Guyana Times -- Saturday, August 29, 2020

P14

US$1.4B oceanfront real estate project unveiled Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 4392

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2020

Inspection of CJIA project reveals corruption, mismanagement – Minister See story on page 9

PRICE

$80 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE:

3 new COVID-19 deaths, 40 new P17 cases reported Over 800 teachers engage Ministry to create new learning mediums P15

APNU must answer “serious” concerns of P10 parties in partnership – Ramjattan An incomplete section of roof at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA). On Friday, Public Works Ministers and the media toured the facility and did an assessment of the modernisation project, which its two years behind its deadline

Strong protocols will be in place before reopening of country – President Ali Page 2

Mastermind, 2 others charged for killing Canadian

Page 11

Former PM Rep resigns from AFC …says party stopped keeping promises, leaders selfish

Attempt to rig elections

Region 1 miner dies P11 after suffering from vomiting, diarrhoea …no COVID-19 test done – Police

Page 16

See stories on pages 3 & 8

Police secure court order to further detain Clairmont Mingo

…embattled RO still not cooperating fully – Police source

3 nabbed in P15 Wakenaam with over $1.2M in stolen cigarettes APNU/AFC signals failure of election P7 petition

...by filing “backup” petition

2 NEWS to get Strong protocols will be in place before Guyana Juvenile Drug reopening of country – President Ali Treatment Court P C SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

resident Dr Irfaan Ali has assured that strong protocols will be put in place and enforced before his Government moves to fully reopen the country. President Ali gave this assurance during an emergency multi-stakeholder meeting held on Tuesday where he emphasised that any decision taken will be made to ensure a crucial balance is met and only after careful consideration of all of the factors.

“The balance requires very strong protocols and I think, therein lies the trick to this pandemic; the protocols and enforcing the protocols. Now, we can move to reopening once we have strong protocols that can be enforced and once we have the institutional mechanism to support those protocols,” the President is quoted by the Ministry of Presidency’s Public Information and Press Services Unit as saying.

The Head of State also reiterated the call made by the PAHO/WHO Country Representative, Dr William Adu-Krow, that countries need to consider both the health and well-being of the citizens as well as the health of the economy.

“As my brother from PAHO will tell you, we don’t want to find ourselves in a situation where we have the pandemic, dealing with the health side and then you have a major socio-economic disaster on

President Irfaan Ali

the other side; we will be completely destroyed. So, we have to find the balance,” Ali said.

With regards to the input from other stakeholders at the meeting, the Head of State pointed to the vital role that the Private Sector will play in relation to any decisions moving forward.

“As President, I thought that I have a responsibility to provide leadership on this issue and that leadership must be supported by a wide cross-section of the Guyanese population and their views. So, at the end of this interaction, we will have to revisit some issues and charter the way forward,” President Ali said.

The Head of State also provided an update on the

investments made and his Government’s efforts to ensure that all steps taken to mitigate the impacts of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic are undertaken collaboratively.

“I have spoken to many organisations, individually and collectively. I know that PAHO is also having conversations on our behalf, in relation to a possible vaccine and how we can be on an early list for that. We have been having conversations with Caricom. There is a lot happening. Together, we can develop a strategy that is national COVID-19 response to protect the Guyanese people,” President Ali said.

Ali convened the stakeholder meeting to ensure that

the decisions taken will be made only after extensive consultation with stakeholders.

This also includes the plan to reopen the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).

The Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) also issued a number of rigid public health guidelines and regulations to airlines, ground handlers and airport authorities ahead of the reopening of airports. Passengers can be fined from $50,000 to $3 million and jailed for five years if they breach the COVID-19 regulations stipulated by the GCAA. The Government has assured that strict protocols will be instituted and enforced prior to the reopening of the airport.

Earlier this week, Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony warned that persons who choose not to wear a mask when in public can be fined.

The Minister emphasised that the revised emergency protocols for August 16-31, 2020, provides for persons found flouting the measure to be fined and even imprisoned.

In addition, a curfew is imposed throughout Guyana from August 16 to 31, 2020, between 21:00h and 05:00h.

A special curfew has also been imposed from 18:00h to 06:00h for Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni); Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) and Region Nine (Upper TakutuUpper Essequibo).

hancellor of the Judiciary, Yonette Cummings-Edwards along with the support of Chief Justice Roxane George and other senior members of the Judiciary are currently working along with the United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF) to develop the country’s first Juvenile Drug Treatment Court.

According to a joint statement from the Supreme Court of Judicature and UNICEF, this court will extend the range of specialised areas already offered by the court, that is for family matters, children and sexual offences, and will be essential in complementing the framework on juvenile justice and previous work initiated on drugs in schools. “It is expected that support for the specialised services, which will be needed, will be maintained by the Judiciary and UNICEF, which will continue to prioritise all efforts for Guyana’s children and youth,” the joint statement noted.

Meanwhile, with the staunch support of UNICEF and its partners, the Judiciary has continued to support the access to specialised services for children and youth – especially during COVID-19. To this end, through a partnership with the Regional Democratic Council, Region Four, and the Regional Health Officer, Region Four, Community Health Workers continue to be placed at key access points within the compounds of the courts to help with prevention of infection of the virus.

The Judiciary, with support from UNICEF, continues to build the capacity of the Sexual Offences Courts (in Georgetown, New Amsterdam and Suddie) and the Family Courts through support to pieces of training and essential supplies to ensure that there is continued access to justice.

Support for virtual training for domestic violence awareness and the law in the county of Essequibo is also proposed. Similar training was done in New Amsterdam, Berbice, in January of this year.

NEWS

3

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, August 29 – 02:30h – 13:30h and 14:30h – 16:00h and Sunday, August 30 – 03:00h – 04:30h and 14:30h – 16:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, August 29 – 13:55h – 15:25h and Sunday, August 30 – 14:50h – 16:20h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Expect sunshine and light rain showers during the day. There will be thundery showers at night. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds: South-Easterly to Easterly to East NorthEasterly to North-Easterly to Northerly to West South-Westerly between 1.34 metres and 3.12 metres.

High Tide: 14:02h reaching maximum heights of 2.19 metres.

Low Tide: 07:26h and 19:50h reaching a minimum height of 0.93 metre and 1.04 metre.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2020

LOTTERY NUMBERS D

15 17 20

22 25 27

04

FREE TICKET

Bonus Ball

DAILY MILLIONS

THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2020

10 11 16 18 22 LUCKY 3

6

FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2020

0

1

DRAW DE LINE

02

03

08

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2020

11

15

17

PAY DAY

18 SUPER PAY DAY

THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2020

FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 2020

02 03 04 15 16

04 11 12 16 20

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

COMMODITIES Indicators

US$

Change %

Crude Oil

$45.05/barrel

-0.09

Rough Rice

$221.09/ton

-2.13

London Sugar

$362.00/ton

+0.84

Live Spot Gold

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1964.30

$1965.30

Low/High

$1939.50

$1975.10

Change

0.00

010%

Attempt to rig elections

Embattled RO still not cooperating fully – Police source …Ramson recalls fiasco surrounding March 5 declaration in statement to Police

A

s the investigation continues into the attempts to rig the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections, investigators on Friday held a confrontation between embattled Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo and People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) member Charles Ramson Jr. Back in March, Ramson Jr had filed private criminal charges against Mingo and Chairperson of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) – the leading party of the APNU fraction of the coalition – Volda Lawrence, in relation to the unverified declaration of results for Region Four, which is Guyana’s largest voting district.

The declaration made

by Mingo, which was subsequently set aside by Chief Justice Roxane George, was signed by Lawrence – the lone representation of the political parties that contested the elections.

The other parties had objected to the declaration after the verification process was not fully complied with by the RO. Even the election observation missions had rejected the declaration, saying that the results lacked credibility and transparency.

Mingo, who was arrested on Tuesday, has been accused of attempting to alter the District Four results of the March 2 elections in favour of the APNU/AFC, which was refusing to accept electoral defeat and has been accused of attempting to undermine the will of the people.

Sources close to the investigation told Guyana Times that the embattled Returning Officer has not been “fully” cooperating with investigators, who on Friday secured a 24-hour extension to further detain Mingo until today as the probe continues.

Nevertheless, on Friday, Ramson said he was called in to give his statement to the police and a confrontation was held between him and Mingo at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters at Eve Leary.

When contacted, Ramson, who is an attorney-at-law, disclosed that his interview with investigators lasted approximately one hour during which the embattled RO remained mum.

“I related my story and all he was doing was listening,” he told Guyana Times.

Notably, however, Ramson recalled that Mingo had shaken his head

Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo

in affirmation when he was relating the fact that his request for a recount of the District Four votes was rejected.

Moreover, Ramson said that he told investigators in his statement that prior to the verification process, he and other party agents had met RO Mingo, who explained the procedure including the projection of the figures of the Statements of Poll (SoPs) onto a screen.

This was the day before elections. Ramson said he recounted to the police that on polling day, he returned to the Office of the Returning Officer, which was housed in Ashmins building, located on High and Hadfield Streets, after the close of polls and that it was until 02:00h the following morning that the tabulation process begun. “[I told the police] that there were many instances of there being

interruptions; that he never completed the verification process using the Statements of Poll; and that he made the declaration on March 5. After he had stood there and made the declaration, Joseph Eastman had told us that a declaration was made and told us to leave the room, and that shortly thereafter, we saw the declaration online and the figures did not match – [it] was not tabulated using the SoPs given to us by GECOM. I then got a letter, requested a recount… And [Mingo] had hid in his office even though I was rapping on his office and everyone else’s office… all the door handles were removed from all the offices upstairs.”

Ramson, who was recently appointed a Minister in the new PPP/C Government, said he further told the investigators that “I saw Volda Lawrence and James Bond heading upstairs – towards [Mingo’s] office” and then sometime later, the RO “was scurried out the building through the back exit surrounded by Police Officers and I had never seen him again after [in person] up until today.”

In fact, Ramson told this publication that since March, they were unable to serve the embattled RO with the private criminal charges filed against him.

Only Monday, those charges against Mingo and Lawrence in relation to the

PPP/C member Charles Ramson Jr

unverified declaration of results for Region Four came up before the court. They are being accused of forging official electoral documents in an effort to defraud the country.

Lawrence was arraigned and placed a $100,000 bail

by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennon. Mingo, however, did not make a court appearance as he was never served with the private criminal charges filed against them.

Last week, the Police Force announced that it was investigating alleged criminal conduct by Mingo along with others including the Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, who is also currently facing private criminal fraud charges before the courts.

It was Mingo’s attempts to alter the results of the elections that led to the National Recount exercise which ultimately proved the major differences in the figures being called by the RO compared to the actual numbers of votes cast. (G8)

4

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2020

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

Pre-empting abuse O

ver the years, Guyana has had an intractable domestic violence problem, but this should make us work harder to alleviate this pernicious condition. While there have been several initiatives launched, one of the areas that have not received much attention in Guyana has been the dynamics operating between couples. Nowadays, arranged marriages are passé, and couples date, or otherwise have a relationship for extended periods, before actually getting married.

An ever-growing phenomenon, of course, are the couples who ‘live home’ even after children are produced in the relationship. Are there signs of an abuser that can be discerned early on in a budding relationship, which can then be nipped in mandatory pre-counselling before matters proceed too far?

While Guyana has not ‘progressed’ to the stage of having dating services, some interesting warning signals have come out from those studies in the countries that we imitate in our social relations. The concept is the same as where the individual in Guyana reveals his/her personality after a few dates.

A paper that was published in the journal “Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin” examined the influence of prior experiences on partner preferences. The researchers themselves constructed a believable-looking “online dating service,” and thus were able to track the study participants’ preferences and selection of various partners. Although the study participants didn’t know it, the researchers had carefully chosen the profiles so that they differed in systematic ways.

For their first study, the researchers focused on heterosexual women’s preferences, and the men’s profiles that they looked at differed in how much they signalled potential for psychological abuse in intimate relationships.

The profiles themselves were actually real, with the profiles of potentially abusive men written by men who scored high on characteristics associated with abusive personality: impulsivity, anger, jealousy, low self-esteem. A separate sample of participants independently confirmed that the profiles gave off warning signals of potential abuse.

The researchers’ results are sobering: Women who had a history of being psychologically maltreated in a prior relationship were three times more likely to choose potentially abusive dating partners than women without this history. In other words, women who are at risk of being abused in their relationships are more likely to be attracted to the very features that others see as clear precursors of abuse. Often, these choices are rationalised: intense jealousy is misinterpreted as caring, and anger is romanticised as “dangerous.”

In a second study, the researchers turned the tables around and focused on heterosexual men’s preferences.

Their question was this: Who do potentially abusive men prefer? The results showed that men who scored high on a measure of inflicting psychological abuse were 1.5 times more likely to choose a partner who is high on attachment anxiety. Attachment anxiety is a disposition associated with victims of abuse, and is characterised by an intense anxiety over rejection. As such, people high in attachment anxiety are particularly vulnerable to being “treated like a God” during the courtship phase of a relationship: being flooded with flowers, adulated, constantly called. Fears of rejection overwhelm the ability to detect an unhealthy balance between independence and interdependence in their relationships.

What does one do in the face of such data, with people high in attachment anxiety and their potentially abusive partners essentially judging each other as highly compatible?

As simple as it may sound, one powerful answer is to rely on your social networks. Listen to what your friends are saying.

In fact, people in new relationships should actually ask friends their opinions about prospective partners, and these friends should be honest in their evaluation. This is critical advice both if you are attracted to a potentially abusive mate, and if someone you care about begins describing abusive relationship patterns. Sometimes we need to rely on other people to help us see what we cannot.

Most abuse and violence are committed by “significant others”. We bear much of the responsibility for choosing them.

Let us become educated for the signals sent out by abusers.

Representatives of the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) met with Education Minister Priya Manickchand to discuss the Venezuelan migrant situation. The discussion centred primarily on how the Education Ministry and the PADF could work together to increase access to education for Venezuelan children of concern in Guyana (Education Ministry photo)

Unions want to be equal partners in sugar Dear Editor, The GAWU contemplated whether it should offer a response to Mr Earl John’s letter, titled “Unions must be required to be equal and productive partners if reconstruction of sugar industry is to be successful”, which appeared in the August 21 issue of the Stabroek News.

The usually eloquent Mr John waxed lyrical as he offered his perspectives to our Union’s response to Ms Akola Thompson’s column.

In opening his batting, as it were, Mr John spoke about reduction in the number of estates between 1745 and 2010. The author pointed out the substantial decline in the number of plantations as he sought, in our view, to cleverly contend that the more recent closure of estates was a continuation of that evolution.

We hold the position that to level such contentions in abstraction tends to obscure the reality of the situation.

The letter writer failed to acknowledge that advances in technology and productivity allowed the many smaller factories to be amalgamated into larger, more efficient units.

Our research informed us that, in 1885, sugar production in then British Guiana reached approximately 48,400 tonnes when 200-odd factories existed. This must be contrasted against what obtained in 1976, when sugar production climbed to some 330,000 tonnes with 11 factories in existence. In that period, the number of operating units declined by 95 per cent, but production went up by some 580 per cent.

Then there was a subtle justification for the employ-

ment of retirees in the factory department of the corporation. Mr John contended that this was necessary to replace lost skills, but our contention remains rooted in whether the recruitment of these persons really helped. The reality is that factory performance and efficiency worsened under their watch.

Now, we know the letter writer would want to argue that the newly rehired persons were “dealt a bad hand”, as they inherited faulty factories. However, we need to immediately dismiss that contention, as the factory sub-report of the costly Commission of Inquiry into the sugar industry, in regard to the now inoperable estates, did not express alarm about those factories. While a rosy picture was not necessarily painted, at no time was the view shared that the factories were in danger of collapse!

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the current situation. So, it begs the relevant question: What value did these ‘valuable’ personnel bring to GuySuCo? Mr John went on to speak about costs for certain services and benefits the industry offers, which he pointed out came from the generosity of the Management.

In advancing his contention, we are told that the “…

Venn Commission Report… stung conscience of the employers…”; but, again, the letter writer, in advancing his perspective, chose to ignore the reality that five (5) sugar workers were gunned down. He failed to acknowledge that sugar workers were on strike for nearly two (2) months after the planters had arbitrarily changed

their conditions of work.

He mentioned the recommendations of the Venn Commission, but diverted from that Commission’s findings, which described the inhumane conditions workers and their families were made to endure, and the harsh economic burdens that were placed on their backs, which practically made them beholden to the plantocracy. So, it’s quite easy for one to blow one’s trumpet and talk about the seeming generosity of the planters, but yet turn a blind eye to impetus.

The letter writer next spoke about strikes, but let us remind Mr John that former Minister Keith Scott, during the 2018 Budget debate, took great pride in pointing out that strikes in the industry had fallen by nearly half at that time. Moreover, GuySuCo’s own data for the 2020 first crop indicated that strike days equated to 1.7 days per worker. This can hardly bring the harm Mr John exclaims about, but it goes to remind that no matter how much things change, the more they remain the same.

As in the colonial period, and as in the more recent periods, workers are made out to be the chief scapegoats blamed for all the maladies.

Logically, no worker wants to strike, he/she wants to work and earn; but, at the same time, he/ she wants to be treated fairly and receive decent pay for a day’s work. The problem is that we have seen, over the last few years, a consistent effort to target the workers and just conditions. On this score, we saw Mr John touting the Annual Production Incentive (API), which in-

cidentally was suspended during his most recent stint at the corporation.

Mr John concluded his missive by expressing the view that he didn’t completely agree with the way the estates were closed. This is an admission the learned gentleman had shared before, and has now reiterated. While these sentiments are recognised, we wonder where these expressions were when thousands of workers were pushed onto the breadline with hardly any clue about their future direction. It’s easy to reflect and express thoughts about what should and could have been, but to stay silent at the time when your voice could have probably made a difference, or at the very least sounded further concern, says a lot, in our view.

So, while we welcome Mr John’s views, we consider them too little too late.

However, we must share Mr John’s view that the Unions must be treated as equal partners. Indeed, this must be a relevant feature to guide the rebuilding of the industry. We are hopeful that the proverbial walls GuySuCo had erected between itself and the workers and their representative unions, together with the hauteur it had demonstrated, would now be finally put in the past, where they belong, and all stakeholder parties - the workers, their organisations and the company – can now begin to collaborate in the interest of the industry, about which we all so deeply care.

Yours faithfully, Seepaul Narine General Secretary (GAWU)

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2020

5

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

Undoubtedly premature missive Little or no Dear Editor, The article of Kaieteur News Columnist ‘Peeping Tom’ (28.08.20) titled “Priya’s problems” is an oddity. It was an innocuous attempt to attack the Minister of Education, in her third week in office, for no readily apparent reason.

The ‘Peeper’ is a column written by various authors, who use collective anonymity, and the juxtaposed opinions can lend an appearance of schizophrenia at times.

This particular attempt fails for the author’s lack of insight into the policies and workings of the Ministry of Education, as it proves the axiom that “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing”.

Let’s examine the article in detail: Two ‘incidents’ are identified, the first being the Minister’s infamous address at the US Ambassador’s residence in 2014; which was interpreted locally to mean that the PPP/C would forever be hated by the United States, and Guyana’s electoral mechanisms would be ‘manipulated’ to keep the

PPP/C from ever forming a Government of Guyana.

Only a fool would think that Ms Manickchand acted rogue in delivering that message to the US State Department, and only the most subservient would think that the remarks would wound American pride irreparably. Recent events demonstrate that the 243-year-old USA can handle uncomfortable exchanges with other nations maturely and honestly, and certainly without resort to the subversion of conscience and democracy. Even the ‘Peeper’ admits this incident has no bearing on the education sector. It seems to be a case of throwing mud in the hope that some of it sticks.

Pathetic!

The second “incident” is Minister Manickchand’s decision to abandon the Automatic Promotion Policy, aka “no child left behind”.

While the ‘Peeper’ lauds the decision, and laments, “The only fault which could be laid at the feet of the Minister is that it took her too long to

scrap the policy”, the ‘Peeper’ (he/she) does not know that due to immense pushback from parents, the policy reversal has not been implemented to date. Doctor the Honourable Nicolette Henry simply ignored the policy, and never tried to make the sensible change. The ‘Peeper’ would have been better served by a conversation with Minister Manickchand about the problems in the sector than by making unfounded summations.

The columnist then attempts to assert that Priya Manickchand failed to find a solution to the previous administration’s scrapping of the “One Laptop Per Family” programme, and that decision’s effect on the ability to deliver online education during the global pandemic.

This is a gratuitous attack, given that the budget debates are set for next week, and Minister Manickchand is expected to produce and defend her plans and budgetary expenditure for the sector during those proceedings.

The ‘Peeper’ is palpably pre-

mature.

The columnist ends by stating the obvious prerequisites for improving the Education or any other sector: vision, new skills, and new thinking. In this, I fail to see the criticism that the challenge in this sector would continue to convince parents that “subjects” do not make for a complete education.

Dr Rupert Roopnaraine failed to get buy-in for his transformative agenda, and any new vision will have to entail massive parental consultation and collusion. I believe Priya Manickchand is best equipped for this job, and has the confidence of the Ministry staff and support from teachers who are cognisant of the changes that must be made for the benefit of students and the nation.

The Peeper’s missive is undoubtedly premature, and he may want to try again when the vision is laid before the house and people of Guyana.

Respectfully, Robin Singh

Previous APNU/AFC Govt should have taken action in Ponzi scheme to protect Guyanese Dear Editor, It is rather ironic to see so many Guyanese embarking on an apparent campaign by turning up to protest publicly in an effort to seek the release from Police custody of the couple fingered in the alleged ACFI Ponzi scheme; they reside on the East Coast of Demerara.

And those Guyanese protesters were protesting although hundreds of millions of dollars owned by their fellow Guyanese are at stake, and possibly at risk of not ever being recovered.

Some 57 persons have made reports to the Police, with claims amounting to over $31.5 million in investments, but further reports seem to indicate that approximately 17,000 Guyanese have invested a whopping US$20 million in this company.

This, therefore, is no ordinary case, and all efforts must be made to ensure that Guyanese people are protected against such scams; and those responsible must be brought to justice and made to face the full force of the law.

Ongoing investigations have revealed that the accused couple are apparently deliberately giving erroneous information regarding the name of the overseas company under which they claim to have been operating. This is sufficient justification to prevent them from leaving Guyana until there is verifiable information regarding the whereabouts of the funds, and those funds are returned to their rightful owners.

It was reported that at the time of the arrest, the Cuban national implicated in the scheme, Yuri Garcia Dominguez, told Police the

name of the overseas umbrella company under which they were operating was “FK Choice”, and that it was located in Belize.

As Police and other members of the Governmentappointed investigating team proceeded to conduct research into that company bearing the name “FK Choice”, it was revealed that no such company existed in Belize, as claimed by Mr. Dominguez, nor does such a company exist elsewhere in the region or internationally.

Specifically, information obtained from reliable counterparts in Belize confirmed that no company bearing the name “FK Choice” was registered with the local or international Registry of Companies in that jurisdiction, as claimed by Mr. Dominguez, who is married to a Guyanese, Ateeka Ishmael.

However, cognisant that local investigations were revealing his falsehood, and further anticipating that this information would become public, Mr. Dominguez proceeded to send out a press release indicating the name of the overseas company was instead “FX Choice”, a name which obviously bears close similarity to “FK Choice”, but for the letter “K”.

The apparent conclusion, therefore, is that when Mr. Dominguez began to realise that research would reveal that no such company with the name “FK Choice” exists, he proceeded on a misleading exercise to change the name to “FX Choice”.

The previous APNU/AFC Government had been made aware of the allegations, but had embarrassingly not taken any action before demitting office. The view is that,

had they moved decisively, it is highly unlikely the situation would have escalated to the point where thousands of citizens are ensnared.

What became even more appalling was former Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix, denying that he was by letter alerted about the illegal scheme, and one of the operators having applied to become a Guyanese citizen.

In a letter dated October 24, 2019 - now widely circulated - legal counsel for the Guyana Securities Council informed Mr. Felix about the scam, but he denied ever receiving that letter, only to be refuted when the letter was made public. There is therefore no doubt regarding why Mr. Felix has remained silent since the letter surfaced with a signature of receipt from someone at the Ministry.

Among other things, the letter alerted Felix about two pyramid-like investment schemes, giving names of the two persons in the scam, their specific addresses on the East Coast Demerara, and the names of the companies being used. Sadly, absolutely nothing was done with the information submitted; but thankfully, the new Government, having received complaints from members of the public, convened a high level

multi-agency investigating team involving the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, the Commissioner of Police, the Governor of the Central Bank, the Head of the Financial Intelligence Unit, and the Head of the Guyana Security Council.

One dictionary defines a Ponzi scheme as “a form of fraud in which belief in the success of a non-existent enterprise is fostered by the payment of quick returns to the first investors from money invested by later investors”.

At this stage, there clearly is hardly any hope of “quick returns” on the investments made, and one can only hope that at least there will be a quick return of the principal sums paid by thousands of Guyanese.

Rest assured there likely would be many other similar attempts to defraud the Guyanese public; the people of Guyana should therefore not let their guard down again.

Thankfully, with a more alert and proactive Government in place, there is good reason for greater hope that the people of Guyana would not fall prey to the lure of similar scams in the future!

Sincerely, Khoy Semple

cooperation expected from Opposition Dear Editor, Given the antics that followed the March 2 regional and general elections, one can reasonably expect that the new Government will receive little or no cooperation from the Opposition APNU+AFC, once the 12th Parliament is convened on Monday, August 31, 2020.

With Mr Joseph Harmon practically confirmed as Opposition Leader, this is all a forgone conclusion. Mr Harmon has already signalled his intention to give the Government a ‘hard time’, and given his indifference (to put it nicely) towards the PPP/C’s leadership, many of whom will be front-benchers in the 12th Parliament, there is no reason to believe he would do otherwise.

Mr Harmon’s ascent to the Office of Leader of the Opposition is not surprising, given the manoeuvres witnessed in the APNU+AFC camp in recent weeks.

However, any expectation of a new era of cooperation between Government and the Opposition in the interest of Guyana is a pipe dream shrouded in partisan politics. Instead of working together on issues of national importance, we can once again expect to see a divided house, with Mr. Harmon leading the charge, whether right or wrong.

This proverbial crabs-ina-barrel approach has gotten us nowhere in the past, and will get us nowhere in the future. Now, more than ever, Guyana needs a strong Opposition, not to impede or disrupt progress, but to hold Government accountable and

ensure transparency at every level. With unprecedented oil revenues flowing into the Treasury and multiple transformative infrastructural development projects expected to come online over the next five years, a vigilant and vibrant Opposition is warranted. Robust, non-partisan debates are required in and out of the National Assembly, and Guyanese should accept nothing less.

However, Mr. Harmon does not strike me as a person who is overly concerned about robust debates. He will do everything and anything to condemn, cast doubt, and disrupt the Government’s development plans.

An old Chinese proverb states, “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the next best time is now”.

Hopefully, the Opposition and Government are ready to look beyond the divisive politics of the past and show the Guyanese people that they are willing and able to engage in a bipartisan manner on issues of national importance.

However, for one reason or the other, I do not see Mr Harmon as being genuinely interested in working with the Government in any area.

He is more likely to go on a personal vendetta, with little concern for Guyana’s development. As such, Guyanese should not hold their breath in waiting to see any semblance of cooperation taking place between Government and the Opposition, as that is something they would need to wait indefinitely to see.

Yours faithfully, Omchand Mahdu

6

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2020

Page

Foundation

SUMMER OF LEARNING

◄

Æsop’s Fables

FOR CHILDREN

W

hen you estimate the quotient of a division problem, you do not round the numbers. Instead you try to find compatible numbers. These are numbers that you can work with easily in your head.

3 Add zeros to the dividend as placeholders. In this example, the dividend has four place values, so you need to add 2 zeros: 4800.

Example: Estimate 4922 ÷ 6.

1

Look at the first two dig- its in the dividend – 49. Can you divide that evenly by the divisor 6? No.

4

Divide by 6. 4800 ÷ 6 = 800

2 Think about multiplying by 6. 6 x 6 = 36, 6 x 7 = 42, 6 x 8 = 48. Select the one that is closest to 49. That is 48.

Exercises: 1) 152 ÷ 12

4) 71 ÷ 9

2) 322 ÷ 8

5) 3452 ÷ 17

3) 922 ÷ 25

6) 66 ÷ 6

A

dog, to whom the butcher had thrown a bone, was hurrying home with his prize as fast as he could go. As he crossed a narrow footbridge, he happened to look down and saw himself reflected in the quiet water as if in a mirror. But the greedy dog thought he saw a real dog carrying a bone much bigger than his own.

If he had stopped to think he would have known better. But instead of thinking, he dropped his bone and sprang at the dog in the river, only to find himself swimming for dear life to reach the shore. At last he managed to scramble out, and as he stood sadly thinking about the good bone he had lost, he realised what a stupid dog he had been.

WORD SEARCH

NEWS

7

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

APNU/AFC signals failure of election petition ...by filing “backup” petition

T

he defeated A Partnership For National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition will be filing two election petitions – just in case one fails – with the Supreme Court of Judicature on Monday, according to Chairman of the AFC Raphael Trotman.

Trotman made the announcement on Friday during a virtual engagement with the media.

The APNU/AFC is seeking to have the results of the March 2 General and Regional Elections – which were declared on August 2 and gazetted on August 21 – overturned.

The party is contending that the elections were riddled with cases of voter fraud coupled with the manipulation of the results and missing statutory documents. Based on Trotman’s statement, instances of missing statutory documents – poll books, counterfoils, Official List of Electors – and dead and migrated people voting are the grounds on which the coalition is contesting the results.

He explained that the party’s lawyers approached the High Court on Thursday and filed its application for

leave to pave the way for the filing of the petition. He noted that while it is not written in any of the laws that leave of the court is required, the practice is one that has been in existence and continues to be followed.

Trotman related that the coalition expects that the application would be speedily granted and that the court will not frustrate the speedy hearing of the two petitions. However, he did explain the reason for two petitions being the strict nature of the laws governing election petitions.

“This is a very tedious and meticulous process… one error could make everything fatal and there is no second chance. We know that application has to be filed within 28 days of the official declaration of the results. Those results were only officially declared last Friday so we are well within the time even though there is some confusion,” he said.

“It is not the first time that multiple petitions have been filed following an election and with good reason should one fail there is another to stand up. Because as I said, the law in relation to petition is very strict.

Compliance is very strict.

So if there is any failing and

AFC Chairman Raphael Trotman

many petitions have failed – I think there has been one successful petition in the history of Guyana that was the 1998 Esther Pereira petition – all the others have failed and so with good reason, it is important to have multiple petitions so if there is a defect in one, that defect hopefully would not be found in the other,” Trotman added.

When asked about the lawyers anticipated to present the coalition’s case, Trotman said while the list has not been yet confirmed, the party has been receiving requests from lawyers in and out of Guyana volunteering their service. He furthered that almost all of the lawyers in the coalition would want to be associated with the petition in one

way or the next. Thus far, that list includes Roysdale Forde, Geeta ChandanEdmond, Trotman, Khemraj Ramjattan among others.

Though being one of the parties in the coalition, Trotman could not answer the important questions in relation to the petitions, its anticipated evidence and in whose name it would be filed. He, without divulging any information, urged reporters to wait until the petition is filed One aspect of election petition hearing is returning to the ballot boxes and doing visual inspections.

Trotman is hoping that in this case, the court relies on the observation reports from the National Recount since that covered most of the grounds in terms of

where the alleged discrepancies and illegalities would lie. He related that all that now remains is the question of whether those allegations are sufficient enough, on both a quantitate and qualitative basis, to overturn the elections.

On Thursday, Joseph Harmon, who served as the coalition’s Campaign Manager and an elections agent, confirmed that the party is ready to present its case. In a Facebook post, he also called on the party supporters to breach the COVID-19 restrictions and “mobilise in numbers to lend support to our party. We want a big manifestation against this persecution that is going on.”

However, many have come out bashing his move, especially given the fact that the emergency measures currently in place to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus here prohibit any public gathering in large numbers. The AFC, during its press conference, defended Harmon’s call, noting that COVID-19 guidelines would be in effect.

Harmon had also announced that the coalition has formally written to the Heads of several in-

ternational organisations as well as diplomatic partners, outlining that “based on the vast amount of evidence” the APNU/AFC coalition “believes, and intends to prove, that the elections held on March 2 lacked credibility and legitimacy”.

However, a National Recount which was agreed to by former President David Granger and then Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo showed that the PPP/C secured 233,336 votes while the APNU/AFC obtained 217,920 votes – a difference of some 15,416 votes.

But after five months of a series of litigation and delayed tactics, the PPP/C was finally declared the winner of the March 2, 2020 elections by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and Dr Irfaan Ali was sworn in as Guyana’s ninth Executive President on August 2.

According to the National Assembly (Validity of Elections) Act, an election petition must be filed in the High Court within 28 days of the election results being declared and published in the Guyana Gazette under Section 99 of the Representation of the People Act. (G2)

8 NEWS

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Attempt to rig elections

Police secure court order to further detain Clairmont Mingo

Chief Justice (ag) Rishi Persaud

C

hief Justice (ag) Rishi Persaud on Friday granted an extension of time for Police to further detain embattled Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, who was arrested on Tuesday on allegations of electoral fraud in relation to the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections.

According to the court order, an extension of time is granted for 24 hours to hold Mingo in Police custody until today, August 29, 2020, at 14:20h. It was further ordered that subsequent to his release, Mingo must visit the CID Headquarters Eve Leary, Kingston, Georgetown, at 09:00 am daily with effect from August 30, 2020.

Additionally, the court ordered that Mingo lodge his passport with the CID Headquarters, and to report any change of residence to the police.

Application withdrawn

Meanwhile, earlier Friday, heeding the advice of Justice Persaud, attorney-at-law and APNU/AFC candidate, Darren Wade withdrew an application requiring Mingo to be brought

before a court to secure his release from Police custody.

By way of a Writ of Habeas Corpus, Wade had contended that his client’s constitutional rights were being violated as there were no lawful grounds for his continued detention.

The writ which was filed on Thursday was heard via Zoom video conference.

Minutes into the proceedings which started at around 11:00h, Wade conceded that the matter would become academic, given that the 72hour period in which the police is lawfully allowed to hold his client would expire at 14:20h on Friday.

Also, the lawyer made a request to the Judge to have the application adjourned until after 14:20h on Friday to decide on the way forward with respect to the release of his client.

Further, Wade, who had earlier told the court that he was being denied access to Mingo, indicated that he was having ready access to his client, and said that if the police maintain this relationship throughout the investigation, he would consider taking a different course.

Misconceived

But Attorney General Anil Nandlall strongly opposed Wade’s request for an adjournment, arguing that the application filed by the junior attorney was wholly misconceived and wrong and that courts do not sit in academic matters. “The application was misconceived,” noted Nandlall, who is representing the State. He told the court that Wade was “absolutely confused” as it relates to what he is asking the court to do.

Nandlall argued that the questions raised on the application are of lawyers being denied access to their

Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo

clients, and do not warrant Habeas Corpus proceedings.

Nandlall submitted that there are several case laws, even one by the CCJ and the Guyana Court of Appeal which outlines that courts do not sit in academic matters.

In support of his contention, the Attorney General placed reliance on the CCJ Case of Ya’ache Conservation Trust v Attorney General of Belize (Appellate jurisdiction).

“The detention is not unlawful. I think my friend [Wade] is confusing concepts. Any civilised country has the power to detain persons on certain grounds,” Nandlall added. He referenced Article 139 (4) of the Constitution in support of his position, and noted that Habeas Corpus applications address issues of unlawful detention and/or arrest, and not that of lawyers being refused access to their clients.

“The 72 hours have not expired as yet; the issue of unlawful detention could only arise after the 72 hours have expired. The police are acting lawfully,” Nandlall noted. The Attorney General further underscored that Mingo’s detention was not unlawful as Article 139 (4) of the Constitution permits the police to detain a citizen

for a period of 72 hours before being released and taken before a court “There is no evidence before the court about unlawfulness and the Constitution justifies the holding of a person for 72 hours on the basis of reasonable suspicion,” Nandlall added.

The Attorney General further argued that Mingo’s case is also misconceived and that any allegations of breach of a person’s or suspect’s constitutional rights ought to be properly canvassed in an application for constitutional relief made under Part 56:01 of the Civil Procedure Rules.

On this aspect, Nandlall further contended that the application filed was fundamentally flawed as the provision relied upon was Article 144 of the Constitution which addresses the right to a fair hearing which bore no relevance to the application filed on behalf Mingo.

In this regard the Attorney General cited the case of Attorney General of Guyana v Keshwar Ramlall (2015) 86 WIR 347 in which the judgement of Justice Carl Singh, which stated that when invoking constitutional provisions it is incumbent to identify the specific provision(s) which is/ are alleged to have been breached and for the matrix of the evidence supporting that violation to be specifically pleaded.

Wade begged the court to make certain amendments to the application as it related to his submissions regarding Article 144 of the Constitution. He asked that this be amended to read Article 139 of the Constitution. He said it was a mistake. But this application was refused by the Judge.

TURN TO PAGE 15

Oil, oil, everywhere…

H

…and only a drop for Guyana? ow easily they forget!! That’s what your Eyewitness has been thinking as Guyanese rise up in righteous indignation to demand the new PPP Government “renegotiate” the oil contract with Exxon. They forget it’s the PNC and their “negotiator” Raphael Trotman who got us in this fix to begin with.

Shouldn’t they be demanding that Trotman spell out exactly what went on - or went down - in Texas on that fateful day in July 2016 when he signed along the dotted line and literally gave away the store?

Now, some might say that’s just digging up old news. But really, it might give us the wherewithal to persuade Exxon to be a little more expansive, to open up their purse strings. We should remember it was an independent British firm - Clyde and Co, hired by the PNC Govt - which declared that Exxon had held back vital information from Trotman. “The Contractor Consortium (Exxon et al) appear to have put a lot of pressure on the Government and the MoNR (Ministry of Natural Resources) to secure the 2016 Agreement in a short time scale,” said the report.

Evidently, “The reason given related to commitments for drilling rigs that the Contractor Consortium (Exxon) said would need to be stepped away from if a new agreement was not signed.”

Sounds familiar?? But, in reality, this wasn’t why Exxon was rushing the deal. “It seems to us likely that EEPGL were also strongly driving to have a new agreement signed prior to the Liza-2 well results becoming fully known and understood by the Government. Presumably because knowledge of a “world class” discovery could have altered the Government’s negotiating position.”

Well…well…well!! This is the smoking gun, isn’t it??

As a matter of fact, three days before the discovery was confirmed, Trotman did sign the PSA for what was to be labelled Lisa 2 - the massive field - complementing the exploration agreement already signed between the parties!!

So, this is what the PPP should be placing on the table right now: that Exxon withheld a material fact, right…and they’ll have pinned Exxon to the ground!!

Well, not really. American law disclaims any general duty of “good faith” in the negotiation of commercial agreements!! As one court ruled: “In a business transaction, both sides presumably try to get the best deal. That is the essence of bargaining and the free market… [N]o legal rule (binds) the run of business interest. So, one cannot characterise self-interest as bad faith.”

Really, Guyana can’t say that Exxon “misrepresented” the facts to get Trotman to sign.

They just avoided stating those facts!! …and elections petition doubles While most Guyanese are hoping that Exxon will “do the right thing” and cut Guyana some slack on Trotman’s folly, the man has shown up like the proverbial bad penny on the elections petition scene. Yesterday, your Eyewitness reported that the new Opposition Leader from the APNU/AFC benches, Lil Joe Harmon, reported that he’ll be filing what we thought was THE longpromised elections petition next Tuesday.

Well, that hasn’t changed, but Trotman announced yesterday that he will be filing a SECOND elections petition on the same date!!

Now, several questions popped into your Eyewitness’s mind. Firstly, did Harmon give his blessing to this move??

After all, it implies that Trotman has some doubts about Harmon’s case succeeding, even though Lil Joe had declared even during the “war of attrition” that his case was watertight, and, in fact, if Claudette had deigned to look at his evidence contained in his eleven missives, Granger would’ve been President today!!

Secondly, is Trotman filing on behalf of the AFC??

Meaning the coalition might be splintering?? …and folks are slip-sliding Hard on the heels of one slick PNC operator being nicknamed “Barbershop Man”, we now have another dubbed “Flash Drive Man”!!

That’s the GECOM fella who sidled into that backroom to do the dirty with the SOPs. Readers are invited to send their comments by email to eye@guyanatimesgy.com

NEWS

9

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Inspection of CJIA project reveals corruption, mismanagement – Minister

M

odernisation works at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) were on Friday inspected by new Public Works Minister, Juan Edghill, where the actual degree of corruption and mismanagement of the project was unravelled. It has also been riddled with corrective and incomplete works.

Two years after the project was slated to be completed, it has been taken over by the People’s Progressive Party Government in an incomplete and downgraded state. In fact, the Granger-led APNU/ AFC Administration had settled for a denigrated design while paying more than the allocated $150 million.

The Minister would have joined a team of Ministers within the Public Works Ministry, Deodat Indar; Chief Executive Officer of CJIA, Ramesh Ghir; Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, Egbert Field; Aviation Advisor, Lennox Shuman and contractors for a detailed tour of the airport.

He said they are immediately seeking to have the works rectified, to model what was proposed in the design.

An evaluation shows that Guyana received a “renovated” airport, rather than what was bargained.

“The concerns are many.

The problems are many but I think what is of great importance now is to see that this

of the scope. The price didn’t change.”

No extensions and excuses

Minister Juan Edghill was informed of the corrective works which need to be done

project is completed in keeping with the agreed scope that they have signed on to…

Outside this arrangement is the bigger picture of how this project has been mismanaged and I would dare say corrupted. What should’ve been a new airport has turned out to be a renovated airport,” he posited.

When the coalition Government came into power in 2015, the project was put on hold, but after discussions between former Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson and CHEC, it was later announced that the project would be continued but a number of downgrades were done to the design.

Some $138 million of the allocated costs was funded by the EXIM (Export-Import) Bank of China while $12 million was spent by the Guyana

Government. It was not expected to surpass that sum but Guyana had to stand additional expenses.

“We have already spent, from the Government of Guyana’s side, beyond what should’ve been spent. All the works that were supposed to be completed are not yet completed. What is needed right now are all the resources for the completion of this project.

We need to get on with it.”

He rapped the former Administration, signalling that their renegotiation with the contractors resulted in a large chunk of the project being left out and has resulted in this current predicament.

He added, “It is not that the contractors don’t want to work. It is because in the remodelled contract that was done by the Granger Administration left a large section of work out

The CJIA in its downgraded design expansion has four less air passenger boarding bridges for arrivals and departures than the initial eight, a 450-seat departure area, escalators and elevators, in addition to an incomplete extended runway, which was supposed to measure 400 and 690 metres at the respective ends.

An old terminal building

space for enough duty-free shops, restaurants, car rentals and other facilities.

The Minister strongly lamented that CHEC was supposed to design and complete all works before handing it over to the Guyanese Government. However, they have completed some of the works, while key areas like the runway remain undone.

He asserted that the contractors must deliver what was penned in the agreement, and no more extensions would be facilitated. No excuses will be considered, since all the

A section of the incomplete works at CJIA

that was marked for cargo was revamped and only one of the new sections was built.

Meanwhile, a new apron that was supposed to support the additional four air bridges is non-existent. There is also no

unforeseen mistakes have already been made.

“There are works to be completed on both sections.

This runway was supposed to be completed since December 31, 2018…I am not granting

any further extension on anything. This afternoon, we have to agree on timelines for completion. We are way past liquidated damages. Anything that could’ve gone wrong has already gone wrong.”

It was highlighted that the current coronavirus pandemic will not be used as an excuse, since the GCAA will facilitate a flight to have the China Harbour employees return and complete the works they left pending.

For now, once the materials and human resource are present, the construction can resume. The contracting firm has already been appraised via letters of the corrective or remedial works that need to be done.

The new Minister shared, “COVID-19 will not be used as an excuse because Government has given instructions that all Government works to recommence. Secondary, getting the Chinese technicians and experts into the country is no longer a problem. The GCAA has been granting permission for chartered flights.

We have a schedule for all of September and October.

Should China Harbour require a flight, all they have to do is to apply.”

Edghill would have met with the contractors, where he noted that every item must have a timeline for completion. That revised workplan would be strictly monitored.

(G12)

10 NEWS APNU must answer “serious” concerns of parties in partnership – Ramjattan SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

L

eader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Khemraj Ramjattan believes that while A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) will survive the current internal turmoil it is facing, its coalition partner must address concerns of the parties within its partnership.

Of recent, the APNU – which is the majority party in the coalition – has been embroiled in an internal power struggle that has been playing out publicly.

In fact, one of the parties in the five-member partnership – the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) – has already withdrawn from the APNU and another, the Justice For All Party (JFAP) has also threatened to leave.

However, Ramjattan told reporters during a virtual press conference on Friday that he is aware that

AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan

talks are ongoing between the leaders of the APNU and these two parties and he expects that the issues will be resolved.

“I do not see the problems being that egregious, going to fundamental principles and core issues, that it cannot be resolved. I be-

lieve that APNU is going to survive at this time in this context of at least two of its members asking some very serious questions, which must be answered,” Ramjattan stated.

Since its defeat at the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections, the APNU/AFC coalition has been trying to keep its wits together.

In fact, the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), which is the leading party in the APNU faction of the coalition, has been publicly embroiled in disunity and power struggles among its members.

Reports are that senior members within the PNC are dissatisfied with the performance of current leader and former President, David Granger.

Only recently, there was uproar over the APNU/AFCformulated list of Members

of Parliament. The list was handpicked by Granger with little to no consultation within the coalition, and has been intensely criticised by party members.

Notably, PNCR stalwarts such as Chairwoman, Volda Lawrence; the party’s General Secretary and Chief Whip in the 11th Parliament, Amna Ally, and former Attorney General Basil Williams were excluded from the coalition’s MPs list.

This sparked outraged amongst some party members including former MP James Bond, who himself was also left out of the parliamentary list. Bond went on a tirade against Granger on social media. Bond criticised the PNC and its current leadership for not consulting with the party’s membership before making its decision on the parliamentarians.

The lawyer went further to blame Granger’s leadership for making the party lose the March 2 General and Regional Elections, as he threatened to rewrite the former President’s legacy and dismantle Granger’s “cabal.”

Following this, a former PNCR Executive Committee Member on Tuesday also

APNU Leader David Granger

wrote a stinging rebuke against the party leader, and blamed him for the current disunity and power struggle within the party.

According to that member, Lurlene Nestor, under Granger’s leadership, the party has been beset with power struggles; an aloof leader, who failed to reconnect with those who put him in power; and an unwillingness to accommodate criticism from within the party.

Meanwhile, only in the recent past, the AFC also had a tug-o-war with its majority coalition partner.

The party had to settle for a 30-70 per cent division of parliamentary seats – a sig-

nificant reduction from the initial 40-60 per cent arrangement.

As such, when Guyana’s 12th Parliament convenes next week, AFC will be taking up nine of the 31 seats allotted to the coalition.

In fact, the process for selecting the parliamentary list was cited as one of the reasons that caused the fallout within the APNU. Both the WPA and JFAP have complained of not being consulted by the PNC before the decision was taken on the Parliament list – something which they say was a practice within the political grouping.

N e v e r t h e l e s s , Ramjattan, who was Granger’s running mate at the March elections, is confident that APNU and AFC will overcome these issues.

“It is true that the longevity of a coalition depends, at the very heart, as to how cohesive that the various components of that coalition can remain and it is a good thing that at least APNU is engaging its two partners… So it is important that we await the outcome of these talks and engagements of these two members of APNU with the leaders of APNU,” the AFC leader posited. (G8)

11 Mastermind, 2 others charged for killing Canadian NEWS

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Dead: Nicholas Jaipaul

ders, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

He stayed with his 86-year-old grandfather, Ramkissoon Jaipaul.

The alleged mastermind, Monasar Beharry, called “Brickhead”

T

hree persons were on Friday morning remanded to prison for the gruesome murder of 23-year-old Nicholas Ramkissoon Jaipaul, a Canadian national who was staying with relatives in Guyana.

Charged is the alleged mastermind of the murder, Monasar Beharry called “Brickhead”, along with his accomplices Aszim Shivgobin called “Blackie” and Charran Shedhan called “Vickey”.

They appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Magistrate Alex Moore via Zoom.

The trio was not required to plead to the charge

which alleged that between August 16 to 20, 2020, at Moleson Creek, they murdered Jaipaul.

They were all remanded to prison until October 15.

The charred remains of Jaipaul were found on August 20 at Moleson Creek, Corentyne, Berbice – a few days after he was reported missing by his grandfather with whom he was staying.

Reports are that the young man was abducted, strangled to death and his body burnt with truck tyres.

Jaipaul had arrived in Guyana in March and was slated to return home in May but was unable to do so due to the closure of the bor-

The pensioner reported that the last time he saw his grandson was just before he retired to bed on the evening of August 16.

This was during the countrywide power outage.

The elderly man explained that he got out of bed and lit two lamps – one of which he gave his grandson and he returned to bed. Upon waking up the next morning, he realised that his grandson was missing.

The elderly man revealed that he received a telephone call that morning, where the caller claimed that he had kidnapped his grandson, and was demanding a ransom of $50 million.

Reports indicate that the

L-R: Aszim Shivgobin and Charran Shedhan

young man was murdered as revenge against his grandfather in relation to a court matter over rice lands.

The alleged mastermind

reportedly contracted the son of one of the maids who worked with the pensioner to execute the murder of his grandson. (G11)

Region 1 miner dies after suffering from vomiting, diarrhoea …no COVID-19 test done – Police

A

46-year-old gold miner is now dead after he complained of not feeling well while vomiting and suffering from diarrhoea at his workplace located in Hymacururu Backdam, North West District, Region One (Barima-Waini).

Dead is Roy Conyers, who resided at Canal Bank, Port Kaituma, North West District.

The man reportedly died

around 15:00h on Thursday at the Port Kaituma District Hospital. Police also revealed that no COVID-19 test was conducted on the man’s body.

Reports are that Conyers was employed by a male who operates a six-inch land dredge. Three days before his death, he began complaining of feeling unwell. According to Police reports, the man had been suffering from diarrhoea

and vomiting.

However, on Wednesday, Conyers’ employer told lawmen that he called the now dead man’s reputed wife and notified her that her spouse was unwell.

On Thursday at about 06:00h, a speedboat was chartered to transport Conyers from the Backdam and he was subsequently taken to the Port Kaituma District Hospital.

He reportedly arrived

there around 15:00h but it was too late. He subsequently died. The body was examined by the police for marks of violence but none was seen.

Conyers’ body was then taken to the Port Kaituma District Hospital Mortuary where it presently awaits a post-mortem examination (PME).

Investigations are ongoing. (G9)

12

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 202

20 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

13

14 NEWS

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Guyana ranks 3rd in global deployment of FPSOs – GlobalData

G

uyana, which is considered to be home of the biggest oil discovery in recent years, is ranked third, along with Australia and Angola, for global deployment of Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels, during the period 20202025.

With oil production expected to be significantly ramped up in the coming years, Guyana is expected to deploy three more FPSOs within the five-year period.

According to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, while all the three deployments of Australia and Angola are announced projects, Guyana has two announced and one planned project during the outlook period.

In its recent report titled “Global FPSO Industry Outlook, 2020?2025 – Petrobras Drives Global Upcoming FPSO Deployments”, GlobalData

revealed that a total of 18 planned and announced FPSO projects are expected to be deployed offshore Brazil during the outlook period 2020–2025, the highest among the countries globally.

“Among the 18 upcoming FPSOs to be deployed in Brazil by 2025, eight are planned with identified development plans while nine are early-stage announced FPSOs that are undergoing conceptual studies and may be approved for development. Petroleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras), the state-owned company of Brazil, leads the operators’ list with seven FPSOs,” the report states.

GlobalData identified the UK as the second highest country globally, with five upcoming FPSOs by 2025. Four of the upcoming FPSOs in the country are announced FPSOs. The top five countries are expected to contribute more than three-quarters of glob-

al crude production capacity through FPSOs by 2025.

In Guyana’s case, the first FPSO to have been deployed here, Liza Destiny, has started producing oil since December 2019.

The completion of Guyana’s second FPSO, Liza Unity, is on schedule and is expected to be deployed in 2022. SBM Offshore commenced the construction phase of the Liza Unity FPSO following ExxonMobil’s final investment decision (FID) on the Liza Phase 2 development, in May 2019. The Liza Unity is expected to produce 220,000 barrels of oil per day. The vessel will be spread moored in a water depth of about 1600 metres and will be able to store around two million barrels of crude oil.

Additionally, the third FPSO, Prosperity, will be deployed for the yet-to-be approved Payara-Pacora development project. Prosperity will produce 220,000 barrels

of oil per day.

President Irfaan Ali’s new Administration is currently engaging international experts to review the project proposal before it makes a decision on the Payara-Pacora project in the Stabroek Block. After being plagued with delays, Exxon was hoping that the Payara project would have gotten off the ground late this year. The project was originally supposed to start in 2019, but was delayed due to the absence of a functioning Government.

The fourth FPSO will be deployed for ExxonMobil’s fourth proposed development project; Hammerhead, which is expected to produce between 150,000-190,000 bpd.

US oil giant, Exxon has estimated that there are eight billion barrels of recoverable reserves in the Stabroek Block, and until recently, it predicted that the country would produce 750,000 barrels of oil per day by 2025.

According to experts, 750,000 barrels of oil per day would make Guyana the fourth-largest oil producer in Latin America in current production growth, that would be behind Brazil, Mexico and Columbia.

In a couple of years, this would place Guyana as one of the largest sources of nonOPEC suppliers.

Just a few days ago, Hess announced that it had completed drilling another well and discovered two high-quality reservoirs.

US$1.4B oceanfront real estate project announced

C

onstruction and I n v e s t m e n t Management Group (CIMGRO) – headed by businessmen, Ragindra Persaud of Nand Persaud Investment and Sudama Ramalingum of New Trend Auto – has announced a US$1.4 billion

spectacular David Hemstock Signature golf course and is designed to be an upscale community of tree-lined streets, fine homes and modern amenities.

Located along two miles of beach on the Atlantic Ocean and bordered by the

project for Mahaica, East Coast Demerara.

Called “Maraiko Bay Golf & Country Club”, it will be built on a 1000-acre plot and will feature luxurious estate homes and golf courses.

In a press statement on Friday, it was announced that the luxurious estate homes of “Maraiko Bay Golf & Country Club” will be set amidst the backdrop of a

Mahaica River, the course will be undertaken by world-renowned golf course designer David Hemstock, a member of the European Institute of Golf Course Architects. The addition of ex-Ryder Cup Captain Mark James’ plans to establish his National Golf Academy there will only enhance the quality of the facility.

TURN TO PAGE 16

15 Over 800 teachers engage Ministry to create new learning mediums T NEWS

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

eachers of the Grades Five and Six classes at the primary level were given a chance to share their concerns with Education Minister Priya Manickchand on Friday, as it pertains to examinations and teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Via a virtual platform, over 800 educators and senior officials joined in addressing the situations facing the different regions, and how they can be solved to continue class sessions, specifically for children who will be sitting the National Grade Six Examination.

Minister Manickchand recognised that there was no central direction during the initial months of the pandemic but teachers ensured they mobilised students to continue the curriculum.

Since mid-March, schools were closed as a measure to ease the spread of the coronavirus. Online platforms were enabled as the new tool to reach students but there have been some setbacks.

Minister Manickchand noted that a massive training programme will soon be launched to enable teachers to get the training required.

“We’re looking at making sure that teachers can be trained… So, very shortly you will see us rolling out mass teacher training,

Education Minister Priya Manickchand

where we hope to ensure every single teacher in the system is trained presently. First, with an appreciation and understanding why these new forums provide so much opportunity and then how to apply and use the actual forum,” the Minister said.

Meanwhile, Director of the National Centre for Educational Research Development, Jennifer Cumberbatch said the new plan should be relevant and inclusive to fit all geographic areas and teachers.

She posited that every child in Guyana is important and the COVID-19 pandemic brought out a range of weaknesses in the system.

Notwithstanding, she said they are resting assured that teachers are capable of fixing it.

Discussions circled changing the format of the exam, reviewing the age criteria, or having an extension to later in the area. Issues were raised that some children might not have access to online learning, and it was suggested to review the NGSA age criteria temporarily to accommodate such persons.

Some teachers in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) asked for a rotation system for key subject areas, such as Mathematics and English, and the use of the online mode for other subjects.

Calls in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) urged the Ministry to make textbooks available on their website, to ensure that children have access to such resources and have physical interactions some days per week. One teacher said interaction is necessary and can be facilitated with a reduced classroom size.

Some teachers were very passionate about the vulnerable children, especially in Region One (Barima-Waini) where no Wi-Fi is equipped at primary schools. Others said they do not have gad-

3 nabbed in Wakenaam with over $1.2M in stolen cigarettes

A

n 81-year-old businessman of Good Success, Wakenaam, was robbed of 350 cartons of cigarettes after bandits broke into his canter and carted off with the supplies.

Three suspects have since been apprehended by Police.

Based on Police information, the incident occurred between 18:30h on Thursday and 05:30h on Friday.

Noon Persaud had secured the cartons of cigarettes in a canter at his Good Success, Wakenaam, Region

Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara) home. It was parked under a shed and he later retired to bed.

On Friday morning, he woke up and noticed a dent in the rear fence. The zinc material was bent and Persaud immediately went into an alert state. He immediately checked the canter and found that the cartons were missing. The items were valued at a combined $1,248,219.

A report was filed at the San Souci Police Station

and later that day, Police acting on information gathered and mobilised ranks to a centre ground at Good Success. There, 318 cartons along with eight packs of cigarettes were recovered. It was lodged at the station.

Upon further investigations, ranks arrested three males – one from Tuschen Housing Scheme, East Bank Essequibo, and two from Wakenaam Island. They were taken into custody to assist with the investigation. (G12)

Police secure court order...

In the final analysis, Wade conceded and withdrew his application filed on behalf of Clairmont Mingo and there was no order as to costs based on advice from the Judge. “I would take guidance from the court. I have been in practice for five years, and the court has always guided me,” Wade said in conclusion.

Other arrests

Also arrested by the police were four election officials who worked closely with Mingo. They were taken into Police custody this week. The persons of interest have been identified as 42-year-old Carolyn Duncan, a Registration Officer attached to the Better Hope,

East Coast Demerara Office of the Elections Commission.

According to the Police Force, Duncan was also attached to Mingo’s Secretariat which was located in the Ashmins building at High and Hadfield Streets, Georgetown. The other three persons are Sheffern February and Michelle Miller – who were arrested on Wednesday – and Enrique Livan.

On Thursday, Police arrested Livan, an Information Technology staff attached to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

He was previously questioned by Police on the evening of March 4, 2020, when the tabulation of votes for District Four at the Office of the Returning Officer was

FROM PAGE 8

obstructed.

Party agents and other observers became suspicious when Livan, after complaining of feeling tired and wanting to conclude the tabulation process, left the room with a flash drive and computer – both of which were being used during the tabulation process.

In the meantime, Guyana Times understands that more persons would be detained for questioning as the investigation continues.

Last Friday, the Police Force announced that it was investigating alleged criminal conduct by Mingo and others, including Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, who is currently facing private criminal fraud charges.

gets and were asked if it could be provided at a subsidised cost. With unstable electricity and radio signals made in the hinterland, suggestions were placed to see if the modules can be made available on DVDs.

There were scenarios raised about rural areas, where parents might want to assist their children but cannot facilitate such. Some might be challenged whereby they are working away from home while the other

parent is tasked with taking care of the household.

These recommendations will be analysed by the Ministry to devise a workable plan. For now, schools remain closed. (G12)

GTA looks to mandatory training for taxi drivers

GTA training session

T

he Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) held a two-day training session with 13 taxi drivers on delivering quality service.

The sessions were held on August 20 and 21, with drivers of local taxi service establishments.

According to GTA, the programme was aimed at improving the level of service offered by taxi drivers specifically, and of course, other members of the transportation industry in light of COVID-19.

Marlon George, CEO of Guyana Payroll Solutions, who facilitated both days of training used his practical yet seemingly ordinary method of delivery, to engage the sessions.

George guided the participants through the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) established “Delivering Quality Service” curriculum where they were exposed to topics such as Understanding the Tourism Industry, Defining Customer Service Excellence and Understanding the Customer.

In addition, the GTA’s Hygiene and Sanitation Protocol was used to place emphasis on the importance of maintaining proper hygiene and sanitation protocols within their vehicles to safeguard the health and wellbeing of their customers and themselves.

In keeping with the COVID-19 guidelines, participants were housed within the Amerindian Heritage Village Benab located within the National Exhibition Centre, Sophia, and adequate social distancing, frequent hand-washing/sanitising, wearing of masks were adhered to at all times during the sessions.

Upon completing the training, the drivers were provided with a certified badge, valid for two years and were encouraged to take a refresher training every two to three years.

“This is something the GTA will be working towards becoming mandatory for all hire-car drivers to help raise the quality of service that they provide,” the GTA said on Friday.

When asked about their experience during the sessions, Homesh Persaud, a taxi driver attached to the Guyana Marriott Hotel, expressed that “the Guyana Tourism Authority is doing a remarkable job by training taxi drivers to be ambassadors of tourism”.

“I would like to encourage other drivers to take advantage of this opportunity be-

One of the drivers who attended the training

cause I learned a lot within just a day and a half. I thoroughly enjoyed the two days of training,” remarked Ann Maribelle Rickford of Nigel’s Taxi Service.

“It was a great, interactive and beneficial experience which will allow us to improve the level of service we provide. We look forward to participating in much more of these workshops. I also think that this type of training should be made compulsory for persons within the taxi service industry. It would greatly improve the quality of service, especially for tourism during these times,” she further added.

GTA in a release underscored that in these perilous times, it is imperative that the local transportation sector follow and maintain all the COVID-19 guidelines as provided by the Ministry of Health.

“They must ensure that all passengers are safe and comfortable, despite the circumstances. It is only through this that we will be able to keep ourselves and those around us as safe and healthy as possible as we strive to flatten the curve and prepare for reopening” the release read.

Persons/taxi drivers who wish to be a part of the next session of “Successful Taxi Driver’s Training in Delivering Quality Service” can contact the Training and Tourism Development Officer, Chetnauth Persaud on +(592) 219 0094-6 or chetnauth@ guyanatourism.com for more information.

Meanwhile, GTA said it remains committed to elevating the quality of service provided by the tourism sector and will be hosting a series of training programmes throughout 2020 to strengthen the capacity of the travel and tourism industry workforce. (G9)

16 NEWS Former PM Rep resigns from AFC SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

…says party stopped keeping promises, leaders selfish

By Andrew Carmichael

F

ormerPrimeMinisterial Representative of Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), Gobin Harbhajan has reigned from the Alliance for Change (AFC).

In a letter dated August 28, 2020, and addressed to the General Secretary of the party, David Patterson, Harbhajan said he has been a long-standing member of the AFC over the past decade.

“When the party successfully took office in 2015, I diligently served and supported this winning multi-ethnic coalition Government to the best of my ability. From the inception, the goals values and standards were very much appreciated, and for that, I want to cherish my experience,” the letter seen by this publication stated.

However, Harbhajan noted that he no longer shares those sentiments and views.

“I am of the belief that the party was formed to serve the needs of our people and in my humble opinion those things which were once valued by the member of the party no longer exists,” Harbhajan said as he bid farewell to the party.

In an invited comment, AFC Chairman Raphel Trotman said he did not receive the letter but was informed by Harbhajan of his decision.

Trotman said he is aware that Harbhajan and many members on the AFC shared views on matters.

“He had clashes with some members of the party over issues that he did not agree with,” Trotman told this publication, adding that he has high regards for Harbhajan and wishes him well in his future endeavours.

“He has always proven to me that he is a people’s person and I will support him in that regard,” Trotman said while noting that his professionalism will not prevent Harbhajan from moving on.

Unkept promises

Meanwhile, speaking with Guyana Times on Friday, Harbhajan said after the party was a part of the winning coalition, he and the AFC started seeing things differently.

“It seems as if the party was not keeping its promises, so, we started seeing things differently,” he said.

His attraction to the AFC back in 2005 was as a result of its multi-ethnic outlook which was at the time being portrayed by Raphel Trotman, Sheela Holder and Khemraj Ramjattan.

“My idea for joining was to make a difference for Berbice but things changed after 2015, despite the AFC being very strong in Berbice. We kept marketing that we are for the people since 2005, but

I don’t believe we as a party showed this after 2015.”

“We needed to do that.

Especially the promises we made to our supporters.”

Rigged elections

According to Harbhajan, at the Local Government Elections in 2018, which the AFC contested separately from APNU, it was only able to get two seats in all from the 18 Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) and the three municipalities.

“They got one in New Amsterdam and a leftover seat at the Whim/Bloomfield NDC. Again I tried to share my views on what happening and what led to the poor showing at the elections.”

This, the Former Prime Ministerial Regional Representative said, was because of the persons who were selected to lead the Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) AFC team.

He made mention of the party’s election for its Regional Management Committee.

Back in 2018, there were three such elections held, the first was subsequently declared null and void after most of those invited to participate in the elections were from the Khemraj Ramjattan fraction of the party, leaving out members of the Moses Nagamootoo and Raphael Trotman fractions.

When the second elections

were held, party members called for it to be squashed since Ramjattan’s “man of business” Derreck Basdeo was not mandated to hold the elections.

When the elections were held in March, many party members boycotted it, saying that the elections were being pushed so that persons close to Ramjattan will be holding office positions and eligible to vote at the national level, giving him a better chance to become the party’s Chairman and be the Prime Ministerial Candidate for the coalition.

Selfish leaders

According to Harbhajan, his mind was turned from the party at its conference in 2018, where he contested to be reelected to the party’s national Executive.

Former PM Representative Gobin Harbhajan

However, he did not tender his resignation.

“I continued to serve as an RDC Councillor working in the best interest of the people.

And as PM Rep I had to assist and serve the people of the region with whatever resources available and with the help of the Regional Chairman,”

Harbhajan pointed out.

Asked about the nine seats which the AFC will be taking up in the next Parliament, Harbhajan said the party is fortunate to be given so many seats.

He said that the leaders of the AFC became selfish and the Executives only “looks out for themselves.”

“Over the years I have been at loggerheads with the Executive. There is a power struggle at the top. The top bracket only looks out for themselves. The AFC will not get newcomers. I will like to see political parties with young new faces and ideas.

I still have respect for a few members of the AFC like Trotman, Nigel Hughes and a few others,” Harbhajan added.

US$1.4B oceanfront real...

CIMGRO’s Chairman, Ragindra Persaud, stated that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has already been signed with the Petroleum Club, headed by John Moore Chairman of Agraria Inc for a 75-unit luxury housing complex including a clubhouse, restaurant and leisure facilities.

In addition, Phase One will encompass 150 condos, 200 luxury homes and 50 executive homes, commercial centre and other amenities all set for completion within 14 months.

“This is the realisation of a dream that will put Guyana on the map as a top investment, tourist and sec-

ond home destination. I am proud of our entire team that has been working for more than four years to create a masterpiece that will showcase our country’s natural beauty. This allows for creation of thousands of construction, tourism and sports-related jobs that we desperately need as the country grows. We have put together a team that we feel has the ability to deliver a project of this magnitude,” Persaud said.

The project management team comprises persons who have been instrumental in large-scale projects in the Caribbean, Mexico, Costa Rica, Kuwait, Dubai, US and

FROM PAGE 14

UK, the statement noted.

Meanwhile, COO of CIMGRO, Rudy Ramalingum stated that the project is one with many firsts in Guyana.

Additionally, sea defence and environmental protection, budgeted at more than $430 million, will be overseen by Earth and Marine Environmental Consultants.

The statement added that CIMGRO plans to engage several local and regional contractors to ensure that they can meet the delivery schedule for infrastructure and construction due to the demand for quality housing, starting under US$150,000.

NEWS

17

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

3 new COVID-19 deaths, 40 new cases reported T

he Health Ministry on Friday announced that three more persons have died as a result of COVID-19, taking the country’s death toll to 35.

No further details were given regarding these deaths.

Only Thursday, the Ministry reported Guyana’s 32nd COVID fatality following the death of 52-year-old Alfred Humphrey of Kingsley, West Coast Berbice, who died in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Meanwhile, as increased testing continues countrywide, 40 new cases have been detected in the last 24 hours.

This is according to the Ministry’s COVID-19 dashboard on Friday, which states that the number of cases recorded in Guyana to date has increased to 1180. Of these cases, 581 are males and the other remaining 599 are females.

However, the country’s active cases are only 512, that is, nine are patients in the COVID-19 ICU while the other 503 are currently in isolation – 96 in institutional isolation and 407 in home isolation.

Additionally, there are 112 persons in institutional quarantine as well.

Moreover, the number of persons who have recovered from the life-threatening disease has also increased to 633 – 17 more recoveries than the figure reported the previous day.

To date, a total of 7811 persons have been tested for the novel coronavirus in Guyana.

A breakdown of the 40 new cases shows that two were detected in Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara); 14 in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica); two in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and a whopping 22 new cases in Region Nine (Upper TakutuUpper Essequibo).

The figures for the other regions remain the same at 158 cases in Region One (BarimaWaini); 12 in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam); four in Region Five (MahaicaBerbice); 14 in Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne); 15 in Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni), and 75 cases in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

Since taking office earlier this month, the People’s

Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government has embarked on a mass test-

ing campaign in all 10 regions of Guyana. The new Administration said that

hundreds of positive COVID-19 cases have gone undetected over the past months given the limited number of tests conducted.

However, recently there has been a recording circulating that the COVID-19 test kits that Guyana has procured are contaminated – a claim which the Health Ministry has already denounced.

In fact, even the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) dispelled the rumours.

PAHO/WHO country representative, Dr William Adu-Krow recently assured the public that his organisation ensured that the test kits met all the necessary standards before being dispatched to countries for use.

“I can assure the public that the tests being done in Guyana are secure, safe, and quality assured, so if you get a positive, it’s a true positive…

All the testing kits that we have have to go through a quality assurance first, then go through PAHO and then it

comes here monitored, temperature-sensitive monitored, so by the time we get them, we know they are in good stead,” he had explained in a report from the Department of Public Information (DPI).

According to Dr AduKrow, “To the best of my knowledge, the kits that were graciously given by the Government of China came to us about six to eight weeks ago. Those were used and we did not have any problems. Now, there is someone suddenly saying we are getting increases because of that; that is a lie.”

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony has repeatedly urged persons to go out and get tested and not let the rumours circulating be a deterrent. Since widespread testing has been increased, the number of positive cases being identified is a true reflection of the COVID-19 situation in the country.

As such, steps are being taken now to enhance the country’s capacity to deal with the spiking number of COVID-19 cases.

It was reported on Wednesday that Government has secured a whopping $4.5 billion to aid in the coronavirus relief, which will be used to help households, procure medical supplies and resources in other areas of need. (G8)

Amerindian Heritage Month virtual celebration kicks off on Sept 1

T

he rich and diverse culture of Guyana’s first peoples will be on display and celebrated during the month of September as the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs launches its calendar of activities for the annual Amerindian Heritage celebration.

This year’s activities will be observed under the theme “Fostering Traditional Practices for a Safe Environment,” in keeping with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) safety guidelines.

During a virtual media launch on Friday, Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai said that the aim is to ensure the much-anticipated celebration is observed in a manner that does not put the nation at risk of contracting the virus.

According to a report from the Department of Public Information (DPI), the Minister explained that the theme is significant and timely since it is through their traditional practices that Indigenous people continue to secure and achieve desirable outcomes for social and economic balance in their way of life.

“Amerindian peoples continue to safeguard the natural environment which has contributed to robust climate change practices; the forest, waterways and ecosystem continue to provide significant support to the way of life of Guyana’s Amerindians; customs and traditions and traditional practices are

has received a list of products that will be showcased.

Interested persons who are not on the list can contact the Ministry to have their products showcased throughout the month.

Cultural presentations by various groups will be broadcast live on the National

Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai

Minister

manifested in the talents and cultural heritage displayed by our people,” Minister Sukhai pointed out.

It is against this background that the Government has collaborated with other stakeholders to facilitate activities to observe, recognise and pay tribute to the Amerindians of Guyana.

As part of the month of activities, there will be a ceremonial launch on September 1 at 11:00h, where President Dr Mohammed Irfaan Ali will deliver the feature address.

There will also be remarks by Minister Sukhai along with other Amerindian leaders.

A new feature that will be introduced this year will the online marketing of Amerindian craft and other products.

The Ministry’s Principal Regional Development Officer (PRDO), Anil Roberts, explained that the Ministry

Communications Network (NCN) and Department of Public Information (DPI) as well as the Ministry’s Facebook page every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday during the month.

From September 7-30 there will be an Art Exhibition, where the work and talents of the renowned Amerindian artists will be showcased. There will also be live coverage of the exhibition.

Amerindian cuisine will also be a highlight of this year’s observance, where persons can sample various dishes that will be made available by the Ministry free of cost every Wednesday during the month. Interested persons are asked to reserve their preferred dish once the dates are announced.

“We encourage all who have the time and who love our dishes to come and enjoy the menu of food that is provided,” Minister Sukhai encouraged.

Meanwhile, the life and work of Stephen Campbell will also be observed, as well as educational lectures for the benefit of, particularly school-aged children.

Villages will also have a chance to showcase their culture live.

Amerindian Heritage Month has its origin on September 10, 1957, when

Stephen Campbell became Guyana’s first Amerindian selected to be a Member of Parliament. It is for this reason that Amerindian Heritage Day is celebrated on September 10th every year.

Minister Sukhai explained that the cost attached to these activities will not exceed $15 million since the activities will be done virtually.

In 1995, Guyana’s then Prime Minister, Dr Cheddi Jagan, officially designated September as Amerindian Heritage Month, giving the

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)

INFORMATION AND GUIDELINES HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF?

Indigenous population a chance to showcase their way of life.

Apart from the distinctive languages of the Patamona, Akawaio, Wapichan, Makushi, Wai Wai, Carib, Arecuna and Arawak, Amerindians are known for their craft-making skills and unique array of foods that are usually made from cassava and other ground provisions.

As such, the heritage celebration allows for the wider Guyanese populace to experience the Indigenous culture profoundly.

SYMPTOMS

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness.

Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms or combinations of symptoms may have COVID-19:

Cough

Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

Or at least two of these symptoms:

Fever People who think they may be affected by coronavirus need to call the Public Health Ministry hotline 227-4986/624-3067 for further advice. They should not go to their GP, A&E, pharmacy or hospital.

If you have come into contact with somebody who may be infected, you may be told to self-isolate. People needing to do so should take "common-sense" steps to avoid close contact with other people.

(Adapted from BBC News)

Headache

Chills

Sore throat

Repeated shaking with chills

Muscle pain

Children have similar symptoms to adults and generally have New loss of taste mild illness. or smell

18

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2020

Regional

Peru, with world’s deadliest outbreak, Brazil Environment Ministry to stop readies to start vaccine tests fighting deforestation

A Venezuelan migrant receives a vaccination at the Binational Border Service Center of Peru, in Tumbes, Peru June 14, 2019

P

eru will start testing coronavirus vaccines from China’s Sinopharm and US drugmaker Johnson & Johnson in September, researchers said, which should help the country gain faster access to inoculations once the vaccines are approved.

Sinopharm began this week to recruit up to 6000 volunteers in Peru, which Reuters data indicates has the highest number of COVID-19 deaths in relation to its population size. A team of Chinese scientists is expected to arrive in the Andean nation next week to work with

local researchers, said Germán Málaga, a doctor and lead vaccine investigator at Lima’s Cayetano Heredia University.

“This is going to happen around Sept 3, to begin vaccinations on Sept 8,” he said. Sinopharm’s clinical trials in Peru are being done with Cayetano Heredia and the state-run Universidad Mayor de San Marcos.

Peru has recorded around 622,000 cases of the coronavirus, the fifth-highest caseload in the world, and 28,277 deaths. It now has the world’s deadliest fatality rate per capita, with 86.67 deaths per 100,000 people, a Reuters tally shows, just ahead of Belgium.

Sinopharm will also do clinical coronavirus vaccine trials elsewhere in Latin America, including in Argentina.

Peru, a country of nearly 33 million people and the world’s number 2 copper producer, has been particularly hard-hit by the pandemic, both in terms of infections and economic impact. The economy crumbled over 30 per cent in the second quarter of the year. (Excerpt from Reuters)

in the Amazon

A

ll operations to combat illegal logging in the Amazon will be halted starting on Monday due to insufficient funds, Brazil’s Environment Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

The Ministry said the

move was due to a decision

by Brazil’s Federal Budget Secretariat to block certain funds that had originally been allocated to Environment Ministry enforcement arm Ibama and parks service ICMBio. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Mexican President forges crucible for corruption fight, eyeing key vote

Sao Paulo to provide vaccine even without federal Govt help, Governor says

T

he Brazilian state of Sao Paulo, which is in advanced trials of a Chinese coronavirus vaccine, will inoculate its population even if the federal Government declines to help, Governor Joao Doria told Reuters in an interview on Friday.

The comment comes amid the deteriorating relationship between Brazil’s wealthiest and most populous state and the capital Brasilia.

Doria said the vaccine developed by China’s SinoVac still needs to complete clinical trials and be approved by health regulator Anvisa, but that Sao Paulo is ready

Brazil’s Sao Paulo state Governor, Joao Doria holds a box of China’s Sinovac coronavirus potential vaccine for trials during a news conference at Hospital das Clinicas, in Sao Paulo, Brazil July 21, 2020

to begin vaccinations in December.

“We will be prepared, if there were some situation in which the federal government, for some grave circumstance of attitude, turns its back on Sao Paulo, Brazilians from Sao Paulo will have the vaccine,” Doria said in an interview.

Doria and President Jair Bolsonaro have clashed frequently in recent months over the nation’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic in Brazil, with the President blaming Doria for killing the economy and the Governor accusing Bolsonaro of negligence.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Former Antigua PM turns down Knighthood

F

ormer Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer has reportedly turned down an offer of a knighthood that would have been awarded on November 1 during this year’s independence celebrations.

A statement issued after the weekly Cabinet meeting said that Prime Minister

Gaston Browne has commenced discussions within the Cabinet to award the “erstwhile representative from the St John’s Rural West Constituency, Mr Baldwin Spencer, a knighthood during the Independence Celebrations on November 1, 2020”.

Spencer, who was first

elected to Parliament in 1989 and was re-elected during five consecutive elections thereafter or up until 2018, when he retired from elective politics, served as Prime Minister from 2004 to 2014.

Information Minister Melford Nicholas told reporters that the discus-

sions, which are taking place through the Office of the Attorney General, have already started and “once we have concluded those, the official nomination will be considered, and hopefully it could be as soon as this year’s independence celebrations”. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

prevent a severe outbreak of dengue fever in St Vincent and the Grenadines”.

It said that the island on July 25 recorded 48 laboratory-confirmed cases of dengue and that as of August 25, the cases had increased to 74.

“This increase is not typical for this period and Vincentians are urged to take the requisite precautions to prevent further spread of the illness,” the Ministry said, noting that

laboratory-confirmed dengue cases for January to August 2020 “have not been confined to any particular health district”.

It said 46 of these cases have resulted in hospitalisation.

Persistent fever, vomiting, and abdominal pain or tenderness, or bleeding, are warning signs which suggest that dengue fever disease is taking a more severe course.

Earlier this week, St

Lucia declared an outbreak of dengue fever after officials confirmed that at the end of the week, August 9-15, there have been 168 confirmed cases of dengue infection.

The officials said that the hospitalisation rate is 46 per cent with no known deaths. They said 38 per cent of the reported cases were between the ages of 5-14 years. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

St Vincent records significant increase in dengue fever cases

H

ealth authorities have warned against a possible outbreak of the dengue fever and urged the population to take all preventative measures to eradicate the breeding grounds of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito.

In a statement, the Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment said there has been an “above normal increase in dengue cases” and that it was “taking all necessary steps to

Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador gestures while arriving at an event in Matamoros, Mexico, August 27, 2020

G

earing up for a key election next year, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has wielded corruption as both a stick with which to beat political adversaries, and a lightning rod to deflect criticism from his record in office.

Now, videos of his brother receiving cash from a political ally have cast doubt over Lopez Obrador’s upright image, undermining his argument that entrenched corruption has fed chronic gang violence and held back Mexico’s misfiring economy.

The coronavirus pandemic has plunged Mexico into its worst slump since the Great Depression, and the road to recovery looks long and hard with the central bank forecasting gross domestic product (GDP) could shrink by almost 13 per cent this year.

Firing up his base ahead of congressional elections next June by raking through allegations of graft

by Mexico’s past leaders, Lopez Obrador has proposed

twinning the vote with a referendum on whether to allow ex-Presidents to be impeached.

If Lopez Obrador loses the lower house of Congress, he may struggle to roll back the opening of the oil and gas market enacted by his predecessor, which he argues was mired in graft.

To fend off that risk, he is using the trial of Emilio Lozoya, a former boss of state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) charged with bribery and money laundering, to air allegations against former Presidents and their business allies.

Polls suggest voters want to see past leaders face justice for what Lopez Obrador casts as decades of rigging the economy in favour of private interests at the expense of the people.

The crusade against corruption has buttressed his approval ratings, which, while down from the peaks of his first few months, remain well above 50 per cent in most polls. (Excerpt from Reuters)

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2020

19

Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Oil prices dip as producers, refiners avoid worst of hurricane

O

il prices inched lower on Friday as Hurricane Laura passed the heart of the US oil industry in Louisiana and Texas without causing any widespread damage and companies began to restart operations.

Brent crude futures LCOc1 for October fell 4 cents to settle at US$45.05 a barrel, before expiring on Friday. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 fell 7 cents to US$42.97 a barrel.

Both benchmarks notched weekly gains of about 1.5 per cent, with WTI rising for a fourth straight week. The benchmarks hit five-month highs during the week as US producers cut crude output ahead of Laura at a rate close to the level of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina.

“The oil trade has been featured by strong advances at the start of the week as a sizable amount of storm premium was pumped into the market ahead of Hurricane Laura, followed by a major erasure of hurricane premium following the storm’s arrival as limited impact on offshore crude production or refinery activity was indicated,” said Jim Ritterbusch, president of Ritterbusch and Associates.

The oil market has had an unusually long spell of low volatility, analyst Eugen Weinberg at Commerzbank said, in contrast with stock markets.

“It didn’t even react to a weaker dollar. There’s no impulse in either direction. It has seldom had so little volatility for such a long period, especially given the dynamic situation on the demand and supply sides,” Weinberg said.

Laura, since downgraded to a tropical depression, hit Louisiana early on Thursday with winds of 150 miles per hour (240 km per hour). The storm killed at least six people, damaged buildings and felled trees. Power was cut to hundreds of thousands in Louisiana and Texas, but refineries were spared from massive flooding.

Shell said it was beginning to redeploy personnel to all its assets in the Gulf of Mexico that were not impacted by the storms, including those in the Norphlet and Mars Corridors.

Meanwhile, nine refineries had shut around 2.9 million bpd of capacity, or 15 per cent of US processing capacity, ahead of the hurricane.

Valero Energy Corp began restarting its 335,000 bpd Port Arthur, Texas, refinery on Friday, while Exxon Mobil was preparing to restart its 370,000 bpd Beaumont, Texas, refinery.

However, repairs to Citgo Petroleum’s 418,000-bpd Lake Charles, Louisiana, plant could take four to six weeks, according to Mizuho Securities. The company did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

US energy firms kept the number of oil and natural gas rigs operating unchanged this week, resulting in the first monthly increase since December as higher crude prices prompt some producers to start drilling again.

Further ahead, demand expectations remained bearish.

The contango between Brent crude for nearby delivery and six-months ahead remained near its widest since late May with the front-month contract more than US$2 cheaper.

LCOc1-LCOc7 “Aside from Saudi Arabia, everyone else is clear that global oil demand won’t return to 2019 (levels) until at least 2022. The latest monthly estimate from the IEA/EIA/OPEC triumvirate suggests consumption will not recover to pre-pandemic levels next year,” PVM Oil Associates said in a daily note. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman dies at 43 after 4-year fight with colon cancer

A

ctor Chadwick Boseman, who played Black icons Jackie Robinson and James Brown before finding fame as the regal Black Panther in the Marvel cinematic universe, died Friday of cancer, his representative said. He was 43.

Boseman died at his home in the Los Angeles area with his wife and family by his side,

his publicist Nicki Fioravante told The Associated Press.

Boseman was diagnosed with colon cancer four years ago, his family said in a statement.

"A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much," his family said in the statement. "From Marshall to

Da 5 Bloods, August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and several more — all were filmed during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy. It was the honour of his career to bring King T'Challa to life in Black Panther."

Boseman had not spoken publicly about his diagnosis.

(CBC)

Ailing Abe quits as Japan PM as COVID-19 slams economy, key goals unmet

J

apan’s Shinzo Abe on Friday said he was resigning because of poor health, ending a tenure as the country’s longest-serving Prime Minister in which he sought to revive an economy stricken by deflation and push for a stronger military.

His abrupt departure triggers a leadership battle in his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) over the next few weeks. The winner will likely stick to Abe’s reflationary “Abenomics” policies that had mixed results in resuscitating the world’s third-largest economy.

Abe has battled ulcerative

colitis for years, and two recent hospital visits within a week had raised questions about whether he could stay on in until his term ends in September next year.

Despite the deepening concerns about his health, news of Abe’s resignation sent tremors through Tokyo financial markets. Japan’s main stock market, which has more than doubled under Abe, fell some 2 per cent before recovering, while the yen rose on concerns of a return to deflation.

“I cannot continue being prime minister if I do not have the confidence that I

Japanese Prime Shinzo Abe

Minister

can carry out the job entrusted to me by the people,” Abe,

65, told a news conference as he announced his decision.

He said he wanted to avoid a political vacuum as Japan copes with the novel coronavirus. It was the second time Abe has resigned as Prime Minister because of poor health, the first more than a decade ago.

Apart from inheriting an economy in the throes of its worst downturn since World War Two, Abe’s successor will be left to try and ensure next year’s Olympics - already delayed for a year by the COVID-19 pandemic will go ahead. (Excerpt from Reuters)

India experiences an economic storm as the coronavirus rages

India is heading for its worst full-year economic performance since 1979 as it counts the cost of one of the world’s strictest coronavirus lockdowns, according to economists’ forecasts [Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters]

I

ndia’s economy - the world’s fifth-largest had already been sputtering before the pandemic.

But the lockdown, one of the world’s strictest, crippled most economic and commer-

cial activities.

The economy is expected to have shrunk by about 20 per cent in the April-June quarter compared with the same period last year, likely setting a record, accord-

ing to recent polls of economists by the Reuters and Bloomberg news agencies, capturing most of the lockdown period.

For the full financial year to end-March 2021, the Reuters survey predicts gross domestic product (GDP) will shrink by 5.1 per cent, the weakest performance since 1979.

The Government is due to release its GDP data for the April-June quarter on Monday.

Rahul Bajoria, an economist at London-based lender Barclays, has an even more pessimistic outlook. In a research note this month, he said the economy probably shrank by 25.5 per cent over the three months, which is worse than his earlier 22.2 per cent contraction fore-

cast.

“If you shut everything down for six to seven weeks, obviously everything is going to be impacted,” Bajoria told Al Jazeera. “India’s biggest challenge right now is how do you go back to a certain amount of normalcy and how do you grow from there?”

In an attempt to do that, India’s finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, in May launched a $265 billion fiscal stimulus package, which it said amounted to 10 per cent of the country’s GDP. But, economists say the actual amount of money spent is expected to be just 1 per cent of total economic output and that it is unlikely to significantly boost consumer demand. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Jacob Blake handcuffed to Belarus will shut transit routes if his hospital bed, family say

J

acob Blake, the black man shot seven times in the back by Police in the US state of Wisconsin, has been handcuffed to his hospital bed, his family said.

Blake was paralysed by the shooting and it is not clear if he will recover.

Police in Kenosha told the BBC that Blake was in custody for previous warrants and the handcuffs were policy.

Meanwhile, a court hearing for a teenager charged

with killing two people during unrest over Blake’s shooting has been delayed by a month.

Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, had been due to appear before a court in Lake County, Illinois, for a hearing on a request to have him extradited to Wisconsin. But a judge postponed the extradition hearing until September 25, the Associated Press reported. (Excerpt from BBC News)

sanctions imposed, Lukashenko says

B

elarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, facing a nearly three-week popular uprising since a disputed election, threatened on Friday to cut off European transit routes across his country if sanctions are imposed.

Speaking during a visit to a dairy factory in the country’s east, Lukashenko said he would block European neighbours from ship-

ping goods to Russia over Belarusian territory, and divert exports now shipped through ports in EU member Lithuania.

“They got fat and forgot what Belarus is. And thought we could be frightened off with rockets and tanks,” Belta state news agency quoted him as saying. “Well let’s see who is afraid of whom. We’ll show them what sanctions are.”

Goods from landlocked

Belarus account for almost a third of Lithuania’s rail traffic and port volume. Belarus is also a major overland route for European goods bound for Russia, and carries pipelines used to ship Russian oil to Europe.

Lukashenko denies opposition accusations that he rigged an Aug 9 election to prolong his 26-year rule.

Thousands of people have taken to the streets to demand he step down. He says

the protesters are funded by the West, and accuses NATO of massing forces on Belarusian frontiers, which the alliance denies.

Lukashenko said he had ordered half the army to enter combat preparedness, and had agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin that their troops could unite in the event of a threat from the West. (Excerpt from Reuters)

20

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2020

guyanatimesgy.com

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

DILBERT

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

PEANUTS LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

CALVIN AND HOBBES

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

SUDOKU

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

Focus on a concrete plan. If you want to change the way you earn your living without giving up what you’ve worked so hard to achieve, you have to remain calm and canny.

Look at your options, and choose a path that enhances your reputation. Do what others expect for now, and look for new ways to use your skills as you move forward.

Problems with loved ones will fester if you are vague or inconsistent. Someone from your past will want to reconnect, but sometimes it’s best to leave yesterday behind.

Go with the flow. Don’t fear trying something new. Shake off negativity and embrace the future with optimism and an open heart. Take control of your happiness, and make romance a priority.

Do the legwork if you want to get ahead. Less talk and more action will discourage interference. Don’t take a risk with your health, cash or emotions. Follow the path that’s best for you.

Implement the changes required to head down an exciting path. Be honest regarding what you want, and don’t settle for less. The time to make a longed-for lifestyle change is now, so get moving.

Listen to your inner voice and do your best to avoid troublemakers. Don’t feel obligated to do someone else’s job when you haven’t completed your own tasks. Take better care of your health.

Engage in discussions that will help clarify family or community problems.

Your input will be highly regarded. Love is favored.

Make unique plans for two.

Be careful how much information you share about your personal life or plans.

Someone will misinterpret what you say. Make self-improvement and a healthier lifestyle your priorities.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

Pay attention to living expenses and the price of projects you want to pursue. You can accomplish plenty, as long as you are reasonable.

A change at home will bring you closer to a loved one.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

Don’t take a risk with your health or money. Avoid crowds, use common sense and say no to anyone who asks for too much. Be frank regarding your intentions and desires.

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Stay focused on what you are trying to achieve. The help you have given others will put you in an excellent position to call in favors. It’s time to bring about the changes that will make you happy.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2020

21

Belgian Grand Prix: Red Bull’s Max Verstappen quickest in 2nd practice

R

ed Bull's Max Verstappen was fastest in second practice at the Belgian Grand Prix. Daniel Ricciardo's Renault was second fastest, both cars being ahead of the Mercedes, with Lewis Hamilton being third fastest as the top three were separated by only 0.096 seconds.

Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas was down in sixth, behind Red Bull's Alexander Albon

and Racing Point's Sergio Perez.

However, the times are unlikely to be representative of real performance.

Ferrari, in particular, were out of position, with Charles Leclerc placing 15th and Sebastian Vettel 17th. The Italian team were always expected to be off the pace around the high-speed Spa-Francorchamps circuit, given their straight-line speed deficit this season; but

it is unlikely they will be that slow come qualifying time on Saturday.

Even the Alfa Romeos, which have been significantly slower than Ferrari so far this season, were ahead of the Ferraris this session; and there is no obvious reason why the form of the two teams, who use the same engines, would have switched so dramatically.

The same is likely to be the case for Mercedes, who have dominated qualifying so far this season, and would not be expected to place third and sixth. But Hamilton said he believed the field had closed up on Mercedes.

"It has been a good day," Hamilton said. "I love driving around this track, it's incredible.

Got plenty of running in. It is very close out there. I think the Red Bulls are just a little bit quicker at the moment, but even the Racing Point is right with us, and Daniel Ricciardo in the Renault was very close. That makes it exciting. We have some work to do to try to dial in the car a bit more.

"We are only in the seventh race. The field is going to get closer and closer, and it is already showing that. We seem to be so close with everyone, and we have to understand why; whether they have taken a step, or we have taken a step back, or downforce levels, who knows? But I am excited for an interest-

ing race."

Verstappen said: "I think they are still struggling a bit with the balance. I expect them to be stronger tomorrow. You can see in the long runs they are very competitive. I am not expecting to fight for pole position, but if we can be a bit closer, that would be good."

The fragmented nature of the race-simulation runs made it even harder to divine a clear picture of relative pace.

Hamilton, who leads the championship by 37 points after six races, did only one lap on soft tyres on his race-simulation run before a virtual safety car caused by Ricciardo's Renault stopping out on track with a loss of hydraulic pressure.

That one lap by the Mercedes was almost identical to the first time set by Verstappen on his race-simulation run.

After that, Hamilton switched to the hard tyre, but managed only one lap on that before the session was stopped because of debris on track from a sponsorship hoarding.

It restarted but only in time for a final seven minutes of running.

Behind Bottas, McLaren's Lando Norris was seventh fastest, ahead of Renault's Esteban Ocon, McLaren's Carlos Sainz and Alpha Tauri's Pierre Gasly. (BBC.COM)

'No chance' of Liverpool signing Serbia director confirms Matic’s retirement from international football Lionel Messi, says Jürgen Klopp

M

anchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic has retired from international football, according to Serbia's sporting director Vladimir Matijasevic.

Reports began to circulate on Thursday claiming Matic had opted to quit Serbia despite being named in their most recent squad.

Matijasevic, who works as a director for the Football Association of Serbia (FSS), confirmed the decision on Friday.

He claims Matic has brought his international career to a close to allow for younger players to have prominence in the senior side.

Matic, 32, played 48 times for Serbia since 2008 and represented them at the 2018 World Cup, but he will now give United his sole focus.

"When I came to the FSS, I talked to [Aleksandar] Mitrovic, [Luka] Milivojevic and Matic," Matijasevic is quoted as saying by Serbian publication Tanjug.

"Nemanja said then that he would return, but he had some decisions of his own that have nothing to do with us.

"We talked a few days ago, I called him on the phone, we also agreed to have coffee if our time and obligations allowed it.

"It was an extremely pleasant conversation. He is determined to put an end to

his national team career.

"He did not state more specific reasons – he knows why this is the case and pointed out that it is time for younger players to take his place.

"I repeat, it was not persuasion, but only a conversation. I respect his opinion. He is 32 years old, he had a difficult season behind him, it is necessary to have understanding.

"The selector [Ljubisa Tumbakovic] also talked to him, about which you will surely hear more at the press conference on Monday. This is Nemanja's decision, we must respect that."

Matic's days at United looked numbered towards the start of the 201920 season as he showed significant signs of decline and the improvement of younger players such as Fred and Scott McTominay led to reduced playing time.

But the former Chelsea midfielder enjoyed a resurgence after the turn of the year, with 15 of his 18 Premier League starts last term coming in 2020.

He was then handed a new three-year contract in July, a reward for particularly fine form following the Premier League's return from the coronavirus-enforced hiatus.

(Sportsmax)

J

ürgen Klopp has laughed off suggestions that Liverpool could sign Lionel Messi but would like to see him in the Premier League. Messi has rocked the football world by handing in a transfer request at Barcelona, sparking widespread speculation over his future.

Klopp says he would happily take the six-times world player of the year, but concedes the Premier League champions are not in the market for the 33-year-old. The Liverpool manager said: “Interest?

Who doesn’t want to have Messi in their team? But, no chance.”

Liverpool’s title rivals Manchester City are considered to be among the favourites to sign Messi should he leave the Nou Camp. A move to the Etihad Stadium would reunite Messi with his former Barça boss Pep Guardiola, under whom he won two Champions League crowns in 2009 and 2011.

City may hold further appeal in that chairman Ferran Soriano and the director of football Txiki Begiristain are also well known to Messi from their time at the Catalan club.

He may also be keen to link up with his friend and longtime Argentina team-mate

Sergio Agüero.

Klopp said: “It would obviously help Manchester City and make it even more difficult to beat them, which was already very difficult.

For the Premier League it would be great, 100 per cent, having the best player in the world in the league.

The numbers are not for us.

We don’t have to start think-

ing about it. No chance, but, good player to be honest!”

“I’m not sure the Premier League needs a boost but it would be a boost, for sure,” Klopp added. “It would be interesting to see as well.

Messi never played in another league, other than Spain. Actually, I would like to see it - but I’m not sure I will.” (The Guardian)

22

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2020

At least 10 CSK contingent members tested positive for COVID-19 A

n India player is among at least ten members of the Chennai Super Kings contingent who have tested positive for COVID-19 in Dubai. ESPNcricinfo understands there is only one player among those who tested positive, with the rest of them comprising support staff members and a few net bowlers.

As a result, Super Kings have been forced to postpone the start of their training in Dubai to September 1. According to the IPL's Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), all those who tested positive will now need to undergo at least two weeks of further quarantine and clear two more tests before they can rejoin the group.

ESPNcricinfo understands the positive test results are from the final round of testing in the UAE, which is part of IPL's COVID-19 protocols comprising three tests that are mandatory for every person who is part of the tournament. As per the protocol, every person would get tested at the airport upon landing in the UAE, followed by three tests on days 1, 3 and 6. The protocol also makes it mandatory for everyone to undergo a six-day quarantine after landing, when

they are not supposed to even mingle with team members or colleagues.

Only once the squad members clear all the mandatory tests can teams start their training.

As per the original schedule, Super Kings would have started their training on Friday. However, their preparations are now in disarray. So far neither the franchise nor the IPL has made any public comment.

The IPL is to start on September 19, but the schedule is yet to be finalised. The development is bound to put the IPL on alert simply because Super Kings, who finished runners-up in 2019, are expected to play defending champions Mumbai Indians in the tournament opener.

Super Kings landed in Dubai on August 21 after part of their Indian contingent underwent a sixday conditioning camp in Chennai. That group included most of the senior Indian players in the squad, including captain MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Deepak Chahar and Piyush Chawla.

What happens now?

According to the tournament's SOPs, those who test positive have to be "immediately isolated from rest of the squad". The SOPs also say "contact tracing" should "commence immediately".

If the person is "asymptomatic or has mild symptoms", then he/she would need to be isolated outside the bio-secure bubble for

Former BCCCC president Shabeer Baksh elected president of interim body

T

he Blairmont Community Centre Cricket Club (BCCCC), a founder member of the Berbice Cricket Board and the

period 2010-2018, to lead the interim body.

His deputy is Region 5 Secondary Education Officer Sadiek Ishmael.

Kevon

Shabeer Baksh, Shadeek Ishmael, Kevon Jawahir, Anthnony Sukra and Seon Glasgow (From top-left to right)

GCB’s Club of the Year 2018, has selected an interim body to govern its business until the next AGM, which is due in January 2021.

On Thursday, August 27, the players, members and parents met under strict COVID-19 guidelines and selected former President Shabeer Baksh, who was in charge of the club for the

Jawahir will serve as Junior Vice President and Treasurer, while the young and active Anthony Sukra, currently awaiting CXC results, will serve as Secretary. He will have Seon Glasgow Jr as his assistant in both positions.

Shabeer Baksh has promised full commitment to his role, and to work along with everyone for the

betterment of all members, the community and the club.

He congratulated everyone on their respective appointment, and wished them all the best. He disclosed that he is overwhelmed by the mixture of youths in the body.

Baksh reflected on his successes and failures in the past when he served as president, and said that, with his experience, he looks forward to BCCC improving and maintaining lofty values.

Vice president Sadiek Ishmael disclosed plans to bring his managerial and leadership skills to bear in enhancing the club’s standing.

With his knowledge of cricket and his educational training and experience, he plans to work with the club to develop a mentorship programme to facilitate the BCCCC producing well rounded individuals, especially at the youth level.

The interim body has committed to assigning relevant council members and committees before 1st September 2020 to: 1)PresidentShabeer Baksh 2)Vice President - Sadiek Ishmael 3)Jr President/Treasurer Kevon Jawahir 4)Secretary - Anthony Sukra 5) Assistant Secretary/ Treasurer- Seon Glasgow.

two weeks from the "first day of symptoms or a positive PCR test report whichever is later".

The individual cannot also train during the 14-day isolation period and is advised complete rest. If the symptoms worsen then he/ she would be shifted to a tournament-accredited hospital.

"After the 2 weeks isolation, the individual must return 2 negative PCR test reports done 24 hours apart before being permitted to re-enter the bio-secure environment. After recovery, players must undergo a cardiac screening before resuming any team activities," is what the IPL said while distributing the SOPs to franchise recently.

Reservations

Incidentally, Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanathan revealed he was skeptical about organising the camp in Chennai, and that it was Dhoni who convinced him that the camp was necessary.

"When we announced

that the tournament [IPL] is going to happen, I had reservations about conducting the camp here because of the bio-bubble which we will have to observe," Viswanathan said in a Super Kings video published on YouTube on August 26. "In fact, I even sent a message to him whether it will be worthwhile having a camp of five days before we leave for Dubai. But captain [Dhoni] was crystal clear in his thoughts."

Dhoni reasoned that the Chennai experience would also help players understand the basics of what being in a bubble meant.

"He said: 'No, Sir, we have not played for nearly 4-5 months. All of us need to get together. We should be in Chennai, in a bio-bubble, so that we get used to that when we land in Dubai. And also will help the boys getting in shape.' This camp, though we had some reservations, has really helped.

And I am very happy we were able to host the camp."

(ESPNcricinfo)

CLASSIFIED ADS FOR RENT Bottom Flat to Rent 25 Oronoque / North Road, Bourda. Either for Domestic / Business use. Fully Furnished A.C, Windows / Door Grilled or Mesh 4 Rooms Tel. 2267012

SERVICE Shalom Enterprise - 2 Coral Street, Stabroek. You could also obtain an International Driving Permit covering 131 Countries. Call: 227-7560/6190106/659-3381. Follow us on Facebook.

SPIRITUALITY Solutions to All problems such as – Domestic, Job, Relationships such as :- Marriage , Love Relations.

Removal of blockages and Bad Luck. Call for Appointment – 592 696 8222. Address: Georgetown or Vreed-en-Hoop.

WANTED One mature live-in housekeeper.

Must be able to cook. Preferable from out of town. Call : 681-8140

Qureshi: More to Bravo than just taking wickets 223-7230-1 (Ext 55) Chairman of CCUSA Mahammad Qureshi, left, and Dwayne Bravo at the US Open

NOW!

C

ricket Council USA (CCUSA) has sent out congratulations to West Indies and Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) player Dwayne Bravo on his feat of becoming the first player to take 500 wickets in T20 cricket.

Bravo achieved the feat on Wednesday when he took the wicket of Rakheem Cornwall in the TKR versus Zouks HERO Caribbean Premier League (CPL) match at the Queen's Park Oval in Port-of-Spain.

However, chairman of CCUSA Mahammad Qureshi says there is so much more to Bravo that taking wickets in cricket matches.

"Dwayne Bravo is a great human being. We at CCUSA are so happy for what he has achieved in terms of 500 wickets in T20 cricket because that is very difficult. I think that it has differentiated him amongst cricketers and he will be remembered as a legend of the format when he calls it a day, hopefully not soon.

"What I am more thrilled about when it comes to Bravo is his human nature. What an individual he is and he extends his hand all the time to assist people. I met him a couple of years ago when I invited him and his brother Darren to come to play at the US Open T20 Tournament for the US All Stars cricket team.

"That was a significant moment for US cricket because he came and what he did for Ali Khan has all American cricketers believing that they can make it big," said Qureshi also remembering: "When Bravo came up he met with Ali Khan who was also a part of the US All Stars team. This was their first meeting and after playing the tournament he wanted to find out more about Ali because he was happy with the young man's bowling.

"Bravo then arranged to take him to Canada for the Global T20 and then he assisted in having him on his team the TKR and look at the success Ali has become. He is now a star in American cricket and because of what Bravo did for him all the young cricketers in America think that a door is now open for them."

(TT Guardian)

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2020

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

How will Warriors gather momentum moving forward?

23

By Brandon Corlette

M

any cricket pundits have called for a change in the Guyana Amazon Warriors’ batting line-up, as it continues to struggle. With results going in the opposite direction for the Warriors, altering the batting line-up may be the answer. This must be done as soon as possible, as the Warriors shape up to face the struggling St Kitts and Nevis Patriots on Sunday from 14:15h.

Captain of the Warriors, Chris Green, has noted that the pitch at Queen’s Park Oval has been challenging, while Rayad Emrit, Captain of the Patriots, has expressed dissatisfaction with the surface.

"I really hope that these people who are preparing these pitches wake up and see what’s happening. This is not what we have worked so hard for as players, to turn up and get. This is totally unacceptable and disgraceful," Emrit has declared.

In his post-match chat after the GAW were defeated by the Trinbago Knight Riders, Green described the pitch at the Queen’s Park Oval as a tough surface, and he said spin is tough to play.

As he continues to adopt a positive outlook, Green has said he was impressed with the fight shown in the end with the bat.

Green also spoke about the effect of not playing at Providence, and reflected on the defeat against TKR. "That (crowd support) is a massive factor for all the teams. We get a lot of support to play in front of our fans.

It is a disappointing feeling, but it is an amazing effort to put the CPL together.

It was a tough surface. Spin

Shimron Hetmyer started off with a blast but is quiet since

The main man, Imran Tahir

is tough to play against. We lost early wickets, and that run-out changed the game.

Amazing effort from Seifert.

But proud of how the boys showed fight. They had a lot of left-handers, and hence we thought Romario would be the ideal fit."

After six matches, Warriors' batsmen have decidedly failed to produce the goods. Shimron Hetmyer is the only one to have surpassed 150 runs, having thus far scored 169; while Ross Taylor, demoted to number five, has scored 113. Nicholas Pooran has thus far contributed 106 runs, while other batsmen who scored heavily last season are yet to surpass 100 runs in the six outings.

Imran Tahir has been impressive with the ball.

Cricket’s senior statesman has thus far taken 11 wickets at a stunning average of 14.00 and an economy rate of 6.41. With the surfaces suitable for spin, Tahir will be more dangerous as the tour-

Chris Green at the toss

nament progresses.

Keemo Paul has been “good at times” during the tournament, having taken

J

Warriors have four matches to play before the semi-final stages, and for

Player Spotlight: U-19 rising star Ashmead Nedd is ‘a Star on the Rise’

Asif Ali breaches CPL Code of Conduct T

amaica Tallawahs batsman Asif Ali has been found guilty of breaching the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Code of Conduct.

During the Tallawahs’ match against the Guyana Amazon Warriors on 25 August at Queen’s Park Oval, Ali swung his bat in the direction of opposition bowler Keemo Paul when he was dismissed in the eighth over of his team’s batting innings.

Ali was charged with being in breach of section 2.18 of the Code of Conduct: acting contrary to the spirit of the game. He admitted to the offence, and has been fined 20% of his match fee.

(CPL T20)

seven wickets while Chris Green and Ashmead Nedd have chipped in at various times.

an opportunity to jump that semi-final hurdle, a win in each of the remaining matches will be essential. After six matches, Warriors are in fourth position with two wins and four defeats in an unfamiliar season. The table in the middle is still open, and Warriors will fancy their chances, since three teams are locked on four points.

he CWI selectors knew there was something special about Ashmead Nedd quite early on.

Ashmead is a player who has been constantly improving since he introduced himself to the world at the Under-19 World Cup of 2018, when he was only 17 years old.

He played 5 matches at that tournament, and his 4 maidens were the most amongst the West Indies team. Nedd then went back to the regional youth tournaments and worked on his craft, knowing that experiencing a world tournament at such a young age could only be a benefit.

“It was a challenging competition as a spinner, because the conditions were not favourable. However, it gave me an idea of the work

I needed to do, and I was able to come back home and get that done,” he disclosed.

Soaring into excellence

Nedd introduced himself to the senior regional circuit by performing impressively at the 2019 Colonial Medical Insurance Super 50 competition as part of the eventual championship team, the West Indies Emerging Players.

Reflecting on his journey, Nedd credits this regional tournament as being the preparation he needed to attain the performance he recorded at the following ICC U19 World Cup earlier this year. He declared: “Playing against the top-level West Indian talent was a needed challenge.

Just being around such quality coaches and players was one of the best experi-

ences we could have had going into a World Cup.” West Indies Under 19 and Trinbago Knight Riders fast bowling standout Jayden Seales was also in that squad, as was wicketkeeper-batsman Leonardo Julien. Nedd picked up 11 wickets at an average of 10.27, achieving a remarkable economy of 3.27 throughout the tournament, and caught the eye of many in the region.

That confidence became evident in his performances in the 2020 ICC Under-19 World Cup, where he managed to grab 11 wickets and become the West Indies’ top wicket-taker, in process achieving a tied 10th position in the entire competition. Nedd achieved this feat with an economy of 3.54.

“Having an idea of the level of competition, and knowing the work I put in over those two years and the improvements I had made, I was very confident going into the tournament,” he declared.

Ashmead Nedd has now taken his talents to the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), and is performing admirably so far, having played 3 matches. On August 22, 2020, Glenn Phillips of the Jamaica Tallawahs became his first T20 victim.

“I was relieved!” he said.

“It was a proud feeling to get my first T20 wicket on debut, especially on the first ball of my spell.”

He spoke at some length about his plans for the rest of the ongoing CPL tournament, and his future as a professional cricketer.

About the remainder of the 2020 CPL season, Nedd said: “My goals are simple; I just want to continue to do the right things, trust my skills, and believe in myself.

Once I am consistently given the opportunity to play, I want to play free, happy, and continue to put my best foot forward not only for myself, but for the team.”

Nedd, however, made it clear that he has set his sight on putting on the West Indies jersey worn by senior level players. Declaring his deep love for the longest format of the game, he said: “I see myself progressing to play for the West Indies, hopefully sooner rather than later. Mostly, I would love to play Test cricket.

The unit has been performing really well recently, and looked so happy to be together in England, despite the challenges.

“Whatever happens before, during and after, we will see; but representing the West Indies is my main goal and priority.”

(Windies Cricket)

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2020

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

guyanatimesgy.com

Pg 23

How will Warriors At least 10 CSK contingent gather momentum members tested moving forward? positive for COVID-19 Pg 22

Pg 23

Pg 23

Player Spotlight: U-19 rising star Asif Ali breaches Ashmead Nedd is CPL Code of Conduct ‘a Star on the Rise’ GUYANA TIMES - www.guyanatimesgy.com, email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, NEWS HOTLINE: 231-8063 EDITORIAL: 223-7230, 223-7231, 231-0544, 225-7761 SPORT: sport@guyanatimesgy.com SALES AND MARKETING: 231-8064 - marketing@guyanatimesgy.com - PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY GUYANA TIMES INC.