Guyana Times -- Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Independent team to P8 review CSEC, CAPE results – CXC Chairman Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 4423

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

PRICE

WCB murders

RSS team arrives in Guyana to assist with investigations – given scope to review, explore all avenues necessary to find answers See story on page 7

Another company returns land given out under former APNU/ – Corum Group says it will work with AFC Govt NICIL, Govt to build int’l hotel Page 3

$80 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE: Attempts to rig elections

Police to recommend criminal charges P9 against Lowenfield – Crime Chief – file to be sent to DPP for legal advice

Miner stabbed to death during row over card game P2 15 new cases of COVID-19 P2 recorded – death toll remains at 78 with 1179 active cases

President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, Dr Irfaan Ali in bilateral discussions with Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Lilian Chatterjee at State House, Main Street, Georgetown on Monday (see story on page 10)

Panellists for CoI into Guyana’s election fiasco could come from regional, int’l bodies – President Ali Page 15

Patterson resigns as AFC’s General Secretary Page 16

– sources cite fallout over Region 4 Vice Chair position

6-year-old struck by car P2 after allegedly running across road 1st woman elected to P14 head Region 2 RDC

2 NEWS 15 new cases of COVID-19 recorded TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

– death toll remains at 78 with 1179 active cases

W

ith the detection of 15 new cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Guyana’s total number of positives has risen to 2787 while the death toll remains at 78.

The Health Ministry’s dashboard shows that the total confirmed cases comprise of 1474 males and 1313 females.

Statistics showed that three persons were removed from the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), which now stands at nine. In addition, the Ministry stated that there are 231 persons in institutional isolation and 83 patents in institutional quarantine.

There are 861 persons on home isolation – a reduction of 29. Another 44 persons have made complete recoveries, raising the recovery rate to 1564.

A breakdown of the positives showed that five new cases were detected in Region One (BarimaWaini), one in Region Two

(Pomeroon-Supenaam), one in Region Five (MahaicaBerbice) and eight in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni).

Figures remained the same in Regions Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara), Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) and Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), standing at 207, 1267, 41, 286, 354 and 97 respectively.

During the budget estimates, Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony disclosed that COVID-19 samples will be sent to the United States of America, as part of an arrangement to expanding the country’s testing capabilities. As such, by early October, they are aiming to process 1000 samples per day.

While external agencies are assisting with testing,

Miner stabbed to death during row over card game

A

34-year-old man was on Saturday evening stabbed to death at Big Creek Backdam, North West District in Region One (Barima-Waini) following an argument.

The dead man has been identified as Kevin Barnes of Namrad Street, Anns Grove, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

According to reports received, the stabbing took place at about 18:30h during a row over money.

Police stated that the now dead man was involved

in a card game and when it finished, an argument broke out between him and another player.

As a result, Barnes went into his bag, took out a knife and placed it in his left side pants waist. He then took the suspect’s cellphone and refused to return it.

After he left the vicinity, the deceased was approached by the suspect, who dealt him several stabs about the face and body.

As a result of the injuries, Barnes collapsed and was subsequently picked

up and taken to the Port Kaituma Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

A preliminary examination showed that the body received three stab wounds to his left side rib, chin and head. The body is at the hospital’s mortuary awaiting a post-mortem.

Police have since arrested a 25-year-old and a teenager, both of whom are from Kuru Kururu, Soesdyke-Linden Highway.

They are said to be assisting with the investigations.

the National Public Health Reference Laboratory has significantly increased its capacity. It was recently announced that they’re also in talks with the Brazilian Government to send samples from Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) for efficient processing.

“We have now since worked out an arrangement with the United States so that we can send samples to the United States. We are in the process of working out an arrangement so that our samples from Region Nine can go across to Brazil…In terms of testing in the public health sector we are going to, by early October, be able to process more than 1000 samples per day and that’s in the public sector,” the Minister had informed.

After talks with private stakeholders, Eureka Laboratory has also invested in equipment to process an-

other 1000 samples per day.

Meanwhile, the St Joseph’s Mercy Hospital is also in the process of purchasing a PCR machine to offer testing.

The Public Health Ministry continues to urge all Guyanese to observe the protocols of the COVID-19 Emergency Measures (No 9) which are in effect until September 30, 2020. This order emphasises, among other things, the need for correct and consistent use of face masks when leaving home; the importance of maintaining the six feet physical distance from others, and the need for good hand hygiene to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Persons displaying any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19, or in need of any additional information are asked to contact the COVID-19 Hotline on 2311166, 226-7480 or 624-6674 immediately or visit www. health.gov.gy

6-year-old struck by car after allegedly running across road

A

six-year-old boy is now hospitalised after he was struck down by an alleged speeding vehicle along the Non Pariel Access Road, East Coast Demerara (ECD), on Sunday.

The identity of the child was not revealed but based on information, he was struck after he reportedly ran across the main access road. After the accident, however, the driver of the motor car fled the scene but was later arrested by the po-

lice.

According to the police, on the day in question at about 17:30h, the motor car, driven by a 38-year-old resident of La Bonne Intention (ECD), was proceeding along the access road and while in the vicinity of a shop, the driver observed the child running across the road and into his path.

He reportedly attempted to avoid a collision but the left side of the motor car collided with the child, thus

causing him to fall onto the roadway. The injured child was picked up in a conscious state by public-spirited citizens and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where he was admitted in a stable condition.

Meanwhile, upon his arrest, a breathalyser test was conducted on the driver but there was no trace of alcohol in his system. He remains in Police custody as investigations continue.

Nonpareil man nabbed with gun, ammo

A

21-year-old operator of Nonpareil, East Coast Demerara was on Sunday arrested along the Coldingen Public Road, ECD, after a firearm and matching ammunition were discovered in his possession.

Information reaching Guyana Times revealed that on the day in question at about 20:30h, Police ranks were conducting a mobile patrol when they observed the suspect acting in a suspicious manner.

This prompted the ranks to conduct a search on his person during which a .38 revolver and six live rounds of ammunition were unearthed.

The illegal gun and ammunition were reportedly stuck to the right side of the waist of his pants. The firearm was lodged and the individual is being processed for court.

Less than one week ago, a 24-year-old baker of D’Urban Street, Lodge, Georgetown, was arrested after he was found with

The firearm and live rounds discovered

an unlicensed .38 revolver that contained two matching rounds.

Police reports revealed that a party of policemen received information of an alleged robbery under arms at Smyth Street, Georgetown, and proceeded to the area to investigate. While in the vicinity of Hadfield and Leopold Streets, Georgetown, lawmen observed a male standing along the western side

of Leopold Street Upon noticing the police vehicle approaching, the young man immediately dropped a black object and made several steps towards the southern side of the street. He was subsequently stopped and a search conducted unearthed a black .38 revolver containing two matching rounds. He was arrested and escorted to Brickdam Police Station.

NEWS

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Tuesday, September 29 – 03:30h – 05:00h and 14:30h – 16:00h and Wednesday, September 30 – 04:00h – 05:30h and 14:30h – 16:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Tuesday, September 29 – 15:05h – 16:35h and Wednesday, September 30 – 15:40h – 17:10h.

Another company returns land given out under former APNU/AFC Govt

– Corum Group says it will work with NICIL, Govt to build int’l hotel

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Expect sunshine during the day. There will be clear skies at night. Temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 32 degrees Celsius.

Winds: South South-Easterly to Easterly to East North-Easterly to North-Easterly between 1.78 metres and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 15:19h reaching a maximum height of 2.43 metres.

Low Tide: 08:52h and 21:10h reaching minimum heights of 0.78 metre and 0.77 metre.

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Corum Group Managing Director Clairmont Cummings

C

ompanies continue to repudiate land granted to them under the former A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government, to allow for a new and transparent process, with the latest to do so being Corum Group, the developer of Holiday Inns.

The company in question, Corum Group, was allocated five acres of land at Ogle, East Coast Demerara, back in January of this year, after having applied for the lease in 2017. But at the time, the Government was in caretaker status and moreover, preparing for elections. As such, the transaction should have never been signed off.

In a statement from Managing Director Clairmont Cummings, he revealed that the company wishes to voluntarily give up the land. According to Cummings, the land will revert to the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL).

Moreover, they will seek to work with NICIL and get the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government’s approval to build an international hotel at the appropriate time. According to Corum Group, which owns the Pizza Hut and Burger King franchise in Guyana, they wish to support the Government in carrying out its mandate.

“Corum Group Inc wishes to voluntarily revert lands to NICIL, without prejudice to support the Government of Guyana in its mandate. Notwithstanding, we at Corum look forward to working with NICIL and the Government of Guyana through its recently announced Request for Proposals (RFP) to build an international hotel in Guyana at the appropriate time,” the statement said.

Only on Thursday last, Navigant Builders Incorporated – the developer of the Windsor Estate housing community – announced it too would be allowing some 30 acres of lands at Ogle to revert to the State to facilitate a more “transparent” reissuing of lands.

Back in February 2020

– just three days before the March 2 elections – NICIL and Navigant Builders Inc officials turned the symbolic sod for the sprawling Windsor Estate East Coast Project at Ogle.

In a recent interview with this publication following the return of State lands, Attorney General Anil Nandlall had been very critical of the transactions.

He had pointed out that in some cases, the former Government vested lands to persons with partial and even no payments.

“The principles of transparency and accountability require State assets to be disposed in a particular way… either obtain a valuation certificate to determine the market value or advertise the property publicly and allow a fair and transparent process to take place so that everyone is offered a fair opportunity to compete for the property.”

“We had transactions where not only those procedures were violated, but where there was absolutely no money paid. Or only a fraction of the purchase paid and title passed to the purchaser. Now that is criminal conduct,” the AG had said.

According to him, this will be a thing of the past as the Government forges a new, more transparent path.

Nandlall assured that the PPP Government will ensure State land which has to be sold is valuated and sold through a legal process, ensuring the State receives its due.

Last week, two companies that were allocated prime State land by the previous Government came for-

NICIL’s office on Camp Street

ward to reveal that the titles were vested to them without the completion of payments.

As such, the companies have since indicated that they will be reverting the titles to the State to allow for a more transparent process.

Cardiology Services Incorporated is one of the companies.

Renowned Guyanese cardiologist, Dr Mahendra Carpen, who is the Managing Director of the company, revealed that the company secured the lands to construct a state-of-theart private hospital.

He explained that in 2017, the company reached out to the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) by way of an Expression of Interest (EoI) to purchase various lands in Ogle for the purpose of building a hospital.

Dr Carpen noted that the agreement was signed in February of 2020 – just days before the March 2 General and Regional Elections.

However, he noted that the payments were not completed, yet the lands were transferred to the company at a time when the country was embroiled in an electoral impasse after the APNU/ AFC refused to accept the results of a National Recount that showed the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) won the elections by over 15,000 votes.

Nevertheless, Dr Carpen said Cardiology Services Inc still looks forward to working with NICIL and the Guyana Government to “achieve their mutual goals of building a state-of-the-art private hospital at the appropriate time”.

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guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

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

Tobacco control E

very year, 1.9 million people die from tobacco-induced heart disease and this equates to one in five of all deaths from heart disease, according to a new brief released recently by the World Health Organisation (WHO); World Heart Federation and the University of Newcastle Australia.

The report, which was released ahead of World Heart Day (today, September 29), once again sends a strong warning to smokers of the fatal effects such action could have.

The report’s authors urged all tobacco users to quit and avoid a heart attack, stressing that smokers are more likely to experience an acute cardiovascular event at a younger age than non-smokers.

“Just a few cigarettes a day, occasional smoking, or exposure to second-hand smoke increase the risk of heart disease. But if tobacco users take immediate action and quit, then their risk of heart disease will decrease by 50 per cent after one year of not smoking.”

Dr Eduardo Bianco, Chair of the World Heart Federation Tobacco Expert Group, points out that given the current level of evidence on tobacco and cardiovascular health and the health benefits of quitting smoking, failing to offer cessation services to patients with heart disease could be considered clinical malpractice or negligence.

He noted that cardiology societies should train their members in smoking cessation, as well as to promote and even drive tobacco control advocacy efforts.

Of note too is that the report shows that smokeless tobacco is responsible for around 200,000 deaths from coronary heart disease per year. Many young people are misled to believe that E-cigarettes are not as harmful as the traditional cigarettes, but experts have warned that they are equally damaging as they raise blood pressure increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Moreover, high blood pressure and heart disease increase the risk of severe COVID-19. The report points to a recent WHO survey which found that among people dying of COVID-19 in Italy, 67 per cent had high blood pressure and in Spain, 43 per cent of people who developed COVID-19 were living with heart disease.

In a more general sense, tobacco is responsible for over seven million deaths per year worldwide. This includes approximately 900,000 persons who die from diseases related to exposure to tobacco smoke. Over 40 per cent of all tobacco-related deaths are from lung diseases like cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and tuberculosis.

Guyana’s tobacco control law, enacted in 2017, follows several of the articles of the WHO Convention and mandates the adoption and implementation of a series of tobacco control policies that make it one of the most complete tobacco control laws. These include: 100 per cent smokefree environments in all indoor public spaces, indoor work spaces, public transportation and specified outdoor spaces to protect people from exposure to tobacco smoke; a ban on all forms of advertising and promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products; health warnings featured on 60 per cent of tobacco product packaging, including images. It also includes a ban on the sale of tobacco products to and by minors, prohibition on vending machines sales; and a ban on the manufacture and sales of toys and candies, and any other goods in the form of tobacco products.

However, there is still much work to be done to win the battle against tobacco as approximately 78 per cent of all deaths here are caused by non-communicable diseases (NCDs); some of which we all know are strongly related to tobacco use.

We had pointed out several times before that having the necessary legislation in place is a good starting point, but there are many other challenges which health authorities here must address if Guyana is to really reduce the number of persons dying or becoming ill due to tobacco use or exposure.

These challenges relate to monitoring and compliance, and enforcement of the legislation to ensure that the population is protected from the dangers of tobacco use.

In the report alluded to earlier, the authors remind that tobacco control is a key element for reducing heart disease.

They explain that Governments can help tobacco users quit by increasing tax on tobacco products, enforcing bans on tobacco advertising and offering services to help people give up tobacco.

A mahout rides an elephant in the traffic down a street in Piliyandala, a suburb of Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo (AFP)

SVN continues to generate outstanding CSEC results

Dear Editor, Once again, SVN excels: 100 per cent passes in English Language, 95 per cent passes in Mathematics, 95 per cent matriculation, 96 per cent passes Grades 1-3. That has always been the case and expectations have not been disappointed.

While controversy rages over this year’s CXC results with some city schools registering strong protests over the grades awarded their students, students of Saraswati Vidya Niketan (SVN), popularly known as “the Swami school”, at Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demerara, continue to generate outstanding results.

Of the 61 students who wrote the CSEC examinations, 15 of them achieved 10 Grade Ones and more with four of them getting 17 Grade Ones and two Grade Twos each.

This year, their best student was Ms Atishta Seenarine, who copped 17 Grade Ones and two Grade Twos with 13 distinctions. Atishta, who will be 17 on January 31, 2021, hails from Ocean View, West Coast Demerara.

The school registered 96.60 per cent overall pass rate, Grades 1 to 3, and a matriculation rate of 95.08 per cent. Of the 58 students who matriculated, that is, passed with English and Mathematics, 56 did so with 10 subjects and more. Forty of these 58 students are females. In the two key subject areas, English Language and Mathematics, students’ performance continues to improve. There was 100 per cent passes in English Language with over 90 per cent in Grades Ones and Twos alone. Mathematics results increased from 91.86 per cent to 95.08 per cent with 86 per cent passes in Grades Ones and Twos.

In all, there were 100 per cent passes in eleven subject areas including Agricultural Science with 84 per cent passes in Grades Ones and Twos, Biology which registered 88 per cent grade ones, EDPM with 100 per cent grade ones (a feat now for three consecutive years), HSB with 93 per cent grade ones, Information Technology with 75 per cent Grade

Ones, Integrated Science with 88 per cent in Grades Ones and Twos, Office Administration with 79 per cent Grade Ones, Physics with 70 per cent Grade Ones and Twos, Principles of Business with 94 per cent in Grades Ones and Twos, and Social Studies with 85 per cent Grades Ones and Twos. All the remaining 9 subjects recorded over 90 per cent passes with the exception of Spanish in which students secured 81 per cent passes.

SVN has an open admission policy regardless of NGSA scores and in this current class of 2020 are a number of students even without any NGSA scores.

The average NGSA score for this present batch is 471, with 360 being the lowest and 526 the highest. One of the great achievements of SVN is its ability to motivate and its commitment to work with students with the lowest NGSA scores, and enable them to do well at the exams. That by itself is an incredible achievement.

This year, Chris Dundas and his sister Cristol of St

Cuthbert’s Mission, with 360 and 384 NGSA marks respectively, matriculated with 14 and 13 subjects respectively, with Chris scoring a Grade 3 in Applied Mathematics.

Similarly, Said Jeffers (NGSA 401), Nishida Persaud (NGSA 419) and Devikie Singh (NGSA 421) matriculated with 8, 13 and 14 subjects respectively. Of the students who had no NGSA scores, Ziphena Bailey and Shivani Ramautar matriculated with 10 and 14 subjects respectively.

We salute the students of the class of 2020 and wish them well in whatever field of studies they wish to pursue. We also commend the teachers for their devotion and commitment to ensuring the excellent overall performance for which SVN has built a strong reputation. Finally, we thank the founder and principal, Swami Aksharananda for his leadership and guidance.

Yours truly, Ramesh Gampat and Somdat Mahabir

Support for Priya on CXC query Dear Editor, With regards to your news report and letters, I support Education Minister Priya Manickchand’s call for an inquiry into discrepancies relating to this year’s CXC results. I disagree with the Minister’s handling of and commentary on UG, the subject of a different commentary.

There is a feeling that the CXC papers were incorrectly or inappropriately graded. Some apparent-

ly went missing. For many years, I was involved in grading New York State exams. When there were complaints or apparent discrepancies, including missing papers, there were investigations. The same should happen at CXC headquarters in Barbados.

Students are protesting the grading. They deserve an explanation. They paid money for the exams and they studied hard. They deserve a fair grading process.

There are complaints in other territories also.

When grading or handling tens of thousands of papers, it is conceivably possible that papers could inadvertently be misplaced. For me, the principal issue is the discrepancy involving a grade of “absent” when students claimed and provided proof that they actually sat the exam. That in and of itself warrants an investigation into the entire handling of CXC for this year.

Something is amiss and definitely went wrong in the handling of students’ papers. CXC management must launch an investigation. Ministry of Education must demand an investigation.

Separately, I applaud students who performed exceedingly well in spite of hiccups with the grading and disappearance of papers.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

5

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

A stronger It is criminal what the previous Administration has done to GuySuCo engineered high bridge for Guyana

Dear Editor, After working for 38 years in GuySuCo, both field and factory, and now retired, it pains me to see the state of the estates that were closed down by the previous Government. It grieves me to see the condition of the field cultivation where drainage and irrigation canals are completely blocked by vegetation that one can walk across without going down, field machinery and equipment were allowed to rot and the cane beds covered with weeds and bushes that they look like a jungle.

Editor, it is criminal what the previous Administration has done to GuySuCo, especially the closed estates. Who gave Granger, Nagamootoo, Ramjattan and their Government the power to close down and de-

stroy GuySuCo without the permission of the people and put 7000 workers and their families on the breadline, when even their own Commission of Inquiry did not recommend closure, but privatisation?

How can these people be so callous to destroy the lives of thousands of Guyanese, while they enjoy the good life? If they had followed the recommendation of their own Commission of Inquiry and privatised the company, today GuySuCo would have been a thriving, vibrant and profitable industry and the workers and their families enjoying a higher standard of living.

Of course, they had to privatise while the company was a going concern and all the factories were grinding.

Anyway, before closing, a word of caution to

the new Government. While it is commendable that there are plans to reopen Skeldon, Rose Hall and East Demerara Estates, there are a few things that you need to look at: 1) The amount of money you will need to expend to get all three estates viable again.

I saw in the budget $3 billion allocated. That’s chicken feed. It will take a huge amount to bring back those three estates. 2) The quality of personnel from top to bottom to manage those estates. We all know over the years the cry about the low level of wages and salaries in GuySuCo and if you do not pay competitive wages and salaries, you will not attract the brightest and the best and you will have to settle for the mediocre which will not be good for the company.

The young people must not see GuySuCo as a stopgap to greater heights, but a company where they will work until they reach pension age. In other words, they must see a future in GuySuCo. 3) Finally, the Government must ensure that corruption and fraud are weeded out in GuySuCo. That has been a bugbear since nationalisation in 1976. Those of us who worked there can attest to the pervasive corruption and fraud that has been one of many reasons GuySuCo has not been profitable over the years. And that is why, as soon as those three estates are up and running, Government should take a decision to privatise the entire industry.

Yours faithfully, Imtiaz Bacchus

Tackle domestic violence realistically and holistically

Dear Editor, The coronavirus has led to a surge in domestic violence, leaving victims and their children struggling to find access to food, safe housing, and transportation, according to a new study by Rutgers University. The study showed that some victims were met with various challenges and barriers -- including a lack of food, shelter, transportation, childcare, and opportunities for employment -that pressured them to live in communities near their abusive partners. Others were forced to move back in with their abusers after finding themselves having to choose between being abused or being homeless.

While this study focused on the US, the findings are applicable globally and, in many cases, such as Guyana, for example, the situation is far worse, as The Caribbean Voice has found out. And given the fact that many experts and stakeholders have repeatedly stated that the mental health pandemic that is resulting from and will follow the coronavirus pandemic will, among others things, see a dire situation with respect to domestic violence, we in The Caribbean Voice are somewhat puzzled to read a DPI news article which stated that a certain NGO is collaborating with one the Ministries to make available low-cost housing for domestic violence victims.

To date, Guyana has been able to afford one safe house or shelter for DV victims but now they are going to build homes for the thousands who are

victimised annually? And how will these victims pay for the homes, especially given that our own experience on the ground reveal that the vast majority cannot earn that kind of money even if they work two or more jobs?

Also, the article mentioned a care plan. Is that care plan premised on a multi-agency/stakeholder approach? For example, are the police, regional administrations, NGOs, CSOs involved? Are there any plans to bring back and expand the gatekeepers’ programme to embrace communities across Guyana?

Is this plan comprehensive enough to address the many needs of domestic violence victims and their children?

Is a safety first and always mechanism built into the plan?

In effect, shouldn’t realism be the basis for making such plans, which should also be systematic and concerted? How about ensuring that each of the ten regions first have safe houses and shelters along with an ambulance each and rapid response transport to move victims and their children to safety as quickly as possible? This way assistance can be given to all victims since it is literally impossible for more than a handful, if that many, houses to be built in any single year and also because as fabulous an idea that low-cost housing seems, it does not make the victims any safer.

Thus, while safe houses would ensure safety and shelters would provide accommodation, steps can then be taken to create safety especially through:

* orders of protection which must have teeth to protect victims; * sensitising of all police officers and building of DV units in every region; * launching a programme to develop safety planning awareness; * establishing gatekeepers in every community to help victims implement their safety plans before its too late; * counselling (by clinically trained and experienced counsellors, not quacks or individuals given some quick courses over a few days, weeks or months) available for victims and their children; * support services to ensure that they are able to meet their (and family) needs for food and clothing; * training/retraining to provide them marketable skills and a mechanism to ensure job placements; * viable steps to address toxic masculinity and the factors that give rise to abuse; * a campaign to address dysfunctional relationships.

During this pandemic, domestic violence victims have been falling through the cracks and the little that TCV and other stakeholders have been able to do has been but a drop in the ocean. Is it not time, therefore, that ad hoc, piecemeal ‘plans’ give way to wholistic, viable and national efforts to address domestic violence across the nation?

That all stakeholders and all platforms be embraced and harnessed: from faithbased to mass-based institutions, from the Private Sector to international stakeholders, from social to

traditional media, from culture to sports?

The Honorable Minister of Human Services and Social Security is a caring, compassionate humanitarian and social empowerment activist and advocate and we believe that she does realise that a realistic, holistic approach is the way to go. Perhaps to a mechanism such as the Friendship Bench, pioneered by Zimbabwe, which provides communities with talk therapists, is a good starting point and one that can help beyond domestic violence. This training can run concurrently with the relaunch of the gatekeepers’ programme to maximise resource use. But even for these first steps the establishment of a database of stakeholders – NGOs, CSO, FBOs and civic entities – is imperative to be able to reach into and connect with all communities across the nation.

A little something here and there has not proven to have any effect whatever nor has the limited, individual efforts of a few entities done much to stem the tide especially when most of the funding provided goes towards overheads such as salaries, various utility bills, rentals, transportation and the like. Most importantly, scarce resources should not be used on photo ops and pageantry, as has been the case in the past.

Finally, may we suggest piggybacking as a viable, cost-effective instrument to get the most done for the least resource deployment?

Sincerely, The Caribbean Voice

Dear Editor, I would be grateful if you could kindly publish my views regarding the second bridge across the Demerara River.

I trust that the contents of this letter would create an area for careful consideration and discussion regarding the second bridge.

Last year, I visited Suriname and was taken by my nephew for a drive over the bridge over the Paramaribo River. It was built to allow sea traffic to pass below without hindrance to anyone. A strong and well-built bridge. It opened substantial opportunities across the river where there is intensive economic growth.

What is important is that there is no cost to cross this modern engineered construction. I raise my hat to Suriname.

Further, in the late 1950s, I visited the Affobaca Hydro-Electric plant which is still operational today.

Well done Suriname, and hope that Guyana would look closely at your successes.

I would also like consideration to be given to the Dartford Crossing of the Thames where the M25 is situated.

There is a tunnel under the river where traffic flows in one direction, and a high bridge where traffic flows in the opposite direction, all free passage of ships.

The Demerara Bridge has passed its operational usefulness, with substantial maintenance being required, at a substantial cost.

The Berbice Bridge is

seldom used because of the substantial cost to make a crossing.

Quite honestly, I am of the view that there should be no charge for crossing the bridge, and any maintenance costs absorbed by a Government subsidy.

The new bridge should be built along similar lines of the Paramaribo Bridge, and with no cost to cross. I repeat, no crossing cost.

I am of the view that our Ministers and our President involved in this decision, should avail themselves the time for a visit to view the new engineering feat in Suriname. Further information can be gained which would be useful.

I am not an engineer, but I am aware of the following: Aluminium, which is the main metal used in the construction of the floating bridge, is five times more expensive than steel.

Georgetown and the river have about eighty feet of clay before reaching a rock base. Therefore, very convenient.

The steel and concrete high bridge would last for generations, rather than expenditure which would expire in twenty years. The benefits are significant.

I think the time has passed for floating bridges, used by armies around the world, and its time that we as Guyanese can look forward to a modern engineered bridge, with free passage of traffic and marine vessels.

Sincerely, Quin Anderson

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

Page

Foundation ◄

Comparing and ordering decimals

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hen you compare whole numbers, you look at place value. To compare decimals, you will look at place value. Line up your decimals so that the decimal points are in a column. Then begin by looking at the column to the immediate right of the decimal point, the tenths place. As you arrange your numbers, work toward the right.

rank according to the higher number. With 0.21 and 0.22, 2 is greater than 1.

Example: Place these decimals in order from least to greatest:

Remember: When comparing numbers with decimals, always look at the whole numbers first. If two whole numbers are the same, then compare to the right of the decimal point.

.61, 0.21, .09, .22, .90, .091

Step 1: Line up the decimal points: .61 0.21 .09 .22 0.9 0.091 Step 2: Find the greatest number in the tenths place: 0.90. Then the next greatest number in the tenth place: .61 Step 3: If two decimals have the same number in the tenths place, look at the next place value, the hundredths place and

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You will need: Cardboard box with attached lid. Lid should have flaps so that the box can be closed tightly. Box should be at least 3 inches deep and big enough to set a pie tin inside.

Aluminium foil Clear plastic wrap Glue stick Tape (transparent tape, duct tape, masking tape, or whatever you have) Stick (about 1 foot long) to prop open reflector flap. (Use a skewer, knitting needle, ruler, or whatever you have.)

Ruler or straight-edge Box cutter or Xacto knife (with adult help, please!)

How to make the solar oven: CAUTION: Have an adult cut the box with the box cutter or blade.

Using the straight edge as a guide, cut a three-sided flap out of the top of the box, leaving at least a 1-inch border around the three sides.

Cover the bottom (inside) of the flap with aluminium foil, spreading a coat of glue from the glue stick onto the cardboard first and making the foil as smooth as possible.

Line the inside of the box with aluminium foil, again gluing it down and making it as smooth as possible.

Tape two layers of plastic wrap across the opening you cut in the lid – one layer on the top and one layer on the bottom side of the lid.

Test the stick you will use to prop the lid up. You may have to use tape or figure another way to make the stick stay put.

Set the oven in the direct sun on a sunny day when the outdoor temperature is at least 29 degrees Celsius. Prop

FOR CHILDREN

Step 4: What do you do with .09 and 0.091? Add a zero to .09 as a placeholder for the thousandths place: 0.090. Now, you can see that 0.091 is greater than 0.090.

Exercises: Place these decimals in order from least to greatest: 2.61, 2.21, 2.610, 3.220, 0.90, .09, 7.61, 0.75, .92, 4.22, 1.90, .093 Monday’s answers Round to the nearest whole number: 34 2) 3 3) 68 4) 110 Round to the nearest tenth: 34.1 6) 2.9 7) 67.9 8) 110.1 Round to the nearest hundredth: 34.10 10) 2.90 11) 67.90 12) 110.13 Round to the nearest thousandth: 34.050 14) 2.900 15) 67.900 16) 110.125

Make s’mores with a solar oven!

arness the energy of the sun to make the best snack ever invented, s’mores!

A solar oven is a box that traps some of the sun’s energy to make the air inside the box hotter than the air outside the box. In other words, the solar oven is like a super greenhouse.

Æsop’s Fables

the flap open to reflect the light into the box. You will probably have to tape the prop in place. Preheat the oven for at least 30 minutes.

To make s’mores, you will need: Graham crackers Large marshmallows Plain chocolate bars (thin) Aluminum pie pan Napkins!

Directions Break graham crackers in half to make squares. Place four squares in the pie pan.

Place a marshmallow on each.

IMPORTANT: Note that unlike most recipes, our s’mores have the marshmallow UNDER the chocolate. That’s because, in the solar oven, it takes the marshmallow longer to melt than the chocolate.

Place the pan in the preheated solar oven.

Close the oven lid (the part with the plastic wrap on it) tightly, and prop up the flap to

reflect the sunlight into the box.

Depending on how hot the day is, and how directly the sunlight shines on the oven, the marshmallows will take 30 to 60 minutes to get squishy when you poke them.

Then, open the oven lid and place a piece of chocolate (about half the size of the graham cracker square) on top of each marshmallow.

Place another graham cracker square on top of the chocolate and press down gently to squash the marshmallow.

Close the lid of the solar oven and let the sun heat it up for a few minutes more, just to melt the chocolate a bit. (climatekids.nasa.gov)

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raven, which you know is black as coal, was envious of the swan, because her feathers were as white as the purest snow. The foolish bird got the idea that if he lived like the swan, swimming and diving all day long and eating the weeds and plants that grow in the water, his feathers would turn white like the swan’s.

So he left his home in the woods and fields and flew down to live on the lakes and in the marshes. But though he washed and washed all day long, almost drowning himself at it, his feathers remained as black as ever. And as the water weeds he ate did not agree with him, he got thinner and thinner, and at last he died.

WORD SEARCH

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

WCB murders

RSS team arrives in Guyana to assist with investigations – given scope to review, explore all avenues necessary to find answers

Murdered: Joel Henry

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lmost one month after the brutal murders of three young men in a backdam at Cotton Tree, West Coast Berbice, a five-member team of investigators from the Regional Security System (RSS) has arrived in the country to assist the Guyana Police Force (GPF) with its investigations.

Led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police, the delegation comprises officials from countries within the Regional Investigative Management Systems (RIMS) who will be assisting local investigators who are probing the murders of 16-year-old Isaiah Henry, 19-year-old Joel Henry, and 17-year-old Haresh Singh.

The team arrived in the country on Monday and has already met with Commissioner of Police (ag) Nigel Hoppie, Crime Chief Senior Superintendent Wendell Blanhum, and ranks of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) as well as the Major Crimes Unit (MCU).

According to a statement from the GPF, “the Commissioner welcomed them to Guyana and assured them of the Guyana Police Force’s commitment to make available all the necessary

resources to facilitate a conducive environment for their work”.

The Force’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Assistant Commissioner Royston Andries-Junor in a release to the media further explained that “the team of investigators will be assisting with the investigation and [has] been given scope to review and explore all avenues necessary to find answers relating to the murders as mentioned in the [press] release.”

The identities of the team members were not disclosed to the public.

The visit of the RSS team is as a result of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Guyana and the Caribbean Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (Caricom IMPACS) consequent to a decision by Guyana’s President, Dr Irfaan Ali, to seek regional assistance with the investigations.

The RSS was created out of a need for a collective response to security threats, which were impacting on the stability of the region in the early 1970s and 1980s. The RSS is described as a “hybrid” organisation, in that its security forces comprise both military and police personnel who remain under the command of their respective Heads.

On September 6, the bod-

Murdered: Isaiah Henry

ies of Isaiah and Joel Henry were found in the backlands of Cotton Tree, WCB – almost one day after they were reported missing. They had left their Number Three Village, WCB home to pick coconuts in the backlands, but did not return home.

Their butchered bodies were found in clumps of bushes partially covered in mud after relatives went in search of them.

The news of their deaths sparked protests across several villages along the West Berbice corridor, where commuters and other innocent persons were beaten and robbed. With blocked roads, some vehicles were also torched.

And then, on September 9, 17-year-old Singh was

found murdered at the Number Three Village backlands. It is suspected that his death was in retaliation for the murders of Isaiah and Joel, since he is related to one of the persons initially held by the police.

Several persons who were arrested for the murder of the Henry teens were released on station bail while to date, no arrest has been made in relation to Singh’s murder.

All three teens suffered horrendous deaths.

According to post-mortem results, the Henry teens died as a result of haemorrhage and shock owing to the extent of their wounds; their spines were also severed. In the case of Singh, his death was a result of a brain haemorrhage, blunt trauma to the head, compounded by compression injuries to the neck.

Police had explained that the location where the bodies of the Henry boys were found was not the primary crime scene, that is, it was not the location where the young men were killed.

“Person(s) moved the bodies after the murder and placed them at the locations where they were subsequently discovered,” the GPF had explained.

Notwithstanding, some forensic evidence was re-

Murdered: Haresh Singh

trieved from the secondary crime scene and it was

submitted to the Guyana Forensic Laboratory for DNA analysis to be conducted. The GPF had also explained that DNA samples were also collected from the suspects who were initially in custody and sent for comparative analysis. On September 14, the Force explained that the results would be available in three weeks.

A team of local law enforcement officials had recently revisited the backlands where the bodies of the Henry teens were found, with hopes of finding forensic evidence, however, nothing was found. That team had comprised over 80 ranks from the Joint Services including Government pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh. (G11)

8 NEWS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Independent team to review CSEC, CAPE results – CXC Chairman vised examinations systems and procedures.

“I commend the team at CXC for their effort to serve, the best they can – the people of our Region,” Professor Beckles noted in a statement.

He said concerns raised in the public domain with respect to the efficacy of procedures and systems used by CXC in its computation and declaration of student performance data were of great

“It is understood that while there might be policy and technical issues to be addressed immediately, the maintenance of public trust going forward is paramount. There will be ongoing dialogue with regional Ministries of Education based upon the official gathering of data relevant to all ventilated concerns. Each and every formally reported case will be reviewed and where remedies are re-

CXC Registrar, Dr Wayne Wesley

Professor Hilary Beckles

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aribbean Examination Council (CXC) Chairman, University of the West Indies (UWI) Vice Chancellor Hilary Beckles on Monday announced that the exam body has been agreed that an Independent Review Team would shortly begin work in relation to queries about this year’s CSEC and CAPE results.

He assured that this period of review and possible revisions would be consistent with the regulations of CXC. Professor Beckles praised CXC for its impressive delivery of the July 2020 regional examinations within the context of the COVID-19 logistics nightmare, and crippling global doubt about re-

The PNC committed...

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importance to the organisation.

According to Professor Beckles, CXC’s Registrar, Dr Wayne Wesley and his team have met with distinguished regional Education Ministers in order to discuss these concerns and identify the underlying causes with a view to moving forward and providing clarity to stakeholders and enhanced support. He added that CXC was satisfied that Ministers have received explanations for its positions in light of the public discourse.

quired, they will be applied.”

Following the announcement of this year’s results, there has been widespread outrage across the Caribbean.

Education Ministers have been calling on CXC to review the “faulty” results which, according to them, have seen students receiving very low grades, or ungraded and absent notices.

During a press conference last Friday, CXC’s Registrar reported that when compared to previous years, the performances this

year improved in terms of candidates receiving acceptable grades for both CSEC and CAPE. “So, overall, the Region would have registered an improved performance for CAPE and CSEC,” Dr Wesley had declared.

CCAC warns of fake brands of smart devices

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n response to the online teaching and learning initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for computers, tablets and other similar devices has increased. However, the Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission (CCAC) is warning citizens to be aware of unscrupulous suppliers and store owners who are duping consumers with false and misleading claims about the brands and capabilities of the devices.

The CCAC said that it has received several reports of suppliers misrepresenting tablets as that of the Samsung brand with the capacity to download the apps necessary to access several of the online learning platforms. However, the devices were unable to do so. In this regard, it is urging consumers to carefully research before investing in the purchase of any of these devices, to buy only from reputable businesses or the official local representatives of the advertised brands.

The Commission also wishes to remind consumers that if they believe they have bought an item that was falsely marketed as an original brand to make an immediate complaint for redress.

CCAC can be contacted on telephone number 219-4410 or at ccac.gov.gy to file that complaint.

The Commission assured that it is working in close collaboration to determine the authenticity of items and to apply the Consumer Affairs Act, Part 4 which addresses unfair trade practices, misleading or deceptive conduct, misleading public as to the nature etc of goods or services and false representation.

...political suicide he PNC have gone into a tailspin which, in your Eyewitness’s estimation, they just can’t come out of and so – obviously – they’re just gonna crash and burn. Why your Eyewitness dubs this a “suicide” is because they inflicted it on themselves – which is what suicide’s all about, ain’t it? Death by your own hands. The Japanese have an ancient form of suicide practised by their elite warrior class called “Hara Kiri” in which they literally fall on their swords – but only do this when they’ve dishonoured their code of honour. In the case of the PNC, however, with no honour save that of thieves, their demise will be recorded as a plain, old “suicide”.

Why has your Eyewitness come to this conclusion? Well, look at it this way, Dear Reader. When the PNC was in office during their infamous “28 years”, while running everything into the ground, Indian Guyanese – the backbone of the PPP’s base – receiving Burnham’s “consign treatment” decided to seek greener pastures abroad. While most of them ended up in the US, things were so bad here that even the backwaters of Venezuela and Suriname looked like green grass!

While he was a control freak, Burnham never tried to stop this emigration surge. It did two things for him: it was a safety valve for any societal explosion and secondly, it served to even up the demographics and clip the PPP’s numerical advantage. By 2011, therefore, the PNC had crept up to within striking rate of the PPP and all they needed was a little push. With the newly-formed AFC showing they could hive off a nice chunk of PPP votes since 2006, it didn’t take a genius to figure out that coalition with the AFC offered the PNC a shot at power.

Question was, would the AFC take the bait, after Ramjattan insisted they’d become “dead meat” once they coalesced with the PNC? The latter, however, knew what made Ramjattan and Nagamootoo tick – the trappings of office! They made them an offer which they couldn’t refuse because of their weaknesses. And voila! the PNC was in office!! All they had to do now was to play “Politics 101” and keep their junior partner happy with a few outriders and blaring sirens!

But impelled by his compulsion to do it “Burnham’s way”, Granger decided to dump on the Indian Guyanese that the AFC had used to take them over the tape. And this was his “Cool Aid moment” – the fatal act of suicide – that now has the PNC turning blue in the face and gasping for breath.

Sure, they’ll flail around as they go down for the count.

But they’re goners!! ...another faux pas Another fatal mistake Granger made was to underestimate Irfaan Ali, after he was elected by the PPP Central Executive to be their standard bearer at the polls.

They really felt the PPP’s traditional base wouldn’t turn out for him and assumed THEY’d be a shoo-in! Famous last words!! It was THEIR base that was turned off by their inattention over the past five years and together with the loss of the AFC’s numbers, their miscalculation forced them into their Mingo Manoeuvre!!

But now they’re seeing the measure of the new President Irfaan Ali. The class arrogance of Granger – which made him dump Volda and all the others from his MP list – is the same imperative that made him dismiss Ali. Granger forgets that unlike the army – where generals remain in the back - in politics you lead from the front. And this is President Ali’s forte!!

As the PNC goes down for the count, one can just hear Granger doing his Brando imitation from “On the Waterfront”.

“I coulda been a contender”!! Yeah, sure!! ...a farce Your Eyewitness is still reeling at the antics of the motley – and totally hapless – crew Granger sent to Parliament.

Having been there before, you’d think Patterson would know better than call anyone a “liar”.

But when you play with puppies...!

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

NEWS

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Attempts to rig elections

Police to recommend criminal charges against Lowenfield – Crime Chief ...file to be sent to DPP for legal advice

Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield

District Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo

s detectives continue their probe into allegations of electoral fraud following the March 2, 2020 National and Regional Elections, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) will be recommending that additional criminal charges be instituted against Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield.

This was according to Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum, who told Guyana Times on Monday that investigators are expected to wrap up their investigations shortly and once completed; the file will

be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Ali-Hack with its recommendations for legal advice.

Blanhum related that the police have sufficient evidence at its disposal to warrant the institution of criminal charges against the CEO. However, he further stated that as expected, the CEO, who was placed on substantial bail, reported to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Monday where he was further grilled on the allegation

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brought against him.

The Guyana Police Force is currently conducting a probe after “formal reports” were received alleging “criminal conduct” by Lowenfield and embattled Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) Returning Officer, Clairmont Mingo, as well as others, in relation to the elections and the events that followed thereafter.

The CEO is accused of attempting to undermine the will of the people by repeatedly refusing to submit the verified results from the National Recount to Chair of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Retired Justice Claudette Singh, for a final declaration. The police have since arrested and charged several GECOM staff including RO Mingo as part of its probe.

On the other hand, the recount exercise had shown that the PPP/C won the elections with 233,336 votes, that is, over 15,000 more than the 217,920 votes obtained by the coalition. But Lowenfield had repeatedly refused to submit his final elections report with those figures despite being so di-

titions in the High Court, challenging the protracted elections results and are currently awaiting a date for the hearing.

This is despite several blatant attempts to alter the outcome of the elections in favour of the then coalition Government.

Meanwhile, in addition to the charges that will be instituted by the State against

Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum

rected by the GECOM Chair on several occasions. He eventually complied, paving the way for the declaration and subsequent swearing-in of the new Government.

The National Recount conducted unearthed that RO Mingo had heavily inflated the figures in Region Four – Guyana’s largest voting district – in favour of the APNU/AFC. Nevertheless, almost one month after the declaration was made based on the figures from the National Recount, the APNU/AFC coalition filed two election pe-

Lowenfield, he is already facing three private criminal charges for conspiracy to commit fraud and breach of trust in public office that were filed by private citizens Desmond Morian and Josh Kanhai, who is a member of The New Movement (TNM) party. The CEO was arraigned back in July and placed on $450,000 bail.

TURN TO PAGE 11

10 NEWS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Govt discusses strengthening Natural Resources Minister to speak at virtual Madrid relations with Canada

ners down, in any way, shape, or form. The people of your country need to know 40 years from now, 50 years from now where you stood and the role you played,” the President noted.

Their discussions centred on strengthening relations in several key areas across all sectors in Guyana, including oil and gas, agriculture, training and capacity building and investment opportunities.

The Canadian High Commissioner acknowledged the benefits of the collaboration between the two countries over the years and assured of a strengthened partnership moving forward.

Canada-Guyana business relations encompass a plethora of trade initiatives which include agriculture, oil and gas, mining, Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Lilian Chatterjee and President and Corporate Social Dr Irfaan Ali at State House on Monday Responsibility (CSR).

The two countries anadian High racy in Guyana. also share extensive “We are aware that your people-to-people ties: the Commissioner to Guyana, Lilian county contributed signifi- Guyanese Diaspora in Canada Chatterjee paid a courtesy cantly in terms of resourc- is estimated to be around call on President Irfaan Ali at es and personnel in achiev- 200,000 (2018). Guyana also ing what we achieved. I benefits from bilateral fundState House on Monday.

The Head of State used want to thank you, High ing through the Canada the opportunity to express Commissioner, for your per- Fund for Local Initiatives; profound gratitude to the sonal commitment to democ- and Canada’s Caribbean Canadian Government racy. We owe you, and the rest Regional Development and the Canadian High of the world, not only a debt of Programme, which also supCommissioner for their un- gratitude, but we will ensure ports Caribbean collaboration wavering support for democ- that we do not let our part- and integration efforts.

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Energy Conference 2020

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uyana’s Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat is expected to be one of the keynote speakers at the high-level Virtual Madrid Energy Conference slated for September 28 to October 2, 2020.

The virtual Madrid Energy Conference (MEC) brings together senior business executives and Government officials from Latin America, Europe, and

plore opportunities for the next year,” the organisers said.

Further, the MEC 2020 will give participants the opportunity to: understand COVID-19’s impact on global energy markets, Latin America’s energy sector and the energy transition; cultivate open dialogue and connect with newly-appointed energy officials and other key decision-makers to catalyse industry connections

Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat

the world to explore the vast cross-regional opportunities at the intersection of exploration and production, infrastructure, renewables, and finance.

According to the organisers, MEC 2020 will feature a wealth of content, solutions, an abundance of virtual networking opportunities and provide the region with an invaluable platform from which to drive investment, growth, and prosperity in Latin America.

“The conference gathers the brightest minds and the most engaging and well-respected commercial, policy, and regulatory thought leaders to discuss trends, gain perspective, and ex-

and partnerships across the energy value chain and explore the increased challenges to financing amid the COVID-19 chaos and understand how to get from intention to reality.

“Participants will debate innovative approaches on energy transition, regulatory and financial challenges, and Government plans to support sector investment and experience a tailor-made virtual platform offering our community the best possible online event and networking,” it was noted.

Former Trinidad and Tobago Energy Minister Kevin Ramnarine is also expected to participate in the

event.

Minister Bharrat was given responsibility for the natural resources sector when the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government was sworn in to office in August.

He has said that the revenues from oil were expected to assist Government in fast-tracking its development objectives which would see Guyanese enjoying a better quality of life.

Guyana is expected to significantly ramp up oil production in the coming years.

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

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

NEWS

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Govt considering 4 new branded hotels for Guyana within 5 years – President Ali

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etailing the “significant transformation” slated to take place in Guyana, President Irfaan Ali has said that his Administration is looking to have four new branded hotels constructed here over the next five years.

The President made this disclosure during a recent interview with Jamaica’s CEEN TV – “The Conversation”, noting that Expressions of Interest (EoIs) for the hotels have already been requested.

President Ali was at the time responding to a question from the host in relation to his plan to provide 50,000 jobs for citizens.

Most of the 50,000 jobs, he said, are based in the non-oil sector. “You will see traditional sectors will be sustained and become competitive, so that they could hold their own and keep those jobs going,” he explained.

President Ali assured that while the petroleum sector has emerged as one of the most important to Guyana’s economy, the Government is focusing on expanding and making the traditional sectors more competitive.

“We have been focusing heavily on building the non-

President Dr Irfaan Ali

oil sector and that is where we will see a number of policies geared – towards making the non-oil sector more competitive, giving them comparative advantages … and ensuring that we build a knowledge economy that is driven by a strong technological backbone. These are things that form part of the broadened economic plan,” President Ali said.

He said that revenues from the oil and gas sector would be invested in the agricultural, construction, tourism, manufacturing, and other sectors to boost competitiveness.

The President added that greater emphasis would be placed on the construction sector, which would make

up a greater segment of employment.

He pointed to the construction of the new Demerara River Bridge, the Corentyne River Bridge which would link Guyana to Suriname and the massive expansion of the road network in the country.

The President further pointed out there would be renewed focus on the agriculture sector by the opening- up of new agricultural lands, introduction of newer technologies and provision of relevant training to farmers so that they would become more competitive.

Additionally, citing planned investments in the housing sector, the President said the industry had greater leverage than most in terms of its spin-off effects of job creation and revenue.

The Guyana Marriott Hotel was constructed under the Donald Ramotar Government and was officially opened in April 2015.

It includes a total of 192 rooms and five suites across nine floors, and provided jobs for around 250 people and about 100 indirectly.

The US$51 million project first launched in November 2011.

The Guyana Marriott Hotel

Police to recommend criminal...

FROM PAGE 9

These matters last came up in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on September 11, when they were adjourned to October for the commencement of trial. This was after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) failed to show up in court to determine how the matter will proceed.

Attorney Hughes had previously requested the DPP to review the charges

against his client and as a consequence, the prosecution team had to hand over the documents to the Chamber.

But during a hearing last month, it was indicated to the court that the private criminal charges could possibly be taken over by the DPP Chamber in light of the police probe. Hence, the matter was adjourned to September 11 pending

the decision from the DPP Chamber.

However, on that day, there was no representative from the DPP Chamber to indicate whether a decision was taken. As such, the presiding Magistrate, Faith McGusty, set dates for the commencement of trial, starting on October 26 for Morian’s charges and October 27 for the charge brought by Kanhai.

12 NEWS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

MoE distributes learning materials to hinterland communities

Education Minister Priya Manickchand along with teachers sorting out worksheets

Minister Manickchand in discussion with three students during one of her visits

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earning materials inclusive of worksheets have been distributed to several hinterland communities to assist students there with their studies during the period of school closure amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last weekend, Education Minister Priya Manickchand visited Baramita, Matthews Ridge, Port Kaituma, Mabaruma and Moruca in Region One (Barima-Waini).

She was accompanied by the Ministry’s Chief Planning Officer (CPO) Nicola Johnson and Parliamentary Secretary to the Amerindian Affairs Minister, Sarah Browne.

The Minister also visited Imbaimadai, Kamarang, Paruima, Kaikan and Bartica in Region Seven (Cuyuni- Mazaruni).

In discussions with residents, parents, students and other community members, the Education Minister explained what the Ministry was currently doing to ensure learning continued and children were kept engaged during this time.

She told the residents that owing to the coronavirus pandemic, the education sector has been affected and as such, learning has to be done differently, since schools are not yet cleared for physical reopening.

It was in this context that the Education Minister

explained that in addition to online teaching, the Learning Channel will be used for delivering daily lessons to students across all levels and grades.

In addition, residents were encouraged to tune into their community radio stations for the Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI) programme and also the Broadcast to Schools.

Noting the peculiar situation that is confronting the nation, Manickchand said that a blended approach to learning has been adopted by the Ministry of Education (MoE) and therefore communities that have challenges with Internet connectivity and non-access to the Guyana Learning Channel would be engaged differently.

It is towards this end that the Education Minister assured that all of the nation’s children will be meaningfully engaged irrespective of where they are located. During these visits, she distributed worksheets and other printed learning resources for students in the two regions. The other hinterland regions are currently receiving their batches.

Residents also shared concerns and suggestions with Minister Manickchand, who assured them that these would be addressed. She said that there was no better situation than teachers and students having face-to-face interaction, but this was not possible at this time.

Notwithstanding that, the Minister noted that the focus of the Ministry was to ensure that there was minimal learning loss to students and no effort would be overlooked to ensure that this was realised. The hinterland students now have worksheets for the next month and additional materials are currently being prepared to ensure students, both in the hinterland and other communities, are continuously engaged until schools reopen.

The worksheets cover work the students would have been doing in the classroom and are for the nursery, primary, and secondary levels.

NEWS

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

New Regional Chairs and Vice Chairs elected

Regional Chairman, Region Four (DemeraraMahaica), Daniel Seeram

Regional Vice Chairman, Region Four (DemeraraMahaica), Samuel Sandy

Region Seven Vice Chair Kamla Persaud

Region One Chair Brentnol Ashley and Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal among Councillors

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egions across the country, on Monday, held their elections for Chairmanship and Vice Chairmanship of the Regional Democratic Councils (RDCs) – the highest regional decision-making body.

During the election process, some were re-elected to serve while others were replaced.

Brentnol Ashley will be returning as the Regional Chair for Region One (Barima-Waini) with Annansha Peters as his Deputy. Peters replaces former Vice Chair Sarah Browne, who is now a parliamentary secretary.

Region 3

In Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), former Vice Chair Ishan Ayube was elected as Chair and has since replaced former Chair Julius Faerber – who served in the position for over 14 years. Omesh Stayanand was elected as Ayube’s Deputy.

The elections were held in the Boardroom of the RDC at Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara (WCD), and attended by a number of Members of Parliament from the Region. Education Minister Priya Manickchand and MP Dr Tandika Smith are the Geographic Representatives for the Region in the National Assembly and they were present to witness the election process.

Joining them were Junior Public Works Minister Deodat Sharma – a WCD resident – and parliamentary secretary in the

Ministry of Agriculture, Vikash Ramkissoon.

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) won 18 of the 27-member RDC in the recently concluded General and Regional Elections on March 2. The party secured just over 47,000 votes.

Delivering remarks following the elections, Education Minister Manickchand extended her congratulations to all of the Councillors and urged them to work in the interest of every person in the Region.

She told the RDC members that they each have a huge task ahead as they enter into the world of service for the people.

She urged the Councillors to uphold the oath they have taken and serve without fear or favour and affection or ill will.

“I ask you to remember that Region Three, you have a vast region with many challenges. You have the Essequibo Islands which come under your watch and that’s many and it’s hard to reach them and those are people who genuinely need your service because they can’t access services on their own in many instances.

“In these years, you will have a choice…are you going to use your talent and judgment to be obstructive to be obstructionist or to serve the people of this Region? You get to choose.

History will record what you did. If you choose to serve as you took an oath saying without fear or favour to the best of your ability, the people of Region Three will feel it and generations to come will benefit from your good

service,” she charged.

Manickchand pledged the Government’s support for the work of the RDC so that they can address the issues of the residents.

Meanwhile, the newly-elected Regional Chair told the Councillors that the RDC will operate within the guidelines and principles which governs their conduct. He pledged to work with every Councillor to realise the potential of their constituencies.

Region 4

In Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), former Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Captain and APNU/ AFC candidate Daniel Seeram was elected to the office of Chairman while his colleague Samuel Sandy will serve as Deputy. Seeram, one of the fresh faces on the APNU/AFC list, replaces Genevieve Allen at Chair.

After taking up his post, Seeram was forced to break a tie between PPP/C’s nominee Desmond Morian and APNU’s Sandy. This was as a result of the AFC nominating and voting for one of its members, Neilson Mckenzie.

Voting along party lines, Seeram cast the deciding vote in favour of Sandy.

The election process was witnessed by Attorney General Anil Nandlall and Opposition MP Dr Karen Cummings.

Dr Cummings said that the regional democratic organ is a very important one, adding that a lot of work needs to be done in the aspect of nation-building. She urged the Councillors to serve in the interest of the

Region Seven Chairman Kenneth Williams

people that elected them to serve.

With 35 seats on the RDC, the APNU/AFC won 20, 14 went to the PPP/C and one to Change Guyana.

Nandlall charged the Councillors to act in the best interest of the people of Region Four.

“The RDC is an important part of the democratic equation of our country. It is a fundamental component of our constitutional apparatus of Government. You have the Executive then the National Assembly and in terms of elected representatives below the National Assembly is the RDC and the opportunity to serve at this high level is a privilege,” Nandlall said.

He noted that the Government is committed to moving the country forward in the benefit of all people and reminded the Councillors that they play an important role in the process of moving the country forward. He added that Central Government is committed to working with all of the RDCs so that they can dispose of their agenda.

Region Nine Chairman Bryan Allicock

Regional Vice Chairman Bertie Xavier

Region Three Chairman Ishan Ayube

Region Three Vice Chairman Omesh Satyanand

Region 7

In the Cuyuni-Mazaruni Region, two fresh faces took the helm of the RDC in the persons of Kenneth Williams and Kamal Persaud. Adams will replace Gordon Bradford as the Regional Chair and Persaud will serve as the Deputy.

Persaud previously served as Deputy Mayor of Bartica. Williams is a successful businessman and also president of the Bartica Basketball Association.

Region 9

Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) would see Bryan Allicock returning as Regional Chair while Bertie Xavier will serve as the Vice Chairman.

Of the 15 seats on the Council, the PPP/C will occupy 9 and the APNU/AFC, 6.

It is understood that Region 8 (Potaro-Siparuni) did not hold an election, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

1st woman elected to Region 10 RDC new Council head Region 2 RDC elects – Edghill tells new body Govt is ready to assist in its developmental plans

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The new RDC Executives pose with Minister Nigel Dharamlall

ith its 12-seat majority in the 17-member Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), the PPP/C took both the Chairman and Vice Chairman posts.

Vilma Audray Da Silva was elected as Regional Chairman on Monday at the RDC Boardroom in Anna Regina, thus making her the first female to lead the region. Da Silva is a prominent farmer and businesswoman of Grant Beach Profit, Lower Pomeroon River with years of experience in farming, packaging, manufacturing and marketing.

However, Humace Oudit, a Justice of the Peace and Commissioner of Oaths to Affidavits was elected as Vice Chairman. He is also a long-serving senior member of the PPP/C local branch office in Anna Regina.

Those elected as Councillors on the PPP/C side of the bench are Arnold N L Adams, Faraz Baksk, Ragunauth Doodnauth, Melrose Henry, Toolsie Narine, Lloyd J Pereira, Verina E Rasheed, Dr

D

Members of the new Council (new Chairman and Vice Chairman at front centre)

Local Government and Regional Development Minister Nigel Dharamlall addressing the new Council

Ranjeev Singh, Shaleenie F Sukdeo and Pastor Ronald Thompson.

The Councillors on the APNU/AFC side of the bench include Trevor W Cozier, Ciselyn A Jonas, Mark A Mc Lean, Yonette N Obermuller and Nathram Persaud.

Local Government and Regional Development Minister, Nigel Dharamlall, who was present at the elections and swearing-in of Councillors, called on the newly elected RDC to work

together.

He noted that the time for campaigning is over and as such, the Councillors on both sides of the House have an obligation to the people who elected them to office.

The Minister pledged his support to the new Executive and urged them to not be afraid to call on him at any time.

Further, he stated that the RDC and the Government must work to lower the cost of production

eron Adams was on Monday elected Regional Chairman of the ninth Council of Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) while Douglas Gittens will serve as his Deputy following an election at the Watooka Complex in Linden.

Following his election to office, Adams declared that he is happy to serve the people of his region.

“I am truly honoured, proud to be formally and publicly installed as the Chairman of this respected institution, and on this day, I commit to you without reservation; that I will work tirelessly to champion the cause of Region 10, to lead its mission and to strengthen and secure its future. I know it’s a significant commitment but I am prepared to contribute along with the newly-elected and returning council-

GPPA guarantees adequate chicken supply at reasonable prices for Christmas season

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he Guyana Poultry Producers Association (GPPA) is assuring the nation that there will be an adequate supply of chicken at reasonable prices for the upcoming Christmas season, following some shortages on the market owing to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

The Association said over the last few years, the production and supply of locally produced chicken were quite stable but in March 2020, the adverse economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic began to significantly affect the industry.

It noted that there was a severe reduction in the consumption of poultry as the closure of restaurants, bars and fast-food businesses reduced operating hours for convenience, and a nightly curfew all became mandatory.

The reduced income of consumers and subsequent reduced spending re-

sulted in farmers losing money and the poultry industry having to make substantial cuts in production With the marketplace settling into a new normal, the industry has

made its own adjustments, including the increased importation of hatching eggs, which has already resulted in an increased supply of broiler meat.

Public Works Minister Juan Edghill

lors to build upon the successes of what we would have achieved over the past 5 years and to fulfil the RDC’s mission which is to support, promote and protect our people’s interest here in Region 10,” Adams.

Adams said with the RDC being the principal planning and policy-making body in the Region, under his stewardship, it will continue to co-ordinate and set the direction for social and economic development.

He assured that the Council will continue to plan carefully at the level of the Committee and will meet the people at the grassroots level to address their concerns. He further called for Government to ensure that the Plan of Action for Regional Development (PARD) initiative is fully implemented as he promised to engage stakeholders shortly.

Speaking on behalf of Government, Public Works Minister Juan Edgehill congratulated the new Council, noting that the administration stands ready to assist.

“I stand to congratulate you and secondly, to com-

mit that our Government, we stand ready and prepared to work with you as a Region for your development and for Guyana’s overall development...The fact that we have these elections of Chairman and Vice Chairman today, it means that we have closed a chapter and we are beginning a new chapter...you can now sit as a Council and representatives, not first of all to your political party but as representatives to the people of Linden and Region 10 to deliver the goods and services to the people of the Region. It is the people that put you there and it is the people you should serve,” Edghill said.

He reminded that Article 13 of the Constitution requires that the people, through their representatives, participate in decision making.

“I want to join my voice in calling on civil society actors and civil society players within Region number 10, despite of your preference or politics, let’s work with one objective for development and transformation,” Edghill noted.

NEWS

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Panellists for CoI into Guyana’s election fiasco could come from regional, int’l bodies – President Ali P resident Dr Irfaan Ali has reaffirmed his intention to launch a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the events which unfolded during and after the March 2 General and Regional Elections, with a view of having those persons who attempted to derail the process and undermine democracy held accountable.

According to the Head of State, the CoI is likely to be comprised of individuals from both regional and international organisations. He made this disclosure during an interview on Jamaica’s televised programme, “The Conversation”.

President Ali explained that while he has tremendous respect for the national human asset, the region has always been Guyana’s “first call.”

“Definitely I think the region would have to play a part, but we have also gotten requests from many of the international organisations – OAS, Commonwealth and so on…these are all organisations that played a key role [in fighting for Guyana’s democracy].”

“So, between the OAS, Commonwealth and Caricom, I think we will have a great opportunity to determine a good panel to look at the CoI,” President Ali said.

He reiterated that: “We must have an internation-

The diplomats from the ABCE countries leaving the Region Four Returning Officer’s office after discrepancies were unearthed during the tabulation of SoPs in the March 2, 2020 General and Regional elections

al CoI into what took place during those elections and after those elections, because people have to be held accountable…you have to be held accountable for your actions, and your actions caused tremendous harm to the people of Guyana and to our country.”

Meanwhile, President Ali also reaffirmed his Government’s position on initiating the process of constitutional and electoral reform within the country and he assured that the entire reform process will be driv-

en by a method of wide consultation.

“You will not see a President who will say; this is what we are going to do.

Of course, I have my ideas on what should be done, but the final product has to come through a consultative mechanism and machinery that involves the citizens of the country,” President Ali stated.

He explained, however, that “before we get to reform, there are many questions that have to be answered. We must have an

international CoI into what took place during those elections and after. I believe too that people have to be held accountable.”

President Ali also explained that, while there needs to be an investigation into the workings of the Guyana Elections Commission itself, there must also be a thorough examination of what transpired within this machinery.

“What took place goes beyond the Commission, to the machinery itself, the techni-

cal and professional aspects that make up the secretariat of GECOM. You had senior staff who were supposed to work and act independently.

Those persons found themselves highly compromised.

That is the difference here.

The Commission is one issue; that is why I said in a recent interview even in the public service, persons have to decide whether you want to be a public servant, a technocrat or whether you want to be in politics,” President Ali explained.

He also assured that, even while this process is being undertaken, his Government’s development plans for Guyana will not be derailed.

President Ali added, “I am not going to allow this to affect the functioning of my Government. We have a country to run. We had to bring an emergency budget for the last four months.

We are now working on that budget and moving on some important transformative projects to create employment, to open up the economy, strengthen growth and broaden the portfolio of economic progress. Whilst we are working on that (CoI), we are simultaneously working on these things.

As you are aware, there is a criminal investigation going on now into GECOM. Some charges have already been laid, and we are also work-

ing very shortly to engage the international community and Caricom itself on the CoI.” The protracted electoral process, since the March 2 polls, has been marred by a series of litigations and a National Recount had to be conducted to ascertain the valid votes cast. The results from the 33-day exercise showed the PPP/C with a landslide victory, having obtained 233,336 votes while its main political rival, the APNU/AFC obtained 217,920 votes – a difference of 15,416 votes.

The then David Granger regime had repeatedly refused to concede defeat and allow for a peaceful transition of power. In fact, the unprecedented situation attracted widespread international attention, with the US Government announcing visa sanctions against officials who were undermining democracy in Guyana.

Already, the Guyana Police Force has launched a criminal investigation into allegations of electoral fraud and top GECOM officials have already been arrested and charged, including Returning Officer for Region Four Clairmont Mingo.

Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield was recently arrested for questioning but he was subsequently released on bail.

(G11)

Plans for sugar industry partnership

GAWU urges that workers’ interests be safeguarded

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he Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) is urging the Government, in light of recent revelations that private partnerships are being sought, to ensure that the interests of the workers are safeguarded in whatever fu-

ture partnerships are entered into.

The Union was at the time referring to comments

by Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha.

GAWU said the question of private interests in the sugar industry has long attracted discussions and

contentions more so, given the wretched history of the industry when it was controlled by the former sugar barons. The Union was among the many supportive voices, at the time, which hailed the nationalisation of the industry and according to them, they still believe

the sugar industry served the interest of the nation in the hands of the State.

“We also, at the same time, cannot be ignorant to the pressing realities which confront the industry. Our Union has lamented, in more recent times, the lack of managerial skill and the dearth of capital investment. We are convinced that the industry can rebound and play a more meaningful role but such initiatives, we know, would require some amount of capital,” the Union said in a statement.

GAWU added that they had previously indicated this to the APNU/AFC Administration in 2017 when they presented the paper titled “Securing the sugar industry”. In that paper, the Union outlined several initiatives which could assure the industry’s turnaround and success. Through that paper as well, GAWU urged the then Government to consider partnerships with the Private Sector or other institutional investors to bring those initiatives to life.

However, the Union said

that it is unfortunate that the coalition chose to ignore its every suggestion as it relates to the sugar industry.

“The new Irfaan Ali Government, it appears, has decided to go the route we had previously suggested…we also urge the Administration to give sincere and careful consideration to welfare and well-being of the thousands of the industry workers. President Ali has recently signalled his understanding of the hardship and misery that greeted workers and their families following the closure of estates. We are sure he wishes to remove that igno-

minious stain and to avoid a situation that will engender a repetition. It is against this background that the GAWU sees the need for the rights and conditions of workers being safeguarded as the industry moves into its next phase of development,” GAWU noted.

The Union stated that it remains a committed partner to the turnaround of the sugar industry. It added that in as much as they seek to see the industry recover and take its rightful place in the economic scheme, it knows too of its critical importance to workers and their communities.

16 NEWS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Patterson resigns as AFC’s General Secretary – sources cite fallout over Region 4 Vice Chair position

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n the wake of what seems to be a dispute over the election of a Vice Chairman for the Region Four Regional Democratic Council (RDC), Alliance For Change (AFC) General Secretary David Patterson has tendered his resignation as General Secretary.

Sources indicate that Patterson may have taken this step after coalition partner A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), which has a history of infringements against the smaller party, locked the AFC out from the Vice Chair position despite a previous agreement.

The previous agreement that Patterson helped craft, according to reports, had

AFC Executive David Patterson

stipulated that the AFC would get the Vice Chair positions in Regions Seven and Four. But following the election of APNU candidate,

former Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Captain Daniel Seeram, it was not to be.

AFC had nominated Neilson McKenzie for the Vice Chairman position, APNU nominated Samuel Sandy and the PPP nominated Desmond Morian. Voting was along party lines, as APNU and PPP cast their 14 votes each for their candidates and the AFC, with its five votes, backed McKenzie.

Seeram then used his deciding vote to elect Sandy.

It is understood that in his letter of resignation, Patterson committed to remaining in the party and playing a role. However, that role would not include General Secretary. Calls to Patterson and party leader,

Khemraj Ramjattan, went unanswered.

Since it came into office after joining forces with the APNU in 2015, the minority AFC has been criticised for the submissive role it has been playing to the abusive APNU. Decisions the former Government made, such as the closure of sugar estates, which put thousands of sugar workers out of jobs, were passed unchallenged and even supported by the AFC. This is despite the AFC retaining the Agriculture Ministry.

This passive relationship with APNU was cited by former AFC parliamentarian Charrandas Persaud, as one of the reasons he voted for the No-Confidence

AFC nominee Neilson McKenzie

Motion that brought down the APNU/AFC Government in 2018.

In addition, there has been the former

Government’s strategic reallocation of responsibilities away from Ministries that were headed by AFC officials, to other Ministries.

This included removing oil and gas from former Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman and citizenship from former Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan.

There is also the fact that despite the Cummingsburg Accord containing stipulations that should have seen former Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo being vested with the responsibility for chairing Cabinet and domestic issues, the former APNU Government never honoured this.

Over 200 youths gained employment after completing USAID-funded programme

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ver 200 youth were successful at getting jobs after completing the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Community, Family and Youth Resilience (CFYR) programme. This was revealed on Monday by US Ambassador to Guyana Sarah-Ann Lynch at a closeout session aimed at recognising the programme’s contributions to Guyana, four years after its implementation.

The CFYR programme supported family networks, communities, service providers and Government agencies to implement successful approaches that reduce violence and increase opportunities for youth. It identified and worked with families and their youth who are empirically at the highest risk of becoming involved in crime and violence.

The programme assessed youth risk through the Youth Service Eligibility Tool (YSET), which measures risk across nine fac-

tors at a family, peer and individual level. Youth were matched with interventions based on their level of risk and these interventions sought to increase protective factors or resilience.

These initiatives include civic activities to build social and leadership skills, workshops to increase youth workforce readiness, community activities that promote positive youth-police contact, and campaigns to challenge those gender norms which contribute to an environment permissive of violence. The programme also reached youth at higher levels of risk—those who are leaving the juvenile justice system—with targeted support to improve their chances of reintegration.

During her remarks, Ambassador Lynch said, “I’ve had the pleasure of attending graduation ceremonies for youth who completed life and employment skills training and have listened to their elevator pitches – sometimes a bit shy, some-

US Ambassador to Guyana Sarah-Ann Lynch

times dynamic, but always purposeful. I’ve heard youth describe aspirations for themselves and seen their ideas for small businesses not only in Georgetown, but outside the capital too, for example in Corriverton.”

Throughout all these interactions, she pointed out that she has been struck by the aspirational visions these young men and women have for themselves and how the project has been able to work with over 400 young men and women in Guyana to build those visions and support attainment of their goals. According to her, over 200 of those youth were successful at getting new jobs.

Reflecting on the programme, Ambassador Lynch noted that it has been an inspiring experience. She revealed that working with families has been a centrepiece of CFYR. Through the Family Matters initiative, she revealed that 160 at-risk youth and their families in Guyana, totalling over 600 individuals, bene-

fitted from family counselling.

The Family Matters programme, according to her, was designed with the theory that youth resilience is tied closely to the resilience of the family unit. She explained that this is tied to academic research, which shows that improvements within the family system are linked with improved behaviour among at-risk youth.

“Essentially, better-performing families will mean better-performing youth.

In CFYR’s final round of Family Matters, 81 per cent of the engaged youth in Guyana were assessed as having reduced risk factors. Like the family members, Government partners have recognised the value of this programme. Based on the evidence of its impact, the Guyana Government will continue to fund its existence and offer its services to families of at-risk youth,” the US envoy said.

Another important area of focus for the CFYR programme was Juvenile Justice Reform, Ambassador Lynch informed. She said that in Guyana, CFYR worked with the Office of Juvenile Justice, the Magistracy, youth rehabilitation facilities and other partners to support the implementation of the Juvenile Justice Act of 2018.

She noted that some activities focused on the youth rehabilitation facilities in Guyana - both the Sophia Holding Centre and the New Opportunity Corps - to improve rehabilitation and

reintegration support for youth. She noted further that the programme developed and/or revised key administrative and diagnostic tools.

She said, “Following training and monitoring of staff, these tools are now in use at both facilities and have improved their services and efficiency. CFYR also supported juvenile justice partners to establish an inter-agency working group that meets regularly, overseeing implementation of the Juvenile Justice Act.”

among youth, families and communities.

She added that the programme has also hosted knowledge-sharing forums, bringing together youth, Government representatives, the Private Sector and other non-Government partners to share lessons learned and best practices in violence prevention so that partners can improve their programmes.

The US Ambassador extended gratitude to many partners in Government, the Private Sector and non-Gov-

The US Ambassador continued, “Key CFYR partners like UNICEF, the Rights of the Child Commission, ChildLink and others, continue to provide their support to improve the rehabilitation and reintegration support for youth in contact with the law. We thank them for being excellent partners of ours and the people of Guyana.”

Having regards to the foregoing, Ambassador Lynch underscored that the CFYR programme has definitely left its mark and has provided valuable lessons of evidence-based methods to reduce crime and violence

ernment sector who have consistently partnered with the US Government to do excellent work and looks forwards to continuing works to design and implement an impactful programme that reflects the priorities of the communities.

She assured that the US Government will continue to support resilient communities and has already planned to work with local organisations, locally-elected representatives and citizens to improve community governance and support a citizen-driven agenda for development.

NEWS

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Shifting to Judge-only trials a complex issue – Nandlall ...not an immediate answer to a problem – Bar Association ...says wants to flag it for future action

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he Guyana Bar Association (GBA) is not in support of the Judiciary recommencing jury trials next week Tuesday, October 6, 2020, in light of the increasing COVID-19 deaths and cases in Guyana.

While the GBA has been engaging with the Judiciary on forging the way forward, it has called on Government to seriously consider passing legislation that will, among other things, facilitate the implementation of Judgealone trials and the reduction of the number of jurors required for trials at the criminal assizes to ensure that justice is not delayed and dispensed swiftly in a safe manner.

However, Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall said that this is not a simplistic issue as it may appear. In fact, Nandlall pointed out that jury trials have long been a staple of the common law and the cornerstone of the criminal justice system. He explained that the right to an accused person to a jury trial is a very sacrosanct right that has survived for centuries.

According to Nandlall, “It is predicated upon the right of an accused person to be tried by his peers and therefore it is not a matter that can be taken lightly.” He noted that in order to shift to Judge-alone trials, legislative changes will have to be done because the law currently mandates that certain types of offences can only be tried before a Judge and jury at the criminal as-

Attorney General Anil Nandlall

sizes.

“So that law will have to be amended. But consultations would be necessary because in some quarters this move may be opposed vehemently especially by criminal lawyers as well as human rights, and rightsbased organisations. So, one needs to tread very carefully on this matter as it is considered fundamental to the criminal justice system,” Nandlall noted.

Future action

Meanwhile, Bar Association President Attorney-at-Law Teni Housty pointed out that the presence of the COVID-19 pandemic has forced a change in the way the justice system operates, not only in Guyana but also in the wider Caribbean.

He said that countries like Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica have passed laws

which have seen a shift from jury to Judge-alone trials.

While the Bar Association is pushing for these measures to be given urgent attention in Parliament, Housty was keen to point out that they were never considered to be an immediate answer to a problem.

“We want to flag it for future action and the issue is a real one now. We can start the process, we can start the discussion, but it is not a quick fix,” the Bar Association President pointed out.

Speaking specifically on the issue of Judge-alone trials, like Nandlall, Housty noted that it requires legislative amendment and a comprehensive process of the relevant review of laws and consultations as wide as possible. He added that a framework has to be outlined and that Guyana can take note of the approaches and the implementation of laws in that regard in Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica.

“It [Judge-alone trial] is an option that is given to an accused person. So, an optional entitlement would be a part of the broad discussion. The question would be whether the time is right now to start a process. You have to consider constitutional issues, fundamental right issues. You have to look at it from a personnel perspective in the context of how many persons are awaiting jury trials, how many of the persons awaiting jury trials would opt for Judge-alone trials. So, you would also need to get the empirical data from persons

who are awaiting jury trials.”

“It is just adding an option in the delivery of justice.

I do not think Judge-alone trial should be mandatory,” he said. Against this backdrop, he further said that the fundamental right of the accused person remains sacrosanct, while adding that Guyana has to look for opportunities to improve the administration of justice in a long term, sustainable and safe manner given that the world is in the midst of a pandemic.

Last week, the GBA in a press statement said that while Guyana was paralysed by a prolonged five-month election process concurrently with the pandemic, other jurisdictions which had the benefit of an operational Parliament were able to pass laws and institute procedures that adapt to keep the legal process moving forward while protecting and balancing the rights of all citizens.

Apart from Judge-alone trials and reduction in the number of jurors for criminal trials, the Bar Association said that some countries have made amendments to the considerations and conditions of bail to reduce the number of persons in custody; plea deals; virtual hearings and procurement of the equipment therefor; e-filing and other electronic facilities.

GBA pointed out that while it recognises the efforts of the Judiciary to cope with the changes brought about by the pandemic, Guyana now has a func-

be found and employed out of a collective, consultative and coherent process.”

Not absolute

Bar Association President Attorney-at-Law Teni Housty

tioning Parliament and urgent attention should be given to these matters so that the rights of citizens and the public health can be secured.

Moreover, it added that the recently reported number of positive COVID-19 cases of inmates is alarming and also a cause of concern for the resumption of jury trials at this time.

In fact, GBA underscored, “It is the duty of the State to provide adequate facilities for persons in their custody. Delays in trials of accused persons have plagued Guyana for many years due to many factors. We are now in the extraordinary time of a pandemic which has undoubtedly changed our lives and manner of operation. As we have all now undoubtedly learnt, we will be unable to do things the way we used to for quite some time.

Alternative solutions must

It said that while it is conscious of the constitutional right of an accused person to a fair hearing within a reasonable time, this right is not absolute and must be balanced against other considerations such as public health and other enshrined rights of citizens. “One right cannot outweigh the other,” GBA noted.

The Bar Association pointed out that given the high COVID-19 infection rate in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, jury trials have not yet recommended. As a matter of fact, it stressed that Guyana’s reported rate is higher than Trinidad and Tobago. In light of the reported rising cases and deaths in Guyana, particularly over to the past month, the GBA expressed grave concern and reservation for the resumption of jury trials.

It noted that the resumption of jury trials has been led by medical science, and that meaningful consultation has become the hallmark of good administration in a modern society, as now recognised in many decided cases.

According to the GBA, the decision to resume jury trials affects not only the Bench, Bar and accused, but also the public at large who are compelled by judicial command to appear either as jurors or witnesses, under the threat of penal sanction if they fail to do so.

Ramphal, Armogan return as heads of Regions 5 & 6

Regional Chairman Vickchand Ramphal and his Deputy, Rian Pieters

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ickchand Ramphal and Rian Pieters will return as Chairman and Vice Chairman respectively of the Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) Regional Democratic Council (RDC).

The 18-person Council was installed on Monday where the Chairman and his Deputy were elected. Ramphal will serve a second term as Head of the RDC while Pieters will commence his third term as Vice Chairman.

The eighteen Councillors represent eight from the A Partnership

for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition list and 10 from the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) list.

Ramphal pledged to work in the best interest of all residents of the Region.

“As Regional Chairman I will work with all Councillors of the Regional Democratic Council of Region Five to ensure that the people of this Region receive the goods and services that the RDC has to offer,” he said in a brief statement.

The last RDC only had a few successful meetings after being in-

Re-elected Region Six Chairman David Armogan

stalled in April 2015.

Meanwhile, in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), David Armogan will return as the Chairman to serve for a third term while Zamal Hussain is the Region’s new Vice Chairman.

Armogan told the RDC that all residents must benefit from the resources within the Region.

“That will be the standing principle within this RDC. So, quite unlike what happened before where resources were channelled

in a selective direction but this time it will not be like that, we will make sure that everybody benefits from the resources. Hussain, in referring to his responsibility, said he intends to fulfil it. He took the opportunity to call for unity among Councillors.

“For us to acquire this, we need a strong and united RDC with unshakeable commitment to serve all our people with humility, professionalism and loyalty.”

Meanwhile, Agriculture

Deputy Regional Chairman Zamal Hussain

Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, who is himself a former Chairman of that Region, related that it will take a lot of effort on the part of each Councillor for the work of the RDC to be successful.

Mustapha cautioned Councillors to listen to the concerns of residents and to go into the communities.

“You are in the RDC to serve the people. It is not the other way around. You are the servant of the people,” he posited.

18

guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

Regional

Brazil: Prosecutors bring Poorer countries to get 120 million US$5 coronavirus graft charges against Bolsonaro’s son – report tests, WHO says

B

razilian state in the Rio de Janeiro prosecutors in state legislature.

Flavio Bolsonaro Rio de Janeiro did not immediately on Monday brought respond to a request charges against the President’s son, for comment sent to Flavio Bolsonaro, for his cabinet office.

O Globo, one of alleged embezzlement, laundering and Brazil’s leading dailies, cited a more running a criminal orthan 300-page indictganisation, domestic newspaper O Globo ment detailing the reported. charges.

The Rio prosecuThe indictments tors’ office, however, ratchet up pressure said in a statement in a long-running that no charges had probe into the son of right-wing leader Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro is seen after yet been filed against Jair Bolsonaro. The the inauguration ceremony of the new Brazilian Senator Bolsonaro.

“The instituyounger Bolsonaro, National Development Bank (BNDES) President 39, is a federal sena- at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, July 16, tion regrets and repudiates the disclotor who has been un- 2019 sure of news related der investigation for in which employees would accusations that he orches- kick back part of their salary to sealed investigations,” it trated a corruption scheme to him while he was serving said. (Reuters)

PM: Carnival 2021 is NOT on

Masqueraders from Peter Minshall’s presentation of Mas Pieta cross the stage at the Queen’s Park Savannah, on Carnival Tuesday this year

T

rinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister, Dr Keith Rowley says Carnival 2021 has been cancelled. The reason: the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking at the Hyatt on Monday, the Prime Minister said it would be madness to stage what has been dubbed the greatest show on earth while the coronavirus remained.

He said, “Gentlemen in 72 hours, we’ll be in October and if at this time in October we are still in the throes of a pandemic, it will be madness to be talking about Carnival in February. I see no future for Carnival in Trinidad and

Tobago in the months ahead and today, I could put everybody on notice that unless there’s some dramatic wind that will blow across us where by Christmas the pandemic would be a thing of the past, Carnival in T&T in 2021 is not on. “ Dr Rowley added, “Picture Jouvert morning, but with the coronavirus still a major issue not only in T&T but in the world around us, it’s just not on.

Let us be thankful that we are still alive to see each other’s face. Let us remember what our country passed through in 1918. Let’s us understand what is happen-

ing in countries abroad that have not been able to control the spread among its population. And in those examinations and review, a carnival which is the perfect environment for the spreading of the virus is not something that we can encounter (accoutrement) at this time.”

Prime Minister Rowley said, “This decision will have serious economic knock-on effects, things that we will lose in terms of the economy. But by the same token, we cannot hope to gain on that swing and die on the merry go-round.” (Trinidad Guardian)

T&T military investigating soldier in ‘sou-sou’ raid

A

lmost one week after a soldier was implicated in a TT$22 million “sou-sou”, the defence force has issued a media release saying it is cooperating with Police investigators in an ongoing criminal enquiry.

The release, issued on Monday, noted that while the defence force was cooperating with the Police in the La Horquetta-based “Drugs

Sou” (DSS), it was also doing its own internal investigation into alleged misconduct of defence force personnel.

The investigation also comes two days after the Express posted footage of a man wearing a ski mask and tactical gear stuffing his bulletproof vest with an envelope during a raid at the home of a DSS administrator on Saturday night.

Police Commissioner Gary Griffith later identified the man as a member of the defence force.

On Sunday, Police sources said investigators from the Professional Standards Bureau (PSB) were in a meeting with officers from the defence force in relation to the enquiry. (Trinidad Newsday)

S

ome 120 million rapid diagnostic tests for coronavirus will be made available to low- and middle-income countries at a maximum of US$5 each, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Monday.

The wider availability of quick, reliable and inexpensive testing will help 133 countries to track infections and contain the spread, closing the gap with wealthy ones, it said.

WHO Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the manufacturers Abbott and SD Biosensor had agreed with the Bill & Melinda Gates

Foundation to “make 120 million of these new, highly portable and easy-to-use rapid COVID-19 diagnostic tests available over a period of six months”.

He told a news conference in Geneva the tests were currently priced at a maximum of US$5 each, but were expected to become cheaper.

“This will enable the expansion of testing, particularly in hard-to-reach areas that do not have laboratory facilities or enough trained health workers to carry out tests,” Tedros said.

“This is a vital addition to the testing capacity and

especially important in areas of high transmission.”

Catharina Boehme, Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), a Geneva-based non-profit organisation in the project, said the deal was a “major milestone” as it was urgent to increase testing in poorer countries.

“It is our first line of defence, critical for countries to track, trace and isolate to stop the spread of the virus and to ensure that we are not flying blind,” she said.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Mexican women demanding legalisation of abortion clash with Police

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omen charged Police lines and threw Molotov cocktails at officers in Mexico City on Monday during protests demanding the legalisation of abortion in the majority Roman Catholic country.

The protesters, clad in the green bandanas that have become the symbol of the prochoice movement in Latin America, gathered in Mexico’s capital to mark International Safe Abortion Day, Police, many of them female officers, sprayed plumes of tear gas at the which is celebrated each women, some of whom wielded hammers, and threw bottles and paint year on September 28.

Police, many of them tinguisher, television imagAbortion law has been female officers, responded es showed. receiving renewed attenby spraying plumes of tear Abortion is illegal in tion after the death in the gas at the women, some of Mexico outside the capital United States of Supreme whom wielded hammers, city and the southern state Court Justice Ruth Bader and threw bottles and paint. of Oaxaca, which legalised Ginsburg, a pioneering womAt least one officer was the medical procedure last en’s rights advocate, which briefly engulfed in flames year. In the rest of Mexico, has cast doubt over the fuafter being hit by a Molotov abortion is banned except ture of legal abortion there. cocktail, before colleagues under certain circumstanc- (Excerpt from Reuters) doused the fire with an ex- es, such as rape.

Tufton hurt by COVID-19 negative talk

J

amaica’s Health and Wellness Minister, Dr Christopher Tufton has expressed disappointment and hurt regarding comments from critics who believe the Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic is politicking.

“I’m almost emotional about it, because it is simply not the case. I’ve been hearing the comments on radio and in the media space where persons, in some instances who should know better, assert that somehow, having gone to a general election and... being re-elected, somehow, we have hidden information or

we have dropped the ball and we are no longer sensitive, because we have now been re-elected,” Dr Tufton told the Jamaica Observer in a round-table interview last week.

The Health Minister said it was painful to hear at this stage in the COVID-19 response, assertions that the Government was uncaring and insensitive to the plight of people who were at risk of suffering from or exposed to COVID-19, particularly as the country dealt with the community transmission phase of the virus.

“This is not true, and it is an insult, in my mind, not

just to us in Government, but to the thousands of public health players who have, over the last many months since January, really sacrificed themselves in many ways to give protection to the country as part of the COVID-19 response,” he told the Sunday Observer.

But, regarding the management of the virus, Dr Tufton made an impassioned plea to Jamaicans to understand that they, too, have a responsibility, which they must exercise alongside the Government’s response if the nation is to overcome the pandemic. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

19

Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Oil up on economic recovery hopes, COVID-19 keeps prices in check

O

il prices edged up on Monday as global equities rallied on hopes for another US stimulus package, but rising virus cases fed concerns about fuel demand and kept oil futures from moving higher.

Brent crude climbed 36 cents to US$42.28 a barrel by 1:29 pm EDT (1729 GMT). US West Texas Intermediate was at US$40.46 a barrel, up 21 cents.

“There is some renewed hopes that the Democrats and the Republicans can get a relief bill put together and that seems to be raising expectations that the (oil) demand outlook is going to be a little bit better with the economy,” said Phil Flynn, senior analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago.

Oil followed Wall Street higher as American political talks continued for another COVID-19 relief bill after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday said she thought a deal could be reached with the White House.

Still, the global health crisis, which has slashed global fuel consumption, kept oil prices from moving much higher.

“The speed with which the virus is spreading is the main concern for both health officials and financial investors,” said PVM analyst Tamas Varga.

Some Midwest US states have seen a 25 per cent jump in positive COVID-19 test rates, and the number of new infections nationwide has grown to 46,000 on average each day compared with 35,000 daily two weeks ago.

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said the global oil market had been stable for the past few months, but warned of the risks of a second wave of COVID-19 cases.

Despite efforts by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies to limit output, more crude is being exported from OPEC producers Iran and Libya.

OPEC Secretary General Mohammad Barkindo said on Sunday that commercial oil inventories in OECD countries are expected to stand only slightly above the five-year average in the first quarter of 2021, before falling below that level for the rest of the year.

Meanwhile, one of the heaviest clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan since 2016 broke out over the weekend, reigniting concern about stability in the South Caucasus, a corridor for pipelines carrying oil and gas to world markets.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

“The future is uncertain”: India coronavirus cases top 6 million

I

ndia’s coronavirus case tally passed 6 million on Monday after it reported 82,170 new infections in the last 24 hours, as the pandemic rages across the vast South Asian nation.

With 6.1 million infections according to the Health Ministry, India is on course to pass the United States in the coming weeks as the country with the most cases.

COVID-19 deaths rose by 1039 in the last 24 hours to 95,542, the Ministry said, which is 1.6 per cent of total infections.

The nation of 1.3 billion people is home to some of the world’s most densely populated cities and has long been expected to record a large number of

Globally, India has the second-highest number of coronavirus cases, behind the US, where infections crossed 7 million last week [Adnan Abidi/Reuters]

COVID-19 cases.

India has been adding 80,000 to 90,000 new infections each day since it started reporting the world’s highest daily rises from late

Trump taxes are “national security” issue, Nancy Pelosi says

T

he top-ranked Democrat in Washington has called President Donald Trump’s alleged tax avoidance a question of “national security”.

Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives, asked whether Trump owed money to foreign interests, following an article on his financial records by the New York Times.

It alleges Trump paid only US$750 (£580) in federal income tax in both 2016 and 2017.

Trump called the report “fake news”.

Speaking on NBC, Pelosi said the report showed that “this President appears to have over $400 million in

The Trump Organisation has rejected the New York Times’ allegations, saying “most” of the facts are inaccurate

debt”.

“To whom? Different countries? What is the leverage they have?” she asked, adding: “So for me, this is a national security question.”

“The fact that you could have a sitting President

Fiercest clashes since 1990s rage in Tax evasion and theft “rob Africa” Azerbaijan’s ethnic of US$89B a year – UN study Armenian enclave A

F

ighting escalated sharply on Monday between Azerbaijan and its ethnic Armenian mountain enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, and at least 29 people were killed in a second day of heavy clashes.

The two sides pounded each other with rockets and artillery in the fiercest round of the decades-old conflict in more than a quarter of a century.

“This is a life-and-death war,” Arayik Harutyunyan, the Nagorno-Karabakh leader, told a briefing.

Any move to all-out war could drag in major regional powers Russia and Turkey. Moscow has a defence alliance with Armenia, which provides vital support to the enclave and is its lifeline to the outside world, while Ankara backs its own ethnic Turkic kin in Azerbaijan.

Nagorno-Karabakh said 27 of its soldiers had been killed in fighting with Azeri

forces on Monday, after saying that 31 of its servicemen had been killed on Sunday and around 200 wounded when Azerbaijan attacked.

Nagorno-Karabakh also said it had recovered some territory lost on Sunday, but the region’s leader said later that neither the Azeri army nor the Armenian militaries captured any tactical positions during the fighting on Monday.

He said that the Azeri army had started a major attack towards Matagis and Talish and alongside the Araks river.

Azerbaijan declared a partial military mobilisation on Monday after declaring martial law on Sunday. Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh declared martial law and mobilised their male populations on Sunday. Men older than 18 years in Armenia are banned from leaving the country. (Excerpt from Reuters)

August.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called on people to keep wearing face coverings when they venture out of their homes.

The virus initially hit large metropolises including the financial hub Mumbai and national capital New Delhi but has since spread to provincial and rural areas where healthcare systems are fragile and patchy.

Despite the continued march of the illness, the Government is unlikely to reimpose the lockdown it has gradually lifted, after the harsh restrictions battered the economy and wrecked the livelihoods of millions of people, particularly the poor.

Some schools have reopened, and trains, metros, domestic flights, markets and restaurants have been allowed to operate with restrictions. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

frica is losing nearly $89 billion a year in illicit financial flows such as tax evasion and theft, amounting to more than it receives in development aid, a new UN study shows.

The estimate, published on Monday in the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) 248-page report, is the UN’s most comprehensive to date for Africa. It shows an increasing trend over time and is higher than most previous estimates.

Nearly half of the total annual figure of $88.6 billion is accounted for by the export of commodities such as gold, diamonds and platinum, the report said.

For example, gold accounted for 77 per cent of total under-invoiced exports worth $40 billion in 2015, it showed.

Understating a commodity’s true value helps conceal trade profits abroad and deprives developing countries of foreign exchange

and erodes their tax base, UNCTAD said.

The report calls Africa a “net creditor to the world”, echoing economists’ observations that the aid-reliant continent is actually a net exporter of capital because of these trends.

“Illicit financial flows rob Africa and its people of their prospects, undermining transparency and accountability and eroding trust in African institutions,” said UNCTAD SecretaryGeneral Mukhisa Kituyi.

Junior Davis, head of policy and research at UNCTAD’s Africa division, told the Reuters news agency the figure was likely an underestimate, citing data limitations.

Tackling illicit flows is a priority for the UN, whose General Assembly adopted a resolution on this in 2018, and the report urges African countries to draw on the report to present “renewed arguments” in international forums. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

who owes hundreds of millions of dollars that he’s personally guaranteed to lenders, and we don’t know who these lenders are,” she said, and suggested that Trump may be indebted to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“What does Putin have on the President politically?

Personally? Financially?”

According to the explosive report in the New York Times - which says it obtained tax records for Trump and his companies over two decades - Trump paid no income taxes at all in 10 of the previous 15 years. It adds that the President is personally responsible for more than US$300 million in loans, which will come due in the next four years.

It does not suggest Trump received any previously unknown income from Russia, though it said that the President had earned some money from foreign sources.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Threat to evacuate US diplomats from Iraq raises fear of war

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

W

ashington has made preparations to withdraw diplomats from Iraq after warning Baghdad it could shut its embassy, two Iraqi officials and two Western diplomats said, a step Iraqis fear could turn their country into a battle zone.

Any move by the United States to reduce its diplomatic presence in a country where it has up to 5000 troops would be widely seen in the region as an escalation of its confrontation with Iran, which Washington blames for missile and bomb attacks.

That, in turn, would open the possibility of military action, with just weeks to go before an election in which President Donald Trump has campaigned on a hard line

towards Tehran and its proxies.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo threatened to close the embassy in a phone call a week ago to President Barham Salih, two Iraqi Government sources said.

The conversation was initially reported by an Iraqi news website.

By Sunday, Washington had begun preparations to withdraw diplomatic staff if such a decision is taken, those sources and the two Western diplomats said.

The concern among the Iraqis is that withdrawing diplomats would be followed quickly by military action against forces Washington blamed for attacks.

The US State Department, asked about plans to withdraw from Iraq, said: “We never comment on the Secretary’s private diplomatic conversations with foreign leaders ... Iran-backed groups launching rockets at our Embassy are a danger not only to us but to the Government of Iraq.”

(Excerpt from Reuters)

20

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

guyanatimesgy.com

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

Take pride in what you do. You will be judged by what you complete and what you leave unfinished.

Put a plan in place that will ensure you take care of business. Romance is favored.

A change of mind will TAURUS turn out well. Follow your (April 20gut feeling when dealing May 20) with work-related situations.

Refuse to put your health at risk. Stand up for your rights and set a good example.

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

SUDOKU

(Oct. 24Nov. 22)

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

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

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Align yourself with like-minded people. There is safety and strength in numbers. If you want to bring about change, you must fight for what you want. Don’t let a smooth-talking outsider take advantage of you or your loved ones.

Use your creative skills to get ahead. A partnership will change the way you view life.

Don’t settle for less when a slight adjustment can make your experience better.

Keep a close watch over your possessions, finances and domestic situation. Aim to please, but not at the expense of your health or position. Anger will not help you get your way, but preparation and organization will.

Romance is encouraged.

Different directions will entice you. Listen to what others say to get a sense of what will work in your favor. Plan carefully and think systematically.

Don’t argue over something you cannot change. If you consider every angle, you will recognize how to outmaneuver someone who is trying to take advantage of you.

Romance is on the rise.

Bring about changes that make you happy. Let go of situations that are holding you back or making you miserable. Create a plan to help you attain personal growth and inner peace.

Think twice before you share personal information.

Someone will be searching for a way to make you look bad. An emotional situation will escalate if you act on an assumption or get involved in gossip.

It’s OK to do things differently. Use your skills and knowledge to boost your income. A domestic change will push you to make adjustments that will bring you peace of mind.

Evaluate your lifestyle, relationships and fitness routines. Putting romance back in your life will bring you closer to a loved one.

Use your imagination, strive to be unique and don’t be afraid to share your thoughts and insights. A change will improve how you handle money, health and contractual matters.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

21

Amy Jones’s 50 drives England to convincing 44-run victory over West Indies Amy Jones top scored with 55

A

quick-fire half-century from Amy Jones drove England to within one victory of a 5-0 series sweep in the penultimate T20 International against West Indies.

Jones struck 55 off 37 balls to drag England from 45 for 3 to 166 for 6 in the fourth fixture in Derby, their highest score of the series so far, as Heather Knight’s 42 and Katherine Brunt’s unbeaten 25 helped to set West Indies an imposing target.

Another disciplined performance from England’s bowlers compounded West Indies’ struggles to find depth in their batting, with Brunt and Sarah Glenn claiming two wickets each as the tourists fell well short at 122 for 9 from their 20 overs, Chedean Nation top-scoring for them with just 30.

Jones steps up

Knight looked to be in fine touch as she raced to 42 from 30 deliveries and, more importantly, joined Jones in lifting England out of trouble. But when she edged Shamilia Connell to Campbelle for a caught be-

Aaliyah Alleyne reacts after Katherine Brunt of England hits the ball for six

No reply from West Indies

Windies of Change

With the series already lost, West Indies rang in the changes, bringing in Aaliyah Alleyne, Karishma Ramharack and Shabika Gajnabi for Afy Fletcher, Chinelle Henry, and Shakera Selman, as Captain Stafanie Taylor explained before the match: “There’s no point having young players here and not showcasing them.”

Alleyne and Ramharack are both 25, but had played just 12 T20Is between them going into the match, while the 20-year-old Gajnabi had played the last of her five T20Is against India nearly a year ago.

Alleyne played the first two matches of this series – although she did not bowl in the second and conceded 25 runs from two wicketless overs in the first. Her return to the fold looked inspired when she struck with her sixth ball, the 12th of the match, to remove Danni Wyatt, whose attempted cut sent an edge through t o wicketkeeper Shemaine Campbelle.

T h e resulting duck continued a lean series for England opener Wyatt with scores o f 17, 14 and 11 from the first three matches.

Alleyne then lured Nat Sciver, star of the third match with 82, into an edge behind and England were 22 for 2.

Ramharack snared a wicket with her first ball of the series, trapping Tammy Beaumont lbw as she tried to reverse-sweep and removing another dangerous England batsman for 27. Gajnabi’s only over went for 17 as Knight let fly, thrashing a six and picking off two beautifully-timed fours to give England a timely boost.

Ramharack came in for similar punishment soon after, also going for 17 off an over as Jones joined in on the act with a sublime reverse-swept four followed immediately by the most nonchalant six over long-off as she and Knight brought up their 50-partnership off just 30 balls.

be proud of her contribution with the bat.

Stafanie Taylor is bowled by Sarah Glenn

hind and then Sophia Dunkley – playing her first T20I in 18 months after replacing Fran Wilson – fell to a sharp caught-and-bowled by Hayley Matthews moments later without scoring, England were 112 for 5 and in need of revival again.

Jones filled the role to perfection, making West Indies pay after she had struck a Taylor delivery straight to midwicket where Lee-Ann Kirby shelled the chance with England 48 for 2 and Jones on just 2 at the time. Jones smashed Connell for another glorious six over cow corner to bring up England’s 100 and raced to her own 50 off just 30 balls.

She was joined by Brunt, who produced an excellent cameo of 25 not out from 17 balls, although Jones was run out after Brunt was caught ball-watching and missed her calls for a single as Ramharack fired the ball in at the non-striker’s end and Jones was caught in no-man’s land.

It was another step in Jones’s establishment in the middle order, after she was moved down from opener late in England’s T20 World Cup campaign, producing some handy innings in the 20s without being required to do much more. And while she had a fraught evening behind the stumps, dropping two simple skied catches, she could

Set their highest chase of the series, West Indies’ reliance on Deandra Dottin and Taylor brought them undone when both fell cheaply.

Dottin, who had registered two half-centuries and again top-scored for her side with 38 in the second match, managed just 4 before she was brilliantly bowled by Brunt in the first over of this encounter looking to pull. The ball skidded on and decimated the stumps.

Taylor reached 13 before she was bowled by Glenn and Nation contributed a much-needed 30 from 25 balls before she was run out

by Sciver to top-score for West Indies. But it wasn’t nearly enough and the tourists were left with a familiar problem of missing a really big score from the top order and lacking the depth to make up for it. (ESPNcricinfo)

SCOREBOARD ENGLAND WOMEN INNINGS (20 OVERS MAXIMUM) TT Beaumont lbw b Ramharack 27 DN Wyatt c †Campbelle b Alleyne 0 NR Sciver c †Campbelle b Alleyne 6 HC Knight (c) c †Campbelle b Connell 42 AE Jones †run out (Ramharack) 55 SIR Dunkley c & b Matthews 0 KH Brunt not out 25 S Glenn not out 4 Extras (nb 2, w 5) 7 TOTAL (20 Ov, RR: 8.3) 166/6 Did not bat: MK Villiers, S Ecclestone, A Shrubsole Fall of wickets: 1-12 (Danni Wyatt, 1.6 ov), 2-22 (Natalie Sciver, 3.6 ov), 3-45 (Tammy Beaumont, 8.1 ov), 4-110 (Heather Knight, 13.6 ov), 5-112 (Sophia Dunkley, 14.3 ov), 6-161 (Amy Jones, 19.4 ov) BOWLING SS Connell AA Alleyne DJS Dottin SR Taylor K Ramharack S Gajnabi HK Matthews

O M R W 4 0 44 1 4 0 25 2 4 0 23 0 2 0 14 0 3 0 27 1 1 0 17 0 2 0 16 1

WEST INDIES WOMEN INNINGS (TARGET: 167 RUNS FROM 20 OVERS) DJS Dottin b Brunt 4 LAGL Kirby b Sciver 4 SA Campbelle †lbw b Ecclestone 11 HK Matthews lbw b Glenn 11 SR Taylor (c) b Glenn 13 CN Nation run out (Sciver) 30 AA Alleyne run out (Dunkley) 15 SS Grimmond run out (Knight) 3 S Gajnabi b Brunt 7 K Ramharack not out 0 Extras (b 1, lb 8, w 15) TOTAL (20 Ov, RR: 6.1) Did not bat: SS Connell

24 122/9

Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Deandra Dottin, 0.3 ov), 2-26 (Lee-Ann Kirby, 2.5 ov), 3-35 (Shemaine Campbelle, 4.5 ov), 4-59 (Stafanie Taylor, 9.2 ov), 5-67 (Hayley Matthews, 11.1 ov), 6-105 (Aaliyah Alleyne, 16.3 ov), 7-113 (Chedean Nation, 17.4 ov), 8-122 (Shabika Gajnabi, 19.5 ov), 9-122 (Sheneta Grimmond, 19.6 ov) BOWLING KH Brunt A Shrubsole NR Sciver S Ecclestone HC Knight S Glenn MK Villiers

O M R W 4 1 21 2 4 0 27 0 2 0 16 1 4 0 15 1 1 0 4 0 3 0 15 2 2 0 15 0

22

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2020

Saini, AB, Kohli

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clinch super over thriller

Devdutt Padikkal scored 54

R

What drama, what action, what a match!

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AB de Villiers scored a quickfire 55 not out

Kieron Pollard bludgeoned a fantastic 60

oyal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Mumbai Indians (MI) played o u t the second Super Over-thriller of Dream11 Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 and it was Virat Kohli and Co who emerged triumphant to win the game at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Monday.

RCB, who made two changes to their playing XI, bringing in Adam ZampaandIsuruUdana, made a solid start after being put in to bat.

While he was hit into the box on the fourth delivery he faced and there were a few hits and misses, Aaron Finch made his intent clear. The right-hander creamed a Trent Boult delivery for a six in the third over before hitting four fours across the next two overs.

In the final over of the powerplay, RCB moved past fifty, with Finch batting on 40 and Devdutt Padikkal batting on 14.

The Australian limited-overs skipper brought up his fifty in the eighth over, powerfully sweeping a Rahul Chahar delivery for four.

Aaron Finch goes down the ground But, a slower ball from Boult did the trick as MI managed to get their first breakthrough, dismissing Finch for 52 in the ninth over.

MI kept the things tight over the next couple of overs and it helped them scalp the big wicket of Kohli in the 13th over. Chahar got the RCB skipper out as Kohli’s counterpart, Rohit Sharma held on to an easy catch.

RCB needed to break the shackles that MI applied over the last few overs, and Padikkal answered that call, clobbering two sixes off James Pattinson in the 14th over as RCB moved to 110.

Padikkal, who completed his second fifty in the last three games, and AB de Villiers hit two fours each across the next two overs before ABD went after Jasprit Bumrah for two sixes and a four in the 17th over to take RCB past 150.

The 62-run stand, though, was broken on the first ball of the 18th over as Boult dismissed the left-hander for 54.

However, ABD continued to take on Bumrah as the Indian pacer’s final over and the innings’ penultimate over went for 17 runs, with ABD hitting a four and a six to go past fifty, and Shivam Dube hitting a four to push his side past 180.

Dube then creamed three sixes in the final over off Pattinson as RCB posted 201-3 on the board.

Needing 202 runs to win, MI required a strong opening start, but it was not to be as Washington Sundar struck in the second over to get the big scalp of Rohit. RCB debutant Udana, then, dismissed Suryakumar Yadav in the next two overs.

RCB continued to apply pressure in the powerplay, with Sundar keeping things extremely tight. The Ishan Kishan scored a blistering 99 right-arm off-spinner conceded only seven runs in his three overs.

RCB introduced Yuzvendra Chahal into the attack in the seventh over and the leg-spinner got Quinton de Kock out in his first over. Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan then added 39 runs together, but Zampa broke the stand, dismissing Hardik in the 12th over.

Kishan, who was playing his first game of the season, then, went on to bring ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE MUMBAI INDIANS INNINGS up his fifty. By the time 16 overs were over, MI were 122-4, needing 80 off the INNINGS (20 OVERS MAXIMUM) (TARGET: 202 RUNS FROM 20 D Padikkal c Pollard OVERS) last four overs. b Boult 54 RG Sharma (c) c sub (P Negi) b Kieron Pollard, then, turned it on and how. He went after Zampa in the 17th AJ Finch c Pollard b Boult 52 Washington Sundar 8 over, hitting him for 27 runs with the help of three sixes and a four.

V Kohli (c) c Sharma b Chahar

3 Q de Kock † c sub (P Negi) b Chahal

Three overs to go and MI now needed 53 runs to win and Pollard, who AB de Villiers † not out 55 14 marched past fifty in 20 balls, slammed two sixes while Kishan tonked one as S Dube not out 27 SA Yadav c †de Villiers b Udana 0 Chahal’s final over of the night went for 22 runs, reducing MI’s target to 31 off Extras (lb 7, w 3) 10 Ishan Kishan c Padikkal b Udana 99 12 balls.

TOTAL (20 Ov, RR: 10.05) 201/3 HH Pandya c sub (P Negi) b Zampa While Navdeep Saini kept his composure, conceding just 5 runs on the first Did not bat: Gurkeerat Singh, 15 Washington Sundar, I Udana, NA KA Pollard not out 60 four deliveries, Kishan hit a six off the fifth ball before scoring a single on the Saini, YS Chahal, A Zampa KH Pandya not out 0 final ball of the 19th over.

Fall of wickets: 1-81 (Aaron Finch, Extras (w 5) 5 MI needed 19 off the final over, with Udana bowling that over. The first two 8.6 ov), 2-92 (Virat Kohli, 12.2 ov), TOTAL (20 Ov, RR: 10.05) 201/5 balls went for two runs, but Kishan hit a six on the third ball as Gurkeerat 3-154 (Devdutt Padikkal, 17.1 ov) Did not bat: JL Pattinson, RD Chahar, Singh Mann dropped the catch at long-off. The MI left-hander then hammered TA Boult, JJ Bumrah one more on the next ball to move to 99. With MI needing five from the last two BOWLING O M R W Fall of wickets: 1-14 (Rohit Sharma, balls and Kishan needing one for his ton, he went for another big hit, only to be TA Boult 4 0 34 2 1.4 ov), 2-16 (Suryakumar Yadav, 2.2 caught at deep mid-wicket.

JL Pattinson 4 0 51 0 ov), 3-39 (Quinton de Kock, 6.4 ov), RD Chahar 4 0 31 1 4-78 (Hardik Pandya, 11.2 ov), 5-197 MI required five to seal a win on the final ball and Pollard sent one past the JJ Bumrah 4 0 42 0 (Ishan Kishan, 19.5 ov) boundary rope for a four to tie the scores and push the game into the Super KH Pandya 3 0 23 0 Over.

KA Pollard 1 0 13 0 BOWLING O M R W MI batted first in the Super Over, with Pollard and Hardik being the first I Udana 4 0 45 2 two batsmen. Saini, though, did remarkably well to limit the opposition to sevWashington Sundar 4 0 12 1 en runs, picking up the wicket of Pollard.

NA Saini 4 0 43 0 RCB needed eight to win the Super Over and out came ABD and skipper YS Chahal 4 0 48 1 Kohli as MI picked Bumrah to bowl the over.

A Zampa 4 0 53 1 There was no shortage of drama. After Bumrah conceded just two off the Match tied (Royal Challengers first two balls, ABD took a review to overturn the decision on the third ball.

Bangalore won the oneRCB needed six off the last three deliveries and ABD did well to hit a four off over eliminator) Bumrah’s bouncer to bring down the target to 2 off 2. Although the match went to the final ball, Kohli hit a four to take RCB home. (IPLT20)

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Guyana to play Guatemala on Gold Cup quest

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n their quest to play in a second CONCACAF Gold Cup, Guyana will first need to overcome Guatemala in the preliminary round. Guyana’s fate was decided on Monday evening during the official draw for the 2021 event.

It marked the first time in history that CONCACAF conducted a draw for its prestigious regional national-team tournament.

Twelve teams thus far have punched their ticket to the 16team group stage. They include the winners and runners-up in 201920 CONCACAF Nations League League A groups, and the winners of CNL League B groups, including Canada, Costa Rica, Curaçao, El Salvador, Grenada, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Suriname, and the United States.

The 12 teams will be joined in the group stage by AFC Asian Cup Champions, Qatar, who will compete as a guest as part of a major collaboration between CONCACAF and the host country of the FIFA World Cup 2022™.

The four teams from Pot 1 will be the seeded teams, with Mexico in Group A, the

League performances, including the third-placed teams from League A groups, the second- placed teams from League B groups, and the winners of League C groups. Those teams are The Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Cuba, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Montserrat, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Also, the three teams that advance from the prelims are placed into Pot 4 of the main 2021 Gold Cup Draw and, along with Qatar, will be drawn out of Pot 4.

The matches for the prelims will be played in a direct elimination format and will take place July 2-6 at a centralised location in the United States.

United States in Group B, Costa Rica in Group C and Honduras in Group D. The prelims will comprise the 12 national teams who qualified through their 2019-20 CONCACAF Nations

Liverpool fight back to beat Arsenal and maintain perfect start

Former Wolves forward Diogo Jota is the 13th player to score on his Premier League debut for Liverpool

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iverpool’s new £45m signing Diogo Jota grabbed a home debut goal as the champions demonstrated their determination to retain an iron grip on their Premier League crown by coming from behind to record an impressive victory against Arsenal at Anfield.

The Gunners, who had won their opening two league games, went ahead after 25 minutes when Alexandre Lacazette took advantage of Andrew Robertson’s error to bundle a close-range finish past Alisson but ended well beaten.

Liverpool, who maintained their 100% start to the season and moved second behind Leicester City, responded instantly as manof-the-match Sadio Mane pounced two minutes later after Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno could only push out Mohamed Salah’s shot.

And Liverpool went ahead before half-time when Robertson atoned for his

earlier error by getting on the end of Trent AlexanderArnold’s cross to beat Leno.

Liverpool were far superior but Arsenal will rue a great chance missed by Lacazette, who shot tamely at Alisson when he was clean through with the score 2-1 and their night was complete when Jota, making his Anfield bow following his move from Wolves, shot low past Leno from the edge of the area.

Liverpool’s response to Arsenal taking the lead sent a powerful message to anyone with hopes of challenging Jurgen Klopp’s side for the Premier League title this season.

In contrast to the collapse we saw from Manchester City once Leicester City took control at Etihad Stadium on Sunday, Liverpool simply went through even higher gears after Lacazette pounced to give the Gunners the lead.

Led by the irrepressible Mane, Liverpool were back

on terms within two minutes and a tidal wave of attacks saw them ahead by the interval.

Mane is the star of the show at Liverpool at the moment, outshining even Salah with his potent mixture of pace, work-rate and goal threat.

Liverpool’s squad strength was also on display, with new signing Thiago Alcantara and Jordan Henderson missing through injury, they coped impressively and the icing on the cake was provided by Jota’s lively late cameo, in which he missed a great chance, had one taken off him by Salah and then scored in a moment which clearly delighted Klopp on the sidelines.

The challengers will have hopes of depriving Liverpool of a second successive title - but on this evidence it will take some doing. (BBC Sport)

RHTY&SC 30th Anniversary Celebrations 1990-2020…

Cricket teams in massive public beach clean-up in Rose Hall Town – make donations to orphanages

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he 10 cricket teams of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, MS, on Sunday last joined hands with the Mayor and Council of Rose Hall to host a successful cleanup of Guyana’s smallest township’s public beach.

More than 80 members of the 10 cricket teams turned up for the two-hour project and were led by RHTY&SC Vice President Mark Papannah and Assistant Secretary/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Simon Naidu. Rose Hall Town Mayor Chattergoon Ramnauth and Councillor Gaitree Sheonarain led a large delegation of Club members Councillors and municipal em- Home. ployees in support of the campaign.

Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster, in brief remarks to launch the project, stated that the public beach was a popular relaxation spot for residents, but sadly a lot of waste was left behind over the years by residents and as such, it has become an eye sore.

The RHTY&SC undertook the cleanup project in response to an overseas-based resident, Nazimool Fudadin, father of West Indies Test player Assad Fudadin, challenging the Club to restore the beauty of the beach. Fudadin co-sponsored the event, providing refreshments, bottled water, and lunch for the volunteers while support was also received from Dr Mel Singh, CIDI, Busta, DDL, Poonai Pharmacy, The Baby Store and Shane’s General Store. The project was done following the strict COVID-19 guidelines, with all volunteers wearing face masks and sanitising their hands regularly while gloves were also provided.

More than 60 large bags of garbage were removed and later transported to the town’s dumping site. Mayor Ramnauth expressed gratitude to the Club for hosting the much-needed campaign and offered congratulations on its 30th anniversary. Foster pledged that the RHTY&SC would always be willing to work along with the Council in developing the township. He recalled that

made donation of footwear to Canaan Children's

among the community projects undertaken over the past 30 years were the transformation of the Area H Ground; construction of a children’s playfield; restoration of the Lower Corentyne Secondary School, as well as the installation of small street bridges, dustbins, street signs, an all-weather court, township monument, and the setting-up of a charity kitchen. The long-serving club executive also announced that the Club would undertake the clean-up of the beach on a regular basis as part of its environmental programme.

Meanwhile, the Rose Hall Town Metro Female cricket team on Friday last handed over a quantity of female footwear to the Canaan Children’s Home and Camal Children’s Home of Albion as part of their contribution to the Club’s anniversary celebrations. Abgaile Kishun and RHTY&SC executive Robby Kissoonlall handed over the footwear on behalf of the team. The Rose Hall Town Metro side is the only female team in Guyana and has to date produced four West Indies and dozens of Guyana and Berbice players at all levels. The 10 cricket teams of the Club are Poonai Pharmacy Under 12 and Under 13, Farfan and Mendes Under 15, Bakewell Under 17 and Second Division, Pepsi Under 19 and Intermediate, Metro Females, and NAMILCO Under 21 and First Division.

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guyanatimesgy.com

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Guyana to play Guatemala on Gold Cup quest Saini, AB, Kohli Cricket teams in massive

RHTY&SC 30th Anniversary Celebrations 1990-2020…

clinch super over public beach clean-up thriller in Rose Hall Town Page 22

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– make donations to orphanages

What drama, what action, what a match!

The group of volunteers poses after the cleanup campaign with some of the garbage collected.

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