Guyana Times December 18, 2018

Countdown to Christmas

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

Issue No. 3780

CJIA gets $65M to upgrade equipment – Ferguson P14

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

PRICE

Jagdeo warns of plot to disrupt noconfidence vote against Govt

WHAT'S INSIDE:

49 homes to be moved for East BankEast Coast road linkage

…4-lane highway recommended P14

Page 3

…calls for protection of MPs

High-powered guns found in Berbice Page 13

Former WBD farmers still awaiting NDIA assistance

Page 9 ...1 year after agency took over drainage responsibility from GuySuCo

Aeronautical engineers will be held accountable for accidents – Minister

$80 vat included

Page 9

City Hall still to engage garbage P11 contractors on payment

Bank of Baroda to close more branches by P11 June

5 months after completion

No funds available P10 to furnish new Linden passport office

Christmas shopping Guyana is now equipped with 40 new aeronautical engineers as the Art Williams and Harry Wendt Aeronautical Engineering School hosted its 2018 graduation ceremony at the Eugene F Correira International Airport on Monday

PPP executives to meet today on presidential Page candidate 7

Essequibo man found dead after inviting stranger for ‘holiday drink’

Page 7

Vendors hoping for increased P15 sales

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tuesdAY, december 18, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

3 Jagdeo warns of plot to disrupt no-confidence vote against Govt news

tuesdAY, december 18, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Tuesday, December 18 – a night retraction at 01:30h and a day retraction from 13:30h-15:00h and Wednesday, December 19 – a night retraction at 02:30h and a day retraction from 14:30h-16:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Tuesday, December 18 – 12:45h-14:15h and Wednesday, December 19 – 13:30h-15:00h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Light rain showers will prevail for most of the day, with sunny intervals in the late afternoon. Partly cloudy skies and light rain showers are expected in the evening. Temperatures are expected to range between 22 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

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

High Tide: 13:08h reaching a maximum height of 2.40 metres.

Low Tide: 06:37h and 19:09h reaching maximum heights of 0.89 metre and 0.80 metre respectively.

saturDAY, december 15, 2018

LOTTERY NUMBERS F

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monDAY, december 17, 2018 DAILY MILLIONS

01 19 20 22 24 LUCKY 3

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

…calls for protection of MPs

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pposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo is calling for the authorities and the National Assembly to implement measures that will protect Members of Parliament and ensure that Friday’s no-confidence vote can go forward unhindered.

Jagdeo made this call during a press conference on Monday at his Church Street, Georgetown office.

The Opposition Leader expressed fears that there may be attempts to disrupt the vote by persons in the gallery.

According to Jagdeo, it only takes one crossover vote or two abstentions from the Government side for them to win. He said that because of this precarious margin and certain information his party has received, they were apprehensive.

“We are aware that they plan to install people in the galleries and should someone (from Government) vote in favour of the no-confidence motion, from the galleries they will … disrupt the vote. We’ve heard that should [that] fail, some of their MPs will disrupt the vote.”

Jagdeo theorised that they may be hoping that should the vote be disrupted, the vote will be invalidated. He made it clear that his party would notify Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland.

“We will bring this to the attention of the Speaker.

We will also insist, like what happens in many parts of the world, once someone votes in favour of the no-confidence motion, the Government falls. If you have 32 votes on our side, and one of their Members of Parliament vote in favour, the mathematics changes and it’s 33 in favour and 32 remaining votes.

“When the Clerk of the National Assembly calls the names of the Members of Parliament and should one of their members vote (in favour), no matter what happens afterwards, the vote is passed … because if you allow disruptions, you can never have (a non-contentious vote). So, if the Speaker allows (the vote to be invalidated), we will deem that an act of collusion.”

Jagdeo expressed hope that the diplomatic community would bear witness to the proceedings, whichever way the vote turned out.

Noting that the proceedings were being recorded, he warned that attempts to disrupt the vote would be publicised around the world. Jagdeo also spoke of threats and related that they would write to the Commissioner of Police.

“I know for sure, apart

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

from the occasional threats to our MPs passed off in a jocular manner, so they can always claim it was done in jest. But these threats are pregnant in the parliamentary atmosphere. We know for sure the threats are even more ominous and take on real form.”

That being said, Jagdeo also extended an olive branch. In light of the December 21 date for the motion falling close to Christmas, Jagdeo had no objections to the National Assembly delaying the vote to early January.

No confidence

Jagdeo had first announced the no-confidence motion on November 15, on the heels of devastating losses in the Local Government Elections (LGE) for the coalition Government.

The next day, the scheduled sitting of the National Assembly was abruptly cancelled at Government’s request and the Opposition turned up to an empty

chamber. At the half-empty Parliament Chambers, Jagdeo reiterated some of his expectations regarding the motion.

In a subsequent advertisement, the PPP went into further detail on its reasons for filing the motion, and the concrete reasons for the people’s rejection of the People’s National Congress (PNC)-led coalition.

It pointed to the thousands of jobs that have been lost as a result of the closure of Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) estates.

In addition, the Party referred to the various scandals that have erupted

under the Administration.

They include the single sourcing of the feasibility contract for the new Demerara River crossing, the single sourcing of a drug bond and the single sourcing of drug procurement contracts.

The Party noted the numerous breaches of fiscal laws flagged by the Audit Office of Guyana in its reports, as well as the lack of accountability in the D’Urban Park Project, something even the Auditor General had to launch a special probe into. The depletion of Guyana’s gold and foreign reserves was also highlighted.

Court settlements since the coalition Government took office were also zeroed in on by the Party.

The Attorney General’s Chambers has come under much criticism for not being able to secure successes in several cases against the State.

Since taking office, in addition to losing cases, Government has opted to enter into out-of-court settlements. These settlements include sums to the tune of US$5.7 million, $226 million and $3.8 billion.

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tuesdAY, december 18, 2018

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

Too many lives lost in road fatalities

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018 is coming to a close, and most of us, in our reflections, would accept that it has been one fraught with many challenges, as well as some positive developments. This year will go down as yet another year when Guyana experienced some of the most horrific road accidents, resulting in the loss of lives and injuries to countless others. The three most recent accidents involved teens who were killed in accidents that could have been avoid had caution be taken on the roadway. On Friday last, Police Commissioner Leslie James, in giving a breakdown of some crime and accident statistics for 2018, said there has been an overall spike in the number of fatal accidents recorded when compared to the same period last year.

He used his platform to make some requests, which can affect how the GPF can function in a positive manner. Those include provisions for a traffic advisory board, training board and promotion board. At present, consultations have been convened to determine whether these panels should be reinstated. As a matter of fact, the Commissioner is quoted as saying, “There is need for the traffic advisory board. There is need for a training board and, of course, a promotion board. We have strongly recommended the resuscitation of those boards. If we are an organisation that can be recognised as a prudent organisation, those boards ought to be in place.”

Guyana has been ranked in top countries in the world that have not undertaken sufficient efforts to reduce accidents, in keeping with the UN strategy. Guyana must therefore step up its efforts in order to catch up with the other countries, and be on track towards achieving the goal set out in the UN agreement.

Almost every week, there is some news that someone has been killed on our roadways, and despite actions on several fronts, including enacting the relevant legislation and increasing the number of ‘campaigns’, we do not seem to be winning the battle in significantly reducing the number of road deaths.

Even though there is legislation in place to ensure that persons use the roads in a responsible manner, there are still major lapses in the system which need to be addressed. To begin with, we stress the need for greater enforcement of the traffic laws. This has been the call from almost every stakeholder in the country. There is legislation in place in relation to driving under the influence, loud music in vehicles, overloading, speeding, etc; but if the laws are not adequately implemented, they become useless.

It would be interesting to find out how many of the drivers/conductors who are actually stopped for breaking a traffic law are actually charged and sent to court. While we do not intend to paint the entire Police Force with the same brush, as there are many professional and honest officers within the Force, we are convinced that unless what is perceived as the endemic corruption in the organisation -- and the Traffic Section in particular -- is addressed in a systematic way, we will be unsuccessful in dealing with the issue.

Further, collecting reliable data is also essential to improving road safety and reducing risks for pedestrians.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), data systems in most countries remain poor.

Along with the measures being undertaken by the law enforcement authorities to reduce the number of road fatalities, there is need for all Guyanese to move away from the culture of disregard and irresponsibility in relation to using the roadways. The Education Ministry and other relevant stakeholders should examine the possibility of strengthening the school’s curriculum with the aim of increasing knowledge, skills and understanding among children and young people about the responsible use of our roadways. Similar efforts should also be made targeting the adult population, as they, too, are sometimes found to be irresponsible when using our roadways.

Even though some progress has been made, our hope is that 2019 will see a drastic reduction in road fatalities here.

Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence shares a photo moment with a young mother on Monday during a Christmas toy drive in Alberttown, Georgetown

Saudi Arabia denounces US Senate’s response to Khashoggi murder

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audi Arabia lashed out on Monday at the United States Senate for holding the Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, personally responsible for the murder of a Saudi dissident in Istanbul, Turkey, warning against interference in what it called the Kingdom’s internal affairs.

The unusually strong statement aimed at a branch of the United States Government was the Kingdom’s first response to a Senate resolution passed last week that blames Crown Prince Mohammed for the death and dismemberment of Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

It was also the Kingdom’s latest effort to manage the damage the killing has done to its decades-old alliance with the United States.

The October 2 murder of Khashoggi by Saudi agents has prompted the most serious crisis in United StatesSaudi relations in more than a decade, pushing a range of American officials to call for limits on American military cooperation or arms sales to the Kingdom.

Last week, the Senate voted to end military assistance for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen.

It also unanimously passed a separate resolution assigning blame to Crown Prince Mohammed for the killing of Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi Government who owned property in Virginia and wrote opinion columns for The Washington Post.

Saudi officials have denied that the Kingdom’s Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman (centre) ordered or even knew about the operation to kill Jamal Khashoggi (Bandar Algaloud/Saudi Royal Court, via Reuters)

Saudi officials have denied that Prince Mohammed, the de facto ruler of the Kingdom, ordered or even knew about the operation to kill Khashoggi.

But American intelligence agencies have concluded that it was highly likely that he was involved, a position also adopted by many American lawmakers.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry criticised the resolution on Monday, saying it was based on “unsubstantiated claims and allegations and contained blatant interference in the Kingdom’s internal affairs, undermining the Kingdom’s regional and international role.”

While criticism has grown in Congress,

President Donald Trump has stood by Crown Prince Mohammed, seeing him as an essential partner in his plans for the Middle East.

The Saudi statement echoed his view, condemning the killing of Khashoggi but saying that it should not stand in the way of the broader alliance.

Saudi Arabia and the United States maintain “deep strategic, political, economic, and security ties that were built over several decades to serve the interests of both countries and peoples”, the statement said.

It cited the Kingdom’s value as an ally prominent in the Arab and Islamic worlds, its role in energy markets, and its work with

the United States to fight terrorism and to limit Iran’s influence in the Middle East.

The Kingdom rejects “any interference in its internal affairs” and accusations “that disrespect its leadership”, it said.

The Senate resolution assigning blame to Crown Prince Mohammed was largely symbolic and the bill to end American support to the Saudi war in Yemen would require the approval of the House of Representatives to become law. It remains unclear whether that might happen, but members of the incoming Congress have vowed to pursue legislation aimed at punishing Saudi Arabia.

(Excerpt from New York Times)

tuesdAY, december 18, 2018

guyanatimesgy.com

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News

Budget 2019 fails to solve most basic problems – Jagdeo

...says budget misses mark in addressing energy costs, other issues

W

ith the proverbial dust settling from Budget 2019, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has expressed his conviction that the policies announced in the budget would not solve some of Guyana’s basic woes, and thus the prognosis for the immediate future is bleak.

At his press conference on Monday, Jagdeo noted that when one strips away the rhetoric and propaganda from the budget speeches, questions have to be asked about what new jobs -- besides those for consultants -- are being created by the budget.

“Large sums are being set aside to pay a tiny cabal connected (at the party level); large sums of money…and there are a growing number of these consul-

tants, and (some) are not there for their particular skill; they are there because of their connections to the PNC. And most of them are in the pensionable age,” he declared.

“No plan for job creation for ordinary Guyanese; no plan to address the growing cost of living, higher water rates, higher electricity rates, higher transportation costs, higher movement of commodities people buy,” Jagdeo said.

Besides the budget’s failure to address high energy costs, Jagdeo noted, most of the money is going towards building new prisons, when it comes to public security.

The Opposition Leader expressed the view that growing crime rates are not being effectively addressed.

“In Agriculture, the bud-

get remains stagnant; no major change for the agriculture sector. The miners didn’t see any difference.

There were several new features in the budget that got people excited, but then they took away a significant benefit from people,” he said.

“A lot of my colleagues got excited about the capital gains tax: if you reinvest your capital gains within six months at another property, you don’t have to pay; but they did not realise the Minister took away the ownership exemption they had -- that if you own something for 25 years, you are not capital gains exempt. All the older folk who own their buildings across Guyana would not have had to pay capital gains if they sold their property. They now have to pay capital gains,” he explained.

Jagdeo noted that the outlook for 2019 is seemingly not any better than this year’s. He cited the high levels of borrowing, which he noted can have repercussions for the private sector.

He also noted that these debts will become due in just a few years.

This is certainly true for the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) $30 billion bond negotiated by the Special Purpose Unit, for which repayments are scheduled to begin in May of next year.

Recommendations

Then there are the recommendations the Opposition had made. In an advertisement titled ‘Budget 2019, Guyanese expect better’, the PPP listed additional measures Government should

Experts say Speaker erred in ruling Dear Editor, In conversations I had with specialists who know parliamentary and leg al affairs, it seems that the Speaker ruled wrongly in the Opposition request to disallow the Prime Minister, acting in the capacity as President, from sitting in the Assembly.

The Speaker referred the matter to the constitutional commission committee.

The opposition had challenged the acting President from sitting in the assembly – saying he was squatting there. The Speaker needed to rule whether the acting President could sit in the assembly or not.

It was not about amending the constitution. So he ruled erroneously unless he was seeking advice on how he should rule.

The fraudulent Burnham constitution is

very specific in articles 96, 103, and 178 in who can act as President and what happens thereafter. The latter states that the acting president must temporarily vacate his or her seat in the assembly with someone replacing him or her until such time that the acting president ceases the duties. Clearly, any functionally literate person would understand this to mean that the acting President cannot sit in the assembly.

Having noted the above, I disagree with the Burnham constitution on this issue. I am of the view that a person (any Cabinet member) acting as President should be allowed to sit in the House to give stability and order to the Assembly since he or she is familiar with the affairs of the House. But this would require constitution-

al reform to which the coalition is not interested. Also, the fact that the numbers in the House don’t change when a person acts as President renders the issue moot in any side having an advantage or disadvantage.

The acting President does not lessen the numbers of the coalition in Parliament if he leaves the House.

According to the fraudulent Burnham constitution, a person from the parliamentary list of the ruling coalition (of May 2015) could be appointed to tem-

porarily fill the seat vacated by the acting President.

And even if a vacancy is not filled, there will be a 32-32 tie assuming no one deviates from the vote. And by the way, 32 is not a majority or passage of bill as the Speaker once declared two years ago. A vote of 32-32 is maintenance of the status quo. The Speaker cannot vote; the fraudulent Burnham constitution is clear on that point.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

announce in its budget.

According to Jagdeo, none was taken on board by the Government.

“The Minister refused to address any of the nearly 30 concerns that we raised in a public ad. We didn’t just want to do it in the quiet of the Ministry compound, we raised 30 issues; none of those have been addressed.

So when you take away the spin, next year will be as bad as this one,” Jagdeo observed.

The party had wanted, among other things, the reversal of the ban on vehicles over eight years old; reversal of the ban on importation of used tyres; reversal on increases in water rates.

The party also called for reversal of the 35 per cent incremental increases on University of Guyana tuition fees, as well as reversals of VAT on local products in the forestry sector, and the tax on materials and supplies in the fisheries sector.

Government had announced that tax free salary increases by up to seven per cent would be implemented. The disciplined services were to be included in this sum. However, the PPP

urged the Government to restore the annual one-month tax free salary bonus it previously gave the disciplined services.

It also called for the restoration of cash grants to public school children from nursery to secondary, and for it to be increased to $20,000; as well as the single parent assistance programme, complete with vouchers. In addition, it recommended the restoration of electricity and water subsidies to pensioners, and the national housing programme.

“Stop the increased borrowing and depletion of gold and other reserves,” the party’s advertisement had also stated. “Stop the extravagant and wasteful spending on travel, food, rentals, vehicles and other things that do not benefit the Guyanese people.”

The party had also urged Government to take heed of its own consultant, Norconsult, and to recommence the Amaila Falls Hydro Project. In addition, it recommended Government initiate new infrastructure projects, and not just complete those that were started under the former PPP administration.

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CONTINUED FROM MONDAY

By James Lehman, MSW

Special advice for divorced and blended families

Holiday spending tips for you and your ex-spouse Knowing when to let go on spending is particularly important for divorced families. You have two scenarios. The first is where the parents are still very antagonistic about each other. I’ve seen endless deep pockets competition in these families that is completely ineffective. If your relationship with your ex-spouse is strained, don’t compete with her by buying too many Christmas gifts for the children, and don’t buy more than you can afford.

More advice for divorced parents with strained relationships: have a rule that says, the toys that the other parent buys stay at their home. So you play with that at daddy’s house, but not here. Keep it simple. Don’t justify it.

If you are able to communicate with your ex-spouse, agree on the amount of money that you’re both going to spend on gifts. If you are going to work together for the good of your children, you should decide together beforehand how much money you’re going spend on gifts and keep to that figure.

Put a moratorium on negative talk about your ex-spouse…at the holidays and always. Call a permanent ceasefire when it comes to negative talk about the ex. If you’ve been doing it, start now at the holidays and stay with it every day. Decide you’re not going to talk about your ex in a negative light. The same goes for the children and for your own extended family.

If your children have something to say

about daddy, say, “Why don’t you talk to daddy about that when you’re at his house?” Very simple. You don’t have to justify it. You’re not the child’s confidante. All you have to do is state your position and stick to it. You will be surprised at how this cuts the day-to-day tension in your home.

Blended family? Maturity first.

In blended families you have the problem of having three sets of parents involved. You and your spouse.

His ex and her spouse. Your ex and his spouse. It’s very complicated, and adults have to try to be especial-

ly mature about it. Let’s be clear. If the adults can’t behave maturely and responsibly, don’t be surprised if the children don’t behave maturely and responsibly. And don’t be surprised when you have an unhappy holiday. I’ve always believed that the real satisfaction that adults get out of Christmas is by handling it well for their children. Make it a priority to communicate with your spouse’s ex about the children without animosity. Who knows? Maybe it will become a habit and things will improve.

Let the children who live with you open their gifts first. One of the biggest problems for blended families

is when do you open presents? The children who live with the family are there on Christmas morning. But other children are coming at two o’clock in the afternoon. What do you do? In some families they open up some presents that morning and then wait till the other children get there to open the rest. I believe that the children who live there should open their presents that morning, and that’s your family Christmas.

The important thing is not when you open the gifts between sets of children.

It’s that you keep the gifts even and don’t overspend on one child or one set of children. Children may look at what you’ve bought for them and feel like things aren’t even anyway. But what they’re doing is transferring some other feeling onto the holiday.

If they have a perception that things aren’t equal between sets of children in a blended family generally, they’re going to perceive Christmas as not being equal. This perception isn’t a holiday issue. It’s something you need to deal with on an ongoing basis with that child.

A successful holiday depends in large part on your commitment to planning for your children. Planning how to use their free time constructively so they stay out of trouble and do positive things with the family. Planning how much money you’ll spend. Planning so that you have the emotional resources to give them. Planning what you’ll do with any hard feelings that develop between you and your spouse or you and your ex. We all need limits – both children and adults. Set some limits with yourself this holiday and stick to them.

The end result will be a holiday everyone enjoys. (empoweringparents.com)

any working parents battle with school holidays, especially the long period between Christmas and the start of the new school year. For example, most people receive at least two weeks’ leave a year, but school holidays take up about 12 weeks of the year.

The math clearly doesn’t add up. Even if both parents take their leave at different times, they’ll still need to find alternative care arrangements for younger children. Older kids will spend days at home unsupervised.

Leaving young people at home raises questions and concerns for parents. How long can they be at home alone? How can I ensure their safety? How will they occupy their time? What if someone comes to the house? Should I let them leave the house during the day to visit a friend? How secure will the house be?

Based on our soon-to-be-published findings on young offenders and previous research into home security (particularly burglaries), the following advice may provide guidance for concerned working parents during school holidays.

Most burglars reported they are motivated by opportunity and convenience. They look for unoccupied homes with open doors and windows in daylight hours. Teach your children how to operate door locks, ensuring front and back doors stay locked. But keep keys in locked doors in case they need to exit quickly.

Most burglars avoid homes if they detect someone is present.

So there is a fine line between making the house occupied, while ensuring children do not open doors to strangers. Ensure your children know your rules on letting someone in the home without your permission or answering the door to anyone they don’t know. Have a plan on how to respond to this.

It’s also worth ensuring that you: ensure your children know who to phone in the event of an emergency. Write down your full name, address, and telephone number and keep it by the phone. Kids (and adults!) can panic in emergencies and forget basic details write down a responsible available person’s number if you are at a job that cannot take phone calls create a family “phone book” with each family member’s particular friends. Make sure you know the names and phone numbers of their closest mates. That way if you ever lose your child or they do not return, you have a starting point to phone their friends limit time online and install security software that allows you to monitor online activity and avoid online predators.

Keeping children out of trouble during holidays While most parents believe their child would never engage in antisocial behaviour, the lack of supervision, structure, and boundaries during school holidays can lead some children to push boundaries or even break the law, especially when encouraged by peers.

Our interviews, soon to be released, with children who had been charged with an offence, indicated they committed the burglary during daylight hours in the company of friends and for consumable items.

Very few actually “planned” their offences. Most just saw the opportunity (goods left on display, doors and windows left open) while they were roaming the streets looking for something to do.

And often they were responding to dares by friends. The most common tactic to determine whether to burgle a property was simply to knock on the door to see if someone was in.

So, if your child is allowed to go out while on school holidays, here are some parameters you can consider for their safety: agree on times they can be outside while you are not home (and limit extended periods of time) agree on where they are allowed to go—locations that provide pseudo-supervision (such as shopping centres) are preferable to long periods of street-wandering make sure they know not to go near people in cars who stop to talk to them (do not approach the car even if the person is speaking quietly). Explain that most adults do not ask young people for help—they usually ask other adults—so children must be wary of assisting adults when they are alone instead of telling children never talk to strangers, tell them if they need help to look for a mother with children or go into a public place (like a shopping centre) and ask for help notice if your child seems to have excess funds or new items in the house. Investigate further if they tell you they have been “given” or “loaned” something from a friend notice if they seem quiet or reluctant to tell you how they have spent their day.

If you’ve allowed your child to leave the home when you’re not there, there are still things to consider when they return to an empty house: have a lockbox for spare keys so they can re-enter the home (10% of burglars reportedly entered a home with keys left in easily detected locations) given burglaries are often committed during daylight hours, teach children to have a quick “sweep” of doors and not to enter if something looks out of place (such as a door that is now open or a damaged fly screen) ensure they phone you or another responsible adult when they return.

By following these tips you can help keep your child safe and out of trouble when leaving them alone during the holidays. (www.

qz.com)

news

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tuesdAY, december 18, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

PPP executives to meet today on presidential candidate

A

s promised, the Central Executive Committee of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) plans to meet today to commence discussions that will lead to the process by which the Party will select its next presidential candidate for the crucial 2020 General and Regional Elections.

This was revealed during a press conference on Monday by Party General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo, who said that the PPP was sticking to its promises.

“So tomorrow (today), we will try to set some timeline because we are meeting at the Party level, and we will see whether it makes sense to do it just before or just after the no-confidence motion,” he explained, noting that the 2019 Budget debate threw the PPP off a bit on deciding on a process.

He said that a decision on the presidential nominee would be made shortly.

“And you will know our candidate. And we could very well be going to elections in the next three months, not just us,” he added, explaining that that tactic was implicit in the process.

Asked whether the charges brought against former PPP/Civic Government Ministers Anil Nandlall and Irfaan Ali would at all impact the decision to name either of the two, the General Secretary responded by saying, “If we allow the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change to decide who our candidates would be, they will charge every one of our potential candidates.”

Jagdeo said the coalition Government’s intention was known, because it has made it known publicly. He said, “It is a pity that people can’t hear some of the conversations in Parliament. But the venom from (Khemraj) Ramjattan and the others saying openly you cannot …

PPP General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo

don’t talk here … or else the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) will visit you next week …”

Jagdeo said he would throw his support behind anyone he found to have the ability to lead the Party to victory at the 2020 elections.

Asked again who he would support, the PPP General Secretary said, “You could ask me if I’m supporting anyone and do you think I’ll come at a press conference

and say who I am supporting? I’ll discuss that there at Party circles.”

He maintained that the Party remained committed to the highest levels of transparency, accountability, and democracy as it undertook the process of selecting its next presidential nominee.

Jagdeo said the race for the candidacy was open, as this has been a longstanding practice of the PPP. But re-

minded that the votes mustered from the 35 Central Committee members will matter in the democratic process. The front-runner will emerge as the candidate.

There are several persons who are interested in being the Party’s top candidate including Nandlall, Ali, Gail Teixeira and Dr Frank Anthony.

Meanwhile, the no-confidence motion filed against the Government by Jagdeo last month is set to be debated on Friday. Jagdeo had first announced the no-confidence motion on the heels of devastating losses in the Local Government Elections (LGE) for the coalition Government and went ahead to file the motion with the National Assembly on November 15, 2018.

The PPP had contended the motion was lodged based on concrete reasons upon which the Guyanese people had rejected the

People’s National Congressled coalition. It pointed to the thousands of jobs that have been lost as a result of the closure of Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) estates.

In addition, the Party referred to the various scandals that have erupted under the Administration.

They include the single sourcing of the feasibility contract for the new Demerara River crossing, the single sourcing of a drug bond and the single sourcing of drug procurement contracts.

The Party further noted the numerous breaches of fiscal laws flagged by the Audit Office of Guyana in its reports, as well as the lack of accountability in the D’Urban Park Project, something even the Auditor General had to launch a special probe into.

The General Election is constitutionally due in mid2020.

Essequibo man found dead after inviting stranger for ‘holiday drink’ T he lifeless body of excavator operator Sherwin Melville of Capoey Lake, Essequibo Coast, has been found in his home with his throat slit.

A relative of the 23-yearold father of one went to check on him on Monday at about 5:00h, and discovered the body in a pool of blood.

Based on reports received, Melville had had a “holiday drink” for close friends and relatives at his home on Sunday evening.

Maria Fredericks, the dead man’s mother-in-law, who was at the crime scene on Monday, told Guyana Times that during the get-together, Melville had left home to purchase cigarettes at a nearby shop, and had returned with a young man.

When enquiries were made regarding the stranger, Melville had explained that he had invited this stranger to his house to take a “holiday drink”.

Melville’s wife had protested his bringing home

Dead: Sherwin Melville

strangers in light of the crimes that are occurring around the country.

The argument had escalated, and the woman and her 2-month-old child had left the home, reportedly to spend the night at her mother’s place.

Thus on Monday morning a relative had gone to the young man’s home, and it

was then that his body was discovered lying face down in the house. She immediately raised an alarm and the Police were summoned.

As investigators turned over the corpse, a gaping wound was observed at the man’s throat.

The stranger with whom he was last seen imbibing has since disappeared.

Information reaching the relatives suggested that this “stranger” is originally from North West District (NWD) but works on a ship owned by a businessman in Wakenaam, Essequibo River.

Melville’s mother-inlaw tearfully related that the young man had always treated her with respect and had always taken care of her like his own mother.

The woman said she is from Bartica in Region Seven, and her son-in-law used to make sure she is comfortable.

Melville used to work in the interior and would nor-

mally come out on major holidays to spend time with his family.

Another relative said Melville had been in the process of constructing his home, which had been a dream of his. With his death,

the relative posited, all plans in this respect would have to be put on hold, since his wife is in no financial position to complete same.

The Police, meanwhile, are on the hunt for the young man whom Melville had

taken home to have a “holiday drink”. It is not certain whether anything is missing from the dead man’s makeshift home.

His body is at the Suddie Funeral Home awaiting a post-mortem.

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Berbice Bridge challenge

AG given more time to make submissions on unilateral takeover

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he High Court has given the Attorney General’s Chambers two additional weeks to make submissions citing the legal arguments on which it opted to take over operations of the Berbice Bridge from the Berbice Bridge Company Incorporated (BBCI).

In October, BBCI announced it was facing bankruptcy and its main investor – the National Insurance Scheme – was given no choice but to push for a toll increase.

However, Government in a shocking move announced on November 5, 2018 that it would be taking control of the Bridge on November 12. The Bridge was financed through a public-private partnership.

The Bridge Company thereafter challenged the Government’s takeover.

Now that the matter is being heard, Justice Gino Persaud, who presided over in-chamber proceedings on Monday, outlined that the State must submit its legal arguments

by December 28. This is according to BBCI representative, Senior Counsel (SC) Ralph Ramkarran, who told the press that both sides would return to court on January 21, 2019 to present arguments. Deputy Solicitor General (DSG) Debra Kumar appeared on behalf

The Berbice River Bridge

of AG Basil Williams.

The takeover was effected by Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson under Sections 4 (1) and 11 of the Berbice River Bridge Act whereby “in the interests of public safety”, he issued an Order declaring that the functions of the concessionaire to maintain and operate the Bridge “shall be exercised by the Government of Guyana as of 5th November 2018 until the date the Minister specifies by notice on the cessation of the threat to public safety”.

The Bridge Company, in its writ, petitioned the High Court to grant several orders to reverse the takeover and bar the Minister from carrying out his functions of maintaining and operating the Bridge.

The Company has sought

“an order of certiorari quashing paragraph 2 of the Berbice River Bridge (Public Safety) Toll Order 2018 dated the 1st November 2018, No 42 of 2018, made by the first named defendant (Minister Patterson) under the Berbice River Bridge Act Cap 51:06 ordering that the functions of the concessionaire, namely the claimant (BBCI), to maintain and operate the Bridge shall be exercised by the Government”. The Bridge Company also wants to prevent Government or its agents from exercising the functions of maintaining and operating the Berbice Bridge. The BBCI has also requested an order of certiorari to quash paragraph 3 of the Minister’s Order, which states that the tolls levied and collected, and any ex-

emptions, shall be the same and not increased.

The Company is asking the court too for an order to prohibit the Public Infrastructure Minister from stopping the increases in the tolls.

The BBCI wants the court to declare that Minister Patterson has no power under the Berbice River Bridge Act, or otherwise, to approve or reject an increase in tolls by the claimant. It also wants the court to grant a declaration that this order by the Public Infrastructure Minister is unconstitutional, null, and void and of no effect in that it is tantamount to the compulsory taking of possession or compulsorily acquiring an interest in or right over the Berbice River Bridge, which is owned by the BBCI, without prompt and adequate compensation in violation of Article 142 (1) of the Constitution of Guyana.

The BBCI has also requested that an order directing the Public Infrastructure Minister to supply to the Bridge Company, as a body affected by his order, a statement setting out the findings on material questions of fact referring to the evidence or other material on which those findings were based and giving the reasons for the decision.

Taxi driver busted with ganga remanded to prison

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en Cumberbatch, a 38-year-old taxi driver who was busted with a quantity of cannabis in his possession at Little Diamond, East Bank Demerara (EBD), was on Monday remanded to prison by Magistrate Faith McGusty.

The accused, of

Westminster, La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara, denied the charge, which alleges that on December 13, 2018, at little Diamond Public Road, EBD, he had in his possession 12 pounds of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.

The defendant was rep-

resented by Attorney-at-law Melville Duke, who in a bail application told the court that his client had rented his car to someone, and was unaware of the presence of the drug therein.

Police Prosecutor Seon Blackman objected to the defendant being placed on bail based on the serious-

ness of the charge and the amount of cannabis the accused allegedly had in his possession.

After considering the submissions, the Magistrate remanded Cumberbatch to prison until January 7, 2019, and the matter has been transferred before the Providence Magistrate.

Miner charged with rape of minor G e o r g e t o w n Magistrate Faith McGusty on Monday remanded 36-yearold Shawn Cornelius after he was charged for allegedly raping a nine-year-old while being intoxicated.

The accused, a miner, was not required to plead to the indictable charge, which stated that

he, during the month of September 2018, engaged in sexual penetration with a child under the age of 16.

Cornelius, who was unrepresented, was remanded to prison and was expected to make his next court appearance at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court on January 7, 2019.

Accused: Shawn Cornelius

Contractor slapped with armed robbery charge

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24-year-old Grove, East Bank Demerara (EBD) resident was on Monday slapped with an armed robbery charge when he appeared before Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Tajnaught Ramkissoon, a contractor, denied the charge which stated that

on December 15, 2018, at Jimbo Bridge, Grove, he relieved Ramesh Seenarine of a Black Samsung cellphone valued $32,000 along with $57,000 in cash while carrying a knife.

Police stated that on the day in question, Seenarine had returned from the interior and was enquiring about his relative and as such,

asked the defendant for directions. Upon giving the directions, Ramkissoon asked the VC for $200.

The court heard that while the VC was reaching for the money, the defendant took out a knife from his pocket and placed it at his neck. He then relieved the man of the items mentioned above.

Police Prosecutor Seon

Blackman objected to bail, since the defendant was positively identified by the victim during an identification parade.

As such, Ramkissoon was remanded to prison and was scheduled to make his next court appearance on January 7, 2019. The matter was transferred to the Providence Magistrates’ Courts.

Turned tables…

T

…at GuySuCo he tables have been turned at GuySuCo and, (to mix a metaphor) how low have the mighty fallen!! You could’ve knocked your Eyewitness over with a feather when he read the headline: “GuySuCo managers protest”!!

Talk about “man bites dog” news!! Managers in the sugar industry PROTESTING? What next? The Queen of England scrounging with a begging bowl??

For the uninitiated, when Eric Williams declared “Massa day done!” after independence, he didn’t know what the heck he was talking about! “Massa” wasn’t just the British Governor and his cohorts – he was the fella from “the Mother Country” who continued to run “King Sugar”.

Their predecessors hadn’t just been cracking the whip in the fields over OUR forefathers’ (and foremothers’) backs… they created a rarified lifestyle designed to inspire “shock and awe” in the latters’ eyes. Nothing exemplified this more than the “Massas’ quarters.

There were segregated “compounds”, with lofty mansions set in cultured lawns, with swimming pools; and the “club”, where they could while away the evening over gin and tonic, or whatever else their hearts desired.

Servants took care of their every need, and the world “EVERY” was meant to be taken quite literally. Our “mixed” population is, of course, the result of the fulfilment of some of those needs!! In the modern era, their children were driven to and from school in designated vehicles, while the cooks took care of mundane things like shopping.

After Burnham nationalised the sugar industry and “Guyanesed “ the management staff of what was now dubbed GuySuCo – the policy of “jobs for the boys” with PNC cards kicked into gear. And some new “Massas” not just stepped into Massas’ quarters – but into their shoes!!

In astounding displays of “never see come fuh see”, the PNC Massas even outdid the excesses of the departed White Massas. By 1990, production had plummeted to half of what the old Massas had routinely achieved – but you could never tell from their Marie Antoinette lifestyle. In one (in)famous instance, when the daughter of the head honcho was getting married – at the Managers’ Club, of course – and the rain made the approach muddy, hundreds of tons of fertilisers were spread over the mud to create a pristine path!!

This “life in London” lifestyle might’ve been dampened in the last decades, but the managers of GuySuCo still lived “high off the hog”, compared to the workers. But when NICIL created the SPU to sell off the four closed estates, they decides to be the NEW Massas by sprucing up the Ogle Managers’ Club for THEIR own high living!!

And this is what the old Massas are protesting!! What goes around comes around. …at City Hall The Local Government Commission (LGC) have said they’ll make a decision on which of the recommendations from the Kennard Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into City Hall will be implemented. This should be interesting. From what your Eyewitness has read, the entire staff in those Augean Stables should be thrown out – along with the rotten materials from the collapsed building that housed them.

On Royston King, the Town Clerk, who was the cynosure of the CoI’s eye, it said, “While it is the easiest of recommendation to make, this officer should be terminated, and criminal charges should be laid against him in respect of his actions… the SARA (State Assets Recovery Agency) and the Guyana Police Force should lead a joint probe to ascertain the relevant criminal charge(s) to be laid…for gross misconduct, abuse of office, recklessness, dishonesty, conspiracy and misappropriation of funds.”

Whew!! He was just as direct on Chief Constable Foo – “lacks credibility, integrity and competence to manage the City Constabulary, which is under his control.”

Citizens should be on the lookout for the LGC sweeping these boulders under the rug. …on GHRA The one-man GHRA woke up from his slumber to announce he’s disappointed at the lack of progress on Constitutional Change.

What about the human rights of those fired sugar workers left to starve with their families?

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

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Former WBD farmers still awaiting NDIA assistance ...1 year after agency took over drainage responsibility from GuySuCo

By Shemuel Fanfair

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s the Administration had moved to downsize the sugar industry in 2017, Government had, in June of that year, announced that the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) would be assuming responsibility for drainage of the West Bank Demerara corridor from the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).

However, several months later, farmers on the West Bank Demerara (WBD) corridor are still awaiting the Agriculture Ministry’s sub-agency’s assistance in clearing irrigation canals, which is a necessity in crop management and the maintenance of good husbandry practices.

On Friday last, the National Assembly passed the 2019 Budget, tuned to the sum of $300.7 billion; and from this cumulative figure,

Belle Vue farmer Balram Balkarran

the NDIA has been allocated just over $2 billion. Under the relevant programme, it was outlined, that allocation would account for the “completion, construction and rehabilitation of drainage and irrigation structures, pump stations and payment of retention.”

On this publication’s recent visit to the WBD area, it was evident that several ca-

nals had been overtaken by overgrown bushes, including the channels leading to the Wales Sugar Estate, where punts would be pulled to offload farmers’ cane from fields.

This situation was unlike what obtained when the Estate had been functioning, before the entity officially ended operations in December 2016. After 2017, there was little evidence of any rehabilitation of drainage and irrigation works being conducted in several of the canals in many of the surrounding farmlands.

The village of Belle Vue, WBD, where many residents farm on leased land, was affected by the closure of Wales Estate. Residents opted, with some challenge, to plant diversified crops, as their original agreements from the 1950s outlined that they could only plant sugarcane. Producers of the Belle Vue Cane Farmers Co-Op

Aeronautical engineers will be held accountable for accidents – Minister

…as 40 graduate

Minister Annette Ferguson along with officials from the school flanked by a section of the graduating class

F

orty persons graduated from the Art Williams and Harry Wendt Aeronautical Engineering School on Monday but not before being warned by the Minister within the Public Infrastructure Ministry, Annette Ferguson, that they will be held accountable for any accidents that may occur under their watch. “Being (an) aircraft engineer is critical to the aviation industry because lives, many of us who depend highly on moving from

Georgetown to the vast interior, you would have to ensure that the maintenance of those aircraft are of high standard because if anything is to happen, you the engineers would be the ones who would be held accountable,” the Minister cautioned.

The graduates were further encouraged by Minister Ferguson to ensure that they uphold their credibility, integrity and character, as she wished the students well in the career they are

about to enter.

She specifically acknowledged the women who took up the career while saying that she hopes more young people can become involved in the sector.

Most of the students who graduated from the programme did so with distinctions. The persons who graduated also took part in the academy’s prize giving ceremony with other students who took different courses. continued on page 10

Overgrown sections of the Belle Vue, WBD canal (Adam Baksh photo)

Society petitioned President David Granger in 2015 to be allowed to plant diversified crops. They were finally given the go-ahead in 2017, and now that this has been sorted out after the shuttering of Wales was finalised, these farmers have encountered other problems, whereby the seeming non-assistance by the NDIA has caused them to sustain losses.

Farmer Balram Balkarran told Guyana Times last Sunday that in October, when the dry conditions prevailed, Belle Vue farmers lost “several acres” of bora, pumpkin, saime, watermelon, among other crops.

He said this was owing to the poor irrigation in the area, due to blocked channels. He said that while farmers are overjoyed that the rains have come, the bush clearing in the waterways is vital to them sustaining their livelihood.

Two farmers who have

private pumps would lend their equipment to some of the others to utilise. Owing to their losses, the farmers have switched to other crops, such as cassava, plantains, bananas, sweet potatoes – which can better withstand the weather conditions.

“The NDIA supposed to provide the irrigation for us; they have the infrastructure.

We don’t have the capacity, or the finance, or the machinery to excavate these overgrown weeds,” the farmer outlined.

When Guyana Times met with them in October, they had been sourcing water. At that time, some farmers had estimated their losses at near $40,000 per acre, having noted that it had taken about $20,000 to $40,000 per acre to go into other crops. The farmers, who had provided 50 per cent of the canes at Wales, called for compensation, but to little or no avail.

In December 2016, when

Wales closed down, water in the access canals leading to the Kamuni Creek had flowed freely to the Wales area through the community of Renistyne.

However, when GuySuCo stopped maintaining the many punt trenches in the area, many of the channels became blocked.

In fact, some sugar workers living in the area were also affected, as they supplemented their income via fishing in the trenches. Fiftyseven-year-old Belle Vue farmer Ramchuran Sukhnan had told this newspaper of the many expenses he has been paying since leaving the sugar industry, and he declared that he would be grateful for grants and subsidies, as he still had to acquire seedlings.

He had said that he paid $50,000 in labour costs to clean one of his plots, and $40,000 to prepare the beds, in addition to other costs.

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5 months after completion

No funds available to furnish new Linden passport office

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The unfurnished new Linden Passport Office

lmost five months after being constructed, the new passport office at Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) is yet to open its doors to members of the public.

Members of the community have voiced some concerns, as they anxiously

await the commissioning of the office in an effort to utilise the services. Guyana Times understands that the completed building has already been handed over to the Regional authority following completion. However, it is still to be furnished. In an invit-

ed comment on Monday, Regional Chairman Renis Morian said he is aware that estimated funds for the furnishing of the office has been included in the 2019 budget.

Although completed, the office is said to be awaiting the funds for the

required equipment and furniture. According to Morian, when the spending budget is released, this process will be facilitated.

The construction of the office commenced in January and saw the erection of the building which measures approximately 2000 square feet. The works were executed by R. Bassoon and Sons Contracting Company, to the tune of $30,604,472 According to a worker on the ground, a new guard hut is also expected to be erected inside the compound. With the new development, residents of Linden and oth-

er parts of Region 10 are expected to enjoy the comfort of having a passport office which will cater for new applications within the community, thus easing the burden of having to travel to Georgetown to access the service. Last December, Minister of Citizenship Winston Felix, travelled to the community for a sod-turning exercise at the site for the construction of the new office, situated in the vicinity of the Young Men Christian Association (YMCA) building at Retrieve, MacKenzie.

While Linden has been benefitting from pass-

port renewal services conducted out of the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) building at MacKenzie since August 2016, this will be the first time the community will house such a building to cater for new applicants.

Applicants who apply at the Georgetown office also benefit from uplifting same at this office. However, this move will see new applicants now having access to the service within the community.

The office is expected to process other documents such as birth and death certificates.

Aeronautical engineers...

The ceremony was a significant one, as the Engineering School celebrated its 25th Anniversary, and 80 years of British Guiana’s First Private Commercial Airline (May 1938 – May 2018).

The Ab-Initio Training Programme offered by the School is a Level 6 – Associate’s Degree. This along with its approved training for an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer’s Licence, is now able to bridge the gap between Air Transport Certification for Licences and that of higher education.

A total of 5 Modular Students have also applied for their licences. So far, there are 38 full passes for both written and oral examinations.

The success rate is notable for this school, with the highest number of passes at the Aircraft Maintenance Engineer’s

Licences Examinations by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority.

The graduates were wished well by the School’s Director, Malcolm Chan-ASue and Chairman, Captain Ronald Reece among other executives.

The School was certified on July 24, 2006 by the Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards for its ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management Systems. It transitioned in year 2010 to the ISO 9001:2008 Standards and as of this year, July 2018, it is compliant to the new ISO 9001:2015 Standards. It meets and exceeds all annual audits done by the Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards - which is its Certification Body as well as Internal Audits by the Guyana National Bureau of Standards.

This pioneering institution which opened its doors to training in

from page 9

Aircraft Maintenance Engineering in 1993, is approved as an Aviation Training Organisation (ATO) by the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), the Caribbean Aviation Safety Oversight System of Caricom (CASSOS), Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority (JCAA), the Civil Aviation Safety Authority of Suriname (CASAS) and the Trinidad & Tobago Civil Aviation Authority (TTCAA). The School is also a member of the Flight Safety Foundation, based in Virginia, USA. The Institute is also approved under the Rules and Regulations of the Guyana Aviation Requirements and is working together with the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority to develop and transition to the Training Guidelines set out in the International Civil Aviation Organisation, (ICAO) Doc. 7192, Part D1.

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Bank of Baroda to close more branches by June S

ince the recent announcement from the Bank of Baroda that it will be pulling-out from Guyana’s shores, the Indiabased, State-owned entity is mounting a similar move in two other countries: neighbouring Caribbean nation Trinidad & Tobago and Ghana, a West African country. In a report by Economic Times on Monday, it was outlined that the institution will close the three of 165 branches by June 2019.

As per a regulatory filing, it stated that the closures will “increase in efficiency and profitability of the overseas offices”.

The international media agency reported that the branches in the three countries only contribute less than one percentage to Baroda’s overall earnings.

Guyana revenue was listed as 26,380,000 Rupees (US$ 363,000); while Trinidad & Tobago’s was 23,900,000 Rupees (US $334,000).

Garbage contractors still to receive payments from City Hall

One of the trucks owned by Cevons Waste Management collecting garbage

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enior officials of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) are yet to make contact with the solid waste collectors regarding payment of outstanding money owed to them which is supposed to be paid by the end of 2018.

Business Development Supervisor of Cevons Waste Management, Morris Archer made this disclosure on Monday while stating that there was no feedback from the Council since an engagement on December 6, with Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan.

“Since that meeting on December 6, we haven’t heard back from City Hall.

We haven’t been paid, or we haven’t received any correspondence or any word on what is the way forward.”

Cevons Waste Management and Puran Brothers Disposal Services would have met with Bulkan and officials of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC), where it was guaranteed that payment would be made.

Morris indicated that during that engagement, the collectors had offered to resume operations, but no confirmation was given by City Hall. To date, they continue to remain on strike.

“We’re currently on strike. We had pledged to them that with the promise to pay from the Minister that we will start back working, but we haven’t heard from them since that meeting,” Archer told Guyana Times.

The previous arrangement stated that they would receive partial payment on

the outstanding $160 million owed since the first quarter of 2018. Consequently, a notice was issued last week, informing that credible assurances are mandatory before operations can resume.

“Timely payment under the terms of our contract with the Georgetown City Council is a fundamental issue. We cannot, we submit, be expected to provide services without reasonable assurances of timely payment.

Where there is slippage, we are prepared as we have, over time, to exercise some measure of understanding to an extent that is reasonable,” the contractors said in the statement.

This has left many with concerns as to whether effective garbage collection will be carried out throughout the city. The garbage collectors had specified that this issue was also one of their concerns.

“Our concern at this time is with ensuring that the citizenry not have to endure garbage-related inconveniences, and worse, at this time of year. It is against this backdrop that we repeat our earlier undertaking that we stand prepared to resume work immediately upon receiving City Hall’s clearance. In our opinion, the sooner that assurance comes, the better.”

Presently, garbage collection is being carried out in Georgetown and its environs with five smaller contractors, appointed by the Council to alternate work over five days every week.

Attempts to make contact with acting Town Clerk Sharon Harry-Munroe for a comment proved futile.

Bank of Baroda, Georgetown

Meanwhile, Ghana’s revenue at the bank was 75,000,000 Rupees–just over US $1 million. The Economic Times noted that the bank did not specify the period in which the revenue was generated.

On December 7, it was reported that the Bank of Baroda, had taken steps to sell its operations here.

According to the Financial

Express, the banking institution is looking to divest its entire 100 per cent stake in its Bank of Baroda Guyana Inc subsidiary through investment bankers.

The bank is now seeking bids from investment bankers to help find a buyer. It has asked for technical and financial proposals by the end of this year.

The bank’s pull-out was the subject of much expressed worry by the Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) wherein it contended that the Bank of Baroda's exit indicated a lack of confidence in Guyana’s economy.

Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall recently told the National Assembly that commercial banks are a well-

known barometer by which one can judge an economy’s performance and therefore urged the country not to turn a blind eye when banks are suddenly packing up shop and leaving.

However, Finance Minister Winston Jordan contended otherwise, having stated that the impending pull-out from the local market was known to the Government. He said that having to deal with FATCA (Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act) and the AML (Anti Money Laundering) laws; the international institutions do not consider our territories to be profitable anymore.

The move by the Indian bank came just one week after the Canadian-based Scotiabank announced that it has signed an agreement to sell its banking operations in Guyana and eight other Caribbean nations to Republic Financial Holdings Ltd, a deal worth some US$123 million.

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High-powered Squatting, non-performing guns found leases a challenge for GL&SC in Berbice C

The guns and ammunition found at Port Mourant, Corentyne, Berbice

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hree persons were on Friday taken into Police custody following the discovery of two rifles and a quantity of ammunition during a Police operation at Port Mourant, Corentyne, Berbice.

Based on reports received, at approximately 13:00h, Police in B Division (Berbice) acting on information conducted a search on the premises of a 51-year-

old mechanic and found two rifles – one with a microscopic lens along with 284 rounds of ammunition, nine empty casings, three magazines and a firearm casing.

At the time of the search, three persons were at the location and as such, they were all being grilled in connection with the discovery. Investigations are ongoing.

ommissioner of the Guyana Lands & Surveys Commission (GL&SC), Trevor Benn during the agency’s year-end press briefing on Monday revealed that squatting on land reserves and other open spaces continue to affect the work of the Commission.

According to him, several agencies have some level of dispensation at their disposal, which allow them to grant permission for persons to squat.

Among key areas, reference was made to the LindenSoesdyke Highway, an area where unlawful occupation of land continues to rise.

“I think part of the challenges we face is that too many agencies, who by virtue of their own statute, give them some responsibility for land and, in some cases, people have misused that authority. Another problem we face in terms of squatting is happening at the SoesdykeLinden Highway…Today, we have widespread squatting on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway,” Benn declared.

At that time, he also mentioned the Commission continues its efforts to repossess

Fatal accidents

Tuschen man, miner died from multiple injuries - PME

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Post Mortem Examination (PME) conducted on the body of 25-year-old Intiaz Muhammad, who was run over by a car in Linden on Sunday, has given the cause of death as multiple crushing injuries consistent with a motor vehicular accident.

The labourer, of Tuschen Housing Scheme, East Bank Essequibo, met his demise in the wee hours of Sunday following an accident which occurred along the One Mile Public Road in Wismar.

According to reports, the deceased was lying on the roadway when he was run over at about 03:00h by a hire car bearing registration number HC 8814, being driven by a resident of Wisrock, Linden.

The driver has since alleged that he had been blinded by the bright lights of a vehicle proceeding in the opposite direction. He reportedly told investigators that, as a result, he drove over the now man, who had been lying at the side of the road.

Reports are that the driver had stopped for a while, but drove away sometime later.

Muhammad was later picked up by an ambulance and taken to the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC), where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Police say the driver later turned himself in at the Wismar Police Station.

Clayton Docton Skybar

The motor car, which was damaged, has also since been impounded as Police continue their investigation. 'E' Division (Linden-Kwakwani) Commander Linden Lord on Monday confirmed that the driver remains in Police custody. Lord noted that legal advice is being sought; and once charged, he is likely to appear in court on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the PME conducted on the body of Mabura fatal accident victim Clayton Docton Skybar has indicated that the 16-year-old miner died of multiple injuries consistent with a motor vehicular accident.

The PME was conducted at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) on Monday.

The drivers of the two trucks involved in the accident, which occurred in the vicinity of 58 Miles along the Mabura Road on Friday, have since

been released from Police custody after being granted station bail.

The trucks reportedly collided at about 11:30h in the vicinity of 58 Miles, Region Ten (Upper DemeraraBerbice).

According to 'E' Division (Linden-Kwakwani) Commander Linden Lord, the drivers are required to report to the Mackenzie Police Station daily.

He also noted that legal advice will be sought on the way forward with the case, as he pointed out that either driver has given Police a conflicting story regarding what had transpired.

According to information from Police, at the time of the accident, the deceased, along with three passengers, was seated in the tray of GPP 4923 with trailer THH 9317, driven by a 23-year-old resident of Helena Number 1, East Coast, Demerara (ECD), when it collided with GTT 2531, driven by a 41-year-old of Timehri Public Road, East Bank, Demerara (EBD).

The truck in which Skybar was a passenger was reportedly laden with lumber and was heading to Linden, while the other was said to be heading into Mabura. Following the incident, Skybar was rushed to the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC), where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

lands under non-performing leases.

In some cases, persons were granted a lease, but failed to execute their plans of improving that space.

The repossession comes at a cost and as such, the Commissioner signalled that stakeholders should be well-prepared before applying.

“Over 60 per cent of our leases are non-performing and we mean leases that do not meet the conditions of the lease. We have been left with no choice, but to repossess some of those lands. It is costing us a lot of money to do the process of repossession, but also it’s very tedious and time-consuming,” the Commissioner stated.

He added, “We caution you, unless you ready for the land, please don’t come at this time. We’re under pressure to deliver on the demands that we have and we would prefer only to give to those people who are really ready.”

Audits

However, in regards to the agency’s accomplishments for this year, it has managed to complete pending audits up to the year 2012. Next year will see the completion of the years up to 2015, with all reports expected to be finished by January 2020.

“The last completed audit is 2011. We have just recently completed the 2012 … and about to have it signed off and it’s our expectations that we will complete 2013, 2014 and 2015 by mid-2019 due to some efforts we’ve made this year to revisit the way we’ve done audits at the Commission.”

GL&SC Commissioner Trevor Benn

While annual reports have been “lagging”, the 2017 and 2018 reports are in the process of being completed. The 2016 report was recently completed.

It was mentioned that after consultations, the Lands and Surveys Act will be placed before Cabinet during the first quarter of 2019.

“After extensive countrywide consultation and reviews by international experts, the revision of our Lands and Surveys Act is almost completed. It is expected that the process will be fully in place to have this bill sent to Parliament in the first quarter of 2019.”

Land

From increased demand for land in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), there is a potential opening of 6000 acres of public land for development for residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural purposes, which will be announced in the near future.

“We have observed recently that land in particular areas is of greater interest to people and there’s an overwhelming amount of interest being shown and expressions of interest submitted for land in this area (Region Four).”

At present, a new “system” is being undertaken which encourages individuals to bid for lands at a higher price, so as to guarantee assurance that they will acquire the land they desire.

“We have introduced a system where those who can afford to pay, we encourage them to pay more for the land on a competitive basis and so for land in the Georgetown and the Region Four area, we have seen a number of people offering us substantially more for the land.”

Budget

A “limited budget” is the “biggest constraint” being faced by the Commission, which has been allocated $313 million in the 2019 Budget with estimated expenditure surpassing $1.5 billion.

“We are a semiautonomous agency and we’re supposed to be able to find our own resources, but we’ve not been able to fully do that because of the rates which we charge at the moment.

This year, in the National Budget, Lands and Survey Commission was allocated $163 million for capital works and $150 million for as supplement for our salaries, so the Commission has to find all of the rest of the $1.5 billion to cover the cost associated with the work of the Commission,” the Commissioner added.

14 news 49 homes to be moved for East Bank-East Coast road linkage tuesdAY, december 18, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

…4-lane highway recommended

A

four-lane highway has been recommended for the East Bank-East Coast road linkage project.

Senior Highway Engineer of RITES Limited, Rajendra Sothwal made the recommendation on Monday during a scoping meeting at the Critchlow Labour College.

“The main alignment is four-lane, four connectors are there, one connector is Aubrey Barker, second connector Haag Bosh, the third connector is Mocha Arcadia and the last one is great Diamond connector. The total length of the project is around 25 kilometres and the main alignment is 13.5 kilometres. We propose the four-lane highway’s speed to be around 100 kilometres per hour,” Sothwal was quoted by the Department of Public Information (DPI) as saying.

It was made known that the new road will be outfitted with four ground cul-

Senior Highway Engineer of RITES Limited, Rajendra Sothwal

verts, four steel composite bridges, intersections, sidewalks and bicycle lanes.

Two residential properties at Goedverwagting, 18 at Ogle, nine at Aubrey Barker road, 14 at Mocha and six at Diamond will be affected during execution of the three-phase project.

The project’s implementation has three stages, which are the detail proj-

ect report preparation, construction supervision, post construction stage-defect liability.

According to the senior highway engineer, the road safety provisions include metal beam barrier, concrete crash barrier, highway lighting, traffic signs, pavement marking, impact attenuators, road studs, pedestrian footpath, cycle

tracks and shrub plantation, and a raised median to cut headlight glare.

“We have taken care of the whole safety aspect like we have doubled up junctions etc. This project will be the landmark for Guyana and especially for Georgetown, the new road will significantly reduce traffic congestion in Georgetown,” Sothwal explained.

The scoping meeting focused on the environmental impact following construction works on the road. Technical Services Manager of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Nigel Erskine said another meeting will be held to facilitate the public’s input.

“We are anticipating that the designs for the project will be completed by April next year and then a few months later by mid-2019 we will proceed with the construction works. There’s another scoping meeting planned for next year, it will be pub-

lic consultation, so persons can come and engage the consultants,” Erskine explained.

The Government, through a loan provided by the Government of

India, has entered into an agreement for the project.

Erskine added that the Ministry is pursuing $120 million from the line of credit with India to facilitate the project.

CJIA gets $65M to upgrade equipment - Ferguson

Minister within the Public Infrastructure Ministry, Annette Ferguson

M

ore money will be spent on the upgrade of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) in 2019.

This was announced by the Minister within the Public Infrastructure Ministry, Annette Ferguson, on Monday.

The move comes years after the A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC), which when in Opposition, had cut the funds the then Government – People’s Progressive Party (PPP) – had allocated for the CJIA expansion.

Ferguson made the comment while delivering the feature address at the Art Williams and Harry Wendt Aeronautical Engineering School’s graduation and prize giving ceremony on Monday at the Eugene F. Correira International Airport.

According to the Minister, over $65 million will be spent on the airport to upgrade its technology to be able to track the weather, among other things.

“We would have just approved in excess of $65 million, which would now enable the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority out at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Air Traffic controllers to ensure that a new mechanism is installed so we (will) be moving from manual settings to a more digital setting,” she noted.

It was further explained that the new technology will even help pilots to track the weather patterns to make better landing decisions.

Earlier in the year, the Ministry had sought more than $346 million in supplementary funding to cater for two air bridges and see the project to completion.

Upon completion, the airport is expected to have four air passenger boarding bridges for arrivals and departures; a 450-seat

Departure area, escalators and elevators in addition to an extended runway catering for larger categories of aircraft.

In 2012, Guyana, under the PPP Administration had secured a US$138 million loan from the China Exim (Export-Import) Bank to fund the expansion and modernisation project, for which the Guyana Government has injected some US$12 million.

However, when the coalition Government came in to power in 2015, the project was put on hold, but following discussions between Public Infrastructure and the contracting company, China Harbour Engineering Corporation (CHEC), it was announced that the project would be continued.

So far, the new arrival and departure sections have been opened to passengers.

The new arrivals terminal, which became operational in September, has already been commended by passengers. The outstanding work includes placement of hoardings (billboards) and striping of the runway (to reduce the risk of aircraft over-shooting the runway, or over-flying during takeoff). The striping can only be done after the laying of asphaltic concrete once the runway is completed.

Further, when the project is completed, other minor works will be done during the one-year defects and liability period, Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson said.

Just recently, the aviation sector was able to gain a 20 per cent improvement and currently stands at 64 per cent compliance in the sector. The announcement of the achievement was highlighted at opening of the Air Transport Conference at the Arthur Chung Conference Center.

(Davina Ramdass)

news

15

tuesdAY, december 18, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Christmas shopping

Vendors hoping for increased sales

Vendor Don Paul

Natasha (only name given) along with other vendors on Avenue of the Republic, Georgetown

W

ith Christmas Day only days away, Georgetown is buzzing with activities as

excited persons fill the city’s streets and sellers display their festive commodities.

Georgetown -- in partic-

ular along Regent Street to Avenue of the Republic -is becoming more congested, as exuberant vendors

Bina Hill’s Green Enterprise poised towards hinterland development

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Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Minister Sydney Allicock

he Ministry is firm in its partnership within the Bina Hill Green Enterprise Development Centre, a laudable initiative that has as its core, the holistic development of hinterland youth”, Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Minister, Sydney Allicock stated.

The Minister recently announced Government’s commitment to bridge the gap between the hinterland of Guyana and the coast, as it seeks to develop human resources which would include residents in the hinterland.

The Minister noted that “the Centre is being constructed at a cost of $200 million and will accommodate and train 120 youths from across the country on an annual basis.

These young [people] will benefit from training in ‘green skills’ such as Natural Resource Management, Community and Village Rangers,

Ecosystem Management, Forest Rangers, Village mapping and eco-tourism guides among others”.

The Minister assured that it is all in readiness of the development coming not only in Region Nine but throughout the length and breadth of Guyana.

Speaking to the specific target group, the Minister stated “the Centre provides our Indigenous out-of-school youth with skills and academic training in areas which are in demand within their respective communities, thereby reducing the need for relocation in search of jobs and other economic opportunities” The Ministry has envisaged youth across the hinterland to become more competitive and productive in the national workforce and increase the number of young entrepreneurs within the villages and communities who are geared for success like never before.

“This will ensure there

are options for our youth to pursue higher levels of training or to market their skills in the world of work”, Allicock noted.

During his presentation on Budget 2019, Allicock told the National Assembly that the budget provides young people with a greater scope and improved opportunities through the Green Centre, to be fully involved and prepared for the transition from the ‘business as usual’ path into the future.

Government, with support from the Education Ministry is looking to have the Institute fully accredited so that the achievements of the youths who gain an education there, can be recognised both nationally and internationally.

Since Government’s ascension to office in 2015, in excess of $146 million has been invested to develop the Bina Hill Institute, with more than two hundred graduates to date and a ninety percent pass rate.

look forward to an exciting Christmas with their families this year.

However, when Guyana Times caught up with some of the vendors on Monday, they expressed that all is not as merry and bright as it may seem. A clothing vendor who gave her name only as Natasha said sales are slow although the streets are filled with persons.

“Right now things lil slow, but I’m hoping that it will pick up, maybe by weekend into next week. People not really buying clothes… but in between yuh still getting one and two things sell.

I know things will pick up later on, man,” she told this publication.

Meanwhile, a beads and craft vendor related that “things going nice” so far for the season.

Leon Anthony said people are shopping every day.

He took the time to encourage the Guyanese public to be safe on the road ways, and to always designate a driver if consuming alcohol during this season.

“Everything nice, man!

Everybody doing deh shopping; businesses blooming and so on. No complaints.

My wish for Guyana is for everyone to have a merry Christmas and a blessed new year. Make sure to use the roadways safely, and just have a nice time,” Anthony declared.

Don Paul, a fruits vendor, highlighted the reason for the season as he stated that it’s a time to spread love and joy to each other. “It’s not only shopping up and suh; this time is to spend time with yuh family and people close to you.

My plans for this Christmas is just to eat, drink and be merry. Season’s greetings to all Guyanese near and far”.

He also noted that even though “things are slow”, he is contented with whatever he sells at the end of the day.

When Guyana Times spoke with plants vendor Jerry London within the city about business sales and his plans for the season, he related that even though the holidays are near, the sales are still quite low.

“Well, even though things are slow, I know that Guyanese are late shoppers; so I’m hoping that it will pick up in the week.”

These vendors remain positive that things will change over the coming week.

Safety For business persons, the Guyana Police Force has called for checks to be made to Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) systems to ensure they are working properly. In fact, the Force is encouraging that Digital Video Recorder (DVRs) be properly

Vendor Jerry London

secured to preserve valuable information.

Advice was also issued for visitors in the capital city by ‘A Division’ (Georgetown-East Bank Demerara) Commander Marlon Chapman recently, as he urged shoppers to “carry your wallet in an inside jacket or inside trousers pocket. Avoid rear pockets. Keep purses on your lap when dining out, Not dangling over the back of a chair.”

According to Chapman, Police patrols and outposts around the city will be boosted in a bid to ensure a secure shopping environment.

He revealed that part of the efforts to ensure increased safety is the splitting of Georgetown into seven sub-sections, as compared to six last year.

These sub-sections run from Agricola, Greater Georgetown to Central Georgetown. The areas will be equipped with mobile outposts and frequent patrols will occur, with senior members of the GPF in charge of each sub-sector.

16

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tuesDAY, december 18, 2018

Regional

T&T PM: Priority Salvadoran woman accused of trying to abort rapist’s baby freed housing, agriculture

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Salvadoran rape survivor accused of attempting to abort her abuser’s baby was released on Monday after a judge found her not guilty on reduced charges in a case that tested the country’s strict enforcement of a total ban on abortion.

Twenty-year-old Imelda Cortez became pregnant in 2016 after years of being raped by her 70-year-old stepfather. In April 2017, she gave birth to a baby girl in the toilet. At the time, she did not know she was pregnant, Cortez said. When she went to the hospital, a doctor accused her attempting to have an abortion and reported her to authorities.

While at the hospital, she

Imelda Cortez spent more than a year in prison before being released on Monday [Jose Cabezas/Reuters]

confided in officials about the years of sexual abuse at the hands of her stepfather.

Doctors and officials doubted her story, but a DNA test proved him to be the father of her child. He now awaits trial for aggravated sexual

assault of a minor.

Cortez was originally charged with attempted aggravated homicide, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Her lawyers insisted that there was no evidence that proved that

she induced an abortion or that she intended to harm her baby.

But Judges have taken a rigid understanding of the country’s abortion laws, since the Central American nation fully criminalised abortion in all cases in 1998, sending dozens of women to prison for suspected abortions.

“Imelda’s case is only one, and right now she’s the one who is getting attention because of the extreme cruelty involved in her circumstances,” said Paula AvilaGuillon, director of Women’s Equality Centre, an organisation that supports reproductive rights around the world. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Jamaican man implicated in murder of British woman remanded

T

he man who was arrested and charged in connection with the murder of Karen ClearyBrown, a returning resident from the United Kingdom, was remanded when he appeared before the St Mary Parish Court, Jamaica on

Friday.

The man, 32-year-old Sheldon Hewitt of Boscobel, St Mary, was arrested following inconsistencies detected in a missing person’s report that he filed at the Oracabessa Police Station on behalf of the deceased.

These inconsistencies led the officers to widen their investigation which resulted in the search of ClearyBrown’s home in Boscobel.

During that search her decomposing body was found in a shallow grave about 17:30h, on Monday,

December 03.

A post-mortem has since revealed that the deceased was stabbed nine times.

Hewitt is scheduled to appear in the St Mary Parish Court on Thursday, January 10, 2019.(Jamaica Observer)

IDB lends further support to CDB’s investment in regional energy security

T

he Barbadosbased Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Monday said it is partnering with the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB), in providing more than US$85 million to increase the Region’s energy security through geothermal energy development.

The CDB said it has approved acceptance of further financing under the Sustainable Energy Facility (SEF) for the Eastern Caribbean from IDB, with resources coming from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Government of the Republic of Italy.

SEF is part of CDB’s GeoSmart Initiative, which aims to reduce the financial, technical and institutional barriers to geothermal energy development in five Eastern Caribbean states,

namely Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

The programme also helps Governments build capacity and strengthen institutions so they can be better equipped to implement and manage geothermal energy initiatives.

The CDB said that the US$85.6 million would expand the pool of existing resources under SEF Programme with US$80 million coming from GCF and US$5.6 million from the Government of Italy.

It will go towards financing the often cost-intensive stages of development from the pre-feasibility studies to exploration drilling, and eventually field and plant development such as developing wells and building power plants, sub-stations

The programme helps Governments build capacity and strengthen institutions so they can be better equipped to implement and manage geothermal energy initiatives

and transmission lines.

CDB Vice-President (Operations), Monica La Bennett, welcomed the new financing, saying it would help to advance the energy transformation and economic development of the beneficiary countries. “The reali-

ty for these countries is that they have small and isolated electricity markets which lack scale, and are heavily dependent on diesel fuel for power generation. This has made the cost of electricity higher than the global average,” she said. (Excerpt from CMC)

incentives for exPetrotrin workers

T

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley

rinidad Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley on Monday outlined measures to assist former Petrotrin employees, including priority housing, agriculture incentives and possible regularisation for those on Petrotrin lands. He stressed, however, that was not a licence for squatting.

Dr Rowley made the announcement during a statement in Parliament.

Rowley said the first measure for ex-Petrotrin workers was the opportunity to own serviced housing.

He reported sites would be added to the Aided Self Help Housing Programme and made available on a priority basis to former Petrotrin workers.

He also said Government has identified suitable agricultural land for former Petrotrin workers who are either already in agriculture and wish to expand or those who have an interest, some experience or a business plan for agri-business. These lands are in Chatham, Felicity and a number of other areas.

He recalled in September 2018, at a meeting in Marabella, he promised Government would en-

sure the Petrotrin land is available around the South for those who can access land for housing.

“We are doing much more than that,” he said.

Rowley also reported that, for who meet the requirements of the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB), the Government will support the ADB in providing a special financial support package of up to TT$500,000 for former Petrotrin employees.

He also announced that former Petrotrin workers who currently live on or carry on agriculture or other activity on state land or land owned by a state entity, the Government, through Palo Seco Agricultural Enterprises Ltd and the Land Settlement Agency, “will give priority attention to assessing each situation and where it does not infringe on exploration and production activities or other planning strictures or ownership interests, the Government will deal expeditiously with the issue of regularisation where such occupancy can be shown to have been in existence before December 1, 2018.”

(Excerpt from newsday.com)

Man dies from swine flu in The Bahamas

T

he Bahamas Government has confirmed that a 61-year-old man has died from the H1N1 influenza, otherwise known as swine flu.

Health Minister Dr Duane Sands, who was unable to provide any specif-

ics about the case, said the death occurred last week.

“H1N1 speaks to a particular subtype of influenza and the technically correct term is H1N1 influenza. Swine flu, while it makes for great headlines, this is not the same beast that we saw in 2009. We’re

saying seasonal influenza and all influenza [are] serious,” he added.

The Health Minister said that there was no need for alarm given the recent death.

“We certainly would like to remind people that these [flu] shots are available,

but certainly those highrisk individuals should get them.

As a matter of fact, all adults or all persons older than six months of age should get them.”

The health authorities here say high-risk individuals include youth, the el-

derly, morbidly obese individuals and healthcare providers.

“The majority of influenza cases expected are going to be H1N1 and we’ve now had 4500 people take up the influenza vaccine.

It is not enough and we strongly encourage per-

sons to go and get their flu shots,” Sands said.

Health officials said that the reported number of flu cases in the country ranges from 200 to 650 annually during the flu season that runs October to May, and peaks in the month of February. (CMC)

17

tuesdAY, december 18, 2018

guyanatimesgy.com

Around the World

British PM sets date for Brexit Air strikes kill 62 militants – US deal parliamentary vote

T

B

ritish Prime Minister Theresa May has announced members of parliament will vote on her widely criticised Brexit deal in the week beginning January 14 next year.

In a statement to parliament on Monday, May also rejected growing demands for a second referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union, warning it would "further divide" the country and "break faith" with the British people.

The 62-year-old dismissed calls from leading public figures, including former prime ministers Tony Blair and John Major, for a rerun of the 2016 vote suggesting it would do "irreparable damage to the integrity of our politics".

"It would say to millions who trusted in democracy, that our democracy does not deliver," May said. "Another

British Prime Minister Theresa May

vote which would likely leave us no further forward than the last."

Nearly 52 percent of Britons - more than 17 million people - voted to leave the EU during a divisive referendum held in June 2016.

Turnout for the poll was more than 72 percent.

The UK is now set to leave the 28-member bloc on March 29 next year,

two years after it triggered Article 50 - the exit clause in the EU's constitution - and kick-started negotiations with European leaders over a divorce deal.

But May's proposed deal, brokered after months of back-and-forth between London and Brussels, has proved widely unpopular among parliamentarians. (Al

Jazeera)

New York Governor says he's ready to legalise recreational ganja

N

ew York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday called for the legalisation of recreational marijuana use in his state — a move that would add America's most populous city to the growing list of places that allow the drug's use.

The announcement marked a shift for the Democrat, who was re-elected for a third term as gover-

nor of a state that is home to about 20 million people.

"Let's legalise the adult use of recreational marijuana, once and for all," Cuomo said in a speech at Hunter College in Manhattan about his priorities for 2019.

Cuomo had long opposed the legalisation of marijuana, but during his re-election campaign earlier this year, when he faced competition from the left in the form

of actress Cynthia Nixon, he said he was open to the possibility.

On Monday, he listed the arguments for decriminalising marijuana use that Nixon had made. At the time, she said the only people still being arrested for smoking a joint in New York were minorities.

"The fact is we have had two criminal justice systems — one for the wealthy and the well off, and one for everyone else," Cuomo said, decrying a system he said had "for too long targeted the African-American and minority communities."

New York state includes New York City, which is the most populous American city with some 8.5 million residents. If the state were to legalise recreational marijuana use in 2019, it would be a boost to supporters of legalization nationwide. (AFP)

Twitter tumbles on concerns about hacking activity

T

witter Inc shares fell almost sevenper cent after the company said it was investigating unusual traffic that might be from state-sponsored hackers and, in what appeared to be an unrelated issue, a security firm said hackers used the platform to try to steal user data.

Twitter said in a blog that it discovered suspicious traffic to a customer-support forum while investigating a security bug that exposed data, including users’ phone country codes and details on locked accounts. It said the bug was fixed Nov. 16.

Twitter observed a large amount of traffic to the customer support site coming from individual internet IP addresses in China

a n d

Saudi Arabia.

“While we cannot confirm intent or attribution for certain, it is possible that some of these IP addresses may have ties to state-sponsored actors,” the blog said.

“We continue to err on the side of full transparency in this area and have updated law enforcement on our findings,” it said.

A company spokesman declined to elaborate as Twitter shares posted their biggest drop in more than two months.

Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter blamed the decline on concerns that news of a breach could hurt growth and user engagement.

“Clearly, a breach like this impairs user trust in the platform,” he said. (Reuters)

he US military says it has killed 62 fighters from the Islamist group al-Shabab in six air strikes in Somalia.

Four air strikes on Saturday killed 32 militants and a further two on Sunday killed 28, it said in a statement.

These were the deadliest air attacks in Somalia since November 2017 when the US said it had killed 100 militants.

Somalia has seen a sharp increase in the number of air strikes and casualties since President Donald Trump took office in the US in January 2017.

A tally by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism reveals that at least 400 people have been killed in air strikes since the beginning of 2017, far more than the previous 10 years combined.

The latest strikes bring to at least 40 the number carried out in Somalia so far this year, compared with 35 recorded in 2017.

The US has a huge military base in neighbour-

The US says it is committed to eradicating al-Shabab safe havens in Somalia (AFP photo)

ing Djibouti, from where it launches attacks on the militants.

Trump gave the US military greater authority in March 2017 to attack militants in Somalia.

Traditionally, US presidents have been wary of intervening in Somalia since 18 special forces soldiers died fighting militias in the capital Mogadishu in 1993, a battle dramatised in the film Black Hawk Down. No civilians were killed in the latest air strikes, which

were carried out in co-ordination with the Somali government, the US military said.

"Alongside our Somali and international partners, we are committed to preventing al-Shabab from taking advantage of safe havens from which they can build capacity and attack the people of Somalia," the US Africa Command said.

Al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaeda, has not yet commented on the latest strikes. (BBC News)

Ethiopian Police arrest 'doomsday prophet' for sowing panic

P

olice in Ethiopia's northern Amhara regional state have arrested a "doomsday prophet" who caused widespread panic over claims his village would be wiped out on Monday, state media reported.

The state-owned Amhara Mass Media Agency (AMMA) reported that the prophet had told his followers in the village of Ergoye

that he had recently returned from heaven with a gloomy message.

"I have just returned from paradise with a message from god. The people in my area will be wiped out on Monday," AMMA reported him as saying.

"When I entered paradise I met a woman who said she is the Virgin Mary, I also met god..." he claimed.

The prediction prompt-

ed residents to shut schools and businesses for several days, the AMMA reported.

Ethiopia is a deeply religious society, with surveys showing the vast majority of Ethiopians believe in a supernatural deity.

In recent years, the proliferation of quasi-evangelical movements and charismatic preachers has sometimes spawned "cult leaders". (AFP)

Facebook bans Israeli PM's son over posts

A

son of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu says Facebook blocked him for 24 hours amid a spat over several posts railing against Palestinians and Muslims.

Last week, Facebook removed a post by Yair Netanyahu in which he called for "avenging the deaths" of two Israeli soldiers killed by a Palestinian.

A post in which the 27-year-old said he would prefer if "all Muslims leave the land of Israel" was also taken down.

He called Facebook "thought police". But it accused him of hate speech.

Netanyahu drew widespread criticism last year after he posted a meme mocking some of his father's critics, including billionaire financier George Soros, which the AntiDefamation League said was anti-Semitic.

He also faced a public backlash over his reported failure to pick up his dog's poo.

On Sunday, Netanyahu

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and his son Yair (right), pictured in 2015

took to Twitter to express his anger at his 24-hour ban from Facebook, calling the move "unbelievable".

His tweet included a screenshot of a deleted Facebook post that criticised the site for taking down his call to avenge the deaths of the soldiers who were shot and killed in the occupied West Bank on Thursday.

In it he warned that "there will never be peace with those monsters in the form of men that have called themselves 'Palestinians' since 1964" [the founding date of the Palestine

Liberation Organisation (PLO)].

"The thought police of the radical progressives at Facebook have reached me as well!" Netanyahu's Facebook post said.

A Facebook spokesperson said Netanyahu had "posted several posts which included hate speech", violating its community standards.

"Due to that, this content was removed from our platform as we would do for anyone posting similar content about any protected characteristic. (BBC News)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

tuesdAY, december 18, 2018

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

dilbert

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Peanuts

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Calvin and Hobbes

Be careful what you wish for. Offers, gifts and found money are apparent, but expect to pay a price for what you receive. Personal gain will have stipulations attached.

Concentrate on personal changes that will make you look and feel your best. If you put quality before quantity, you will be happy with the results. Romance should be a priority.

Don’t let your generosity leave you short of funds.

It’s OK to help others, but first look out for yourself and your loved ones.

Indulgent tendencies should be squelched.

You’ll come up with a great gift idea for a loved one.

Strive for stability and equality when it comes to important relationships. A physical improvement will fetch compliments.

A change will take place if you get together with colleagues or sign up for activities that include older or younger friends or relatives.

An offer or proposal looks interesting.

Pick up small items that you want to have on hand for the upcoming festivities. Make arrangements to visit older friends and relatives or include them in your plans.

A change in the way you LIBRA (Sept. 23- feel about someone will lead Oct. 23) to a surprise that will bring you great joy. Travel plans or a promise you make will brighten your day.

WORD GAME

SUDOKU

TODAY’S WORD — CHILBLAINS (CHILBLAINS: CHIL-blanes: Swelling or sores caused by exposure to cold.)

Average mark 30 words Time limit 45 minutes Can you find 48 or more words in CHILBLAINS? The list will be published tomorrow.

rooty ropy plot ploy polo pool poor poorly porgy port portly prolog tool troop

troy typo tyro orgy loco logo logy loop loopy loot glory gory gyro

RULES OF THE GAME: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” is not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed. To contact Word Game creator Kathleen Saxe, write to Word Game, Kathleen Saxe, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

Copyright 2015, Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS

Update your look or pick up something that will give you the sophisticated appearance you searching for. Your uniqueness will be admired.

Romance is highlighted.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

Be reasonable when engaging in festivities or offering your services to others.

It’s important to put your time and effort where they will count most. Put family first.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

YESTERDAY’S WORD — CRYPTOLOGY clog clop clot cloy color colt cool coop coat copy coyly crop crypt root

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Make a couple of minor adjustments at home to help prepare for special events or settle in for family fun.

Romance is highlighted.

solution for LAST PUBLISHED puzzle AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Make changes for the right reasons, not because someone else wants you to make them. Being helpful is one thing, but letting others take advantage of you is another.

A reasonable request should not be denied, but you must know where to draw the line. Someone’s behavior should be pointed out if it’s upsetting people you love.

tuesdAY, december 18, 2018

19

Lyon leaves India 5 down and sinking N

athan Lyon followed up his five-wicket haul in the first innings with the key wicket of Virat Kohli to set Australia up for a series-leveling victory at the new Perth Stadium. Ajinkya Rahane swung for the hills but history, the challenging pitch and India’s dinosaur tail were all stacked up against them. Since the start of 2014, only six teams have chased 200 or more in 124 attempts, and overall, India have gone past 287 - the target Australia set them on the fourth day - only twice in a successful chase. They were five down and sinking at stumps.

India would have been facing a taller chase had

Mohammed Shami not flicked on his second-innings switch after lunch. After India had gone wicketless in the morning, Shami exploited the wild variations in bounce to collect four wickets in five overs and ended with career-best returns of 6 for 56. While prancing deliveries had both the overnight batsmen Tim Paine and Usman Khawaja fending behind, Aaron Finch, who was cleared to bat after injuring his right index finger, was strangled down the leg side. But, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood swung their bats and ran up 36 together in 39 balls for the last wicket to stretch Australia’s lead close to 300.

Starc and Hazlewood

SCOREBOARD

Australia – 326 & 243 India 1st Innings - 283 India 2nd Innings (target: 287 runs) KL Rahul b Starc 0 M Vijay b Lyon 20 CA Pujara c †Paine b Hazlewood 4 V Kohli (c) c Khawaja b Lyon 17 AM Rahane c Head b Hazlewood 30 GH Vihari not out 24 RR Pant † not out 9

Extras (b 6, w 2) 8 TOTAL (41 Overs, RR: 2.73) 112/5 Yet to bat: I Sharma, Mohammed Shami, UT Yadav, JJ Bumrah Fall of wickets: 1-0 (KL Rahul, 0.4 ov), 2-13 (CA Pujara, 3.5 ov), 3-48 (V Kohli, 19.1 ov), 4-55 (M Vijay, 21.5 ov), 5-98 (AM Rahane, 34.5 ov) BOWLING: MA Starc (10-228-1), JR Hazlewood (11-324-2), PJ Cummins (8-0-24-0), NM Lyon (12-2-30-2)

then swung the new ball to leave India two down within four overs. After spearing his first three balls across KL Rahul’s off stump, Starc brought one back in, forcing him to drag one onto his stumps for a duck as he attempted to leave. Hazlewood then caused one to kick up from back of a length and removed Adelaide hero Cheteshwar Pujara for 4.

M Vijay, who is more or less in the same boat as Rahul on form, then combined with Kohli to briefly steady the shaky innings with a 35-run partnership for the third wicket.

Pat Cummins resumed his mouth-watering battle with Kohli and kept threatening the India captain’s outside edge and Vijay’s body, but the the duo survived that spell. It was Lyon who dismissed both Kohli and Vijay off successive overs. After attacking Kohli’s stumps with his first seven balls to him, he shifted his line wider and found drift to draw the outside edge, which was pouched at slip.

The celebration from Paine behind the stumps was rather subdued, given they had fired verbal volleys at each other in the morning. When Paine had been

Tim Paine celebrates the dismissal of Virat Kohli

dismissed, Kohli chattered away, making his counterpart turn around for a reply.

Paine even had a go at Vijay after Lyon got one to break out of the footmarks and through the gate. Rahane came in swinging, and got out swinging, finding point after a brisk 30 off 47 balls. Vihari and Risbah Pant then resisted Australia’s push for victory, forcing the match into the final day. But considering India’s feeble lower order and recent fourth-innings trends, Australia are well poised to wrap up things on the fifth morning.

While Lyon continued to

be the difference between the two sides, India spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav were wearing bibs and supplying drinks in the first session of the day. There was no joy for the India seamers until the post-lunch session. Paine and Khawaja countered everything India threw at them in an attritional first session, which yielded only 58 runs in 30 overs. Paine struck the only three boundaries in that session, including a cracking square-cut off Shami.

Several balls whizzed past the outside edge - and occasionally their throats

- but Paine and Khawaja were largely unperturbed.

Once India turned to the part-time offspin of Vihari, they tapped the ball into the gaps with more comfort.

Umesh Yadav, too, leaked runs, conceding 61 runs in his 14 overs.

After struggling in his first three innings this series, Khawaja brought up his fifty and took Australia’s lead past 200 with one shot: a neat back-foot clip through midwicket.

Shami then produced a lethal four-over burst, but Lyon and Australia would have the final say again.

(ESPNcricinfo)

More support for RHTY&SC Christmas Programme

– KSM Investments makes massive contribution

H

undreds of children and less fortunate families in the county of Berbice will be having a brighter Christmas via the hard work of the Management and Cricketers of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTYSC).

Guyana’s leading youth and sports organization will, from December 2024, be hosting its 28th annual multi-million-dollar Christmas Charity programme and 4th Annual Christmas Village.

The Club’s ten cricket teams, which consist of over two hundred members, are moving ahead with plans for the two programmes to be held under the direction of Club/Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster and his deputy, Simon Naidu.

Foster stated that at completion of 2018, the ten cricket teams would have distributed over $5 million worth of hampers, toys, clothing, educational mate-

RHTY&SC Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster receiving the donation from a representative

rials to less fortunate children, single parent households, NGOs, Churches and the elderly. Thus effort is being placed into the Berbice Christmas Village, which over the last three years has developed a reputation of promoting the true value of the Festive Season. Because of this, children can now enjoy themselves in a safe and sound environment.

The Club will be sharing out hundreds of food hampers, 3000 toys; hosting a Children Christmas Party, making donations to orphanages and senior citizens home.

Under-17 Captain and National Junior Cricketer Jonathan Rampersaud, who is one of the chief organisers of the programme, expressed gratitude to all

of the donors. The promising and highly talented all-rounder stated that the ten cricket teams are very proud of the fact that the RHTYSC is the only cricket club in the Caribbean that mandates its players to make positive differences in the lives of others. The Club is hoping to have completed a total of 718 programmes/activities by the 31st December, 2018.

Rampersaud expressed gratitude to all of the donors, and reassured them that the items would be used for the intended purpose.

The Christmas Village received financial donations on Friday last from Mr. Chintamani, Peter Lewis, KSM Investment, A.M. Khan of LBT, Farfan & Mendes, Alistair Parris of Len’s Craft, The Hardware Depot, John Lewis of John Lewis Styles, the Gift Centre, Bissoondyal Singh of Bissan Trading, and the

Sasha Arjune of Regal Stationery hands over toys and educational materials to Foster

Central Corentyne Chamber of Commerce.

The ten cricket teams also received large donation of toys and food items from several of the RHTYSC closest corporate supporters. They include Big ‘B’ Restaurant, Bounty Farm, Fairfield Rice Mill, Bakewell, V Net Communications, H.A

Snacks Co, Ltd, F & H Printery, Toucan Industries, Starr Computers, W/R Enterprise, Factory Price, Regal Enterprise, Sueria Manufacturing, K. Sarwan, Anil Beharry, Rana Persaud, Cirkel Distributors, Ryan Tillack, Poonai Pharmacy, The Office of the First Lady, S. Tulsi-Mahadeo and Sterling Products Ltd.

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BCB/RHTY&SC Busta Champion of 2018-2019 Regional 4-Day Tournament…

Champions 40-Overs Knockout Tournament…

Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Imposing Jaguars top after 2 rounds Gadgets, Young Warriors table - Carty, Singh top batsmen Cricket Club are finalists

T

he Young Warriors Cricket Club of Cumberland, East Canje Berbice continued their dream return to Berbice First Division Cricket by defeating the mighty Albion Community Centre Cricket Club in an important tournament played on Saturday last at the Albion Cricket Ground.

Their victory came in the semifinal match of the Berbice Cricket Boardorganised RHTYSC/Busta Champion of Champions Cricket Tournament -- a heart stopping contest in which the Young Warriors prevailed by a single run.

Young Warriors had amassed 219 for 7 from their allotted 40 overs, with Alex Algoo top-scoring with 68, which included 7 boundaries and two huge sixes. He received support from Vishal

Rose Hall Town Gizmos and Gadgets and Young Warriors (Brandon Corlette photos)

Alex Algoo

Mohabir, 23; Linden Austin, 37; and Suresh Dhanai, 19.

Sharaz Ramcharran was the most successful bowler for Albion Community Centre, with 2 for 28.

Responding, Albion Community Centre were cruising at 159 for 2 in the 30th over, before suddenly collapsing to 166 for 5 within two overs. However, they fought their way to 208 for 7, but when they required just 6 runs for the triumph, with three wickets

in hand, Albion lost Joshua Harrichand for 05, Beesham Surujnarine for a duck, and Gourav Ramesh for zero -all through the clever variation of veteran off-spinner Ishwar Singh.

Sharaz Ramcharran topscored with a superb 64, which included three boundaries; while Kandasammy Surujnarine and Ramesh Kassinauth supported with 55 runs each. Guyana Under-15 fast bowler Isaiah Thorne was chief destroy-

er for the Young Warriors, with 5 for 18.

The Young Warriors will now meet arch-rivals Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets (RHTGG) in the final, after that powerhouse side had defeated Tucber Park Cricket Club by 41 runs in the first semi-final game of the tournament, which was played at the Port Mourant Centre Ground. That match is scheduled to be played on Saturday, December 22, at the Cumberland Ground in East Canje.

The two teams, Rose Hall Town and Young Warriors, had clashed last month at the Albion Ground in the Final of the Pepsi 50-Overs First Division tournament, and Rose Hall Town Gizmos & Gadgets had emerged victors by 202 runs.

Dwayne Smith hopes Shai keeps getting better

F

ormer Windies opener Dwayne Smith believes Shai Hope a cricketer with prodigious talent and some of his performances, even on the ongoing tour of Bangladesh, are just the start of more from the top-order batsman.

While Hope failed with the bat in the two Test matches the Windies played in Bangladesh, the One Day Internationals and one T20 have proven a lot more fruitful.

Hope scored back-to-back 100s for the Windies in a win and a loss before a belligerent 55 from 23 deliveries helped the Caribbean side chase down 130 in just 10.5 overs.

Hope averages 47.48 in ODIs but just 22.8 in T20Is and 28.51 in Tests.

Smith wants to see the young Barbadian batsman transform some of his ODI form into Test results.

“This is the special one,” said Smith about the 25-year-old batsman.

Vishaul Singh has 168 runs

According to Smith, he shaw Hope bat at nine or 10 and believed from then that his talent was impressive.

“The way he went about that innings was so special and to see Shai, to play with Shai has been amazing. Shai is one that I really admire and hope that he continues to go on and on.

I just need him to get some of those runs that he’s getting in Test matches.

According to Smith though, he has no doubt that the transition will be made and that Hope will become a premier Test batsman.

“I’m sure that Shai will work it out himself, he’s a smart enough guy, a smart enough cricketer,” said Smith.

The Windies won the first T20 against Bangladesh by eight wickets, with standout performances coming all around the park.

Sheldon Cottrell took 4-28, while Keemo Paul backed him up nicely 2-23 before going on to make 28 from 14 balls. (Sportsmax)

Keacy Carty has 184 runs

By Brandon Corlette

A

f t e r registering consecutive victories in the 2018-2019 Cricket West Indies (CWI) Regional 4-Day Tournament, the Guyana Jaguars have amassed 3 7 points and top the points’ standings.

Their next opponents, Barbados Pride, are second in the points’ standings with 22.6 points.

The Guyana Jaguars performance has thus far not been competent, with only Vishaul Singh, Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Christopher Barnwell crossing 100 runs.

Vishaul Singh has been the Jaguars’ most prolific batsman, scoring 168 runs in three innings at an astonishing average of 56. Singh scored two constructive halfcenturies, but in both of those innings he missed out on well-deserved centuries. He scored 90 runs against the Hurricanes, but his dot-ball percentage of 72.39 is on the higher side, in contrast to his boundary percentage of 24.6.

Tagenarine Chanderpaul is the second most prolific Jaguars batsman, with 116 runs scored at an average of 38.67, and he has one half-century to boot. He has been occupying the crease in his four innings, facing 499 balls and playing 416 dot balls.

But with a dot ball percentage of 83.3 and a boundary percentage of 17.24, Chanderpaul will have to improve his 23.25 strike rate.

Christopher Barnwell has scored 125 runs at a brilliant average of 62.50, with a decent strike rate of 76.2. He has single-handedly changed games in favour of the Jaguars with counterattacking knocks.

The bowling allrounders Romario Shepherd and Clinton Pestano have chipped in with g o o d contributions with the bat.

The tournament’s leading run-scorer, Keacy Carty, has scored 184 runs, including a first round century; and Taryck Gabriel is third in this regard, with 152 runs.

Trinidad and Tobago Red Force opening batsman Jeremy Solozano has scored a scintillating century, while his captain, Imran Khan, has snared seven wickets in an innings.

In the bowling department, Shane Shillingford leads the wicket-taking chart with 17 wickets, followed by Veerasammy Permaul who has 12 wickets. Jomel Warrican, who made his return this season, picked up a match-haul of 12 wickets.

The third round of matches in the Cricket West Indies (CWI) Regional 4-Day Tournament will be continued from January 4, 2019.

Shane Shillingford is the leading wicket- taker

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21

Ramdhani cops double gold in Trophy Stall tournament

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The winners in the various categories pose with their winnings and Director of Sport, Christopher Jones

T

he usual suspects were, over the weekend, “out in their prime” to showcase their skills in the Trophy Stall Badminton tournament in hopes of clinching a number of prizes.

This two-day tournament is normally regarded as a great development stage for upcoming players.

Over the weekend, games were competed in the Under-11, Under-15, Under-19 and Open categories.

The Boys’ Under-11 final was a three-set affair from which Leron Ramascindo emerged winner against Avinash Ramnarine 2220, 20-22, 21-5. On the distaff side, Mishka Beharry defeated Gianna Ramnarine in two straight sets 219, 21-8.

The Under-15 Girls’ semi-finals saw two riveting contests, wherein Lesha Singh defeated Gabryel Fiedtkou 21-9, 21-5, and Elesa Sangster overpowered Tashanna McGarrell 21-10, 21-13 to make their way to the final. There, Lesha Singh defeated Elesa Sangster 2114, 21-13 to take the Under-15 title.

Third place in that category went to Gabryel Fiedtkou, who defeated Tashanna McGarrell 21-8, 21-14.

The Male Under-15 final saw Matthew Beharry getting the better of Vikash Mootoo 21-14, 21-19.

Priyanna Ramdhani in action

Semi-final action in the Male Under-19 category saw Tyrese Jeffrey overcome Matthew Beharry 21-8, 21-13, and Akili Haynes defeating Hemraj Beharry 21-7, 21-14 for the final two spots.

The female Under-19 category was equally entertaining, as Priyanna Ramdhani defeated Jayde DaSilva 21-4, 21-2 and Ashley Escarraga won against Stephine

Sagar 21-18, 21-19.

The Under-19 category of this tournament was indeed intense, but Akili Haynes defeated Tyrese Jeffrey 21-19, 21-18 to take the crown. Female national player Priyanna Ramdhani took the female Under-19 crown with a routine win over Ashley Escarraga: 21-6, 21-4.

The Male third place spot went to Hemraj Beharry, who defeat-

ed Matthew Beharry 21-14, 21-13, while the female top trio was completed by Stephine Sajar, who defeated Jayde Da Silva 21-15, 17-21, 20-22.

The Open category was another thriller, with Jonathan Mangra defeating Avinash Odit 21-8, 21-14 for the number one male spot, whilst Priyanna Ramdhani returned to take another gold, this time over Priscilla Moore 21-8, 21-8.

Third place in the Men’s division went to Akili Haynes, who defeated Darrell Carpenay 22-20, 16-21, 1621.

Meanwhile, Christina Kumar placed third in the Women’s division after she defeated Ayanna Watson 21-16, 16-21, 15-21.

Easa Sanichara was dominant in the Male consolation semifinal, defeating Jamal Samsudeen 22-20, 21-17. He then went on to take gold after a scintillating two sets in the final match against Hemraj Beharry: 30-28, 21-15.

At conclusion of the finals and presentation of prizes, the Guyana Badminton Association expressed their gratitude to Director of Sports, Christopher Jones, and GBA Executive Ayanna Watson of SOL, for providing and presenting gifts and Banks DIH products.

GFF-ExxonMobil International Futsal Festival…

Camex Restaurants hop onboard C

amex Restaurants, Inc., under their Church’s Chicken brand, have signalled their interest in supporting the GFF-ExxonMobil International Futsal Festival.

Camex Restaurants’ Marketing Consultant Deslyn Griffith has presented to the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) a sponsorship cheque to aid the festival.

Presentation of this cheque was made yesterday at the Church’s Middle Streets outlet to GFF President Wayne Forde, and the transaction was witnessed by Kashif and Shanghai representative Aubrey “Shanghai” Major.

Griffith expressed pleasure at Camex being committed to the success of the festival, and disclosed that Camex have been active in the community and have been exploring sporting and other opportunities for growth.

She noted that the Camex brand “is about sharing the good times with communities, and so it was an easy decision to partner with the organisation.”

Camex Restaurants Marketing Consultant Deslyn Griffith presenting the cheque to GFF President Wayne Forde in the presence of Aubrey “Shanghai” Major

In wishing the tournament well, Griffith said Camex are hoping the tournament would “bring more opportunities for more futsal competitions in Guyana, and increase the level of awareness of the sport.”

The four-day festival will kick off with six matches that will be played between 18:00hrs and 00:00hrs, with each match being played on the hour, and action culminating with the final match being played at 23:00hrs.

The other international teams participating in the festival include Morvant-Caledonia United from Trinidad and Tobago and a São Paulo selection from Brazil. The local teams participating in the festival are East Coast All-Stars, Linden All-Stars, Georgetown All-Stars and West Demerara All-Stars.

The winning team will pocket $1.2 million, while the losing finalist will receive half that amount. Third and fourth-placed finishers will pocket $300,000 and $100,000 respectively.

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KFC Goodwill heats up as 2nd day looms T

he four teams involved in the inaugural KFC Goodwill tournament will this evening engage in their second night of competition after a scintillating opening night.

Shiva Boys Hindu College and Linden’s ChristianburgWismar Secondary were the first two teams to pick up wins on Saturday night, triumphing over Annai Secondary and Annandale Secondary respectively.

When the action kicks off this evening, the opponents will be exchanged, as Annandale Secondary will be challenging the Shiva Boys from Trinidad and Tobago and Annai Secondary of Region 9 will take on ChristianburgWismar.

Annandale will have an uphill task ahead of them as they prepare to take on the table toppers, Shiva Boys. The Trinidad team have already shown that they possess a mixture of pace and talent, and can control ball possession for most of their games. However, throughout the recently concluded Guyoil/Tradewind Tankers Under-18 tournament, Annandale had shown their resilience in taking o n

t h e front r u n n e rs when they were the first to defeat the threatening Lodge

Secondary.

The coupling of these two teams is sure to present an exciting game of football, as Annandale fight to gather points after a last minute loss to Christiansburg- Wismar in their first game.

Meanwhile, a win for Shiva Boys will put them in a commanding position to take the inaugural KFC Goodwill title.

The second contest of the evening, featuring Christianburg-Wismar and Annai Secondary, is an allGuyanese clash and will be great for measuring the best of the best, as both teams have been among the top school teams for years. Coming off a win, Christianburg Wismar will be fuelled by confidence, but Annai Secondary is known for their ability to bounce back.

Despite winning their first game, Christianburg-Wismar sit on 2 points after winning on penalties. As such, if the Linden team wish to push themselves to the top of the table, they will -- like Annai -be looking for a convincing win over their opponent.

Undoubtedly, this clash will see a series of aggressive plays, given the nature of both teams.

The first game of the night is expected to kick off at 5pm, while the second will be played at 7pm.

T h e competition w i l l conclude o n Saturday, December 22.

Archery Guyana/St Joseph Mercy Hospital fundraiser a success target rather than the prize at hand.

The main attraction of the game was the traditional bare-bow shooting at the two targets - one for adults and one for children - placed

One of Santa's elves decided to try her hand at archery

O

n Saturday, December 1, Archery Guyana partnered with St Joseph Mercy Hospital for the third consecutive year by having an archery stall at the hospital’s Annual Christmas Fair at Demerara Park, Banks DIH. It was overviewed by members of the Archery Guyana Fraternity, namely Nicholas Hing, Umasankar Madray, Jessica Callender

and Shereeda Yusuf.

Having a large turnout at the event, many patrons seemed eager to test their hands at the archery booth, as throngs of supporters embraced the chance to hit “gold” (the most central ring of the target).

As the games catered for individuals of all age groups, glee could be seen on their faces as they participated in shooting activities, showing more interest in hitting the

patrons.

Although Archery Guyana’s stall consistently attracted a large cross section of the patrons, it unfortunately had to close even as more persons gathered to

Two prize winners proudly showing off their prizes

at varying distances with the ultimate goal being to hit the yellow centre ring.

One shot to gold secured a win.

Aspiring archers for the afternoon were given 3 or 6 arrows to shoot in an effort to win one of the many prizes displayed. There were excited faces and loud cheering and awe displayed by spectators as the target was hit, especially by the youngest

shoot because the fair had officially ended.

Archery Guyana is pleased to once again partner for this event to bring Christmas Cheer to all.

Thanks to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Mr. Chris Fernandes and Mr. Steven Fernandes.

More information on Archery Guyana can be found on www.

ArcheryGuyana.org.

Garnett’s hat-trick gives Conquerors commanding win – Western Tigers prevail over Police

F

ootball action ended the weekend on a high note, as the GFF Stag “Super 16 “Year End Tournament culminated with a double header that saw Fruta Conquerors and Western Tigers gain victories.

In the first game of the night, Team Berbice

was dismantled by Fruta Conquerors 0-6.

The Conquerors preyed upon the Berbicians with an early strike in the seventh minute, compliments of Domini Garnett, who broke the deadlock.

Ten minutes later, Garnett returned to score his second goal of the game, as the Conquerors piled the pressure on the visitors.

Captain Eon Alleyne then chipped in by taking the score to 3-0 in the 20th minute; then Garnett completed a first half hat-trick when he scored again in the 30th minute.

After reviewing what they had done wrong, the

Berbicians attempted a resurgence, but it fell to piece, as Conquerors continued to dominate. Jermain Junior’s 64th minute goal and Rushawn Ritch’s 87th minute strike completed the demolition.

In the other fixture, Police battled Western

Tigers to a no-holds-barred affair which saw no clear victor in the early stages.

After resuming from the half, the deadlock was finally broken when Pernell Schultz scored the decider in the 58th minute, a goal for which the lawmen had no answer.

BCB extends board life to 2 years

T

he current administration of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) have been afforded the opportunity to continue their steadfast work in raising the bar of cricket in the Cinderella county after a motion was passed that would extend the life of the current board.

Elections for positions on the Executives of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) will now be held every two years instead of the current one year. The motion which was piloted by BCB President Hilbert Foster and members of the executive body saw the members voting 17 to 12 to amend the rules of the BCB.

The first Motion passed was for the life of the Executives to be from the 1st January to end on the 31st December the following year while the second motion will provide for the elections to be held biannually (every two years) instead of annually (every year).

The Berbice Cricket Board had earlier in the month passed two other motions to include the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club and the Young Warriors Cricket Club to its Membership with a 25 to 0 vote while a 22 to 8 vote was obtained for vacancies on the BCB Executives to be filled at Special General Meetings.

The motions for accepting the two new members and vacancies on the Executives were passed on the 2nd December, 2018, while the other two were deferred to another date on the request of the West Berbice Cricket Association.

BCB President Hilbert Foster updated the delegation on the massive development taking place in the county.

The Berbice Cricket Board President urged the delegates to cooperate with each other as the main objective is to assist youths to fulfill their dreams. The duty of a Cricket Administrator is to create pathways for the next generation of players.

guyanatimesgy.com

tuesdAY, december 18, 2018

23

2018-2019 CWI Regional 4-Day Tournament…

Regional 4-Day debutants delighted with selection

– Jaguars’ Imlach, Red Force’s Da Silva reaching for greater heights

By Brandon Corlette

T

he first two rounds of the CWI Regional 4-Day tournament have just concluded, and young players have been given opportunity to showcase their talents. In an exclusive interview with Guyana Times Sport, two young players who made their debuts for their respective teams this season expressed how grateful they are for the opportunity to play among the best regional players.

Guyana Jaguars wicket-keeper/batsman Tevin Imlach was presented his 4-Day cap in the first round, against the Windward Islands Volcanoes.

The 22-year-old Imlach told this reporter that his first-class debut was a great learning experience.

“I learned a lot, even though I did not get the strategy I wanted,” Imlach explained. He noted that the 4-Day format has given him determination, focus and patience.

“I was a bit anxious when I got my opportunity to bat.

The team is very welcoming and the standards are high,” he explained.

Joshua Da Silva

This Under-19 West Indies wicket-keeper/batsman has five ‘List A’ matches to his credit, having played for the West Indies ‘B Team’ in the 2018-2019 Regional Super 50. He has scored one half century at the Regional level, an unbeaten 57 in Tarouba

against the Windward Islands Volcanoes.

With some eight more rounds to play in the 20182019 CWI Regional 4-Day Tournament, Imlach fancies his chances to play more matches. In the process, he told this reporter that he is focused on scoring runs for

his country, and is eager to learn from the best Regional players.

Trinidad and Tobago Red Force wicket-keeper/ batsman Joshua Da Silva made his debut in the second round against the Volcanoes. This talented 19-year-old told this reporter that his debut experience was definitely one he would remember for a long time.

Speaking for the team, Da Silva stated, “We did not get the results we wanted, but it was still an exciting match.”

Having played his debut match against the Volcanoes, for which ace-spinner Shane Shillingford plays, Da Silva told this reporter he was nervous. “The team’s atmosphere is welcoming, and the lads are jelling, and the attitude is always positive. Win, lose or draw, we back each other,” Da Silva explained.

Da Silva says his experience of facing the first ball is unforgettable. He

got off the mark with a splendid boundary scored from a full and

wide d e livery.

“After a few balls, I got into my groove; and in the end it wasn’t that bad, Da Silva declared.

With eight rounds remain-

ing for the CWI Regional 4-Day season, Da Silva has confessed, “My goal is to do the best I can for my team”.

In his memorable debut match, Da Silva had scores of 24 and 41 for the Red Force in a losing effort, but his second innings top-score of 41 highlighted the huge amount of talent he possesses. He also had been given opportunity with the gloves, taking one catch and effecting one sharp stumping that involved Devon Smith off the bowling of off-spinner Bryan Charles.

Always attracted to test cricket, Joshua Da Silva emulates the great Guyanese icon Ramnaresh Sarwan.

Da Silva has been a dominant performer in Trinidad, and he was awarded greatly for his solid performances.

The debutants Imlach and Da Silva are blooming cricketers, and they certainly have a huge amount of talent within them. Both players have their eyes on the same prize -- playing test cricket for the West Indies in the near future.

Tevin Imlach

Hope, Cottrell lead West Indies to dominating win

S

hai Hope walloped the third-fastest T20I fifty to help West Indies overpower Bangladesh by eight wickets in Sylhet. The hosts were undone by Sheldon Cottrell's awkward short balls to be bowled out for 129 and then a bumper crowd sat in silence as Hope battered six sixes and three fours to end the contest in a hurry.

Hope reached his fifty off 16 balls, behind Yuvraj Singh (12 balls) and Colin Munro (14 balls). The innings had plenty of brutality in it - especially when he played the pull shot or the slog sweep - but it wasn't wanting in finesse as a ramp to the third man boundary showed. Hope shared an opening stand of 51 runs in 3.2 overs with the returning Evin Lewis, and then put on 47 in 4.2 overs with Nicholas Pooran.

The visitors raced to 91 for 1, equalling the highest score in the Powerplay alongside Australia, Ireland and Netherlands, who had also got there in Sylhet, four years ago during the World T20 2014.

Keemo Paul did justice to his promotion to No 4, hitting an unbeaten 28 off 14 balls with a four and three sixes, one of which carried 96 metres, as West Indies completed victory in 10.5 overs.

Bangladesh had chosen to bat first under gloomy skies, and their performance out the home crowd in a similar mood, with only three batsmen

threw down the stumps at the non-striker's end. Shakib then had two short partnerships with Mahmudullah and Ariful Haque that kept Bangladesh afloat for a time. But Cottrell had Mahmudullah caught behind, keeping the ball close to the batsman's body so that his attempted push resulted in

an edge. Ariful later swept a catch down to deep square leg.

Shakib became Cottrell's fourth wicket in the 18th over, again trying to pull the ball but only top-edging it to the short square leg region, where Cottrell himeslf sprinted forward and claimed the catch.

(ESPNcricinfo)

3

SCOREBOARD

Sheldon Cottrell is jubilant after picking up another wicket

Evin Lewis (right) and Shai Hope have a discussion during the opening T20

reaching double-figures.

Cottrell's career-best 4 for 28, and wickets from Paul, Oshane Thomas, Carlos Brathwaite and Fabian Allen, kept Bangladesh in check and bowled them out

in 19 overs.

Shakib Al Hasan was the only batsman who showed smarts for Bangladesh. He preferred the offside when looking for his fours, having nailed Thomas

for a rasping cut through point and two cover drives. Both his sixes came through mid-on but luck was also on his side.

Three boundaries came off his outside edge and one off the inside edge. He made 61 off 43 balls with eight fours and two sixes.

Five batsmen got out trying to pull fast and short deliveries, all of them either top-edging for easy catches or hitting it straight to fielders.

Tamim Iqbal was the first to fall in this way, mistiming a pull straight to Brathwaite at mid-on. Liton Das did exactly the same off Thomas, before Soumya Sarkar also mistimed a pull to be caught at midwicket, off Cottrell.

Bangladesh's Powerplay was rounded off with Mushfiqur Rahim caught short of his crease as Rovman Powell

Bangladesh Innings (20 overs maximum) Tamim Iqbal c Brathwaite b Cottrell 5 Liton Das c Brathwaite b Thomas 6 Soumya Sarkar c Powell b Cottrell 5 Shakib Al Hasan (c) c & b Cottrell 61 Mushfiqur Rahim † run out (Powell) 5 Mahmudullah c †Hope b Cottrell 12 Ariful Haque c Pooran b Allen 17 Mohammad Saifuddin c Pooran b Brathwaite 1 Mehidy Hasan Miraz c †Hope b Paul 8 Abu Hider not out 1 Mustafizur Rahman b Paul 0 Extras (b 4, lb 2, nb 1, w 1) 8 TOTAL (19 Overs, RR: 6.78) all out 129 Fall of wickets: 1-11 (Tamim Iqbal, 1.4 ov), 2-19 (Liton Das, 2.2 ov), 3-31 (Soumya Sarkar, 3.3 ov), 4-48 (Mushfiqur Rahim, 5.1 ov), 5-73 (Mahmudullah, 10.2 ov), 6-103 (Ariful Haque, 15.4 ov), 7-110 (Mohammad

Saifuddin, 16.1 ov), 8-122 (Shakib Al Hasan, 17.3 ov), 9-129 (Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 18.4 ov), 10-129 (Mustafizur Rahman, 18.6 ov) BOWLING: O Thomas (4-033-1), SS Cottrell (4-0-284), KMA Paul (4-0-23-2), CR Brathwaite (3-0-13-1), FA Allen (3-0-19-1), R Powell (1-0-7-0) West Indies Innings (target: 130 runs from 20 overs) E Lewis c Ariful Haque b Mohammad Saifuddin 18 SD Hope † c Mustafizur Rahman b Mahmudullah 55 N Pooran not out 23 KMA Paul not out 28 Extras (lb 5, w 1) 6 TOTAL (10.5 Overs, RR: 12.0) 130/2 Did to bat: SO Hetmyer, DM Bravo, R Powell, CR Brathwaite (c), FA Allen, SS Cottrell, O Thomas Fall of wickets: 1-51 (E Lewis, 3.2 ov), 2-98 (SD Hope, 7.4 ov) BOWLING: Shakib Al Hasan (3.50-32-0), Mehidy Hasan Miraz (2-0-37-0), Abu Hider (1-0-15-0), Mohammad Saifuddin (1-0-131), Mustafizur Rahman (1-0-150), Mahmudullah (2-0-13-1)

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2018

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

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Hope, Cottrell lead West Indies to dominating win Page 23

KFC Goodwill heats up as 2nd day looms Page 22

Regional 4-Day debutants delighted with selection

Page 23

– Jaguars’ Imlach, Red Force’s Da Silva reaching for greater heights

A glimpse of the action between Shiva Boys and Annai on the first night

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