by 10 wickets. West Indies U15 made 121/7 off 20

overs, with Kamario Grant on 50 not out. England SW & London & East Regions U15s made 122/0 off 13.1 overs.

At Shenley, August 18: West Indies Under-15 won by 109 runs. West Indies U15 made 211 all out off 39.5 overs, with Justin Jagessar making 51, Jordan Johnson 39, and Andrew Rambarran 38.

Barmy Army Colts U15 made 102 all out off 37.2 overs, with Jordan Johnson making 3/17 from 7 overs, Isaiah Thore 2/8 from 5 overs, and Nathan Sealy 2/21 from 8 overs. (Excerpted from CWI)

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saturday, august 24, 2019

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Everest partners with Starr Computers – to power youth development with technology

E

verest Cricket Club (ECC), one of the nation’s most longstanding and outstanding sporting facilities, has again been given a tangible boost to its efforts with Starr Computers donating to the club a complete computer system and printer in the interest of sport and youth development.

Presentation of this donation was done at Starr’s stateof-the-art technology centre in the Georgetown ward of Brickdam on Wednesday, where Starr’s President Michael Mohan handed over a desktop computer, a multifunction colour printer and a backup power supply device to Everest Cricket Club President Manzoor Nadir.

Mohan described the donation as part of his company’s corporate social responsibility to enhance sport and youth development through technology.

“Having been in existence for more than 100 years, Everest Cricket Club has a legacy in Guyana of successfully turning out international cricketers; while, at Starr Computers, we pride ourselves on helping children with free seminars on career development, robotics, computer science, and renewable energy, among other topics, to help them ‘to catch the fish’, rather than giving them the fish. So this is really for the youngsters to embrace,” Mohan said.

The donation was initiated while Mohan was on a visit to the Camp Road

President of Starr Computers, Michael Mohan, and President of Everest Cricket Club, Manzoor Nadir, after the presentation

President of the Everest Cricket Club, Manzoor Nadir (third from left), and President of Starr Computers, Michael Mohan (centre), pose with other members of Everest Cricket Club and staff of Starr Computers at the presentation ceremony

Georgetown club on the invitation of Everest President Manzoor Nadir. After that visit, the top men agreed that Everest and other youth clubs need to grasp technology to be better able to run their institutions successfully, including enhancing membership drive and record keeping.

Nadir told Mohan that Everest was recently more focused on improving the club’s facilities for practice and play, but is now focusing on a capital development programme to improve the other facilities.

Upon collecting the donation on behalf of the club,

Nadir expressed sincerest appreciation to Mohan and his trail blazing company, and said, “Apart from infrastructure, we, at Everest, have to move the club to the use of information technology to improve efficiency like other social groups and non-government organisations (NGOs).”

Nadir stressed that ECC is not only about producing great athletes, but is a centre for community activities and training, as evidenced by the recently held Summer camp wherein participants were engaged in many sporting and life changing activities.

A passionate sports fan,

GFF/NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power U-17 League – ECPFA…

Nadir said the computer would be well utilized, especially since he is looking to develop a system wherein players’ biometrics would be available via software to add another twist to selection to the various teams at Everest.

He said technology will be used to tabulate individual performances, which would make the naming of the most prolific players at the end of a season or year much easier.

Mohan has hinted at making other donations to the club, which he believes is well managed and has a clear vision for the nation’s youths. He has extended an open invitation to the members of the ECC to visit Starr Computers for field trips, so they would benefit from opportunities to have hands-on experience with different devices, attend free seminars,

and be able to pick up the valuable platinum membership card -- which has many rewards, including discounts and reduced interest rates on loans at commercial banks.

Mohan has said he is hoping that young Guyanese would soon understand the importance of grasping technology against the risk of being left behind, since the pace of the world is very fast. “In Guyana, with the rapidly developing oil and gas industry, the young generation need to develop their technology skills to grab the opportunities, and not leave it to the foreigners to take,” the business executive has said.

Nadir also took the opportunity to invite individuals and groups to Everest to enjoy all that the premier sporting and youth development club has to offer.

Lusignan Golf Club…

1st post-layoff tournament to Dartmouth Dominators commence today at 12:30h trounce Good Hope

A

Phone: 223-7230 EXT: 55

Tyquan Brummell, Michael Boston, Ridely Williams and Michael Williams (Dartmouth Dominators)

F

ive different players inked their names on the score sheet when Dartmouth Dominators defeated Good Hope 5-1 last Thursday afternoon at the New Opportunity Corp Ground, when the GFF/NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power U-17 League continued in the Essequibo Coast Pomeroon Football Association (ECPFA).

Good Hope Football Club took the initial lead in 10 minutes through a Tyrice David strike, but their going ahead only woke up the Dartmouth Dominators lads and

they were in a destructive mood thereafter— banging in five unanswered goals.

Martin Garraway equalised for Dartmouth Dominators in the 25th minute. Ridely Williams (55), Michael Boston (60), Tyquan Brummell (75) and Kerstyn Gonsalves in the 85th minute scored to consolidate their club’s hold on the match and ensure they walked away with full points.

On Wednesday at the same venue, Henrietta United Football Club trounced FC Castle, 12 – 2.

R Printery, longtime supporters and sponsors of the Lusignan Golf Club (LGC), have committed to hosting a full weekend of tournament play to welcome golfers back to the course after a few weeks’ layoff.

The tournaments will be two one-day individual events, with the first commencing today at 12:30h and continuing on Sunday at 8:30h. The top three finishers in the 0-14 and 15-36 categories, along with nearest to the pin and longest drive, will be awarded on both days.

After a few weeks of non-tournament activity, the sponsors hope that their commitment to the LGC and the game of golf will be met with enthusiasm by the golfers and a large turnout of spectators.

Members of the public are urged to spectate and learn about the game, with lessons and equipment being provided at no cost.

With the Macorp-sponsored lighted driving range close to completion, persons of any skill level would be able to participate in the sport as it continues to attract national attention.

Managing Director of AR Printery, Ramroop "Cecil" Jiwanram, who recently announced his bid to contest the national elec-

tions as Presidential Candidate of the Guyana United Democratic (GUD) Party, says development of sports is a key factor in Guyana's growth.

Besides being the Managing Director of one of the largest and most dynamic printing establishments in the country, Jiwanram is a staunch supporter of both golf and motor racing. The printer will have their authorised race cars on display at the upcoming Guyana Open, scheduled for October 25-27.

Jiwanram has said, "We are always happy to support the president of the LGC, Aleem Hussain, and the club, since we count on his support in our other ventures. This year we wanted to do something extra for the LGC, and decided that two tournaments was the way to go".

AR Printery, located in Belair, provides top quality printing and designing for every need, regardless of size. For more information on this printery’s services, persons are invited to make contact at arprintery@gmail.com, or on 603-1250.

And for more information on the game, LGC or activities, persons are invited to visit the Lusignan Golf Club, or check them out on Facebook, or call 220-5660.

22

saturday, august 24, 2019

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

Guyana, T&T to battle for supremacy at ‘1320 Heat’ international drag race

– Mohamed to pilot Trans Pacific’s locally-made Alteeza

R

ivalry will be renewed at the South Dakota Circuit when Guyanese and Trinidadian racers set the circuit alive at the ‘1320 Heat’ international drag race meet on Sunday August 25.

The Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club, (GMR&SC) hosted its press conference at the GT Motor Sports Hall (GMR&SC compound) in Thomas Lands on Friday last.

During that event, it was revealed that over 75 local drivers (excluding bikers) have been registered for this much anticipated racing event.

Addressing the local media, GMR&SC Vice-President Hansraj Singh disclosed that the much hyped Trinidad and Tobago rail car will be piloted by Jagdeo Seiteran (Mad Cow), who, speaking confidently of clinching the titles on offer at South Dakota, will pilot the R22 Skyline.

Additionally, two superbikes will be on show. One of these bikes holds the quarter-mile record in the twin-islands Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. These vehicles have already commenced their preparation for Sunday’s main event.

Guyana will be proudly represented by Team Mohammed; the world record GTR and previous champion, Goliath, will turn out for the Golden Arrow Head. In addition to the regular Guyanese super cars, there will be newcomer Derrick Jai Singh and the Trans Pacific Krishna Ramsewack locally made

Vice President Hansraj Singh, President Rameez Mohammed and Carey Griffith

Alteeza. This locally designed car, which is described as a fast car, will be piloted by GMRSC President, Rameez Mohammed.

Due to the problems the ferry to Suriname is encountering,

Suriname, who has been present at previous race meets, will not compete at the 1320 Heat international drag race meet.

The racing weekend will commence on Saturday, August 24 (qualifying day), with cars being placed in brackets systems according to their qualifying time.

The Vice President Singh, President Mohammed and Executive member of GMRSC Carey Griffith emphasized on the safety and security measures that has been placed.

Mohammed highlighted that a lot of developmental work has been done on the South Dakota facility on a general basis.

Vice President Singh thanked some the sponsors of this event; Associated Construction Services Ltd, Delco Ice Company, Mohammed’s Enterprise, Derrick Trucking Service and Machinery Rental, Tropical Shipping and Air Services Ltd, which will provide aircraft services for medical emergency. The development at South Dakota has continued with the VIP area being a permanent area of comfort which costs $3000 per person (excluding drinks and meals).

Elimination time will be on Sunday afternoon, after the morning runs; admission for the racing event is Guyana $2000. Late admissions for drivers will also be allowed on the present day, a fee of $5700 and a stamped medical is compulsory.

2019 Caribbean Mini and Pre Cadet Regional Chairman Table Tennis Championships… honoured for Van Lange, Sahadeo contribution to sports lose semi-final matchand youth development up, settle for bronze

R

egion Ten Chairman (RDC), Renis Morian has been recognised for his contributions to youth development and sports by way of an award presented by a visiting church delegation from Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.

Here to effect a ten-day service to the communities within Region Ten, the delegation was organised by the Bethel Tabernacle Assembly of God Church in Linden, Upper Demerara-Berbice (Region 10).

At a simple handing-over ceremony held at the Regional Chairman’s Office in Linden, the visiting delegation sought to publicly recognise Morian, whom they said has been contributing significantly to the youths of the community through sports and community development.

They urged him to continue his work, adding that they are appealing to others to emulate his efforts.

“Despite being in the USA, we continue to hear about the enormous and significant work that Mr Morian has been doing over the years, and today we would like to salute him for his enormous work and contributions, and to urge him to continue his efforts.

“The contributions made by Mr Morian have been felt by many far and wide, and to acknowledge his noble efforts, we present him with this plaque as an indication that we are proud of him as a resident, and moreso as someone who is genuinely interested in youth and community development through sports and other areas,” Reverend Clavis Duke said.

Duke, who pastors the church in Linden, said his congregation continues to be very impressed with the significant and consistent contributions that Mr Morian has been making over the years, and through his efforts, they continue to see a number of young people turning away from negative activities and especially turning to sport as a pastime.

The visiting 22-member delegation of Guyanese, Jamaicans, Trinidadians and persons from the USA indicated that, while they have been around for the past 19 years, they have visited Guyana a number of times, and intend to continue visit-

ing. They intend to complete a number of youth and sports related programmes and projects.

“It’s no secret that our youths are the future leaders, and we urge organisations and individuals to see the investment as a worthwhile one that will result in enormous success. We are here to give you support, and to help you. We are ready to work with you,” Rev. Duke said.

Visiting Pastor Dr. Wedlan Sealey, who headed the local church before he migrated, said he and his members continue to hear about work being done by Renis Morian, especially in the basketball and football arenas, and have decided to honour Morian.

“We have a man who, through his efforts, continues to enhance the lives of young people, primarily in the area of sports and community development across the country in a meaningful and significant way. As such, we are very excited to be recognising him, and would hope that others emulate his efforts. Through his enormous efforts, a number of persons have stayed away from negative ills, as they have been making positive contributions in their own way,” Reverend Sealey said.

He assured the Regional Chairman that his organisation will lend support in a number of ways to help continue the effort. “Our organisation have a passion for Linden, as several of our members hail from this community; so it’s like giving back to a community that we once benefited from, as Guyana, and more so the people of Region Ten, are still in our thoughts,” Dr. Sealey said.

Regional Chairman Morian thanked the visiting delegation while assuring them that he loves what he does and, as such, will continue. He extended an invitation to the local chapter to collaborate with them, stressing that together things can be achieved, instead of working individually.

“I am prepared to collaborate in many with Rev. Duke. You and your congregation can provide spiritual and other assistance, while we at the RDC can assist in providing certain resources, so we are always open, as ultimately the people of Region Ten will benefit,” Morian said.

The Guyanese Team

G

uyana 13 years and under Boys A team of Krystian Sahadeo and Jonathan Van Lange stormed into the semi-finals of the 2019 Caribbean Mini and Pre Cadet Table Tennis Championships when they defeated Jamaica A by a 3-0 margin. However, their dream was cut short as they lost to Dominican Republic A 3-0.

Playing for a spot in the semi-finals and proving a formidable duo, the experienced Guyanese started their march when Van Lange defeated Johnson Aziz by a 3-0 margin. Krystian Sahadeo, who has been great support to his partner, seemed settled this morning and executed tactically when he defeated EBanks Jayden by a 3-0 margin. The Guyanese duo then wrapped proceedings when they defeated Ebanks and Johnson by a 3-1 margin to give Guyana the victory into the semi-finals— where they will face Dominican Republic A team of Ramon Vila and Rafael Carbrel for a place in the finals.

In their semi-final match-up, the team stood no chance against their opponents as they were flattened 3-0 by the local side. In the singles match, Van Lange won the first match easily 11-5; however, he was not able to hold on to his lead, losing the other three 10-12,7-11, and 10-12. For Sahadeo, it was the total opposite, as he lost his matches 7-11, 6-11 and 5-11. Heading into the doubles, the pair were dominated from the first set losing 8-11, 2-11 and 3-11 to settle for bronze.

Meanwhile, Guyana 13 years and under B team of Dhanesh Persaud and Colin Wong lost to Puerto Rio B by a 3-1 margin in a valiant effort. The boys 11 years and under team of Ebo McNeil and Malachi Moore also lost in their quarterfinals match by a 3-0 margin. Also, all 11 years and under mixed doubles and doubles team were unable to advance past the quarterfinal stages.

guyanatimesgy.com

saturday, august 24, 2019

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Guyana Jaguars consistent 4-Day players get well-deserved GAW call-up

By Brandon Corlette

F

our of the top performers for the Guyana Jaguars in the 2018-2019 Regional FourDay season are in the Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) squad for the 2019 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

Anthony Bramble, Clinton Pestano, Romario Shepherd and Veerasammy Permaul are among those players who each had a consistent run in the 2 0 1 8 19 season for t h e Jaguars.

These four players have had the greatest impact on five-

Anthony Bramble

time Regional 4-Day champions Guyana Jaguars. Come this 2019 Hero CPL, they will be eager to create a similar impact for the GAW. Bramble, who is in the GAW squad for the second time since making his CPL debut in 2016, has emerged as a star player.

The wicketkeeper-batsman’s exploits have been recognized by the GAW. In the 2018-19 Four-Day season, Bramble played 10 matches and racked up 580 runs at a stellar average of 52.72.

He recorded two centuries, including a high score of 168, and one half-century in what is a follow-up performance from the 2017-18 season.

Delighted with this CPL call-up, Bramble has knocked on the doors of the Regional level for higher representation.

He was also rewarded with a maiden West Indies call-up to the T20 International squad against India, but he did not get a game.

Another consistent performer for the Jaguars in the recent 4-Day season is Romario Shepherd. This sturdy player has earned his second selection for the GAW, with whom he has played three matches. He has since improved tremendously, topping the fast bowling charts for 2018-19 with 37 scalps.

Like his other team mates, Shepherd is delighted with his second homecoming for the GAW. In addition to his bowling, the fast bowler has produced on a consistent basis with the bat when called upon. In the 201819 season, Shepherd racked up 315 runs in 13 innings, scoring two half-centuries.

H i s f e l l o w

Veerasammy Permaul

Berbician pacer Pestano has also been equally impressive in the 2018-19 season. This Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club player has played in seven matches and has taken 22 wickets.

In addition to his consistent showing at the four-day level in 2018-19, he achieved a rare feat when he took a hat trick in the Regional Super50 Cup against Trinidad and Tobago. That was a career defining moment which m a y have given him his maiden call-up in CPL for the GAW. The left-arm spinner Permaul is no stranger to CPL cricket for the Warriors.

Since inception of CPL, the consistent Regional spinner has been a member of the squad.

His consistency at the

Clinton Pestano

2018-19 season may have also allowed him to retain his spot in the GAW squad. In the most recent 4-Day season, Permaul took his First-Class career wicket tally to 486 with 42 wickets taken in 10 matches.

Consistency has been the key attribute of these players’ success. For the “biggest party in sport”, these four players will be aiming to extend their consistency from the 201819 Regional 4-Day season into the GAW colours.

Romario Shepherd

Port Mourant Turf Club/ CAREBACO Open International MMP Foundation horse Priyanna Ramdhani edges race meet confirmed! closer to another medal – Scores Even to return for September 29 meet

A

fter the thrilling 13th Annual Guyana Cup horse meet, horse racing action will return to the ancient county of Berbice on Sunday September 29 at the Port Mourant Turf Club.

This horse race meet has been organized in collaboration with the Mohabir Mookoorchand Persuad (M.M.P) Foundation.

The MMP Foundation has been significantly assisting the less fortunate students financially for the Caribbean Secondary Examinations Council (CSEC) examinations over the years, and this horse race event’s sole purpose is for the less fortunate students who will be sitting the 2020 CSEC exams.

This grand one-day horserace event will see the feature purse being $1.2 million.

Six exciting races are on the programme, which will feature some of the top horses around.

This is the first annual Port Mourant Turf Club and MMP horse race meet. The packed day of events will open with the L Class race being run over a distance of 1000 metres.

Entry to the L Class race is $16,000 dollars, but the first prize is $160,000 while second and third place winners will be awarded $80,000 and $40,000 respectively.

In the second race of the day, horses will run 1300 metres in the H and I class event.

First prize for that event is worth $300,000, while second position is worth $150,000 and

third position $75,000.

Entry for the H and I class race is $30,000 per horse.

In the third event of the day, the 2 Years Old Open (Guyana bred) 1000-meter-long race will roll off; the first place prize is $260,000 while the second position prize is $130,000.

Third placed horse will receive $65,000. Entries for 2 Years old horses is $26,000. In the fourth race of the day the muchanticipated 3 Years Old Guyana Bred (Winner of less than four races) will run-off at a distance of 1300 meters. The first place prize is $300,000; second placed horse will walk away with $150,000 while the horse in third position will receive $75,000.

Champion horse, Scores Even will make his grand return while other top horses are expected to thrill Port Mourant.

The penultimate race of the day will by the feature event, the B and Lower 1300-meter race. Entries for horses will be $60,000 and the first prize is a purse of $1,200,000. The second position prize is $300,000 while third prize is $150,000.

This grand horserace meet will sign off with the J&K Class 1300-meter event. Entries for horses are $20,000. The first prize is $200,000, second prize is $100,000 and the third prize is #50,000. These races are being ruled under the rules of Guyana Horse Racing Rules. Five horses must start before the third prize will be paid and seven horses must start before fourth prize is paid.

If four horses start stakes will be reduced by 25%, if three horses start, stakes will be reduced by 405. The Race club reserves the right to cancel or reframe any race. Any race attracting less than five entries may be cancelled. For further information contact Kris Jagdeo on 624 6123, C. Ramnauth on 697-1979, R . Gajnabi on 6439696 and Turbo Jagdeo on 6187278.

G

uyana’s final chance at copping a m e d al in the Caribbean Regional Badminton Confederation

(CAREBACO) O p e n International championships rests in the hands of Priyanna Ramdhani, as she is the only Guyanese who is still contending. Ramdhani is the 2019 holder of the CAREBACO Under-19 triple crown.

This is following a tough night for the Guyanese contingent who competed at the Sir Garfield Sobers Gymnasium in St Michael, Barbados, against some world class players from 23 countries.

Guyana was featured in four quarter-

final matches in the mixed doubles, men’s doubles and ladies’ doubles categories.

In the mixed doubles competition, the Ramdhani siblings, Priyanna and Narayan put on a brave face to take on the Number 1 seeded pair and Pan American Games bronze medalist Howard Shu & Paula Lynn Obanana of USA. After producing a valiant effort, the siblings lost the match 21-13, 21-16.

Meanwhile, also in the mixed doubles di-

vision, Guyanese Jonathan Mangra teamed up with Jamaica’s Kathrine Winter for their semi-final encounter. The pair was pitted against the 3/4 seeded pair of Fabrico Farias & Jaqueline Lima of Brazil and eventually lost the match, 21-, 21-5.

Over in the men’s doubles, Guyanese Narayan Ramdhani and Jonathan Mangra took on Timothy Lam of USA and Antonio Li of Canada and were defeated 21-11, 2114.

After three losses, a glimmer of hope showed when Priyanna Ramdhani took to the courts with her Ladies’ doubles partner, Sabrina Scott of Barbados.

The Guyanese/ Bajan pair were

Priyanna Ramdhani is Guyana’s last chance at medaling in the Open International tournament

d o m i nant against Jamaican Alana Bailey & Katherine Winter. The game was won in two straight sets 21-16, 22-20.

Priyanna and her partner, Scoot, have now advanced to the semi-finals and medal stages of the ladies’ doubles competition.

The match was expected to take place on Friday evening; however, up to this publication’s press time, no results were available.

saturday, august 24, 2019

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

guyanatimesgy.com

Guyana Jaguars consistent 4-Day players get wellIshant Sharma’s deserved GAW 5-wicket haul call-up derails West Indies West Indies-India 1st Test…

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Port Mourant Turf Priyanna Ramdhani Club/MMP Foundation CAREBACO Open International

horse race meet confirmed!

edges closer to another medal Page 23

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