Guyana Times -- Tuesday, August 11, 2020

6 repatriation flights scheduled for August – GCAA

P13 Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana Issue No. 4374

guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020

Guyana to receive US$1M in COVID-19 relief – US Ambassador …Canada, UN also pledge support for Govt’s efforts Page 13

Govt willing to work with Opposition for national good – AG Rowley declares Lowenfield election victory, asks UNC calls for recount DPP to drop criminal charges against him

PRICE

$80 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Office of the President to have oversight of Finance, Natural P17 Resources “Satan” wanted for murder of Corentyne bystander P8

See story on page 12

1 dead, 4 injured in Soesdyke P11 accident

Page 15

…in bid to avoid prosecution for misconduct in public office

Paul Cheong tipped to be …results known 5 hours new NICIL head after close of poll APNU/AFC paid 23 political appointees over $7.7M monthly, no evidence of work Page 2

Lack of leadership, policy direction ends in financial woes in Agri P7 sector – Minister New Govt must avoid oil dependency – P12 experts …urged to diversify economy

Page 17

Page 3

…as Bulkan rewarded over $800M to 56 staffers for doing no work – Dharamlall

Essequibo Coast teen hijacker P11 nabbed by Police

2 NEWS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Paul Cheong tipped to be new NICIL Head A

ccountant Paul Cheong, who has served on a number of Boards from the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) to the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), is tipped to be the new Head of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) under President Dr Irfaan Ali’s Government.

This is according to well-placed sources, who told this publication that Cheong’s background in finance and familiarity with NICIL’s efforts to privatise GuySuCo, make him a natural fit for the position. Cheong also served as Vice Chairman of the Berbice Bridge Company Incorporated (BBCI).

This leaves NICIL’s current Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Colvin Heath-London, standing on shaky ground. Under the former A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government, Heath-London was promoted from NICIL Special Purpose Unit (SPU) Head to acting CEO of NICIL to Chairman of GuySuCo and the Skeldon Energy Incorporated (SEI).

But London was criticised by the then People’s Progressive Party (PPP) opposition for his role in the divestment of GuySuCo. There is the $30 billion syndicated bond that Republic Bank arranged in 2018 on NICIL’s behalf at a rate of 4.75 per cent interest and a fiveyear repayment period.

According to the agreement between NICIL and Hand-in-Hand Trust Corporation as the Trustee,

Tipped to be new NICIL CEO: Accountant Paul Cheong

the first tranche payment of $16.5 billion from the bond was to be used for a long-term project and capital financing for GuySuCo. Specifically, the money was to be used to acquire two co-generation plants, upgrade the existing factories to produce plantation white sugar, build storage and packing facilities and to help pay for two years of general operational costs.

However, a significant part of the bond was never used for the purposes it was secured. The previous APNU/AFC Government itself had admitted that between July 2018 to February 2020, $9.7 billion was disbursed from the bond to GuySuCo to fund its Capital and Operational Expenditure – much of which was outside the terms of

the bond.

GuySuCo itself had said in a missive last month that it was “hogtied” by the conditions associated with the $30 billion bond, and that NICIL “has essentially committed GUYSUCO to a financial arrangement that has no real value to the Corporation in its current form.” In fact, GuySuCo’s financial situation was so bad that Cheong had resigned.

As Head of NICIL, London also presided over the valuation of GuySuCo by international accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and subsequently, the sale of various GuySuCo assets.

The then opposition was vociferous about the lack of transparency in these transactions and even GuySuCo had expressed concern.

Land deals

Meanwhile, it was revealed that in the waning days of the APNU/AFC Government, a number of companies had land transferred to them by NICIL, with the vesting orders being signed by former Finance Minister Winston Jordan.

A case in point is Bosai Minerals Group, located at Republic Avenue, Mackenzie, Linden, which had a total of 1.427 acres of land transferred to it by NICIL. The land, which has no infrastructure on it, includes 0.353 acres at Lot 53 portion of Plantation Surapana on the banks of the Demerara River.

Another 0.356 acres on the banks of the river were also transferred.

NICIL’s office in Kingston

A similar transaction was the transfer of 20 acres of land, also part of Goedverwagting and Sparendam, to American Marine and Services Incorporated. The company, located at Lot 215 Cross Street and Mandela Avenue, Alexander Village, was granted the land by NICIL. Meanwhile, another beneficiary of land was Premier Sales Incorporated, of lot 101 Pike Street, Kitty. The company received five acres of land also in Sparendaam and Goedverwagting, on the ECD. All the orders were dated June 11.

The developments came at a time when the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) was inundated under a huge backlog of cases and thousands of dis-

satisfied ordinary citizens languishing in the system, made worse by the coalition Government’s lack of ordinary house lot distribution policies.

In addition, the then Government was supposed to be in both a caretaker and a transition mode, where large transactions are not entered into. The previous Government would have lost a NoConfidence Motion in December 2018.

But while some of the other agency Heads avoided bringing any paperwork before their subject Ministers to sign during that period, London adopted a different approach as the Head of NICIL. He subsequently defended NICIL’s actions by saying that the money was needed by GuySuCo. (G3)

NEWS

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Tuesday, August 11 – 22:00h – 23:30h and Wednesday, August 12 – 11:30h – 13:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Tuesday, August 11 – 09:05h – 10:35h and Wednesday, August 12 – 10:20h – 11:50h.

APNU/AFC paid 23 political appointees over $7.7M monthly, no evidence of work

…as Bulkan rewarded over $800M to 56 staffers for doing no work – Dharamlall

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

Sunshine will prevail during the day. There will be clear skies during the night. Temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Southerly to South-Easterly to East South-Easterly to Easterly to East NorthEasterly to Easterly between 1.34 metres and 3.12 metres.

High Tide: 09:26h and 21:48h reaching maximum heights of 2.28 metres and 2.26 metres.

Low Tide: 15:20h reaching a minimum height of 0.98 metre.

COMMODITIES Indicators

US$

Change %

Crude Oil

$44.99/barrel

1.31

Rough Rice

$209.79 /ton

-0.34

London Sugar

$372.30/ton

Live Spot Gold

0

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$2019.80

$2020.80

Low/High

$2018.40

$2051.40

-8.10

-0.40%

Change

Ronald Bulkan

Latchmin Azeez

Oscar Clarke

Ganesh Mahipaul

Rupert Hopkinson

Barbara Pilgrim

However, the largesse did not stop with Clarke.

Rupert Hopkinson, also listed as a special ministerial advisor, earns $376, 807 per month, $70,000 in non-taxable and a telephone allowance of $10,000. Carmichael Thorne and Samuel Parris also served as ministerial advisors with Thorne earning $488,250 plus 30,000 in non-taxable allowance and telephone and travelling allowance of $20,000. Thorne’s salary and perks amount to just under $540,000 per month for doing absolutely no work, according to Dharamlall.

“These are individuals whose contracts were renewed even after the NoConfidence Motion was passed and renewed for a substantial period. So, their

contracts are still in effect but the fact that they have not yet turned up for work it means that they are in terrible breach of their contracts,” he explained.

Bulkan also created a department called the Community Councils Department where he appointed a number of coalition members and activists

Local Government and Regional Development Minister, Nigel Dharamlall

L

ocal Government and Regional Development Minister, Nigel Dharamlall has revealed that his predecessor Ronald Bulkan paid over $800 million to 56 staffers for doing absolutely no work during his five-year term in office.

The new Minister made the revelation at a press conference on Monday morning where he sought to lay out the immediate plans for his Ministry. Dharamlall related that the discovery of Bulkan’s mismanagement of taxpayers’ monies was discovered when he along with Junior Minister Anand Persaud conducted a situational assessment of the Ministry.

He found that there were 23 staff members in Bulkan’s Secretariat earning a total of $7,730,000 per month. The Minister noted that those persons are all active members of the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition.

“From our record in the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, we have been unable to verify and validate the performance of these staff because there is no record of their work.

There is no documentation of their work and since we took office there has been no presence of their person in the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development,” Dharamlall told reporters.

In providing a breakdown of the beneficiaries of Bulkan’s mismanagement, Dharamlall explained that long-time PNC member and former Councillor at the Georgetown Municipality, Oscar Clarke served as “Special Ministerial Advisor on Local Government” and he was being paid $418,674 per month along with a non-taxable duty allowance of $25,000 and $10,000 telephone allowance. Since the new Minister assumed office on Wednesday last, he noted that Clarke has not turned up to work.

Further investigations have also revealed that Clarke would usually show up for a total of 1.5 days per week back when Bulkan was the Minister in charge.

who were also paid for doing nothing. Dharamlall explained that upon investigating, it was discovered that those persons were stationed in the various administrative regions but further checks with the Regional Executive Officers revealed that those persons were under no supervision by the regional authorities.

TURN TO PAGE 7

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guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 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

Re-engaging the diaspora

D

uring his Inaugural Address as Head of State last Saturday, President Irfaan Ali signalled his government’s intention to re-engage the Guyanese Diaspora as renewed efforts are made to develop a modern, prosperous and democratic country for all citizens.

The President is quite appreciative, and understands fully, the importance of that resource to our national development efforts. Many countries all over the world have successfully tapped in to their diaspora, and have launched various programmes in which both parties – the individual and the home country – could benefit.

Over the years, the Guyanese Diaspora has shown an abiding interest in political and social developments locally. While many of this grouping have chosen to live abroad for varying reasons, this does not prevent them from expressing their views on matters that are taking place here.

This was quite evident recently following attempts to derail the March 2 General and Regional Elections.

Over the past five months, overseas-based Guyanese of all ethnic and social backgrounds came out in support of democracy. For many, it did not matter which political party emerged the winner of the elections; what mattered most was that the will of the people be respected and the rule of law be adhered to.

For many of them, the recent events following the elections brought back bad memories of that dark period in which the Peoples National Congress (PNC) ruled by brute force, and rigged elections to stay in power. In fact, it is this reason why many of those who are residing abroad chose to leave their homeland in the first place.

The mass exodus of Guyanese had started in the early 1960s under the Forbes Burnham PNC dictatorship when the economy was facing total collapse. There was high unemployment, social services were almost non-existent, and there was a sense of hopelessness all over the country.

With Guyana now being an oil producing nation, and one filled with enormous opportunities, there is a renewed interest here by the diaspora. The diaspora must be encouraged to return and participate in the transformation that the country is about to experience.

That said, many persons want to return and invest, or work, or even retire in their homeland, but do not know where or how to begin the process. For example, there is no central agency from which they can easily access the necessary information.

Most times they get the ‘royal run-around’ and eventually quit out of frustration.

It could be recalled that the APNU/AFC Administration had launched the ‘Guyana Investment Conference’ in the United States, wherein a number of promises were made to the diaspora with the aim of convincing them to invest in various projects here.

Commitments were made by the then Ministers during the conference to establish clear strategies, policies and incentives for investment; implement better communication channels and integration between the relevant authorities; and foster a deeper connection with the diaspora.

However, the event was seen as mere talk, as very little follow-up action was taken to ensure these promises were delivered. In fact, Project Director of the Investment Conference, Salaudeen Nausrudeen, was quoted in the media as saying: “The incentives, policies, strategies they promised did not happen”.

We believe there is much the diaspora can do to help in moving our country forward, once the necessary systems are put in place for them to do so. First there needs to be a proper mechanism through which this system could become operational. The programme must include major components, such as effective follow-up, monitoring, and feedback.

Successive PPP administrations had already started to lure the diaspora with house lots in the new Remigrant Housing Scheme. Also, other incentives, such as duty-free concessions, etc. have been offered. This was seen as a good start.

Now that the PPP/C Administration has taken office again, other forms of support must be provided to ensure that those who are willing to return can do so with little or no hassle.

President Ali has outlined that this country belongs to all Guyanese, and everyone has an equal right to live and work here, and contribute in whatever way they can. His move therefore to re-engage the diaspora is a step in the right direction.

United States Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch, met with new Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister, Hugh Todd, on Monday. In their discussions, the Ambassador expressed that the United States looks forward to working with Guyana, especially in the areas of security, governance, education, manufacturing, services, tourism, oil and gas, economic growth and development, and health. Discussions were also held on economic cooperation and inclusive governance, among other areas of mutual interest. (Foreign Affairs Ministry photo)

PNC good old boy network was having the good life at taxpayers’ expense Dear Editor, Revelations that PNC old-timers were just squatting on the payrolls of various Ministries and not having real jobs must be treated as fraud. Collecting money under false pretence is a crime. Those who aided and abetted in these frauds must be charged forthwith and taken before the courts. All these frauds unearthed by the new PPP Administration must be documented in a publication for all to see.

Who says the PNC people were not enjoying the good life, while the poor people were sucking salt and hoping for handouts of hampers?

Under the PNC, the number of special workers, with special extravagant pay and benefits, skyrocketed. Why should Clarke make almost

$500,000 a month when UG lecturers and teachers with good qualifications and experience do not make that kind of money?

This is a good example of how politics destroys Guyana. We have the money and resources but look at how politicians are looting the treasury to reward their loyalists and operatives.

This is as bad as the special bill passed to reward a PNC strongman a special pension of over a million a month plus other perks, although he may already be getting a good US social security pension, and maybe City Hall benefits. This was the fellow who was advocating that the sanctimonious gangster throw aside the Constitution and stay in power. Is there a way that

Green’s pension and perks can be revoked? When you consider the misery of the poor and unemployed, that a special bill was introduced to reward a notorious PNC bad man, is a slap in the face of the people. That he headed the list of national awardees was also so shameful and part of Granger’s “sanitisation” process of former PNC operatives who did yeoman’s service in the PNC’s rigging operations of the past.

While we are rooting out these PNC scams, please close the Bertram Collins Centre at Ogle and send home those military pensioner guys making $2 million a month. That was a totally unnecessary programme in Region Four which would have made sense if it was located in the rural communi-

ties such as the Corentyne, Essequibo Coast, or West Coast Demerara, where people need to be trained for employment in Government service, and so contribute towards a diverse workplace. The Government must speedily work on some type of a workplace affirmative action/diversity plan.

This is urgently needed as we speak of inclusive governance. The blogs are filled with comments that as the new Ministers are meeting with staff they notice very little diversity in the various Ministries. Will the Public Service Minister be the one to address this lack of diversity in the workplace and come up with a plan?

Dear Editor, The Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) was most heartened to learn of the new PPP/C Government’s decision to offer assistance to households and those who have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement by President Dr Irfaan Ali to seek to make available some $4.5 billion towards this initiative can well go a long way in alleviating the painful times many Guyanese have been facing since the pandemic has taken hold.

The Federation sees the provision of relief as a critical measure for our country to staunch the spread of the virus and to overcome the troubling times we now find ourselves. It was against

this background, that the FITUG had long advocated an economic response to coincide with the public health actions that were expedient.

Dismayingly, our calls fell on the coalition’s seeming deaf ears and we have seen an exponential rise of cases in our country. Apart from that, we warned then, as we do again, that the economic fallout will not dissipate immediately and there must be a menu of policies which will address this troubling situation that faces thousands of Guyanese. We are, therefore, most pleased to see at last proactive actions being taken and, on this score, we remain willing to lend our support.

We also recognise from the new Minister of Health, Dr Frank Anthony a commitment to ramp up test-

ing in an effort to get better handling of the situation.

This was yet another measure we had urged the coalition to pursue but which was ignored. There are several experiences which promote such measures yet the former Administration seemingly decided to ignore tested solutions and went into folly after folly. The selective and restricted testing protocol that had been employed has, so far, resulted in less than one per cent of the population being tested though five (5) months have gone by since the first COVID-19 case was reported. We contend that had an expansive testing regime been embraced, in the first place, we could have had a much better handle on the situation. Nevertheless, we are hopeful, even though

valuable time has been lost, we can soon begin to have a firm grip.

The FITUG, at this time, reminds all Guyanese that they too have a role to play.

They must ensure they wear their masks when out in the public and they practice social distancing too.

The need for adequate sanitation measures cannot be overemphasised. We also hold that employers also must ensure that their employees are provided with adequate facilities and personal protective equipment (PPE) to mitigate against possibilities of the spread of the virus.

Sincerely, Jerry Singh

FITUG welcomes COVID-19 support plans

Sincerely, Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG)

guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020

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

Contrary to uninformed views, Ali has put Guyana on path to prosperity Dear Editor, I wish to respond to the Kaieteur News front-page article of August 10, “President Ali puts Guyana in reverse gear”.

Everyone is trapped in the euphoria of Guyana’s newfound oil. Understandably so.

Oil brings wealth and prosperity. But history, and current events, also prove that oil brings wars, corruption, and hunger. Global history has many lessons we should pay heed to, lest we fall prey to the maxim, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

(Santayana, George, 1905).

Take the example of Nigeria. In 2019 Nigeria ranked 10th (The USA, 11th) in the world for proven oil reserves (37.1 billion barrels). Oil was first discovered in 1956 in Nigeria, and by the late 60s and early 70s, the country was producing over two million barrels of

oil per day. Like a mythical two-headed Greek God, the other side of oil boon is the “resource curse.” (Resource curse is the term used to describe the failure of resource-rich countries to benefit from their natural wealth, such as oil.)

Alleged corruption skyrocketed, with Nigeria ranking as one of the most corrupt African countries, holding the 146th position (of 180 in the world). Nigeria is Africa’s wealthiest and most populous nation. Despite its wealth, half of Nigeria’s population is living below the international poverty line (US$2 per day) and northern Nigeria has the world’s third most chronic malnutrition amongst children (World Bank Report, 2018). Nigeria holds the unenviable title of the Poverty Capital of the World. Petroleum production and export dominate the Nigerian economy, accounting for over 95 per cent of

export earnings and 70 per cent of all Government revenues in 2019. Agriculture, the once-dominant and buoyant industry has been pushed in the background...whilst citizens are starving.

Forget Nigeria. Look at our neighbour. Venezuela holds the highest proven oil reserves – 302.8 billion barrels – in the world (US EIA, 2020). Guyanese can see firsthand for themselves the corruption, violence, and hardship in that country.

According to George Soros, “The resource curse is a major scourge, but it can be cured.

It is now been recognised that transparency and accountability are the remedies.” “Transparency” and “accountability” are two tenets President Ali has been expounding repeatedly before and since he came into office.

On the other side of the spectrum are those countries that have cautiously and

wisely used their oil wealth for jaw-dropping diversifications, such as infrastructural development, farming, manufacturing, and services. Look at Dubai, Norway, UK, USA, and Canada. Same oil. What is the difference? Transparency and accountability; competent and visionary leadership and management.

Look at neighbouring Brazil. Brazil has the second-largest oil reserves (12.9 billion barrels - 2019) in Latin America, second only to Venezuela. Does Brazil focus only on this source of natural wealth as our author in the article wants President Ali to do?

Let us look briefly at a few undeniable facts. Brazil is the world’s largest producer of sugar (ceding only to India last year), coffee, soya beans, and the tenth-largest producer of rice; Brazil is the second-largest producer of beef, second to the USA. These

are all agricultural produces.

Despite its vast oil resources, Brazil generates 75 per cent of electricity from hydropower. The country also has an impressive manufacturing sector, for example, it is the 4th largest manufacturer of aeroplanes. More astounding is that jobs (2019) in the service sector dwarf all others at 71 per cent, compared to industry (including oil) (20 per cent) and farming (9 per cent).

Brazil, like all other countries that have avoided the scourge of the resource curse, has seen the wisdom in diversifying its finite oil resources.

Our author wants President Ali to focus solely on one natural resource and become like Nigeria (at least before 2015).

Which sector will employ our people? What happens to future generations when this finite resource is exhausted?

What happens if a better al-

ternative to oil is discovered?

President Ali has propounded time-tested economic, institutional, and democratic principles – diversification, rejuvenating the agricultural sector, job creation, unity amongst our people, public-private partnerships, use of hydropower and less reliance on fossils, whilst taking the forefront on transparency and accountability (and demanding it from his subordinates). I am confident His Excellency will unleash our energy sector, drive economic and job growth, and simultaneously protect the environment. Contrary to the uninformed views presented, President Ali has put Guyana on the path to prosperity. God bless President Ali. God bless Guyana.

Yours faithfully, Ash Deonarine

Hopeful for some degree of May all of Guyana enjoy the normalcy in sugar industry

Ashirvad of Shri Krishna

Dear Editor, In Guyana and throughout the world, Shri Krishna Janmashtmi or Gokulashtmi is being celebrated today and spilling over to tomorrow as it is a midnight celebration, the time when the Lord manifested on Mother Earth in Mathura, as Shri Krishna (the dark-complexioned Lord) and fondly referred to as Gopal (one who plays the cowherds), or Govinda (one who pleases the cows, land and nature) or Mohan (all attractive God) or Vasudev (all prevailing Lord) or Yogi (the supreme master) or any of the remaining 108 names. Shri Krishna came into the imprisoned abode of his earthly parents, Devaki and Vasudeva and immediately afterwards, Vasudeva took him across the Yamuna river to his foster parents, Yashoda and Nanda in Gokul. Shri Krishna took the 8th Avatar (Incarnation) of Vishnu, the Preserver (One of the Trilogy of Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh- Creator, Sustainer, Annihilator) at a time when it was a dark era, freedom was curtailed, evil was rampant and there was a threat to his life by his uncle, King Kansa. Eventually, good triumphed over evil, light replaced darkness and truth conquered lies when Gopal demolished Kansa and righteousness again prevailed over unrighteousness. Some 1.25 billion followers of Hinduism will participate in different customs and traditions as is culturally practiced globally but curtailed and limited this year in restricted and controlled COVID-19 protocols. The large conglomerate gathering of devotees will be disallowed by only a handful of attendees in the Mandirs, but, there are various virtual programmes for participation and Hindus will perform personal home services.

Hinduism is more than just a religion and traditionally and significantly, a “way of life” that embraces religious, philosophical and cultural ideals and practices that originated thousands of years before the birth of Christ. Hinduism is called the world’s oldest religion and many practitioners refer to their religion as “Sanatana Dharma,” “the eternal way,” which makes reference to its origins stretching beyond human history as revealed in the Hindu Texts. One of the most powerful books gifted to mankind is the Hindu Text, “The Bhagavad Gita,” simply referred to as “The Gita.”

President Barack Obama is a prolific reader of this text and he once reflected that the Gita was one of the books that moulded his character and helped to influence his work towards the nation. The Gita is an 18 chapter, 700-verse Hindu Scripture that is part of the Hindu Text, “The Mahabharata,” (Chapters 23-40 of Bhishma Parva). It is set in a narrative framework of a dialogue between Arjuna, the Pandava prince and his guide and charioteer Shri Krishna. On the brink of a great war on the battlefield of Kurushetra between two sets of cousins, the Pandavas and the Kauravas, over the throne of Hastinapur, Arjuna is suddenly overwhelmed with misgivings about the justice of fighting his brothers, uncles, friends and teacher on the opposite side. Shri Krishna’s reply to him forms the themes of the Gita, teaching him and the world the mind-body dualism, self-consciousness, the immortality of the soul, transmigration of the soul into another body at death, the purpose of life, Nirvana/ Moksha (God Realisation), performing one’s duty, in-action is impossible, bravery from fear, freedom from

the cycle of birth and death through Jnana Yoga (the path of knowledge), Bhakti Yoga (the path of devotion) and Karma Yoga (the path of selfless action). Two main principles are expounded, one is, of every action carries an equal or opposite reaction and the source of evil is not in actions but in the passions and desires, ie “The intentions behind the actions.”

Two American philosophers, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau considered the Gita to be the pivotal Hindu text. There are eight basic and fundamental concepts today’s society can adopt, digest and practice in the applications of our lives from the teachings of Lord Krishna: (1) Attachment – Because nothing is permanent and will perish, man should quickly detach himself from material attachments - attachment breeds misery and detachment ferments happiness, (2) False pride – Inaction is misapprehension and trying to escape responsibilities by failing to perform your worldly duties is being delusive. Not shunning your humanitarian commitments allows true liberation, (3) Renunciation – Give as much of yourself as long as you can and don’t be concerned with the result and reward, (4) Lust – Conquer desire, for a want is not always a need. Have a stable mind to understand the nature and structure of desires so that we can exercise control, (5) Covetousness – Selfishness blinds wisdom and when put aside, then clarity of the mind steps in. A clouded mind with selfishness is a mirror covered with mist or dust, (6) Greed – Avoid extremities and embrace moderation. Too much or too little creates imbalance in life and it can be food, sleep, physical pleasures, money and even knowledge. Moderation

is the control key, (7) Anger – Rage deludes and confuses us when we fall in a fit and actions performed are futile.

We cannot apply logic or reason and anger can be the reason for the downfall of even the greatest man who will later regret this mood, (8) Realisation – God is seated within. God is omniscient (all knower) omnipresent (here, there and everywhere) and omnipotent (all-powerful). A human being is only a small piece of the whole and most of the circumstances are a play of a bigger entity, whole or force ie an unmanifested source.

It is thought that the theory of relativity discovered by Albert Einstein owed its existence to the wisdom contained in the Bhagavad Gita. Einstein seriously indulged in the teachings of the Gita in his later life, believing in the efficacy of the Gita from initial stages of life. Philosophy and politics are blood-related and inseparable and is influential in its “rubbing effect.” Today is a day of reflection as the celebration of Janmashtmi is a commemoration of good over evil and the reestablishment of righteousness over unrighteousness. Many lessons can be learnt from the past five months in Guyana and one of them is that truth will always ultimately prevail and people will always seek the blessings of happiness and blissfulness. Gandhi had remarked that every time a problem appears as an obstacle, he turned to the pages of the Gita for its answer.

Janamdin Mubarak ho…

May all of Guyana enjoy the Ashirvad of Shri Krishna and remain protected under his umbrella. May the Government and its officers be guided by his influence.

Respectfully, Jai Lall

Dear Editor, The GAWU was pleased to see President Dr Irfaan Ali spending a few moments, during his inauguration address, to speak about the sugar industry. Indeed, the President adequately summed up the situation in the industry which, we hold, was glaringly ignored and sidelined by the past regime. Our Union is on record in expressing our dismay as it regarded the callous manner in which the former Administration cast aside the industry and the several thousand who depended on its operations. As the August 10, sections of the media revealed former workers of Rose Hall Estate are still yet to recover from the closure almost three (3) years ago.

It is not to say that the coalition was not warned. Our Union, among others including President Ali, had warned of the ramifications of the cold-hearted decision. But for our chorus of voices, the APNU/AFC simply chose to ignore the obvious and plunge headlong into the minimisation of the industry without even the slightest clues of how it would address the economic and social fallout. Their actions, which can only be described as heartless, have set back the well-being of thousands. As the media reports pointed out, the workers

and their families have seen their standard-of-living curtailed as they seek to make their ends meet. We share President Ali’s views when he said this is not the Guyana we should want at any time.

Our Union, certainly like the thousands who have been plunged into hardship and misery, were most heartened to hear of the Government’s commitment to bring back semblance to their lives. For them, the days and weeks since closure are probably the most difficult they have faced in their lives and ones they wish never to endure again.

We recognise that re-opening will not be a quick process and the Government has a great deal of work to do. We have learnt that several movable assets were sold at firesale prices and equipment and buildings were allowed to fall into disrepair. The conditions of the abandoned cane fields are yet another steep challenge. But as experience and time have shown, where there is a will there is a way.

Our Union is hopeful that the process can commence in earnest at soonest and some degree of normalcy and hope can be restored.

Yours faithfully, Seepaul Narine, General Secretary GAWU

Code of conduct is very imperative Dear Editor, Please permit me to express my congratulations to our ninth Executive President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali. The ceremonious inauguration that was held on Saturday August 8, 2020, at the National Cultural Centre was a historic one with proven support from the army and police services.

We, Guyanese are very

happy with the COVID-19 relief, the sugar workers to regain their jobs, the Petroleum Commission and best of all, it was a powerful straight drive (youthful cricketer) the electoral review body.

Mr President, the code of conduct is very imperative, discipline is successful.

Best wishes, Parmaanand Ram

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020

Page

Foundation

SUMMER OF LEARNING

Æsop’s Fables

FOR CHILDREN

M

ost robots are specifically designed to do a particular task, often one that would be tiresome or dangerous for humans. Creating art usually isn’t tiresome or dangerous, but it is interesting to compare your own artwork to art created by a rubber band-powered contraption designed to move across paper and create abstract art! You’ll need:

Supplies

• Corrugated cardboard • Pencil and different coloured markers • Rubber bands • Hard, white, mint candies with a hole in the middle (or other items that work as wheels) • Other items to test: old compact discs, washers, sticky foam, skewers, LEGO blocks, etc.

• Blank paper and an abstract drawing • Toilet paper tubes • Ruler, scissors, tape • Plastic drinking straws • Coins (or other items to use as weights) Directions 1. Fold a 6-inch square of cardboard into thirds so it looks like a trough. This is the body.

2. Cut two 4-inch squares of cardboard and on each, draw an “X” from corner to corner. Then measure and mark ½ inch to the right and left of each line. Connect these marks so that your “X” is now 1 inch wide. Cut out the 4 smallest triangles created by your “X” and make a hole in the very

center of each “X.” 3. On the body, poke one hole close to the end of each folded side. Make sure the holes are directly across from each other and are big enough for a pencil axel to spin freely.

4. Put a pencil through the body and attach the “X” wheels on each end with tape.

5. On the other end of the body, tape the straw under the back end. Slip a candy onto each end of the straw and bend and tape the straw ends to stop the candies from coming off.

6. Loop two rubber bands together and then loop one end around the pencil axle. Cut two small slits into the back end of the body and slide the free end of the rubber bands into the notch.

7. Mount the toilet paper tube across the back end of the body, taping it to the sides.

8. Take the thin marker and attach it to the centre of the toilet paper tube so that it drags behind the body like a tail. It needs to drag in order to draw.

9. Put a large sheet of paper on the floor and uncap the marker. With the device on the paper, wind the rubber band by turning the pencil axle. The more you wind, the more energy the rubber band stores and propels your bot. Let go and see what it draws! How does it compare to what you have drawn?

10. Change or add more markers, try other wheel types, use more or fewer rubber bands or experiment with other materials. If you have access to a small motor, you can also make a vibrobot that makes art: www.wired. com/geekdad/2012/05/ff_artbot. (startwithabook.org)

The Owl & the Grasshopper

T

he owl always takes her sleep during the day. Then after sundown, when the rosy light fades from the sky and the shadows rise slowly through the wood, out she comes ruffling and blinking from the old hollow tree. Now her weird “hoo-hoo-hoo-oo-oo” echoes through the quiet wood, and she begins her hunt for the bugs and beetles, frogs and mice she likes so well to eat.

Now there was a certain old owl who had become very cross and hard to please as she grew older, especially if anything disturbed her daily slumbers. One warm summer afternoon as she dozed away in her den in the old oak tree, a grasshopper nearby began a joyous but very raspy song.

Out popped the old owl’s head from the opening in the tree that served her both for door and for window.

“Get away from here, sir,” she said to the grasshopper.

“Have you no manners? You should at least respect my age and leave me to sleep in quiet!”

But the grasshopper answered saucily that he had as much right to his place in the sun as the owl had to her place in the old oak. Then he struck up a louder and still more rasping tune.

The wise old owl knew quite well that it would do no good to argue with the Grasshopper, nor with anybody else for that matter. Besides, her eyes were not sharp enough by day to permit her to punish the grasshopper as he deserved. So she laid aside all hard words and spoke very kindly to him.

“Well sir,” she said, “if I must stay awake, I am going to settle right down to enjoy your singing. Now that I think of it, I have a wonderful wine here, sent me from Olympus, of which I am told Apollo drinks before he sings to the high gods. Please come up and taste this delicious drink with me. I know it will make you sing like Apollo himself.”

The foolish grasshopper was taken in by the owl’s flattering words. Up he jumped to the owl’s den, but as soon as he was near enough so the old owl could see him clearly, she pounced upon him and ate him up.

WORD SEARCH

NEWS

7

TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Lack of leadership, policy direction ends in financial woes in agri sector – Minister S ince taking office last week and meeting with various agency Heads, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha has discovered a disturbing trend.

Almost every agency under his ministerial portfolio is drowning in financial troubles.

This Minister made this disturbing revelation during an exclusive interview with this publication on Monday. Naturally, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) is one of the agencies Mustapha found to be experiencing financial difficulties.

However, Mustapha explained that other agencies like the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) and the National Drainage

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha

and Irrigation Agency (NDIA) are also in financial trouble, while he described the situation at the Hope

Coconut Estate as a crisis.

He made it clear that the mismanagement of these entities can be traced back to his predecessor, former Agriculture Minister Noel Holder.

“Since I came here, I have had meetings with agency Heads. I want to say the finances for these agencies are not healthy. There are many agencies that are in crisis, in deficit. And this came about because there was no direction given to the Ministry. And I think the former Minister should have given the Ministry staff the direction they needed,” he said.

“GuySuCo is in a serious financial crisis. The Hope Coconut Estate is in a crisis. You have NDIA with

APNU/AFC paid 23 political...

FROM PAGE 3

Among those persons were former parliamentarian Barbara Pilgrim – who replaced Charrandas Persaud – who was paid $210,982 along with a tax-free allowance of $10,000 and telephone allowance of $10,000.

Ganesh Mahipaul – APNU/ AFC candidate and supporter of Misenga Jones’ application to force GECOM to utilise the Returning Officer’s declarations instead of the recount figures – was employed as a Community Development Officer stationed in Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara). He has been contracted since August 1, 2015, and was paid a monthly salary of $210,982 and $10,000 tax-free allowance.

However, there is no evidence of Mahipaul’s work.

In fact, he was active on the campaign trail for the March 2020 General and Regional

Elections and also was a Counting Agent for the coalition during the 33-day National Recount exercise.

“This (Mahipaul) is a person I’ve seen here during the National Recount and this is a person who is on the pensionable establishment of the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development involved in heavy political work as a public servant and there is no documentation, no validation of the work that this individual has done for the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development,” he explained.

Other names include Manbodhe Rahaman, Daroul Khan, Carol Nurse, Latchmn Azeez, Simpson Dasilva, who were all the recipients of free money.

Minister Dharamlall related that when one adds up

the total monthly salaries, excluding allowances, for the Community Development Officers and staffers of Bulkan’s Secretariat, it would amount to just about $13.5 million.

“Hundreds of millions of dollars the last Government paid out and there is no evidence of work providence by 56 persons in the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development. In 5 years, $13.5 million per month is about $160 million per year and multiply it by 5 years that is over $800 million that these 56 persons earned without evidence of their work,” the Minister stated.

He added that the Ministry would no longer condone such atrocity. When asked what would be his plan going forward, the Minister noted that each person would be treated on a case by case basis. (G2)

money outstanding, liabilities. GRDB has serious financial problems. Almost all the agencies that fall under the Ministry have financial difficulties,” the Minister explained.

Mustapha noted that he inherited a Ministry where an ad hoc approach was taken to dealing with the agriculture sector under Holder.

Mustapha said that policy guidance from Holder, who has kept an extremely low profile since last year, was completely lacking and they are now reaping the rewards.

“Since I came here, what I found is that this Ministry lacked leadership. There was no leadership and direction given to this Ministry.

And it seemed as though everyone was just doing what they thought was right,” Mustapha said.

“So, if you’re a programme Head and you are responsible for D&I, if you think this will enhance D&I, you do it. There was no policy guideline and guidance to give to programme Heads.

There was no cohesive policy.”

The Agriculture Ministry has come in for much criticism over the past few years, from its lack of representation on behalf of landowners who had their leases revoked by

Former Agriculture Minister Noel Holder

Mahaica Mahaicony AbaryAgricultural Development Authority (MMA-ADA) to consistently owing rice millers.

There have even been cases whereby rice was shipped to overseas markets but was rejected at the port due to bad quality. In this case, the GRDB was heavily criticised for poor quality inspection.

But the Government has by far taken the most blame in agriculture for its mismanagement of the sugar industry and GuySuCo. Under Holder, GuySuCo has for some time been in major financial difficulties.

Chairman of GuySuCo’s Board, John Dow was forced

to write to the former APNU/ AFC Government back in May of this year to plead for executive assistance. Dow told then President David Granger that “….GuySuCo needs funds now to be able to survive after the second week June 2020”.

After former Finance Minister Winston Jordan told GuySuCo that the Administration could not afford to intervene given the prevailing financial troubles, the former Government eventually buckled down, and through the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) transferred $250 million.

With Holder as Agriculture Minister, the APNU/AFC had closed the Rose Hall, Skeldon, Wales and Enmore sugar estates, putting thousands of sugar workers on the breadline while citing a plan to return sugar to viability. This strategy failed drastically, with GuySuCo consistently missing production targets and bleeding money.

As recently as June, it was announced that GuySuCo missed its first crop target for 2020 by almost 9500 tonnes. None of the three sugar estates left standing after the APNU/ AFC closures reached their targets. (G3)

8 NEWS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

“Satan” wanted for murder of Corentyne bystander

Wanted: Rocky Profitt, also known as “Satan”

T

he Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Monday issued a wanted bulleting for 34-yearold Rocky Profitt, also known as “Satan” of Embassy Street, Line Path Corriverton, Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), for questioning in connection with the murder of 31-yearold Marlon Fordyce.

It was reported that Fordyce of Lot 39 Albert Street, Corriverton, was on Friday last killed after he was shot by a stray bullet during an altercation involving villagers over an alleged chopping hours earlier.

According to the police, Fordyce was part of a group of bystanders that had gathered after three men went to a home at Kingston, Corriverton, and accused

one of the residents of chopping another man the previous evening.

On Thursday last, two men were involved in an altercation during which Michael Austin of Kingstown Squatting Area, Corriverton, was wounded.

He is currently hospitalised.

However, on Friday morning, two masons called “Tall Man” and “Dutchie”, both of Number 76 Village, went to the home on one of the men involved in Thursday night’s altercation and began accusing him of wounding Austin.

They were joined by a third person called “Gunman” of East Canje.

Reports are one of the men named “Gunman,” whipped a firearm from his waist and discharged a round, which hit Fordyce.

He was reportedly standing about four feet away from the shooter. As Fordyce fell to the ground, persons dashed from the scene as the shooter discharged three more rounds.

However, no one else was injured. This newspaper was told that the shooter and the other accomplices then entered an awaiting car and drove away from the scene.

According to Police, Fordyce was rushed to Skeldon Public Hospital by the police in an unconscious

Dead: Marlon Fordyce

state. He was later transferred to New Amsterdam Public Hospital, then to Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) for further treatment but suc-

cumbed to his injuries around 20:00h.

Police also said that at about 18:20h on Friday last, the suspect’s motor car, PJJ 2319, was found abandoned at Number 76 Village, Corentyne, Berbice.

Checks were made in the area for the suspect, but he has not yet been arrested.

Investigations are continuing.

Anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of Profitt is asked to contact the police on telephone numbers 333-2151, 3335564, 333-3876, 226-6978, 2258196, 911 or the nearest police station.

Police said all information will be treated with the strictest confidence. (G1)

Car thief nabbed while attempting to hijack Prado

A

suspected car thief is now in Police custody after he attempted to hijack a Prado Sports Utility Vehicle on Saturday evening.

Guyana Times understands that the Prado belongs to Valderie Hackette of Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown.

According to information

reaching this publication, the incident occurred sometime after 19:00h when the woman returned home and parked her vehicle under her house.

Neighbours told this publication that they saw a man entering the woman’s yard but first took him for the woman’s nephew.

They added that after the man entered the yard, he began behaving strangely, after which he attempted to hotwire the car. During this time, residents realised that he was not the woman’s nephew and immediately raised an alarm.

Shortly after, residents surrounded the car, and the man continued to hotwire the vehicle in a bid to escape, but this failed. He was then taken out of the car and given a sound thrashing my residents. However, he managed to escape and plunged into a nearby trench. By this time ranks from the Prashad Nagar Police Station arrived at the scene and promptly captured him. He is currently in custody assisting with the investigation. (G1)

Friends…

I

…with benefits t’s clear not only from the announcements coming out of their engagements, but from their obvious bonhomie, that Presidents Ali and Santokhi have hit it off. While it’s said in international affairs there are no permanent friends, just permanent interests, it never hurts for leaders to be able to get along with each other at a personal level. Especially when those relations have never been historically tight, to begin with.

It’s possible that this might’ve been due to language and cultural differences, since Suriname, with their Dutch colonial experience as opposed to our British, didn’t pass through the same “finishing school”! But on the other hand, we never reached the tetchiness of the English and the French, which went back centuries and, in the modern era, was illustrated by one memorable meeting between French PM Jacques Chirac and British PM Margaret Thatcher in 1988. Asked Chirac exasperatedly, “What more does this housewife want from me? My balls on a plate?”

Anyhow, back to the two presidents, who were just elected to office. While there mightn’t have been too much direct contact between leaders of the two countries in the past (does Corbin allegedly receiving some firepower from Bouterse’s son Dino during the Buxton Uprising count?) Santokhi’s recent marriage to a woman of Guyanese descent had to have eased tensions. After all, the Surinamese President would’ve been fully briefed by his in-laws of why they had to flee Guyana and end up in Suriname!! The PNC’s ears must’ve been ringing!!

Especially when, after Suriname’s election on Mar 25, Bouterse started demanding recounts like his counterpart Granger in Guyana did. Santokhi had to’ve shared his trepidation with Ali, and breathed another sigh of relief that Bouterse caved in to internal and external pressures and went along with the count. That Bouterse had bankrupted Suriname, and created a massive scandal at the Central Bank when his party claimed a missing US$100 million had been used to buy “onions and aloo” must’ve helped!! On the other hand, over in Guyana, President Ali is just unearthing the massive financial looting that the PNC committed during the past five years, and might’ve been (part of) the reason they’d held on so desperately!

Be that as it may, Santokhi and Ali had to have congratulated each other for amassing votes way in excess of their traditional ethnic support. This positive development offers hope in both countries: that with them governing nations of minorities, their national approach had at long last shown that ethnic voting was dissipating.

One hopes that Bouterse doesn’t go the way of Granger and the PNC, to launch a rearguard attack to end ethnic divisions. …building bridges Even though English isn’t his first language, most Guyanese must’ve been surprised that Santokhi was so proficient in the language that he could quip that he wasn’t just opening up talks about building the bridge across the Corentyne River but also building the bridge of friendship!

The Surinamese weren’t exposed to British insularity, which insisted there was no other language worth learning but English!! Santokhi, like most Surinamese, would be proficient in Dutch and at least two other ethnic languages.

While the Bridge would be a great addition to the connectivity between the two countries, your Eyewitness is happy that the ferry will be back in service soon. He’s travelled many a time to our eastern neighbour, and had wonderful vacations in Nickerie and Paramaribo. The Surinamese might have a smaller population than we have, but they’re much more cosmopolitan. They haven’t only retained their historic buildings in immaculate condition, they’ve also cultivated a touch of Old Europe, which contrasts nicely with the cultures of their five peoples.

We, Philistines here, can learn a lot from Suriname!! …and rogues Word that Larry London was the fella supposedly collecting a big salary and perks galore didn’t surprise your Eyewitness.

Larry’s one ex-GDF officer who always had a nose for a fast buck! Durban Park anyone??

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

NEWS

9

TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Rapid assessment team unearths “gross financial mismanagement” at state agencies

…report to be presented to President on Wednesday

Chartered Accountant and Attorney-at-Law Chris Ram

T

he high-level “rapid assessment team” commissioned by President Irfaan Ali has discovered gross mismanagement of financial resources at the various State entities they reviewed and are expected to present their report

by Wednesday.

This was revealed by a source, who indicated that the review is completed and the team is in the process of compiling its report.

President Ali appointed the team days after being sworn in as President and tasked them with the responsibility of reviewing operations of Guyana Power and Light (GPL), the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), the Guyana Forestry Commission

(GFC), Guyana Gold Board (GGB), the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC), the Lotto Fund, the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), the Guyana Oil Company (GuyOil), the Guyana National Shipping Corporation (GNSC), the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest) and the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).

The team comprising of Certified Public Accountant, Nigel Hinds; Chartered Accountant and attorney-at-law, Chris Ram; Financial Consultant, Sasenarine Singh and Public Communications Consultant, Kit Nascimento reviewed the operations, policies and programmes of the Department of Public Information (DPI), the National Communications Network Incorporated (NCN) and the Guyana National Newspaper Limited (Guyana Chronicle) as well as the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA).

Meanwhile, during an interview with this publication over the weekend, Nascimento told this publication that the team has received the full cooperation of the heads of the various agencies and explained that the process was one aimed at gathering information to assess the organisations’ fitness to manage their affairs and execute its functions.

Certified Public Accountant Nigel Hinds

“We are looking for everything to make sure that they are financially sound and to make sure that they are properly managed…You got to remember that this is not an audit. This is a review and if the review finds that there is a need for more intensive investigation then it will follow,” he noted.

Nascimento added that the team chose to work pro bono because of the fact that they see it as serving the nation and ensuring transparency and accountability.

Depleted cash

Meanwhile, a source told Guyana Times that almost all of the agencies reviewed were being financially mismanaged.

“Some organisations are struggling to pay their August salaries and we are seeing a severe condition of depleted cash

on all fronts. Political interference in the management function is also key flashpoint that people (the team members) are finding. There are cases where Board members pushing themselves to act as management staff,” he explained.

This newspaper understands that one of the reasons President Ali commissioned the review is to get a better understanding of the agencies’ functioning over the past five years while also looking at the management styles of those in charge. It is believed that there will be major shakeups when the report is tabled owing to the fact that many of the Board members for the State agencies are inserting themselves as managers.

The team found that in one instance a Board member at a particular State agency appointed themself as manager as well. In addition to interfering with the day to day operations of the various agencies, the team also found that several senior managers also accumulated leave which should be taken.

Ultimately, the team was tasked with establishing whether the agencies have the financial capabilities to pay salaries for August, to ensure a seamless transition from the old Board to new, and to protect the assets of the agencies.

Recommendations

It was reported that there are several recommendations

Public Communications Consultant Kit Nascimento

Financial Consultant Sasenarine Singh

for each of the assessed agency. Among those recommendations is the fact that every State Board ought to be recalibrated to reflect the true needs of that agency.

“A Board is not supposed to get into day to day management of any organisation and what the team found is that the Board is involved in the day to day management of the organisation and what that does is it weakens their independence so they can’t hold the organisations accountable because they can’t hold themselves accountable,” the source related.

It was explained that there is no adequate separation of functions from the Board and Administration and that is the major contributing factor to the current fiscal state of the agencies.

“The team recommend that all Board members must be replaced with fresh Boards. They are also recommending that the skillset for the Board be there,”

the source said, adding that the common trend the team discovered was that the various State Boards were highly politicised and lacked the professional experience required for leading the agencies.

After the APNU/AFC coalition had won the 2015 National Elections by a razor-thin majority, it had embarked on a process that saw many senior public officials being terminated on the basis of their perceived political allegiance.

However, senior officials of the PPP/C have repeatedly assured that they will not embark on this route once the party settles in to office.

The APNU/AFC had described the formation of the team as a “PPP Witch Hunt Squad.” Notably, however, some of the same individuals – Hinds, Ram – were part of an audit team for the APNU/AFC following the 2015 elections.

(G2)

10 NEWS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Van West-Charles let go as GWI Head – new Housing Minister …6 other political appointees sent off

M

anaging Director of the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), Dr Richard Van West-Charles has been relieved of his duties and asked to proceed on leave until October 29, 2020, according to the new Minister of Housing and Water Collin Croal.

Croal, during a telephone interview with Guyana Times on Monday, relat-

ed that Chair of the GWI Board, Dr Garvin Cummings has written to Van WestCharles instructing him to proceed on his accumulated leave. Additionally, he was instructed to hand over all property and records belonging to GWI in his possession.

When asked for the rationale behind the firing of Van West-Charles, Croal related that the Ministry is heading

in another direction and it is in keeping with the restructuring and vision of the new People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government.

He noted that Van WestCharles’ contract would come to an end in October of 2021.

Back in June, Van WestCharles – son in law of the late LFS Burnham – joined the APNU/AFC coalition in calling for the March 2

General and Regional Elections to be scrapped following irregularities. Van West-Charles was appointed CEO of GWI on October 1, 2015.

Minister Croal further related he also had to relieve six other employees of his Ministry because of the political nature of their appointment.

He noted that the staffers Housing Minister Collin Croal

Dr Richard Van West-Charles

Andrew Weekes

– Communications Officer Andrew Weekes, Technical Assistant Remington Nelson, Personal Assistant Leon Castello, Confidential Secretary Sandra Booker, Personal Security Nelson Inniss and Advisor to the Minister Carmichael Thorne – were all political appointees in the Minister’s Secretariat.

“We are doing realigning and we are also shaping the

Ministry in the direction we would want to do it. Every department is being reviewed and so obviously at the Secretariat myself and Minister (Susan) Rodrigues, we need to be comfortable with our Secretariat to function,” he explained.

He added that Weekes had been campaigning for the APNU/AFC coalition and was employed as Communications Officer in spite of the Ministry having a Public Relations Department with one Public Relations Officer and two assistants.

Weekes was brought on board by then Housing Minister Annette Ferguson in January and given a contract for one year. He was being paid some $203,202 with a $15,000 allowance. According to the new Minister, there is no evidence of Weekes doing any work for the Ministry. (G2)

NEWS

11

TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Minister shocked as Matthews Ridge 1 dead, 4 injured in Soesdyke without electricity since March accident

…issue resolved within 1 day

N

ewly-appointed Public Works Minister, Bishop Juan Edghill was left dismayed on Monday after it was learnt that the community of Matthew’s Ridge in Region One (BarimaWaini) has been living without electricity since March.

The Minister was made aware of issues plaguing the region throughout the past months during an engagement with Regional Chairman, Brentnol Ashley and Vice Chairman, Sarah Brown.

Special emphasis was placed on the electricity woes, referring to Matthew’s Ridge whereby five months have elapsed without any power supply.

Minister Edghill expressed shock at this revelation and positioned, “Notwithstanding the issues of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and the Ministry of Public Health safety guidelines, this matter should have already been resolved.”

Further, he assured the regional executives that action will be taken to resolve the matter assiduously. He has since acted swiftly and instructed his team at the

A

Public Works Minister Juan Edghill meeting with the Region One (Barima-Waini) officials

Hinterland Electrification Company Incorporated to make contact with the engineers on the ground to have the engines up and running. By Monday night, the people were expected to regain power.

The People’s Progressive Party in their campaign manifesto had rolled out a promising energy plan after the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) was grappling to provide reliable energy due to the shortfall in capacity.

It included not only a significant reduction in costs, but some 400-megawatt (MW) capacity – which is more than double the less than 200 MW that was generated at that time.

Vice President Bharrat

Jagdeo, during his capacity as Opposition Leader at the time, had blamed this shortfall on the coalition Administration’s “lack of vision”.

He had slammed the coalition for scrapping the Amaila Falls Hydro Project (AFHP), which he noted would have brought in some 160 megawatts of renewable power into the national grid by mid-2017.

The AFHP, which was initiated under the PPP Administration, was continually blocked by the then APNU and AFC combined Opposition while controlling the National Assembly by a one-seat majority. The AFHP would have assisted GPL to get adequate electricity sup-

ply, thus, providing cheaper and more reliable power to citizens and businesses. But the Norway-funded project was scrapped and Government has diverted its US$80 million funding, which Guyana has earned for sustaining its rainforests to absorb global carbon emissions, to a 100-megawatt solar energy project.

The former Head of State had promised that if the PPP returns to office, which it did, then resuscitation of the Amaila Falls Project would be among its top priorities for the energy sector. While this would take some time to establish, the PPP already had plans to move on to a gas power plant to build capacity and baseload. (G11)

deadly accident at the Soeskdyke Junction, East Bank Demerara, in the wee hours of Monday has left one person dead and four others with serious injuries after the driver lost control and slammed into a median.

Dead is 24-year-old Quamie Dalton of Timehri, EBD. According to police information, the deadly incident occurred at about 01:00h.

Motor car bearing registration plate HD 1029 was driven by 25-year-old Shaquille Henry of Linden, Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice). Along with Dalton, the vehicle was occupied by 18-year-old Shania Bordwodge of Amelia’s Ward, Linden; 20-year-old Melissa Lewis of Providence, EBD; and 37-year-old Rosanna Bobb-Semple of Kara Kara, Linden.

Reports are the car was proceeding south along East Bank Public Road when the car suddenly came into contact with the median. As a result, the driver lost control and collided with a light pole belonging to the Guyana Power and Light. From the

Dead: Quamie Dalton

impact, the vehicle turned turtle and was badly damaged.

All five persons were pulled from the motor car by public-spirited citizens and taken to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, but Dalton succumbed to his injuries. The others were later transported to the Georgetown Public Hospital and are still receiving treatment.

A breathalyser test conducted on the driver proved that he was below the legal prescribed limit. Police are continuing their investigation. (G12)

Bandits raid Hybrid Essequibo Coast teen hijacker nabbed by Police Electronic Store

The car which was stolen and recovered by Police

P

olice in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) were on Sunday able to bust a gang that has been committing several burglaries and larceny in the region.

According to information received, at about 20:00h, a

police patrol while in the vicinity of Capoey, Essequibo Coast, noticed a motor car that was stolen three days ago. Upon realising that Police were behind them, the driver of the car sped away, prompting Police to give chase. During the high-

speed chase, the car crashed and several exited and opened fire at lawmen. The police returned fire as the men fled on foot. However, the 18-year-old driver was left behind.

Reports are the driver, a resident of Red Village, Onderneeming, was searched and lawmen unearthed a pair of gloves, one crowbar, one knife, one piece of jewellery with initials, one mask, and a plastic strap in his possession.

He was immediately taken into Police custody while the vehicle was escorted to a police station and lodged— investigations are ongoing.

M e a n w h i l e , Commander of Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Superintendent Crystal Robinson confirmed that the men are attached to a string of robberies.

She stated that on Friday, the men joined a car at Anna Regina, and before they could have reached their destination, they told the driver to turn in at Capoey and robbed the man of his cellphone, some money and the car.

The 18-year-old driver is expected to be hauled before the court during the week.

(G1)

T

The men in the store during the robbery

wo men carted off with over $2 million in electronics from the Hybrid Electronic Store located at Lot 10 Crown Dam Industry, East Coast Demerara (ECD), during a brazen robbery on Sunday.

Guyana Times understands that the robbery occurred at about 02:30h.

According to information received, the men gained entry by breaking the side door of the building.

The proprietor of the establishment – Ecliff Bradford – explained that the men made off with a quantity of high-end cellphones, tablets, laptops, television sets, and a slew of other high-priced electronics from the store.

He enlightened that after visiting the store, he noticed that the alarm system, along with the door, was broken.

He immediately made a report at the Turkeyen Police Station, and an inves-

tigation has been launched.

Only last month, two masked men had robbed the NTech Computers and Electronics store, located on Robb Street Lacytown, Georgetown, of millions of dollars in electronics. (G1)

12 NEWS New Govt must avoid oil Govt willing to work with Opposition for dependency – experts national good – AG TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

…urged to diversify economy

Senior Director at Americas Market Intelligence/ Africa Market Intelligence, Dr Remi Piet

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he new Guyana Government should place much focus on diversifying the economy even as it seeks to capitalise on the country’s oil-rich resources.

Senior Director at Americas Market Intelligence/Africa Market Intelligence, Dr Remi Piet and respected analyst at Africa Market Intelligence, Arthur Deakin made this observation in an opinion piece published by Caribbean News Global.

The experts posited that Guyanese citizens have waited a very long time for the duly elected Government to be sworn in and it is now time for President Irfaan Ali and his team to turn their attention to “reigniting the economy” which has been at a stand-

still since the passage of the December 2018 no-confidence vote.

In this regard, Piet and Deaken outlined that the authorities must focus their attention on reviving and developing all sectors of the economy in order to avoid becoming too dependent on the resources from the oil and gas sector.

“The oil and gas sector cannot be Guyana’s sole focus. The country must continue to diversify its economy to avoid an oil-dependency,” the experts declared.

President Ali, on several occasions before, had stated that while serious efforts will be made to fully capitalise on the benefits from Guyana’s oil and gas sector, other key sectors, such as sugar, rice, bauxite, gold, manufacturing and services will not be ignored.

Due to the political uncertainty from the elections and the lockdowns from COVID-19, the Guyanese economy had reached a standstill. International investments were delayed, people lost their jobs and banks stopped providing credit.

During his inauguration on Saturday, President Ali gave an assurance that his Administration is dedicated to the reformation and re-opening of the sugar estates that were closed under the previous Government.

Ali lamented that “the sugar industry has virtually been abandoned in the past

five years, and the workers have been deserted.”

The Head of State explained that while “we are still putting together the torn fragments”, the picture of the industry appears “deeply distressing”.

Dr Ali bemoaned that “the once greatest contributor to our nation’s economy, has been beaten down to its knees, and the workers tossed to a heap of unemployment and misery.”

In this regard, he reiterated the promise he made on the campaign trail, that is, to restore the sugar industry so that workers and communities as a whole will begin to thrive again.

Dr Ali also promised that the other sectors of the economy that performed dismally during the APNU/ AFC regime will be restored to their former glory.

“It is bad enough that I must draw your attention to other areas in our economy, including bauxite, rice, agriculture, forestry, mining. We have already commenced work to ensure we do all that is necessary amid the constraints to put back these industries on the path of development,” the President disclosed.

Meanwhile, Piet and Deaken argued that “because money is more valuable today than tomorrow”, the new Administration should be conscious of any pending projects that have been pushed back due to the political impasse following the March 2 General and

A

Analyst at Africa Market Intelligence, Arthur Deakin

Regional Elections.

They noted that development projects that have been vetted and will bring in much-needed capital to Guyana, such as the Payara Field in the Stabroek Block, should be given approval soon so that work could be fast-tracked.

ExxonMobil is hoping to make its Final Investment Decision (FID) on the Payara project by September.

According to the experts, if the Government is unable to approve the development plan soon, oil revenues will be delayed. In fact, consultancy group Wood Mackenzie projects that a 1-year delay in the Stabroek development could decrease the Government’s share value by roughly US$1.5 billion.

The experts lamented that if there is a threeyear delay, total losses to the State would increase to US$4.5 billion. “That is equivalent to 98 percent of Guyana’s GDP in 2019.

Guyana cannot afford any more delays due to political or regulatory indecision.”

ttorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall has signalled the willingness of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration to meaningfully engage with the parliamentary Opposition to push the national development agenda forward.

Nandlall, during an interview programme “Government in Focus”, noted that all of President Irfaan Ali’s pronouncements so far have pointed to the need to develop a country that caters for all Guyanese, irrespective of ethnicity, political affiliation or any other consideration.

“The President has emphasised the need to build a cohesive, united Guyana where every Guyanese citizen can feel that they have an equal place and are treated equally, and can benefit equally from the resources of this country,” the Attorney General posited.

In this regard, he added that the new Administration has begun the process of shaping and implementing policy that would benefit everyone, and would certainly seek to engage any stakeholder who desires to work for the national good.

He reminded: “the PPP/ C’s manifesto was not crafted at Freedom House in a backroom in isolation with two or three persons.” He outlined that there were national consultations with all stakeholders to arrive at the final document.

However, Nandlall said that while the ruling PPP/C would wish to engage the Opposition coalition in taking Guyana forward, his hope is that those who were involved in the attempts to derail the March 2 General and Regional Elections are excluded from the process.

According to Nandlall, such persons are unfit and improper to provide leadership because they attempted to destroy the country.

“They put this nation in jeopardy and expose us to serious risks.”

“The Government’s view is that we will work with the Opposition. Hopefully, it will not constitute some or all of those people,” he expressed.

Nandlall asserted that there is need for “a fresh group of people” in political leadership who have the interest of Guyana and Guyanese are heart.

He expressed that the APNU/AFC members are all seasoned politicians “who knew that they lost the elections since March 3,” but they were bent on taking the country down the precipice for their own self-interest – to hang on to power illegally.

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall

“I am hoping we would have responsible Opposition on the other side of the parliamentary isle with whom we can work responsibly, not necessary to support our political positions, but positions that are in the national interest,” he added.

According to the AG, Guyanese have demonstrated that they have matured as a people and there is renewed optimism that the differences and divisions which exist in the country could be resolved.

He noted that there are forces who wanted to destroy and disintegrate society, but they did not succeed.

“The fact that they did not succeed means that they didn’t get the support of the Guyanese public.

They thought they had, and many times when they tried to bring the people on the streets to cause the chaos and confusion and violence which they wanted to create, they failed abysmally.”

Nandlall reminded that on the night of the NoConfidence Motion, the APNU/AFC said they will get eight thousand persons in front of the Parliament, but “they couldn’t get eighty”.

He added that following their attempts to derail the March 2 polls, they sent trucks into villages and tried to provoke and incite people, but “it did happen”.

“So what you found, you had a political elite group that didn’t have the support to execute that plan that they had to stay in power.

“Therefore, I am saying to you that we have, as a people, matured…This tragedy has allowed the world to see that and we as a people, demonstrated that – by not falling prey to the temptations that were hanging before us.”

He noted that the elements within the coalition were unable to create confusion because ordinary Guyanese do not want to see their country destroyed.

“So for those reasons, I am saying that we can easily heal,” Nandlall said.

NEWS

13

TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Guyana to receive US$1M in COVID-19 relief – US Ambassador …Canada, UN also pledge support to Govt’s efforts

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s the world continues to battle the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the United States Government has revealed that it will be providing over US$1 million in relief to support Guyana.

This was related by US Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch on Saturday.

“On COVID currently we have about $1 million directly to Guyana and in the region, we have $1.7 million for the Caribbean of which Guyana will get a piece of that. Those are for all kinds of things both on the material side like masks and other materials that might be needed as well as on things like educational programmes, messaging and things of that nature,” Ambassador Lynch told Guyana Times in an in-

ue to support the efforts of the Guyanese Government in terms of holistic development.

Canada

US Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch

vited comment.

The diplomat related that she would have met with President Dr Irfaan Ali during last week where they discussed areas of mutual concern, primarily in the areas of security, governance and economic development. She noted that the US Government will contin-

Meanwhile, Canadian High Commissioner Lilian Chatterjee also pledged her Government’s support for the fight against COVID-19 as well as other developmental issues.

“We have every intention of working even closer with the Government of Guyana as we move forward in a whole variety of sectors. We have already started discussions with the Government and we look forward to a much closer collaboration. We are going to respond to the needs of the Government and the Government wants more work in the oil and gas sectors, in public-private part-

6 repatriation flights scheduled for August – GCAA

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he Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has announced six repatriation flights from the United States of America, which will see stranded Guyanese returning home within the next three weeks.

On Monday, the Authority noted that the repatriation will be executed by US-based Eastern Airlines from Miami and New York. The flights are scheduled for August 11, 18 and 25 from the Miami International Airport and August 12, 19 and 26 from the John F Kennedy International Airport.

Other persons will be repatriated to the US from Guyana in six flights, scheduled for the same dates outlined.

In order to be accepted on a flight to Guyana, the electronic Repatriation Form available via GCAA’s website must be completed. Additionally, a molecular biological PCR test for COVID-19 must be completed, and the negative result sent to repatriate@minfor. gov.gy.

Since the repatriation efforts commenced to bring Guyanese home, over 1300 persons have returned from North America, St Marteen, Aruba, Trinidad and Tobago; and Barbados.

A few weeks ago, Chief Medical Officer Dr Shamdeo Persaud scolded Guyanese who are being repatriated for reportedly giving health officials false information upon their arrival in the country.

“This irresponsible and selfish act is putting your life and the lives of our citi-

zens at risk and placing undue pressure on our health workers and health system,” the CMO contended.

On August 1, the phased re-opening of the Cheddi Jagan and Eugene F Correia international airports was deferred until further announced due to the spike in COVID-19 cases. The National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) had stated that the airport will remain closed to all international flights except for outgoing flights, cargo flights, medical evacuation flights, technical stops for fuel only and special authorised flights.

The country’s borders and airports were closed on March 17 to bar the importation of positive COVID-19 cases, which has crippled flights. Meanwhile, Director General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Colonel (ret’d) Egbert Field

had stated that the deferral is critical to ensure that the country’s health is protected.

“We have to be careful that the health of the nation is also looked at, so it is a balancing act in the sense that we have to ensure that the visitors do not bring additional burden in view of COVID-19 to the citizens of Guyana.”

Moreover, he also reprimanded the careless behaviour of the general populace in following the COVID-19 guidelines.

“Health authorities are already encountering challenges in handling the spread of the virus, but more needs to be done from the populace. I would like to see penalties exactly against individuals who do not conform to the measures and the protocols,” he concluded. (G12)

Canadian High Commissioner Lilian Chatterjee

nerships, on COVID and I also hope we can be a partner on constitutional reform,” Chatterjee noted.

United Nations

United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mikiko Tanaka explained that the UN is ready to lend its expertise to Guyana in a number of areas. She recently met with President Ali to discuss the way forward.

“I had an opportunity to meet the President and his team particularly to discuss COVID-19 and how to help the people from the infection but also the socio-economic side. Many people have been affected and are in hardship because of the lockdown measures and this is all over the world but there is a lot to do but I think that the Government is looking at the right thing, the right issues and I hope that the United Nations can really help with that,” Tanaka said.

Back in April, the US Embassy in Guyana had announced that the US Government through the Regional Caribbean Office

of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was releasing $100 million (US$475,000) to help address Guyana’s priority areas of laboratory diagnostics and systems strengthening and supplies, surveillance, infection prevention and control, and emergency operation centres. It was also revealed that the funds being released are part of a regional funding package of US$3,000,000 provided to support the current COVID-19 response.

Since taking office just a week ago, the newly-elected Government has been working to rapidly assess the needs of the Health Ministry at a time when cases of COVID-19 are rampantly increasing. Moments after he was conferred with the instruments of Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony on Wednesday addressed the challenges as they relate to the country’s testing ability, especially in Regions Seven (CuyuniMazaruni), Eight (PotaroSiparuni) and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).

He acknowledged that the National Reference Laboratory in Georgetown would take more than a week to return a diagnosis, since it is overwhelmed with samples from across the length and breadth of the nation. This puts the country at a disadvantage, and creates room for a larger spread, he contended.

The Minister also related that the Laboratory is working with old medical equipment, which takes a longer time for samples to be processed. As such, they

UN Resident Coordinator Mikiko Tanaka

are seeking to completely revamp these operations to meet the needs of the country. This would allow for more tests to be done on a daily basis.

CDC

Meanwhile, the Civil Defence Commission on Wednesday handed over a large quantity of essential medical supplies to the Health Ministry – a much-needed approach that has been requested by health officials across the country.

Director General of the CDC, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig handed over the items, which included 5730 N95 masks, 316,600 surgical masks, 46,250 rapid test COVID-19 kits, 200 overalls and 5000 gloves.

The supplies were donated through a collaborative arrangement with the Caribbean Community (Caricom), the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), the World Health Organisation (WHO), Jack Ma Foundation, and the United Arab Emirates. (G2)

14 NEWS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

NICIL, GL&SC to determine ownership GTT service disrupted, Regions 2, 3 of proposed lands to accommodate communities affected Linden squatters – Deputy Mayor

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lans continue to move apace to ascertain suitable housing locations to accommodate what officials consider a high rate of squatters in Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

Linden’s Deputy Mayor Wainewright Bethune, who is spearheading the initiative, indicated that the Linden Mayor and Town Council (LM&TC) wrote the relevant agencies and the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) and the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission are expected to ascertain ownership of the proposed lands.

Bethune noted that at a meeting following the last visit to the squatting areas, it was concluded that own-

ership of the proposed and squatting locations should first be ascertained. The agencies are also expected to assess the total mass of these areas as well as the quantity of lands available prior to moving forward.

He explained that the LM&TC is also seeking to have the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) and the Linden Electricity Company on board for discussions. According to the Deputy Mayor, there must be an inter-agency relationship between such agencies in moving forward.

“So when approvals are being granted for these basic utilities...it must be a consensus among all of us rather than us acting independently...”, he explained.

Bethune recently iden-

tified one of the proposed areas which he believes is more suitable for residential purposes in response to the “alarming increase” of squatting in Linden and other parts of Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

The “Lucky Spot” area at Wismar, Linden, was identified during site visits by members of various agencies including NICIL, the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), the LM&TC and Environmental Engineer Samuel Wright. The team also visited sites where squatting is evident as they discussed challenges and solutions in moving forward. Some of the areas visited included

Amelia’s Ward, Blueberry Hill, Dakoura and Kularu - Block 56. During the visits, members of the team also highlighted challenges faced by residents in gaining legal access to land as well as challenges faced

by Local Government bodies and relevant agencies in dealing with squatting.

Bethune, during the discourse, pointed to massive squatting taking place in areas such as Wisroc and Amelia’s Ward as he stressed that this puts additional pressure on the authorities to regularise squatter settlements. As such, he questioned the ability of the authorities in working to develop suitable areas in an effort to prevent the instances of squatting.

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he Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) has announced that its landline, mobile and internet services are being affected in communities along the West Coast and West Bank of Demerara.

“We have a service disruption in WCD/WBD, and Essequibo Coast affecting mobile, landline and internet services. We apologise

for this unnecessary inconvenience,” GTT said in a statement on its Facebook page posted on Monday.

GTT said the service disruption is caused by a damaged cable due to excavation works in the vicinity of Versailles.

“Technicians are working to restore services as soon as possible,” GTT said.

Service was restored at about 17:00 hours. (G11)

Linden senior citizens feeling brunt of transport increases

By Utamu Belle

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ith the current increase in transportation costs in Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), due to the COVID-19 pandemic, senior citizens say they are feeling the brunt of the increase. As a result of social distancing guidelines, which were implemented to prevent the spread of the virus, drivers said they were forced to increase the fares due to the limited number of passengers they are now authorised to carry. In Linden, one of the main means of travelling with public transportation is by use of the “$100 cars” which ply the Amelia’s Ward and Wisroc or Block 22 routes.

Pensioner Shirley Williams

The cost to travel, which was $100, has now been increased by $200-$400 in some cases.

This publication spoke to numerous passengers who use public transportation daily and some explained that the fare increases are “unreasonable”.

Pensioner Winslow Mercurious told this publication that the increases are too steep, pointing out that in some cases, the public transport operators are charging the increased prices without limiting the number of passengers.

“I don’t see the reason that the fare gone up so high and fuel price gone down...people taking advantage of the situation and it’s not fair. They’re taking advantage of people up here. Some people ain’t working. Some people got to walk and go ‘til in the

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)

INFORMATION AND GUIDELINES HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF?

Pensioner Jacob Saul

Ward because they can’t afford it,” the pensioner explained.

Another pensioner,

Shirley Williams, said she believes the fares should be lowered for senior citizens.

“You got to pay $200 to go and $200 to come. All like this morning (Monday) I had to go to Telecoms and is two sets of $200 I had to pay. to go and to come back.

It is too much for seniors like me,” she stressed.

Pensioner Jacob Saul, who noted that he travels from Amelia’s Ward to Central Mackenzie almost daily, also explained that the costs are too hefty for him.

Meanwhile, a passenger who travels the Amelia’s Ward route who is not a pensioner said she believes that the increases were necessary given the situation with the pandemic.

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

New loss of taste or smell

Muscle pain Children have similar symptoms to adults and generally have mild illness.

Pensioner Winslow Mercurious

She opined that in cases where passengers cannot afford the increases, they should explain the situation to the drivers.

Another passenger, who gave her name only as Loverne, said she refuses to travel in cars where social distancing is not being practised. For this reason, she explained she does not have an issue with paying the increases.

Meanwhile, Linden Mayor Waneka Arrindell recently shared concerns as it relates to the issue as she cited unconfirmed reports indicating that in some cases the fares have doubled or increased by at least 50 per cent. In light of this, Arrindell said, she had spoken to the heads of the minibus and car associations in an effort to strike a balance.

“We have got to find a way to sit down with these drivers. Everybody is in this pandemic together.

So we have to see how we could not (put) strain (on) the populace. So that is what we’re looking at”, she had indicated.

Arrindell has also urged persons to limit their movements at this time, as she highlighted that there is still too much movement by Lindeners during the day.

NEWS

15

TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Lowenfield asks DPP to drop criminal charges against him …in bid to avoid prosecution for misconduct in public office

DPP, Shalimar Ali-Hack

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mbattled Guyana E l e c t i o n s C o m m i s s i o n (GECOM) Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, through his attorney, Nigel Hughes wrote the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) asking for the private criminal charges against him be discontinued.

It was disclosed on Monday that Lowenfield’s lawyer, Nigel Hughes, wrote to DPP Shalimar Ali-

Hack, requesting the dismissal of the charges ahead of Lowenfield’s next court appearance on Friday.

In an interview with this publication, DPP’s Communications Officer Liz Rahaman revealed that the Director has since responded to Hughes’ letter.

However, she pointed out that the DPP chambers is not in receipt of any Police file regarding the private criminal charges against Lowenfield.

The charges against Lowenfield allege that between March 5 and June 23, 2020, the CEO conspired with person(s) unknown to commit the common law offence of fraud when he submitted his Election Report dated June 23 to include figures that altered the results of the March 2 General and Regional Elections. This charge was filed by General Secretary of A new party, The New Movement (TNM), Dr Josh Kanhai.

Meanwhile, private citizen Desmond Morian had contended that Lowenfield,

Lowenfield conspired with a person or persons unknown to use Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo’s fraudulent figures to prepare a report that was submitted to the Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Retired Justice Claudette Singh, back in March.

Lowenfield was not required to plead to the indictable charges and was subsequently released on $150,000 for each of the charges, amounting to $450,000. The matter is scheduled to continue on August 14.

Timeline

File photo: GECOM CEO Keith Lowenfield when he appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts

while performing his duties as CEO of GECOM, ascertained the results of the March 2 elections “knowing the said results to be false,

Top GPF officials visit family of man killed by cops …commit to leaving “no stone unturned”

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cting Commissioner of Police, Nigel Hoppie; Regional Commander of Division 4 A, Assistant Commissioner Simon McBean; the Force’s Public Relations Officer, Assistant Commissioner Royston Andries-Junor; Head of the Criminal Investigations Department, Senior Superintendent Wendell Blanhum and Pastor Roberts on Sunday visited the grieving relatives of Cecil Sampat.

Sampat, 39, of Festival City, South Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was club-hopping with his coworkers, 27-year-old Winston Fraser, who is now paralysed along with Joshua Letlow and Seon Greenridge on July 25 when Police opened fire on them.

When contacted, the Force’s Public Relations Officer, Assistant Commissioner Royston Andries-Junor stated that the mission was to reassure the family that a comprehensive investigation will be conducted by a dedicated

Dead: Cecil Sampat

team with alacrity.

“The Commissioner went to reassure the family that he is committed for a comprehensive investigation and he will not leave any stone unturned in the bid to get the truth as to what happened and wherever ranks are found tort, they will be dealt with by the law,” Andries-Junor relayed to this publication.

Acting Commissioner, Nigel Hoppie also took the

opportunity to restate his administration’s commitment to the delivery of quality service in keeping with the Force’s mandate set out of Chapter 16:01.

Relatives stated that the four friends were in motor car PYY 4432, which Police mistook for a car used in a recent robbery at Eccles, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

But according to a police report, the ranks had dispersed a crowded bar at Agricola, during which there was a fight between two men and one of the men was armed with a handgun.

The armed man subsequently entered PYY 4432, and as such, the ranks began trailing the car.

However, the police vehicle had some mechanical issues, and the ranks contacted other patrols in the city and notified them of the situation. Sampat and his friends were intercepted on D’Urban Street when Police began shooting at them.

No weapons were recovered from his friends. (G1)

the said willful misconduct amounting to a breach of the public’s trust in the office which he presides”.

In fact, the charges against Lowenfield were filed since June 30.

However, it took over three weeks before he was officially served on July 23, as the CEO did his best to avoid being served. On July 3, the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts was forced to issue a summons for the CEO after marshals could not find him to serve him with notice of the case.

When those two charges came up for hearing before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on July 3, Lowenfield was a no-show. Following that court session, Morian filed another private criminal charge, contending that

GECOM Chair, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, had written to Lowenfield on June 16, instructing him to prepare a final report based on the recount which showed that the opposition People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) won the elections with 233,336 votes while the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition garnered 217,920.

Instead, Lowenfield had submitted a report invalidating over 115,000 votes based on unsubstantiated allegations of dead and migrant voters, made by the APNU/AFC. Lowenfield’s actions caused an immediate uproar and the varying sides found themselves in the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) for the Irfaan Ali et al v Eslyn David et al case.

Among other decisions, the CCJ ruled in a unanimous decision that Lowenfield’s report, which arbitrarily disenfranchised voters, was invalid and that the concerns raised by the APNU/AFC coalition must

Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes

be addressed in an election petition.

The GECOM Chair wrote Lowenfield again, instructing him to submit his report so that the President could be declared. However, Lowenfield then engaged in a back and forth with the Chair in which sections of the CCJ judgement were twisted and misconstrued.

He then submitted a fraudulent report to Justice Singh, in which he included the fraudulent declarations of embattled Returning Officer for Region Four Clairmont Mingo, which inaccurately shows that the PPP/C gained 80,920 votes while the APNU/AFC received 116,941 votes in Region Four.

The two sides eventually ended up in the High Court and the Court of Appeal, both of which ruled that Lowenfield was subject to the direction of the GECOM Chair and that the recount results must be used. Lowenfield finally gave up and submitted the correct report on August 2, with President Dr Irfaan Ali being sworn in that very day. (G3)

16 NEWS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Reg 7 COVID-19 cases stand at 135 R

egion Seven (CuyuniMazaruni) is a budding hotspot for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and positives have reached an alarming 135 cases.

The Regional Administration would have provided a regional breakdown of the statistics on Monday, which showed that 49 cases were recorded in Aranka, 23 in Devil’s Hole, 19 in Batavia, 15 in Bartica, nine in New Found Out, five from Melangree, four from Agatash, two in Big Hope and one in Riversview.

From Bartica, there were two reported deaths. The Regional Health Emergency Operations Committee (HEOC) would have assisted in garnering this data, which shows that positive cases were generated after contact in Bartica. No cases have been detected in the Upper or Middle Mazaruni zone.

The spike in Region Seven circled around the continued mining activities, which the previous coalition Administration had refused

to remove from the list of essential services. This was despite concerns from the various representative bodies and community leaders. By the time it was done, there was a significant rise in cases.

Over the weekend, random testing was conducted on 94 persons, who were still awaiting their results. The Committee is still monitoring cases in the region and tracing cases to curtail further spread.

As of Sunday, 14 new positives raised the total statistics to 568.

Of these new cases, seven were males and the other seven were females. The 361 active cases include 357 from institutional isolation and the remaining four in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

There are 47 persons in institutional quarantine. Meanwhile, both the number of recovered cases and the number of COVID-related deaths have remained the same at 189 and 22, respectively. To date, a total of 5280 persons have been tested for the novel coronavirus in

Guyana.

These figures were reported by the Chief Medical Officer,

Dr Shamdeo Persaud on Monday, as he reminded the population to remain vigilant and get tested

should they detect any symptoms.

“Guyanese, I urge to you to come forward and get tested if you are showing symptoms of COVID-19 or if you have been [in] contact with someone suspected of the disease.

Further, persons who have concerns about their status regarding COVID-19 can make contact with our testing sites for an evaluation.

Being tested means you know your status and gives you the ability to seek the necessary treatment and further prevent the spread of this detrimental disease,” Dr Shamdeo outlined.

With the majority of Guyana’s coronavirus cases recorded in its hinterland regions, the new People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government has already indicated that additional doctors and other medical personnel would be deployed to those areas to assist with the outbreak that is rapidly spreading in those regions. In fact, only Friday a team was deployed to Region Nine (Upper TakutuUpper Essequibo) – one of the hotspots. (G12)

No 53 Village flooding

Money spent, but no work done on McKunda Canal – NDC records show

N

umber 53/Union is considered a farming community but the lack of proper draining has put a damper on farming activity in that community.

The McKunda Canal which runs from Number 56 Village to Number 52 Village has not been cleared for years in its entirety even though the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) has undertaken work to clear the canal.

The 52/74 Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) has on record been maintaining the canal. However, residents say no mainte-

nance has taken place for the past decade.

In fact, the RDC has been chipping in annually with machines to clear the canal.

However, this was not done since 2017. That year, a decision was taken by the regional administration that the RDC had been spending millions to clear the canal when in fact the NDC had

Nella Jhandu

al subvention from Central Government. Farmers of Union are now suffering.

That village is considered a stronghold of the previous Government. In fact, former President David Granger visited that village twice within the past year.

Saudia Sabass, who cultivates ground provision and vegetables, said she cannot farm or rear live-

Nella Jhandu a single mother, who works with the 52/74 NDC, explained that all of her fouls have died.

“Laying hens, all the nest that I had the fowls setting on floating in the foul pen.

The ducks I carry them by my cousin.”

She said her son killed an alligator in the trench in front of her home on Saturday as he tried to re-

Saudia Sabass

One of the flooded yards at Number 56 Village, Corentyne

been putting aside money for manual maintenance.

In 2019, the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) sent two machines into the area to clear the sections of the canal in time for a visit to the community by former President David Granger who visited for Emancipation Day celebrations.

It was in 2006, that the McKunda Canal was last cleaned by the NDC. Even though no maintenance had been taking place, the 52/74 NDC said it was bankrupt in 2018.

The NDC collects an average of $11.8 million in property taxes annually in addition to its annu-

stock because of the water on the land.

“The water has nowhere to run out,” she revealed while noting that her tomato plants have all died.

Meanwhile, poultry farmer Charles Anger noted that the community has been affected by two heavy downpours during the current rainy season.

“This has led to prolonged damage to farmers’ crops. Some people lost their chickens and others lost other cash crops. One guy lost about half an acre of cabbage and lettuce. A couple of nights ago we had another one; and that one – oh boy, forget it,” the elderly man said.

move some of the vegetation which had taken over the waterway.

Her bathroom, which is situated outside, had more than six inches of water on Sunday.

“Is yard toilet I have, I can’t use it right now. Ah got to leave and go till by my cousin at the back because it isn’t healthy.”

The water from the outhouse has contaminated the water covering her yard, which the piglets are forced to sleep in.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, who visited the canal on Sunday has expressed alarm at the state of the canal. (G2)

NEWS

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Office of the President to have oversight of Finance, Natural Resources

T

he Office of the President (OP) has clarified that the Finance Ministry and oversight of the oil and gas sector will fall directly under the office.

This would put to bed speculation following the swearing-in of President Irfaan Ali and his Cabinet last week. At the time, no Finance Minister had been announced.

“In response to several queries, the media corps and, by extension, the general public, is advised that the Office of the President will have oversight for

the areas of Finance and Natural Resources,” the Office of the President said in the statement.

Both oil and finance are considered critical portfolios. In the case of Guyana, both are at critical junctures due to the protracted political crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic in Guyana.

Guyana has not had a budget passed since November 2018.

Since then, Ministries and agencies have survived on limited resources and the 1/12 rule.

Another financial hur-

dle the PPP/C Government faces is the state the APNU/AFC left the country’s reserves in. Guyana Times had reported back in June of 2020 that the APNU/AFC’s management of the economy has left the nation’s coffers severely depleted.

Not only has the country’s general reserves been depleted to $0, but the account is also now running an overdraft to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars. This is in addition to an alarmingly depleted gold reserve.

The Bank of Guyana’s

Statement of Assets and Liabilities showed that at the time the General Reserve was -$290,667,332.

Additionally, Public Deposits were depleted to below $0, also recording a negative balance of -$88,629,401,855.

Guyana’s Contingency Reserve account also reflected an alarming state.

The records show that when APNU/AFC took office in 2015, Guyana’s gold reserves were $15 billion.

However, the APNU/AFC Administration depleted this to $715 million.

This reflected a differ-

600 households in North Pakaraima receive COVID-19 relief

S

ix hundred (600) households in communities in the North Pakaraima, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), will benefit from food hampers as part of the PPP/C Government’s effort to provide relief to hinterland communities affected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The items were officially handed over to the Village Councils on Monday, by Amerindian Affairs Minister, Pauline Sukhai, and Local Government and Regional Development Ministry Nigel Dharamlall, along with Director General of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig, and his Deputy, Major Loring Benons.

The village of Kurukubaru was the first stop, where 300 hampers were delivered to be shared between that village (150), Itabac (75) and Kanapang (75). The team then travelled across to Paramakatoi where another 300 hampers were delivered with that community receiving 150, and Tuseneng and Bamboo Creek, 75 each.

In brief remarks, Minister Sukhai explained that the activity is a collaborative effort between the two Ministries and the CDC and aims to ensure that every household benefits from food supplies.

“We want to ensure that the supplies are transported at the earliest possible time to the communities, and that the distribution is completed and every family receives so that they do not have trek across the border. If we can contain them to their village and lower the risk of COVID being transmitted by the movements over the border, that

ence of $14.3 billion spent by the Administration during its time in office, not accounting for the additional sales for gold that would have cycled through the financial system over the course of the five years.

The dire state of Guyana’s finances comes at a time when Guyana is in the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic.

The former Government did little to nothing to alleviate the social and economic fallout of the virus, preoccupied as they were with prolonging their time in office through the courts after losing the elections.

Since his swearing-in, President Ali along with Prime Minister Mark Phillips, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo and Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony, have met with health officials from both the public and private

health institutions as well as opposition political parties.

Meanwhile, Guyana’s oil sector is also in need of urgent attention. Guyana became an oil-producing nation in 2019 with a number of key pieces of policy and legislation missing.

In fact, in five years only a single piece of legislation related to the sector was passed by the previous A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC). This legislation is the Natural Resources Fund bill, which was signed into law by former President David Granger last year.

The bill to create a Petroleum Commission is yet to pass in the House and the Local Content Policy released last year has been criticised for its lack of teeth and its confidentiality clauses.

Rowley declares election victory, UNC calls for recount …results known 5 hours after close of poll

Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai, Local Government and Regional Development Minister Nigel Dharamlall, Director General of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig, and Major Loring Benons handing over the supplies to residents of Paramakatoi

is what we are looking for.”

Minister Dharamlall said that the activity was a directive from the President, His Excellency, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, who met with his Cabinet Ministers, on Friday last, and instructed the Prime Minister, Hon Brigadier (retd), Mark Phillips to work with the CDC to provide aid to those residents, especially in the border villages Tuseneng and Bamboo Creek.

He especially commended Paramakatoi, the largest populated village in the North Pakaraima with over 3000 residents, for implementing strict measures to monitor the virus.

This community has not recorded a single case of the virus, even as neighbouring Brazil has been declared the second most infected country in the world.

“We have to make sure that our lifestyle is protected, we have to make sure

that movement [of] people is regulated…I hope that you use this time to build better relations in your village, live good and when you go to your farms ensure you practice social distancing and use your mask,” he urged the Village Council.

The Minister committed to working with the Ministry of Health to ensure that the medical facilities in those areas are equipped with medical supplied to fight COVID and other medical illness. Mask, sanitisers and an infrared thermometer will also be made available to the villages.

Toshao of Kurukubaru, Voila Melville was especially appreciative for this initiative since her community has not only been affected by the COVID-19 but also floods because of the rainy season.

Toshao Melville explained that currently, farms in the satellite areas

have been washed away and families need assistance.

She said these families will be targeted first during the distribution of the supplies, and 150 of the 211 of the households in her village will benefit from the hampers.

“We are thankful for the aid that we have received and the people who are affected by COVID-19 will benefit,” said Toshao of Paramakatoi, Gideon John. John said he looks forward to working with the Administration to fight the pandemic.

Region Eight has, thus far, reported nine positive cases of COVID-19 – six from Kanapang, two from Itabac and one from one Mahdia Township. The persons in Itabac and Mahdia have since recovered.

A similar distribution exercise will be conducted in Annai and Lethem, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) on Tuesday.

T&T Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley

T&T Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar

eople’s National Movement leader Dr Keith Rowley has declared victory in the 2020 general election.

He made the declaration at 22:00h to a small number of supporters at Balisier House.

He said the party had won 22 of the 41 seats, down from 23 in the 2015 general election, “against all odds.”

He did not specify which seats had been won, and said “one or two areas need to be tied up.” But he added that 21 is a majority, and he thanked the country for its support.

“In a most difficult situation, we have once again

been called to service the people of TT.” Rowley said the win had not been an easy task nor an easy win, but the party stayed the course. He added the people of TT can be trusted to do the right thing when called upon so to do.

He thanked his wife Sharon for keeping his spirit up and also thanked his party officers and party campaign manager Rohan Sinanan.

He added the number of seats did not reflect the PNM’s performance across the country. Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has called for a recount. (T&T Newsday)

P

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guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020

Regional

bear that sniffed woman’s CAFFE recommends electoral Wild hair caught and castrated systems convention in Caricom T C itizens Action for Free and Fair Elections (CAFFE) has called on Caricom Community leaders to formulate a convention on electoral systems which it suggests could prevent stand-offs as has occurred in Guyana this year.

The convention, CAFFE said, would require electoral systems to meet prescribed standards and to provide for the expeditious and just resolution of electoral disputes.

The recommendation comes on the heels of President Mohammed Irfaan Ali assuming office, on August 2, as the Head of the Guyanese Government following a five-month impasse which saw the then sitting president David Granger refusing to concede.

In a statement to the media today, CAFFE said was both relieved and pleased that the conflict had been resolved and congratulated Ali and the people of Guyana for their “patience and forbearance” during the period.

“CAFFE now sincerely hopes that all relevant parties will now cooperate in ensuring that the transition is completed in a smooth and efficient manner and that the composition of the new Government will, in

accordance with the declaration on its Constitution, “Celebrate our cultural and racial diversity and strengthen our unity by eliminating any and every form of discrimination”.

However, CAFFE said, the peoples of the Caricom Community should not be satisfied with what has taken place but should learn from its lessons and seek to prevent a recurrence of any similar experience in the community.

“The electoral process is at the very foundation of our democracy. Free and fair elections and the integrity of the determination of the results are therefore of critical importance,” the organisation said. (Jamaica Observer)

here is outrage in Mexico after a black bear seen on video approaching a visitor in a nature park and sniffing her hair was caught and castrated.

Some people are questioning plans to move the animal to a different state.

But experts say the move is necessary because it had become accustomed to being fed by humans in the ecological park where it lived.

They said the footage showed the consequences of feeding wild animals for the sake of a selfie.

The animal, a juvenile male black bear weighing 96kg (212lb), was caught because it was considered to pose a risk to visitors of Chipinque Ecological Park.

Video showed it getting very close to a young woman who was taking a selfie with the bear last month.

Officials said there had been other close encounters between humans and the same bear in the park and in residential areas nearby.

Although attacks are rare, one person a year is killed on average by a black bear in North America, bear research scientist Dave Garshelis told ABC News last year.

Wildlife experts remind visitors that bears are wild and dangerous with occasionally unpredictable behaviour.

Locals near Chipinque Ecological Park dubbed the animal “the friendly bear” and called it “Chipi” after the park where it lived.

The bear was captured by officials from the federal environmental protection agency (Profepa) while having a snooze in the backyard of a house after its residents alerted the authorities to their unexpected guest. (Excerpt from BBC News)

overnor General Dame Sandra Mason has announced that Parliament was officially prorogued on Saturday, August 8, 2020.

The announcement was made in a notice published in the Official Gazette and dated August 7, 2020.

Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley announced last month that Parliament would be prorogued on August 8, 2020, and a new session will start on September 15, 2020.

“The Government has determined that it is necessary that we take fresh guard.

The Parliament of Barbados will be prorogued on the 8th of August, 2020, with us resuming in a new session on the 15th of September with a new Throne Speech and with a new direction as to where we must go in order to meet these extraordinarily different circumstances from the original Throne Speech of two years ago,” Mottley said. (Excerpt from Nation News)

Puerto Ricans, upset Tobago records 1st at botched primary, COVID case in 4 months Parliament officially prorogued demand answers G T

T

he future of Puerto Rico’s botched primaries rested in the hands of the island’s Supreme Court as answers trickled out on Monday on why voting centres lacked ballots and forced officials to reschedule part of the primaries in a blow to the US territory’s democracy.

A plan to hold another primary on August 16 for centres that could not open on Sunday could change depending on the ruling of a lawsuit filed

by Pedro Pierluisi, who is running against Governor Wanda Vázquez to become the potential nominee of the pro-statehood New Progressive Party. Joining the lawsuit was Puerto Rico Senator Eduardo Bhatia, of the main opposition Popular Democratic Party.

Meanwhile, María Dolores Santiago, the

Electoral Commission official for the New Progressive Party, told The Associated Press that key officials knew about the problems leading up to the primary on Sunday, but nobody did anything to stop it. Governor Wanda Vázquez and other top officials from the island’s two main parties have demanded that the President of the Elections Commission resign after a lack of ballots meant people were only able to vote in nearly 60 of 110 precincts on Sunday. It was the first time primaries have been halted and led many to worry that it has cracked Puerto Ricans’ confidence in their government and could affect the outcome of upcoming November general elections on an island with a voter participation rate of nearly 70 per cent. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

obago has another recorded a positive COVID-19 case, the island’s sixth and the first in over four months.

A press release issued by the Division of Health, Wellness and Family Development on Saturday night said the individual recently journeyed to Tobago from Trinidad.

The division said the person was tested in Trinidad as part of the ongoing community surveillance testing but journeyed to Tobago before the results were received. As such, the individual was immediately isolated.

The DHWFD said the person is stable and currently receiving treatment at the COVID-19 Treatment Facility at Fort King George, while contact tracing is ongoing and close, primary contacts have been quarantined and are being tested.

Sources told Guardian Media that the individual

was a guest at a hotel in the Crown Point area, causing it to be put on lockdown and under guard by Police and army personnel.

On another issue circulating in the public domain, the release said the Office of the County Medical Officer of Health received a report of a passenger who arrived in Tobago on the inter-island ferry on August 8, 2020, who had been exhibiting flu-like symptoms. It said the individual was medically examined and was not found to be exhibiting any flu-like symptoms.

The division and the Tobago Regional Health Authority (TRHA) assured the public that all procedures and protocols are in place for COVID-19 but reminded the public that the virus is not over so everyone should ensure they practice all preventative measures.

(Excerpt from Trinidad Observer)

Nevis Youth Minister encouraged by number of young people showing interest in politics

E

ric Evelyn, Minister of Youth in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA), said he is encouraged by the level of interest the youth of Nevis are showing in parliamentary politics.

He based his comments on recent events which saw the revivial of a previous party group, and fresh elections in another.

The first Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) Youth Arm election was held on Thursday, August 6, 2020. Jermaine Arthurton was elected President; Zidan Wilkin, Vice President; Catherine Seabrookes, Secretary; Chris Clarke, Treasurer; and Nykeisha Henry, Public Relations Officer.

Arthurton said that as President he will create exciting ways to bring to the fore the issues facing youths, working in conjunction with the Government.

The Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) Youth Arm, meanwhile, which was re-

Minister of Youth in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA), Eric Evelyn

vived in 2006, is headed by President Saneldo Willett. The other Executive members are Ann Bussue, Vice President; Lakia Prentis, Secretary; Mikelsea Scarborough, Treasurer; and Warren Nisbett, Public Relations

Officer.

Commenting on the establishment of the CCM Youth Arm, Willett commended those who offered up themselves to work on behalf of the youth of Nevis.

For his part, Evelyn highlighted the importance of the youth having input in the Government’s development agenda.

“I am truly heartened and overwhelmed by the level of political interest that has been shown by our young people. I always believe that it’s important for young persons to get involved in politics, and do so at an early age.

Mark Brantley, Premier of Nevis, shared a similar opinion, saying he looks forward to the youths’ continued ideas and energy as NIA works with them for the advancement of Nevis.

(Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

Govt looks abroad to solve nursing shortage

W

Nurses during 2018 activity

ith Antigua and Barbuda facing a shortage of nurses, the Government could soon amend laws to allow the country to employ foreign nurses.

The shortage of nurses is being driven by a brain drain.

Information Minister Melford Nicholas said for many years, nurses trained in Antigua and Barbuda have been drawn to Canada, the United Kingdom and United States, jurisdictions that pay far more than Antigua and Barbuda can afford.

“But there’s the other challenge, should the occasion arise where we have an absolute shortage and we do not have enough retired nurses returning to the pool; or the persons who are not being

trained are not sufficient, we may have to exercise the option of bringing in nurses to cope with the losses that we ourselves sustained because people have been poaching nurses from our economy,” Nicholas said.

The Minister said there are a number of nursing students enrolled at the University of the West Indies Five Islands campus.

“The challenge is that we cannot produce a nurse out of the system in six months; it does take a while. So there are nurses who probably would graduate within the next six to eight months who will then increase the volume of nurses available,” Nicholas said. (Excerpt from Antigua News Room)

guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020

19

Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Oil settles higher on Chinese factory data, US stimulus hopes

O

il settled higher on Monday, supported by data suggesting Chinese factories were returning to pre-pandemic levels, signs of rising energy demand and hopes for an agreement in the United States on more coronavirus-related economic stimulus.

Brent crude LCOc1 settled up 59 cents, or 1.3 per cent, to US$44.99 a barrel. West Texas Intermediate US crude CLc1 was up 72 cents, or 1.8 per cent, to US$41.94 a barrel.

Prices also found support after US President Donald Trump tweeted that top congressional Democrats wanted to meet with him on coronavirus-related economic relief.

The talks between Democrats and the Trump Administration broke down last week.

“The oil complex is heavily reliant on that aid. We need people to be able to boost economic activity to spur demand,” said John Kilduff, partner at Again Capital in New York.

On Sunday, Saudi Arabian Aramco CEO Amin Nasser he sees oil demand rebounding in Asia as economies gradually open up.

China’s factory deflation eased in July, driven by a rise in global oil prices and as industrial activity climbed toward prepandemic levels.

“A smidgen of favourable headlines on the coronavirus front has been enough to spur buying interest back into the gasoline market,” said Jim Ritterbusch of Ritterbusch and Associates.

Iraq said on Friday it would cut its oil output by a further 400,000 barrels per day in August and September to compensate for its overproduction in the past three months.

The move would help it comply with its share of cuts by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies, known as OPEC+.

“This would send out a strong signal to the oil market on various levels. That said, this would also require the international companies operating in Iraq to join in with the cuts,” Commerzbank analyst Eugen Weinberg said. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Beirut explosion: Lebanon’s Government resigns as public anger mounts

L

ebanon’s Government has resigned amid mounting anger over the explosion on Tuesday that devastated parts of Beirut and left more than 200 people dead.

The announcement was made in a national TV address by Prime Minister Hassan Diab on Monday evening.

Many people have accused the country’s leaders of culpability through their alleged negligence and corruption.

Protesters have taken to the streets and clashed with Police for a third straight day.

The massive blast was caused by the detonation of 2750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely at the port for years.

President Michel Aoun has asked the Government to stay on in a caretaker capacity until a new Cabinet is formed.

Diab, who was appointed

Global coronavirus cases hit 20 million – Reuters tally

Mauritius oil spill: Fears vessel may “break in two” as cracks appear A healthcare worker checks the temperature and pulse of a resident during a check-up camp for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Mumbai, India, July 4, 2020

G

lobal coronavirus cases pushed past 20 million on Monday, according to a Reuters tally, with the United States, Brazil and India accounting for more than half of all

L

The ship has been leaking oil into surrounding waters

arge cracks have reportedly appeared in the hull of a cargo ship leaking oil in Mauritius, prompting the Prime Minister to warn it may “break in two”.

The MV Wakashio, believed to have been carrying 4000 tonnes of fuel oil, ran aground on a coral reef off the Indian Ocean island on July 25.

Despite bad weather, Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said 500 tonnes had been safely pumped out on Monday.

But he warned the country was preparing for the “worstcase scenario”.

Mauritius is home to world-renowned coral reefs, and tourism is a crucial part of its economy.

Fuel has been transferred to shore by helicopter and to another ship owned by the same Japanese firm, Nagashiki Shipping.

France has sent a military aircraft with pollution control equipment from its nearby island of Réunion, while Japan

has sent a six-member team to assist the French efforts.

The Mauritius coast guard and several police units are also at the site in the southeast of the island.

More than 1000 tonnes of oil is thought to have leaked into the waters surrounding the island nation.

Environmentalists are concerned about the impact on the country’s ecosystem.

The MV Wakashio ran aground at Pointe d’Esny, a known sanctuary for rare wildlife. The area also contains wetlands designated as a site of international importance by the Ramsar Convention on wetlands.

Happy Khamule from Greenpeace Africa warned that “thousands” of animal species were “at risk of drowning in a sea of pollution, with dire consequences for Mauritius’ economy, food security and health”. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Prime Minister in January after months of deadlock, said his Government had “gone to great lengths to lay out a road map to save the country”.

Parliament will now have to decide on a new Prime Minister - a process involving the same sectarian politics at the root of protesters’ discontent, our correspondent adds.

It is unlikely to be a smooth or quick process due to the country’s complex political system. Power in Lebanon is shared between leaders representing the country’s different religious groups.

Additionally, following the end of the 1975-1990 civil war, a number of warlords entered politics and still control large parts of the country’s political, economic and social sectors.

Many protesters blame this entrenched system for the country’s corruption.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

known infections.

The respiratory disease has infected at least four times the average number of people struck down with severe influenza illnesses annually, according to the

New clashes in Belarus as West condemns crackdown after election

B

elarus Police fired stun grenades and used batons against protesters in fresh clashes on Monday after the opposition accused President Alexander Lukashenko of rigging his re-election victory to a chorus of criticism from Western leaders.

A Reuters witness saw Police dragging protesters out of a crowd and beating them with truncheons in Minsk, and dozens of people detained. Police also blocked off roads in the capital.

There was also concern over the whereabouts of Svetlana Tikhanouskaya, a former English teacher who emerged from obscurity to become Lukashenko’s main electoral opponent a few weeks ago.

Official results handed

Lukashenko, in power for more than a quarter of a century, an 80 per cent share of the vote in Sunday’s election, while Tikhanouskaya, who entered the race after her blogger husband was jailed, took around 10 per cent.

Foreign observers have not judged an election to be free and fair in Belarus since 1995, and the run-up to the vote saw authorities jail Lukashenko’s rivals and open criminal investigations into others who voiced opposition.

Events are being closely watched by Russia, whose oil exports run through Belarus to the West and which has long regarded the country as a buffer zone against NATO, and by the West, which has tried to lure Minsk from Moscow’s orbit.(Excerpt from Reuters)

World Health Organisation.

The death toll from COVID-19, meanwhile, at more than 728,000 has outpaced the upper range of annual deaths from the flu.

The Reuters tally, which is based on Government reports, shows the disease is accelerating. It took almost six months to reach 10 million cases after the first infection was reported in Wuhan, China, in early January. It took just 43 days to double that tally to 20 million.

Experts believe the official data likely undercounts both infections and deaths, particularly in countries with limited testing capacity.

Health experts expect dilemmas about how to proceed with school, work and social life to last - and re-

strictions to fluctuate - until a vaccine is available.

The vaccine race has more than 150 candidates being developed and tested around the world with 25 in human clinical trials, according to the World Health Organisation.

In the United States, children began returning to their classrooms last week, even as controversy over school safety swirled.

In Asia, China continues to squash surges using strict, local lockdowns, bringing its daily numbers down into the low double digits on the mainland.

Australia has introduced a strict lockdown and night curfew in the city of Melbourne, aiming to stifle an outbreak there. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Chicago protests: Restrictions imposed after chaotic night of unrest

C

hicago Police will limit access to the city centre after a night of violence and looting following reports of a police shooting.

Police Superintendent David Brown said the area will be restricted from 20:00 to 06:00 and a “heavy police presence” will continue until further notice.

He said the “shameful destruction” was “fuelled by misinformation” about a suspect shot by police on Sunday.

Social media videos showed hundreds of people looting and confronting Police.

As of Monday, Chicago Police have arrested over 100 individuals for looting,

disorderly conduct and battery against Police, among other charges.

In addition to widespread damage, police reported an exchange of gunfire with suspects in the early hours of Monday. City officials had temporarily suspended transportation services to the downtown area and raised bridges.

A number of videos posted on social media show vandalism and damage to shops. Some clips show individuals walking out of shops with items. In one video, a police officer is struck in the face with an object apparently flung by an individual in the street.(Excerpt from BBC News)

20

TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020

guyanatimesgy.com

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

Channel your energy into work, getting along with your peers and rethinking some of recent decisions. Get back to basics, and don’t hesitate to ask for a favor if it pertains to work and advancement.

Set high standards, and TAURUS put your energy into projects that make you feel passion(April 20ate. Find people who stimuMay 20) late your creative imagination and encourage you to explore new territory. Don’t let trivial matters set you off.

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

Keep your thoughts and plans secret. It’s best to put everything in place before you share anything with others. Work with what you have, and do the best you can.

Separate work from pleasure. There is no point in fighting a losing battle. Stick to what is possible, and do what you can. An energetic exercise will be uplifting.

A change that takes place at work or in your community may be surprising, but acceptance is in your best interest. Branch out, and try something new and exciting.

Follow the rules. Don’t let anyone railroad you into something that doesn’t sit right with you. Do your due diligence, gather the facts and be ready to make adjustments if someone gets in your way. When one door closes, another will open.

Make your surroundings more accommodating. Clear a space for the projects you want to get underway. If you need help, rely on someone who is always supportive and willing to do his or her part on your behalf.

What you do will make a difference. Choose to let your actions speak for you, and allow your dedication and desire to prevail. Use your imagination, and associate with people who share your sentiments.

Take the initiative, and SAGITTARIUS follow through with your plans. Having the prop(Nov. 23er documents in order and Dec. 21) your plan in place will give you the edge you need over a rival or opponent.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

It’s best to find a way to keep the peace by finding an alternative way to reach your goal. Mixing the old with the new will be more acceptable to someone who doesn’t like change.

Don’t feel that you must accommodate someone who is not heading in the same direction. Assess your situation, and do what feels right. You have to look out for your interests if you want to get ahead.

Personal improvements will make you feel good and garner attention and compliments that will boost your confidence. Hard work will lead to a chance to delve into something new and exciting.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020

21

Mercedes are “up for a fight” with Red Bull – after setback at Formula 1’s 70th Anniversary GP T

he Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, has said he welcomes the challenge from Red Bull, after his team were soundly beaten in Formula One’s 70th Anniversary Grand Prix.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took victory at Silverstone on Sunday with a superb drive, beating world champion Lewis Hamilton into second place, and his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas into third. Wolff believes all three drivers are now genuine contenders for the title.

Verstappen pulled off a commanding win in a race wherein Mercedes were revealed to have a problem with their tyres wearing and losing performance very quickly. With the Mercedes rubber blistering at Silverstone, they could not match Red Bull’s pace, and Verstappen’s victory has moved him up to second in the championship.

The Red Bull driver is now 30 points behind Hamilton, and four in front of Bottas in the world title race. The gap to Hamilton would be even closer had Verstappen not been forced to retire with an

electrical problem in the first round at Austria.

“We embrace the challenge, and love to fight,” said Wolff.

“They are a strong competitor, and Max is a very good driver. If you consider they had a DNF, without that, (the lead) would be five points, not 30.

“We are up for a fight, and it looks like it could be a tough season between the three of them. I wouldn’t write off Valtteri; there are maybe 10 more races to go. DNFs can quickly make a points’ swing, and it could be much more interesting than many people were afraid of two weeks ago,” Wolff said.

Up until this round, Mercedes had demonstrated an ominous superiority this season. They were comfort-

ably quickest at the opening four races, all of which they won. There had already been discussion over whether they might win every race this year. Wolff, however, insisted Mercedes had never anticipated an easy ride.

“I enjoy the situation, because everyone said it would be a walk in the park for Mercedes,” Wolff said. “It wasn’t a walk in the park. We didn’t have the quickest car, and maybe not even the sec-

ond quickest car.”

Mercedes were dominant at the previous race, the British Grand Prix, held the week before at Silverstone.

But a combination of circumstances on Sunday exposed the weakness of their car this time. At the British Grand Prix, both Mercedes cars had tyre failures late in the race.

It dropped Bottas from second to 11th, and Hamilton only just managed to bring his car home for the win on three wheels.

Pirelli investigated the

tyres and found no structural fault; rather, that the teams had run them to the limit of their endurance. For the 70th Anniversary GP, as had been long planned, the softer compound of rubber was employed, and Pirelli mandated higher tyre pressures to decrease the risk of any failure.

Temperatures at Silverstone were also higher on Sunday, and, for the first, time the Mercedes, which generates huge downforce and pace, especially through fast corners, was shown to be fearsomely hard on its tyres, wearing them to the point where their performance was impaired.

Wolff acknowledged the circumstances had not suited their car. “We had indications in the past that our relative gap was not as large when it was hot. It is a little bit simplistic to just say it’s hotter. It comes down to the fact we have a car with high

downforce. When conditions change, parameters change; temperatures going up, compounds getting softer, pressures going up. We have to acknowledge that the Red Bull is a pretty fast car.”

The next round takes place in Barcelona next weekend, where temperatures are forecast to be high and the circuit shares similarly fast corners with Silverstone. But the tyre compounds will be one step harder, as they were for the British GP, which is in Mercedes’ favour.

Wolff was nonetheless determined to investigate how the team could mitigate its weaknesses. “We have a handful of days to find out what exactly caused our issues; come up with solutions, test them in Barcelona, and then hopefully have a better race on Sunday. It will be challenging, but we’ve had these days in the past, and came out stronger.”

The softer compound of tyres will be used again at both the Belgian and Italian Grands Prix, the two rounds after Spain, and both are circuits where high loads are generated through fast corners. (Guardian)

Manchester City Women sign USA World Cup winner Sam Mewis BCCI gets government go-ahead

M

anchester City have announced the signing of United States international and World Cup winner, Sam Mewis.

The 27-year-old midfielder joins from North Carolina Courage, the two-time National Women’s Soccer League Championship winners and three-time winners of the NWSL Shield.

Mewis is Manchester City new manager Gareth Taylor’s second signing of the summer, following the recruitment from Everton of winger Chloe Kelly, who scored nine goals from out wide in the curtailed 2019-20 season.

The 18 goals that Mewis has scored in 67 caps for the US Women’s National Team include two in the 13-0 drubbing of Thailand at the World Cup in France last summer.

She is the first member of the US Women’s National Team to join a Women’s Super League side following conclusion of the NWSL Challenge Cup. With a return date for the NWSL still unknown, it is believed that a number of players are looking at options in Europe, to help prepare themselves for the postponed Olympics.

Similarly, in search of regular playing time, England forward Jodie Taylor has joined European champions Lyon on a short-term deal, from sister club OL Reign, un-

to conduct IPL 2020 in the UAE

T

til the end of 2020.

Mewis, who will wear the number 22 shirt for City, has said: “I’m so happy to have everything sorted. The opportunity came along at a really great time, (and) as soon as I heard about the chance of coming to play for Manchester City, I was immediately interested. The club is one of the best in the world, and I’ve heard such good things about the women’s side as a whole and the incredible facilities.

“I’ve followed the men’s team, too, for a long time. This is a really cool, unique and amazing opportunity in my career, and I’m so excited to come and see Manchester as a city, be a part of this incredible club, and hopefully help the team achieve their goals.”

Mewis won a national championship, and was a ‘national player of the year’ for her college team UCLA Bruins, before she joined Western New York Flash, where she won her first NWSL Championship in 2016, before being picked up by North Carolina Courage.

City Manager Gareth Taylor has said of Mewis: “As well as being a World Cup winner, she will bring a wealth of experience and quality to our squad, and I’m really pleased that she feels she can fulfil her ambitions with us.

“She will also be a fantastic addition to the Women’s Super League as a whole, and we can’t wait to see her pull on a blue shirt for the first time.” (Guardian)

he Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has received the much-awaited permission from the Indian Government to conduct the Indian Premier League 2020 tournament in the United Arab Emirates.

Brijesh Patel, the IPL Governing Council chairman, has confirmed the development.

Although the BCCI had received an in-principle nod from the Government, it was awaiting written permission to finalise the contract with the Emirates Cricket Board.

Patel did not confirm the exact date, but indicated that Government’s permission came over the weekend.

The tournament, comprising 60 matches, will be played between September 19 and November 10, at three venues in the UAE: Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.

Although the tournament schedule has not yet been finalised, the eight teams have already been busy planning their travel to the UAE. Last week the IPL sent the franchises a set of draft standing operating procedures [SOPs] for the tournament, including a rigorous testing process which commences before the teams

board the flight to the UAE. Team members would need to undergo multiple tests, including three tests upon reaching the UAE, and would also be subjected to a weeklong quarantine before they can start training.

The IPL has made it clear that team members as well as owners would need to strictly adhere to the rules laid out in order to be part of the bio-secure bubble. Any breach of the protocols, the IPL has warned, would be "punishable" under the tournament's code of conduct.

According to the draft

SOPs, if the owners and family members step outside the bubble, they would need to undergo a week-long quarantine and be subjected to fresh testing before re-entering the bio-secure environment.

During a virtual meeting last week, officials from various franchises communicated a set of concerns they had with the draft SOPs. One key concern was whether the quarantine measures could be relaxed for English and Australian players arriving from the UK after their limited overs’ series.

(ESPNCricinfo)

22

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020

CPL Tournament in Trinidad…

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Borde warns TKR players to be COVID-19 vigilant W

ith just three days to go before they go into the 'bubble' at the Hilton Trinidad, manager of the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR), Colin Borde, is warning his players to be very vigilant as far as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is concerned.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Roshan Parasram said on Saturday that there are, in the country, 243 active cases at the moment, with 18 reported cases on Friday. T&T has been going through an active second wave of the dreaded virus, and the public is starting to panic.

Borde has said: "Every team is acutely aware of what's at stake regarding COVID-19. The protocols established are there to be followed. We must continue to be vigilant."

The local players on the TKR team will go into the CPL bubble the day after General Elections, and will be joined by their six foreign players, who are currently in quarantine since arriving in the country last Monday.

The six players who are in quarantine and still self-isolating in their rooms are: Colin Munro, Muhammad Ali Khan, Tim Seifert, Fawad Ahmed, Praven Tambe, and Sikandar Raza.

Yesterday, (Monday) they underwent their second

COVID-19 test before being allowed to mingle in groups of three or four.

Speaking on his team's chances of winning their fourth crown, Borde said: "Each season, it becomes that much tougher to win.

The teams are getting smarter and more efficient at how they are planning and adapting to conditions.

We just have, as usual, to plan better in our selections and executions. It's a great challenge, (one) that we relish."

After winning backto-back titles in 2017 and 2018, the TKR were pushed aside in the play-off last year by eventual champions Barbados Tridents.

Heading into this year's tournament, five of the franchises outside of the TKR have been badly affected by the coronavirus situation, and have had to bring in replacements. The TKR are the only team that will have the full complement of players they selected before and at the draft. Borde, however, does not see this as an advantage.

"We don't see having all of our players as an advantage. What we do know is that, when you look at the roster, there are five other powerful teams ready to do battle. When the bell rings, it will be about who wants it the most, and is prepared to give everything for it."

GFF hosts consultation sessions with Regional Member Associations

T

he President of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), Wayne Forde, has conducted a series of consultations and sessions with representatives of Regional Member Associations (RMAs), Affiliates, and Elite League Clubs, to obtain firsthand an account of the impact COVID-19 has had within these respective jurisdictions.

The sessions, which began on July 24 and concluded on August 4, were organised in small groups at a time in order to adhere to COVID-19 social distancing guidelines.

Forde has described the meetings as informative, and said there was optimism among members.

“It was indeed a pleasure to spend time with our football family and see how well

everyone was coping in these challenging times. While we have a duty to engage with our primary stakeholders when key decisions are being contemplated, it goes without saying that it would require a massive

Borde made a very profound comment when he said: "Resources are only as good as how it is used."

The tournament gets underway on August 18, and will see 33 games being played at two venues in Trinidad and Tobago before ending on September 10. The first match will see last year’s runners-up, the Guyana Amazon Warriors, taking on the Trinbago Knight Riders. The final will take place on September 10.

The local TKR boys will continue their preparations at the Queen's Park Oval on Sunday. When they

are joined by all the players after quarantine, they will practise at UWI SPEC in St. Augustine, which is the official practise venue for the tournament.

Title-holders Barbados Tridents, along with last year’s losing finalists Guyana Amazon Warriors, Trinbago Knight Riders, Jamaica Tallawahs, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, and St Lucia Zouks, will clash over 33 games when the eighth edition of the tournament gets underway.

So far, there are 275 positive cases of COVID-19 infection in T&T, an increase of 50 overnight, with a total of eight deaths as at the 6:00 pm update from the Ministry of Health on Saturday.

The opening match will be between the Trinbago Knight Riders and the Guyana Amazon Warriors at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy from 10am, followed by defending champions, the Tridents, coming up against the Patriots from 5.30 pm. (TT Guardian)

Ministry of Culture, Youth & Sport lets go of Sport Director Christopher Jones

New DoS to be determined soon

G team effort to kick-start football once the situation improves and the requisite approvals and protocols are announced.

“These meetings were informative and enlightening, and I felt that everyone left (the meetings) feeling optimistic and motivated to put in the work that is so badly needed to ensure that football makes the best use of future opportunities."

The following issues were among those discussed: The decisions made by Concacaf and FIFA to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on football across the Region.

Present plans, and the need to obtain feedback on competition formats being developed by the GFF for the resumption of on-field football activities.

Present plans regarding material and financial support the members will have access to during 2020 and 2021.

uyana’s sporting fraternity will soon see a new Director of Sport (DoS) operating out of the National Sports Commission, because DoS Christopher Jones, appointed under the APNU/AFC Administration, has been fired.

As a political appointee, Jones had occupied that position for five years, but was fired with immediate effect on Monday.

Reports are that Jones’s contract had been renewed after the March 2 General and Regional Elections, which his party lost.

Jones had been a constant face and a vocal voice on the campaign trail some months ago, advocating for the APNU/AFC Administration, and was often the host of the party’s television call-in programme.

Contacted, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson jr, who

Former Director of Sport, Christopher Jones

sent Jones his dismissal letter on Monday morning, shared that while no one has as yet been appointed to the DoS position, deliberations are ongoing to ascertain the person best suited for the job.

“We’re still determining that,” Ramson told this publication via telephone.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

23

SHERFANE RUTHERFORD: Anticipating an improved CPL season for the Guyana Amazon Warriors – says Warriors will “work hard” to lift CPL Championship Trophy

By Timothy Jaikarran

T

he Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) will, in this 2020 Hero CPL T20 tournament, “be in the hunt” for their first ever Trophy, having heartbreakingly lost out in the 2019 finals to eventual champions the Barbados Tridents.

In an exclusive sit-down with Guyana Times Sport, the GAW’s hard hitting left-handed batsman Sherfane Rutherford replied to questions on a range of issues, and ended by assuring the Warriors’ fans that the team would be “working hard” to bring home the trophy this time around .

S h e r f a n e Rutherford is one of ‘the next generation’ of West Indian players. He made his mark in the 2018 tournament of Global T20 Canada, where, despite his team losing the finals, he ended the tournament as the

third leading run-scorer, racking up 230 runs in eight innings at an outstanding strike rate of 173.

He soon after became an instant hero for Guyana Amazon Warriors at CPL 2018, his debut season, when he scored 171 runs at an average of nearly 35, and p r o duced a strike rate of over 140.

I n 2019, he scored 118 runs batting in only six of the twelve games, but he recorded an impressive strike rate of 140.5, and an average of 23.6.

He played for the Delhi Capitals in the last season of IPL, but has currently been traded to the Mumbai Indians.

Q: What is the atmosphere like at the moment with CPL being played during the pandemic?

A: First of all, I must thank God for life. right now, we are under quarantine, the

most we can do is work out in our rooms, which is a bit difficult because you can’t go outside to train, but only go on the verandah to look out. For me, I am just trying ways of planning my tournament, or thinking of things I want to do in the tournament for myself and the team.

Q: How is your workout coming along, as you guys are confined to your room?

A: Well, our trainer sends us a lot of workout, so we can do (it) in our room. we do a lot of core workouts, such as abdominals, squats, push-ups etc. I think the workout and in-room stuff is very basic; it’s not taxing, so we can do it and still be relaxed and be active.

Q: What are some of the

goals you hope to achieve with the Warriors this year?

A: My first(goal) is to play in all of the games, and my second is to finish games. Over the years, I have been hearing that I have to finish games, so that’s my biggest aim: to finish games this tournament.

I think (that) given the opportunity, I will look to win more games, because that is my role in batting at number 6 or 7. So that is mainly my goal for this year.

Q: Will the lack of crowds be a mental factor for you?

A: Well, it’s all about adapting. We know there is a pandemic, and people can’t come to the grounds.

The crowds usually give us that push, but I think this year we will have to rely on

the players on the field, the coaching staff, and those off the field as well, who are not participating.

We can’t do much with what is going on, but we just have to be thankful that the main thing is we are having cricket, and we will receive our support from our supporters who will be watching us on television.

Q: Once cleared to play, will that be a setback for you, considering the first match is just a matter of days away?

A: I think preparation has to start from home, so when we hit the field, we just have to do some light topping up. Wednesday is our first training session, most of the guys are in good shape, so it’s just (for them) to get into that mode and execute what they came to do.

Q: What's one thing you want to say to the Warriors’ fans?

A: Most of them, or all of them, will be looking for-

ward for us to win. Every year we have given them hope that we are going to win, but this year we are going to win. I can promise that we are going to win it just for the fans.

Nexgen Academy/Survival Shopping Complex inaugural Hit & Win golf tournament…

Mike Mangal, Michelle Codrington cart off top honours honours

F

ormer Guyana Open Men’s Champion Mike Mangal and newbie female player Michelle Codrington demonstrated their golfing skills in the inaugural Hit & Win tournament sponsored by Nexgen Golf Academy& Driving Range /Survival Shopping Complex when they dominated a field of 55 players who had vied for honours in a competition that was a tremendous success even though it was organized on short notice.

The format employed was designed with the help of Per Persaud of Crown Mining, and it allowed players to engage in the competition while following social distancing guidelines.

Survival Shopping Complex is conveniently located on Sheriff Street, a vital artery connecting the East Coast and East Bank of Demerara. This complex offers a wide variety of the finest grocery and household products, fresh vegetables and a massive beverage depot, along with bill payment services.

Company Director Parshuram Arjune was

Michelle Codrington (left) receives trophy from Parshuram Arjune and Jayana Butts

present to hand over some of the prizes. He said, "This was my first time playing the game with my sons, and it was an absolute joy to share this experience with them, especially since my work schedule is so hectic.

But with the lighted facility, we were able to enjoy (the game) late into the evening."

He added that this would be an ongoing activity, and relationship with the Academy has great po-

tential.

The event had prizes for first time players in women's, children's, beginner men's and experienced men's categories; and points awarded for the targets hit saw winners walking away with hampers, prizes and trophies. The results were as follows:

Children's category

First place: Navishram Arjune Second place: Shriram

Michelle Codrington presents a prize to one of the participants

Arjune Third place: Bobb-Semple.

Arasely

Women's category

First place: Michelle Codrington Second place tied: Ashley Chu and Kavita Albert Third place three-way tie Abigail Joseph; Ms. Gowrie Albert and Ms. Bibi Zarina Bissessar.

Men's category

First place: Mike Mangal Second place: Deno

Bissessar Third place: Adrian Barrow Fourth place: Leaknaraine Shivraj.

Nexgen Golf Academy & Driving Range is conveniently located on the grounds of the Guyana Teachers Union and Scouts Association of Guyana. This is between Camp and Albert streets on Woolford Avenue.

On August 10-11 @ 4:30 pm, the Academy is hosting children's evaluations camp for ages 3-14, with profes-

sional coach Colin Ming assessing the students before arranging for lessons.

Rudy Ramalingum, Director of the Academy, has said: "It is our goal to provide as many children as possible the opportunity to learn the sport without the cost normally associated with the game."

President of the Guyana Golf Association, Aleem Hussain, has said, "I am elated with the results and the mix of players we have seen in the past month, with more women and children, families and couples taking advantage of the location to learn the game and experience something only seen on television.

“With Coach Colin Ming and several others now available to help, it is expected that the level of play will increase dramatically, and golf will become a household name in Guyana."

For more information about the Nexgen Golf Academy and Driving Range, interested persons are invited to make contact on Facebook or Instagram, call 645-0944, or visit their Woolford Avenue location.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2020

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

guyanatimesgy.com

SHERFANE RUTHERFORD: Anticipating an improved CPL season for the Guyana Amazon Warriors See story on page 23

– says Warriors will “work hard” to lift CPL Championship Trophy Nexgen Academy/Survival Shopping Complex inaugural Hit & Win golf tournament…

Pg 22

Ministry of Culture, Youth & Sport lets go of Sport Director Christopher Jones New DoS to be determined soon

CPL Tournament in Trinidad…

Pg 22

Mike Mangal, Michelle Borde warns TKR Codrington cart off top players to be honours COVID-19 vigilant See story on page 23

Mike Mangal, Parshuram Arjune and Ashley Chu share a light moment

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