Guyana Times - Friday, February 26, 2021

P16

CCJ urges Guyana to urgently reform Deeds Registry Act Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 4571

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021

PRICE

Caricom's 32nd Inter-sessional meeting

Regional leaders looking at integrating, commercialising agriculture – Ali See story on page 3

…says Private Sector to be engaged on business opportunities Eccles-to-Mandela 4-lane Highway

Local, foreign companies submit bids for construction “You could not deliver” – Manickchand tells APNU/AFC's Nicolette Henry

See story on page 2

…as numerous projects left incomplete

Opposition Chief Whip owes sugar workers apology for “blood sucker” slur – GAWU Page 9

$80 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Businessman found dead with bullet wound to P11 head 10-year-old raped in P16 Region 1

P8 Woman jailed, fined $798,000 for airport cocaine bust

APNU/AFC P15 appeals dismissal of 2nd election petition

Page 10

COVID-19 death toll rises to 195 after 2 more fatalities

Page 12

P13 13 cops under probe for criminal conduct

Wanted murder suspect found hiding under P7 bed

2 NEWS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Eccles-to-Mandela 4-lane Highway

Local, foreign companies submit bids for construction

CH&PA CEO Sherwyn Greaves and NPTAB Director Mark Conway witnessing the opening of the bids for the construction of the Eccles-to-Mandela Highway on Wednesday

M

ore than 20 companies – both local and foreign – have submitted bids for the construction of the much-anticipated four-lane highway linking Eccles, East Bank Demerara to Mandela Avenue, Georgetown, to provide an alternative access road that would ease traffic

congestion along that corridor.

The bids were opened on Thursday at the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) located in the Finance Ministry compound at Main and Urquhart Streets, Georgetown.

This was done in the

presence of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CH&PA, Sherwyn Greaves; CEO of NPTAB, Arvind Parag; and Director Mark Conway, while the bidders joined virtually.

According to the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) in a statement on Thursday, the

bids submitted for the execution of the project are another key milestone it has achieved.

According to the CH&PA CEO, the impending highway is one of many initiatives by President Dr Irfaan Ali that are geared at infrastructure development as well as improving and modernising the lives of Guyanese.

“Persons traversing the East Bank corridor will be able to do so with much greater ease and comfort.

This new four-lane highway will open lands for commercial and residential purposes, and will turn this throughway into a vibrant and bustling zone,” CEO Greaves said.

He further noted that CH&PA is pleased to be the executing agency of the multi-million-dollar project, and staff will be ensuring the project is completed in keeping with the criteria

set.

“We can assure everyone that we will ensure this project is completed successfully, with all the required quality standards in place and all timelines strictly kept.

We will hold the contractors accountable, as we will accept nothing less than what they have signed up for.

Quality will not be sacrificed (for) expediency. Our President has made a promise (and) we will ensure it is kept,” the CEO affirmed.

On Wednesday last, CH&PA hosted a pre-bid meeting geared at sensitising bidders on key requirements, environmental impacts, the procurement process, and all other necessary elements in the preparation and execution of this transformational project.

Further, the agency held an Inter-agency Coordination Committee (ICC) meeting on Friday, to discuss the construction of the highway.

The ICC meeting featured a number of stakeholders from Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, Guyana Police Force, Guyana Fire Service, Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, and the Bureau of Standards among others, who were given the platform to raise concerns and make recommendations on the way forward.

Once completed, the four-lane road will run a length of 2.8 kilometres and would have a width of 3.5 metres. It will also feature twelve reinforced concrete bridges with single walkways.

Based on the bid invitation advertised, the works will be divided into six lots: Lot 1- Eccles, East Bank Demerara; Lot 2 - Agricola, Greater Georgetown; Lot 3 – Rome, Greater Georgetown; Lot – 4 Houston South, Greater Georgetown; Lot 5 - Houston North, Greater Georgetown; and Lot 6 – South Ruimveldt, Greater Georgetown. The highway is slated for completion in November 2021.

Some $1 billion has been allotted in Budget 2021 to advance the project.

The Eccles-to-Mandela highway was announced by President Ali last month when he visited the proposed sites for the road. The Head of State noted at the time that this project would ease the congestion along the EBD corridor Dr Ali, whose PhD is in

urban and regional planning, said this is all part of the Government’s drive to transform Guyana’s infrastructure and link communities.

This four-lane highway will connect to another road project currently underway from Diamond, EBD to Eccles – providing an alternative access in key communities.

These include Diamond, Mocha and Eccles - which will all prove crucial in diverting heavy traffic.

The new alternative road will run from Sixth Avenue, Diamond to the Windsor Estate Road that leads on to the Eccles Landfill Site Road. This will form a connection through the new Herstelling Housing Scheme and other schemes that are being developed along the EBD corridor.

Moreover, these projects are being executed simultaneously with the Indiafunded Bypass Road Project which would link the East Bank corridor with the East Coast of Demerara, creating a new highway in the backlands.

The Indian Government had provided a US$50 million Line of Credit (LOC) for the road link that was initially slated for Ogle, ECD, to Diamond. Under the previous Government, the project was at a standstill for several years, after the cost was driven up to over US$200 million.

However, the Ali-led PPP/C Administration has since redesigned the project into three phases to fit the LOC. It will now run from Ogle to Haags Bosch at Eccles in the first phase, then from Eccles to Diamond, and finally from Diamond to Timehri to connect to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).

During his inaugural address to the 12th Parliament on February 11, President Ali disclosed that the Indian Government has approved the new designs of the Bypass Road project, and things would soon move to the procurement stage. (G8)

NEWS

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Friday, February 26 – 04:00h – 05:30h and Saturday, February 27 – 04:30h – 06:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Friday, February 26 – 15:45h – 17:15h and Saturday, February 27 – 16:30h – 18:00h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Expect light rain and cloudy skies in the morning followed by sunny intervals in the afternoon.

There should be partly cloudy skies at night.

Temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-Easterly to North-Easterly between 2.23 metres and 5.36 metres.

High Tide: 16:22h reaching a maximum height of 2.70 metres.

Low Tide: 09:56h and 22:20h reaching minimum heights of 0.64 metre and 0.48 metre.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2021

LOTTERY NUMBERS H

01 09 11

17 19 23

FREE TICKET

24 Bonus Ball

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021

DAILY MILLIONS

01 08 09 11 18 LUCKY 3

4

3

6

5

Afternoon Draw

1

0

Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

01

04

08

10

14 15 21

PAY DAY

SUPER PAY DAY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021

01 02

04 07

13

12

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

COMMODITIES Indicators

US$

Change %

Crude Oil

$66.88/barrel

-0.24

Rough Rice

$236.34/ton

+0.04

London Sugar

$468.00/ton

Live Spot Gold

-2.60

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1773.50

$1774.50

Low/High Change

$1764.80 +3.40

$1801.60 +0.19%

Caricom's 32nd Inter-sessional meeting

Regional leaders looking at integrating, commercialising agriculture – Ali …says Private Sector to be engaged on business opportunities

W

ith the aim of ensuring food security, leaders of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) are looking to integrate and commercialise the region’s agriculture sector with an enabling environment that would see the Private Sector taking advantage of the business opportunities that would come on stream.

In this regard, extensive discussions were held and key decisions were made during the two-day 32nd Intersessional Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of Caricom, which wrapped up on Thursday.

At a closing press conference held virtually, Guyana’s President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, disclosed that the discussions were aimed at looking at the entire value chain in terms of creating wealth and creating business opportunities whilst at the same time improving the region’s capacity and its output, and making the agriculture business sustainable for the region – all geared towards greater food security in the region.

According to President Ali, all these discussions were built on studies and data that were already there. This data has been adopted during the intersessional meeting, and the Heads are now moving forward towards an ‘action-oriented’ agenda with specific targets to achieve.

“What we sought to do was to examine a strategy that fits into the global context that looks at policy formation at the national level, at the regional level; build on the political will of our leaders and the region to get this going; ensure that it is mainstream in our national planning system; and to work in identifying the systemic support that is need to boost agriculture as a business opportunity, and looking at commercialisation of agriculture as a whole,” the Guyanese leader noted.

Among the issues examined by the regional leaders, Dr Ali outlined, are the competitive edge and advances of Member States against those of their global competitors where the differentials are, and the region can actually build a model that will help to mitigate those differences and lead towards competitiveness.

“We spoke about the transportation network and how we can better improve transportation within the region; mobilisation of the national resources and our comparatives as different states, and how it can help us in our collective advantage. We discussed ways in which we can create easier environments for agro-busi-

President Dr Irfaan Ali

nesses, involvement of young people, access to capital; and look at legislation, nationally and then regionally, in dealing with dumping measures,” President Ali noted.

Moreover, the Guyanese leader pointed out that Heads of Government recognise that in order to achieve this goal, they need to ensure that they craft their respective national budgets to outline these strategic targets and to also support agriculture development and agri-businesses.

On this note, the regional leaders also examined some of the barriers that affect inter-regional trade and movement of agricultural products. They have since agreed to set up a Ministerial Taskforce to identify these hurdles and establish an action plan to not only remove these barriers, but also identify specific

areas and products that can be strategically developed across the region.

He went on to add that this Taskforce will be working along with the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) SubCommittee and the region’s Private Sector to develop that “actionable plan” with accompanying targets to move this initiative forward.

According to President Ali, when examining the opportunities in forward and backward linkages in agriculture, there will be a plethora of business opportunities that will come on stream, and it is the Private Sector that would have to step up and take the lead in terms of capitalising on the opportunities.

Investment resources

In fact, the Caricom Chairman, Prime Minister

of Trinidad and Tobago Dr Keith Rowley, has indicated that regional conglomerate Neal and Massy Group has already pledged investment resources, once the strategy is in place.

“Once the action plan identifies the specific areas that we are going to focus on with respect to becoming competitive or adding our own local inputs into production, that the Private Sector is confident that they could raise the funding that is required to facilitate the movement from report and expectation to ‘hands in the soil’ in producing these matters on the scale at which we are aiming to do to be able to produce large volumes of our requirements in either a competitive or semi-competitive arrangement.”

In addition to establishing a “shared market and shared prosperity”, the regional leaders are looking at ways in which agriculture can be merged with other sectorial developments in the region, such as energy.

Adding to this, Caricom Secretary-General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque, underscored the important role the Private Sector and citizens of the Caribbean play within the context of the CSME. He said the taskforce will look at “…the linkages between agriculture and tourism, the linkages between tourism and manufacturing, so that it is a wholistic approach to the economic development; not isolated sectors, but how they integrated with each other.” (G8)

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guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021

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

Effective public education campaigns

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or years, there has been much talk about climate change and the devastating impact it is having and is likely to have on communities and the world as a whole. However, while governments and policy-makers are busy debating the issues at the national and international levels, many believe that enough is not being done in terms of designing and implementing critical projects at the community level to encourage and sensitise individuals about the need to play their part in mitigating the effects of climate change.

In fact, it could be argued that, on the global level, not many persons are educated about the issue, especially as it relates to the kind of impact climate change has on the environment and on individuals themselves. Citizens still do take the issue for granted, and do not pay much heed to the various messages about the need to change lifestyle patterns and so on.

Scientists have argued that the planet is indeed threatened by lifestyle patterns of individuals, and if persons continue to use resources the way we currently do, the planet’s reserves would be exhausted at an increasingly rapid pace. For many countries, there is still the challenge of getting everyone to not only understand and appreciate the idea of the need to work towards sustainable consumption, but also to take practical steps to move in this direction.

Certainly, Governments can set the framework with their policies; set targets, define standards, give incentives to make companies go green. Businesses and industries, together with researchers, can provide the solutions, but, in the end, the consumers have the power of the purse, whether they buy green products or not. The highly touted green model reduces our ecological footprint, emits less greenhouse gases, uses less energy and raw materials, and can create new sources of growth and employment.

In essence, achieving economic growth and sustainable development requires that we urgently reduce our ecological footprint by changing the way we produce and consume goods and resources. As stated by UNDP, the efficient management of our shared natural resources and the way we dispose of toxic waste and pollutants are important targets to achieve this goal.

Based on statistics, the world’s population is growing rapidly, as more than a billion new people will enter the middle class by 2050. Experts have predicted that if citizens do not change their consumption patterns, the global use of resources would be multiplied by 15, which is considered dangerous for our planet, as it would not be able to satisfy the needs of everyone.

At the individual level, every individual does play a crucial role in defining his/her own consumption patterns, and can, in a way, also contribute to the fight against climate change.

For example, we can reduce the level of energy utilised, and the money that is saved on energy could instead be used to develop climate-friendly technologies and appliances.

Official records show that, on a global level, more than 70 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions are related to household consumption. While it is accepted that it is not an easy task to get persons to change lifestyles and to work towards a climate- friendly environment, the task would be much easier if they are educated about the role they can play and the benefits of their own action.

Here, in Guyana, we still continue to dump garbage carelessly. For example, persons continue to dispose of plastics and Styrofoam items in a reckless manner, resulting in the clogging of drains and trenches, thereby leading to flooding etc. The 2005 floods exposed our vulnerability, and should have served as a big wake-up call for us to treat the environment differently.

For sure, there is need for more effective public education campaigns on climate change, and to highlight the effects of poor environmental practices. There is also need for more green projects to be implemented at the local levels to encourage communities to work towards achieving a cleaner and healthier environment.

Folk artistes perform a lion dance during the Lunar New Year celebrations in a village in Zhangjiakou, in China’s Hebei province (AFP)

Utilising our abundant natural gas resources Dear Editor, In a list of humanity’s most pressing problems, energy rises to the top because of its ability to provide solutions to many of the other societal problems, such as water, environment, and poverty. Unlike energy, there are on this list no other items which can generate answers.

Energy is unique, not only from the perspective that it has the ability to give us answers to most other problems; energy is one of the few problems which we can positively impact with technological developments.

Energy resources are vital to sustaining Guyana’s and the world’s economic growth, progress, peace and national security. Energy is not just a critical national

concern; it is a global concern. The rate of growth in energy demand worldwide runs the risk of outpacing affordable, clean supplies, unless we can gather together not only conservation and evolutionary improvements to existing technologies, but also revolutionary new technological breakthroughs in the energy sector.

Utilising our abundant natural gas resources to meet our growing energy needs makes sense economically, as well as from an environmental standpoint. Gas reserves far exceed explored oil reserves, and gas represents a cleaner form of energy. The efficient processing of natural gas will take on an increasingly important place in

21st century industry, not only for our energy needs, but for value added products that include transportation fuels, plastics, clothing, etc.

The advantage of biogas (methane, marsh gas, biogas, landfill gas, digester gas, etc.) is that it is a renewable energy source.

Simply stated, organic wastes of different origins (sewer, waste, animal and landfill) can all be used to produce methane. It is in this direction that opportunities exist to develop new energy economics based on closed energy loops which utilise solar energy to transform biomass to biogas, and then downstream processing into other value-added forms of energy and matter.

Our Government’s vision is to leave this world a better place than we found it. To achieve this worthwhile objective would entail utilising our highly advanced and proprietary technology that efficiently produces environmentally responsible fuels from bio or natural gas at less than half the cost of inferior, crude oil-refined products.

The People’s Progressives Party Civic Government will play a vital role in aiding our nation and others around the globe to meet their energy needs, which will be required to sustain economic growth, national security and world peace.

Sincerely, David Adams

Tabitha Sarbo-Halley’s speech shows APNU/ AFC not focused on wellbeing of Guyanese Dear Editor, After observing the second day’s budget debate, it is unfortunate that I have to write this letter in an attempt to share my thoughts on some of the disturbing comments I heard from Tabitha Sarabo-Halley during her presentation.

Firstly, it should be noted that the very “rancid rhetoric” which she was referring to in the introductory part of her speech does not even concern the PPP/C Government, but rather the APNU+AFC Coalition.

It is the Opposition that continues every single day to waste time on making racist statements which offer absolutely no context

to its speeches, which are supposed to be on the budget and the policies therein.

It is rather unfortunate that amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, which should be one of the main areas of focus of every single Government official, Sarabo-Halley came to Parliament UNPREPARED, and delivered a speech riddled with inaccuracies.

She noted that the PPP has absolutely no plan, but to wait for a COVID-19 vaccine for its citizens. She even said the budget does not even cater for these vaccines. The fact that she said this brings me to ask: Did she even read the bud-

get? If so, did she overlook Paragraph 4.113, which states that $750 million has been allocated to support the rolling out of COVID-19 vaccines?

Additionally, Tabitha Sarbo-Halley mentioned in her speech that Guyanese continue to witness the annihilation of the Public Service and public agencies. My question to this is: HOW? In case she is to be reminded, it was the APNU+AFC who compromised the framework of the entire Public Service when they entered office in 2015.

For example, establishment of the Bertram Collins College of the Public Service served little

to no purpose, but affected the Public Service framework. Graduates of the college were placed in public agencies as Accounts Clerks III. They received higher salaries than those of Accounts Clerks II. However, as they entered these agencies, they simply could not perform as expected. It is a fact that these Clerks III had to be trained by the very Clerks II that are below them.

With that being the reality, I ask the question: What was the purpose of the training college, if it could not even train these students properly, so that they could function effectively as they enter the Public Service? CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021

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

Speaker failed to do his job Dear Editor, Heckling across the floor in Parliamentary debate is a long-established practice in democratic National Assemblies. Listen to, or watch, any serious debate, such as a Budget debate in the British Parliament, to establish this fact. The nature, the kind and the intent of the heckling you will hear in Britain’s Parliament is most certainly not what we saw and heard in our National Assembly during our Budget debate.

I was in the National Assembly for eight years,

and we all, on both sides of the House, indulged in heckling.

Forbes Burnham was particularly good at it when he was in the House as Prime Minister. His jibes across the floor were intellectually clever, mostly humorous, always politically pointed, but never insulting, never defamatory, and never ever vulgar. The repast from the other side was equally so.

Brindley Benn was particularly good at it. It was generally done in good humour, intended to throw the speaker off, or respond

directly to the point he was making.

At tea or lunch breaks, we would all meet and continue the tantalise in good humour.

If it got out of hand by being too frequent, too loud and interruptive, or on a rare occasion bordering on personal insult or libel, the Speaker would intervene and tone it down, and if required, demand a withdrawal and an apology.

There were occasions when tempers were completely lost, and when that did occur, the guilty party was duly reprimanded and

disciplined.

I recall, for instance, Prime Minister Cheddi Jagan throwing the law books assembled in front of him onto the floor and disrupting the entire sitting, and the Speaker subsequently acting appropriately.

In shameful contrast, the heckling across the floor in the current Budget debate, if it can be called heckling; the shouting of personal insults, the thoroughly degrading abuse of privilege, the level of sheer, undisguised, unadulterated vulgarity to which some

Taking ERC’s funds for COVID-19 relief: an abuse of privilege Dear Editor, I write this letter disclosing my difference, disagreement, disappointment and dissatisfaction with our country’s ERC, with much reluctance. We are all humans, often slipping and sliding from our own high ideals, and we must allow ourselves, our leaders and leading institutions some room for reconsideration, recovery, remorse and return.

My difference, disagreement, disappointment and dissatisfaction with our ERC goes back to the days following our 2020 March 02 elections.

I expected the Chairman and ERC to come out clearly adding their weight to the condemnation and rejection of RO Region 4 Vibert Mingo’s actions. Some might argue that that election’s issue was outside the mandate of the

ERC. I reject that. Little else, if anything, could have been more germane to the “raison” for our ERC. Indeed, I believe that in our circumstances it is the essence of what our ERC is about.

Others argue that whilst what RO Mingo was doing was wrong, the ERC, if it were to speak, must speak also of the wider root cause of what Mr. Mingo and Mr. Lowenfield and others were doing. To just rebuke Mingo and Lowenfield would have been one-sided. I would have preferred that the ERC had proceeded to do both; firstly, condemn their actions, and then proceed to discuss the views and imaginations which would have motivated them to do as they did. The door to a national process of truth and reconciliation would have been opened, a

necessary and essential process which could not normally be entertained nor entered into in the course of the criminal cases before the court.

The most likely result now would be an increase in our estrangement and a hardening of our different and differing positions.

I refrained from public comment on our ERC during those long five months of our nation’s suffering and bleeding, in which I believed the ERC should have stepped in. I have also refrained until now in the discontent expressed publicly by ERC Commissioner Roshan Khan, amongst which is the G$150,000 Christmas Bonus.

I will disclose that I have been sympathetic to his complaints, but I again hesitated to comment publicly, yielding to, as I excused myself, some

other members of our civic community.

However, I must denounce that latest “explanation” by ERC Chairman, my respected junior schoolmate of so many years ago, the Rev. John O. Smith, that the G$150,000 was a COVID relief Commissioners had granted themselves. It was at minimum a great abuse of privilege, and if they were ordinary citizens of no great respect, they would have been thought guilty of converting the ERC’s allocations to their own benefit.

There is much more that could be said, but further I say not.

Yours sincerely, Samuel A A Hinds Former President and former Prime Minister

T

he cause of all troubles, confusion and turmoil is the fact that we have lost mastery over our senses. By leaving senses unfettered and unregulated, we will not be able to discriminate properly, and think coolly, calmly and rationally.

Thus, many times we are misled into wrong actions. In our daily lives, we know that when we become angry, our nerves become weak and feeble, and we lose grip over ourselves.

Even a moment of anger takes away our strength we gathered by eating good food for three months. Anger not only debilitates us, it takes away merit of our good deeds, and also enfeebles our condition. Anger is like an intoxicant. Internally, it induces us to do wrong things. Anger leads us to commit all other sins. This is the source of all sins. It is a great demon. If we are able to control anger, we shall be in a position to attain merit through the utterance of Lord’s Name. (Ch 17, Summer Showers in Brindavan 1972)

Shri Sathya Sai Baba Organisation

of our Parliamentarians on both sides of the House were allowed to descend, is a plague upon the debate.

I say “allowed” because the Speaker permitted all of this ugly, unbecoming, puerile behaviour to take place without intervention or criticism. The Speaker failed to do his job.

Parliamentary debate is privileged under the law of libel and defamation when reported and broadcast. That is precisely why the Speaker has both the authority and responsibility to stop it and require a withdrawal and an apology for any remark, including heckling, which would invite a libel suit if made outside of the privilege of the House.

Quite apart from this disgraceful behaviour by our Parliamentarians, speakers are generally expected, in Parliamentary debates, to confine them-

selves to the subject at hand; and, again, the Speaker could and should intervene when they stray too far from the subject and indulge in simply hurling criticism at the other side about their performance or alleged performance in or out of office.

Minister Ashni Singh must have been cringing in his seat, having put some five (5) hours of public effort in presenting a Budget which was a “tour de force”.

Unfortunately, much of the Budget presentation I heard bore no relationship at all to the budget, and focused only on listing the alleged misbehaviour of the party across the aisle.

Perhaps, though questionable, it was good politics, but it certainly was bad Parliamentary practice.

Yours sincerely, Kit Nascimento

Tabitha Sarbo-Halley’s speech...

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

This is a clear example of a visionless approach by the APNU+AFC, which compromised the Public Service and the public agencies.

I end by saying that Tabitha Sarabo-Halley’s speech was disturbing for me to listen to, as a right-minded Guyanese. It does not go unnoticed that the APNU+AFC Coalition continues to approach this budget as a political gim-

mick and something to bash simply because it was not their brainchild. This shows that they are not focused on the wellbeing of all Guyanese, but rather on painting the budget in a negative light as much as they can.

Tabitha Sarbo-Halley’s speech was a clear indication of such.

Yours truly, Attiya Baksh

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021

Page

Foundation ◄

Question 1:

Wednesday’s answers

Æsop’s Fables

FOR CHILDREN

1a) If 60km = half of the journey Total length of journey = 60km x 2 = 120km 1b) Speed = distance ÷ time = 120km ÷ 3 hours = 40km per hour 1c) 4 1/5 + 1/3 – 1 2/6 = (61+ 5-20)/15 = (66-20)/15 = 46/15

= 3 1/15 1d) (7.2 ÷ 5) x 0.6 = 1.44 x 0.6 = 0.864

Firgure 1

Materials:

(1) Ping-pong Ball Hair Dryer

Instructions:

Set the hair dryer to blow just air instead of heated air, if it has the option to. A heated hair dryer will work if your dryer doesn’t have this option.

Hold the ping-pong ball just above the nozzle of the hair dryer and turn on the air. Let the ping-pong ball go, and it should float above the nozzle.

Try different settings to see if you can get the ball to float higher.

Tilt the hair dryer a little bit from one side to the other.

Does the ball still float?

How far can you tilt the dryer before the ball falls to the floor? (sciencefun.org)

A

bear boasted very much of his philanthropy, saying that of all animals he was the most tender in his regard for man, for he had such respect for him that he would not even touch his dead body.

A fox hearing these words said with a smile to the Bear, "Oh! that you would eat the dead and not the living."

WORD SEARCH

NEWS

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Guyanese tired of “race politics” – Todd

F

oreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd said on Thursday that the issue of “race politics” needed to be put to rest.

The Minister said it was a serious issue that was frequently used by the coalition to create hostility and division in the society and as a “proud Black Guyanese” in Government, it was an issue

he had to address.

The Foreign Affairs Minister was at the time lending support to Budget 2021 in the National Assembly.

Todd said the rumblings of race politics were not being heard by working-class people of African descent in Guyana, despite the efforts of the coalition.

“I am going to those com-

munities and I am hearing a totally different story. They are telling me that enough is enough. They are tired of the race politics and they are tired of the misrepresentation of the working-class Blacks in this country,” he is quoted by the Department of Public Information (DPI) in a parliamentary report as saying.

He added that race poli-

Deportee faces jury for Corentyne shallow grave murder

Accused: Munilall Sarjoo

T

he trial into the murder and burial in a shallow grave of a Corentyne labourer opened on Thursday at the Berbice Assize before Justice Simone MorrisRamlall.

On trial is 51-year-old Munilall Sarjoo, called “Baby”, or “Long hair”, a livestock farmer of Number 67 Village, Corentyne, Berbice.

The deportee is accused of murdering Levan Chandarpaul of Number 68 Village Corentyne between August 22 and 26, 2016.

State Prosecutor Tuanna Hardy told the jury that Chandarpaul was last seen in the company of Sarjoo. She said the prosecution has set out to prove that the accused killed Chandarpaul, bound his hands behind his back, tied his feet, and buried him in a shallow grave.

Government Pathologist Dr Vivekanand Bridgemohan, in his evidence, said the death was as a result of a fractured

skull and internal bleeding in the skull.

He told the jury that he discovered during the autopsy that there were two fractures to the skull, with one being fragmented. Those injuries, he said, were consistent with someone being hit with a blunt instrument. He suggested that a piece of wood could have been used The pathologist also described other injuries to the head of the deceased, and informed the jury that there was debris in the trachea. This, he said, was evidence that the victim was alive when the injuries were inflicted.

The prosecutor’s key witness also took to the witness box on the opening day of the trial. This witness, a fisherman of Number 67 Village, told the jury that on August 22, 2016 he had a conversation with Chandarpaul in front of his yard, and when Chandarpaul was departing, he told him to keep his bicycle and he can use it. The witness said he saw when Chandarpaul went into Sarjoo’s car, which drove away with him.

Asked whether he knew that Chandarpaul was missing, he responded in the affirmative, but noted that he was not a part of any search party that had looked for him. He said he went into the backdam when the body was found, and he told the jury that Chandarpaul’s body was clad in the same clothes he had been wearing when he had last seen him.

Under cross-examination by defence attorney Rohan Jagmohan, the witness said he does not know the registra-

Dead: Levan Chandarpaul

tion plate number of Sarjoo’s car, nor can he say what was the brand of the car. However, the witness maintained that he knows the car Sarjoo owned, and when Chandarpaul had entered the car, he was able to see that Sarjoo was seated inside the vehicle.

He admitted that it was not until March of 2017 that he had provided that information to the Police, some seven months after the alleged incident, and denied that he had made up the story to save himself, since he was also a suspect in the murder.

Under re-examination, this witness told the court that he did not tell that story to the Police in Berbice, but rather those at CID Headquarters because “the Police in Georgetown is more top.”

Two officers from the Major Crimes Unit also took the witness stand, and both of them said they were present during a confrontation between the prosecution’s key witness and Sarjoo.

Ten witnesses were called on the first day of this trial.

Among them were the parents of the deceased. The trial continues next Tuesday. (G4)

Foreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd

tics has been used perpetually by the A Partnership for National Unity-Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition to confuse the black working-class people of Guyana.

However, the Government

is confronting the issue as it should not persist in any 21st century society that wants to build a future for all.

“On this side of the House, we are going to put that to rest by ensuring each and every Guyanese citizen is fairly treated and fairly catered for in a society that is open, all-encompassing and has the value system that will allow each and every one to participate in the development process,” he said.

Additionally, he told the National Assembly that the Government presented a Budget that was dictated, crafted and directed by the people. The Minister said the way the previous Administration allocated resources over the past five years was disastrous, with policies that were politi-

cally, economically, and socially extractive.

This means, he said, that it exploited State resources while excluding the citizenry and destroying the economy. He also said the coalition lacked respect for accountability, transparency, and the rule of law.

“We on the Government side always adhere to good governance and the rule of law, accountability, and transparency. That is why we are able to stand here today presenting a Budget that is for the people,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Minister said feedback from his several outreaches countrywide has been the same, that the people have not seen an APNU/AFC Minister in their village since 2015.

Wanted murder suspect found hiding under bed

A

murder suspect who was wanted by Police was on Thursday nabbed under a bed at Matthews Ridge, Region One (Barima-Waini).

The wanted 57-year-old man of Hell Hill, Matthews Ridge, was being sought

by Police for the murder of Orlando La Cruz, 40, of Pomeroon River, which occurred on June 15, 2017, at Jack and Vieira Backdam, North West District.

Police said that based on information received, ranks

went to the home of a 53-yearold resident at Garrison Hill, Matthews Ridge about 16:30h and 17:00h and conducted a search in his presence for arms, ammunition, and narcotics.

During the search, they found the murder suspect hiding under a bed.

He was arrested and escorted to the Matthews Ridge Police Station. He remains in custody.

La Cruz was shot to death in 2017 after his alleged refusal to perform a sexual act

with one of his drinking buddies.

Reports in 2017 were that the then 40-year-old miner was in a hammock in his camp when two males visited him. They subsequently began consuming alcohol and one of the men reportedly asked La Cruz to perform oral sex on him. He, however, refused and an argument ensued. The suspect reportedly picked up his shotgun and allegedly placed it to the right side of the victim’s neck and shot him.

8 NEWS Woman jailed, fined $798,000 for airport cocaine bust T FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

he 23-year-old woman who was caught with cocaine stashed in her vagina, who also admitted to swallowing pellets with the illegal substance, has been fined and jailed for trafficking in narcotics.

Tameira Melville appeared on Thursday before Sparendaam Magistrate Rushelle Liverpool and the trafficking charge was read to hear. Melville pleaded guilty to the charge, which stated that on February 20 at the Eugene F. Correia International Airport, she had in her possession 775

Jailed: Tameira Melville

grams of cocaine concealed in her vagina for the purpose of trafficking.

Following her guilty plea, Melville was fined $798,000 and jailed for four years.

It has been reported that, on February 20, the 23-year-old was an outgoing passenger on Caribbean Airlines flight #BW 215 destined for Barbados from the Eugene F Correia International Airport, Ogle, East Coast Demerara, when she was busted with the cocaine.

According to the Police,

before boarding the flight, the woman was observed to be acting in a suspicious manner. As such, a physical search was conducted on her person, and a bulky package wrapped in condoms was found concealed in her vagina.

Following that discovery, the woman was arrested, and while being questioned by law enforcement officers, she also admitted to swallowing 73 cocaine-filled pellets.

She was taken to a city hospital, where the pellets were excreted. (G1)

The outrage…

L

…over MPs is misplaced ooks like some folks have really gotten their bucktas and drawers in knots over the MPs’ behaviour - from both sides of the House - in the opening Budget debate! Not many - from your Eyewitness’s informal survey - but enough of the chatterati who love to get their names in the papers via the letters’ pages to make untutored foreigners think our Republic’s about to collapse. O tempora! O mores!

They miss the point about “representative” democracy.

“Representative” comes from “represent” which is what MPs are supposed to do for their constituencies. “Represent”, in turn, means to “re- present”; that is, the MP is picked by the people to re- present them. To “present” them as they are in Parliament - warts and all.

So, let’s be honest, didn’t the MPs express themselves exactly how their constituencies would’ve done? Isn’t that sorta behaviour the norm out there? Has anyone travelled in a bus recently? And don’t think your Eyewitness is putting down plebes who have to use buses. Heck, he’s one!! So, have you gone for a drive in (take your pick) car, SUV, or limo recently? That’s how we communicate! What exactly do these winging “behaviour Police” want? To bring back the nobility - who’re supposedly “better” than the rest of us - to govern us?

Does anyone remember why the MPs elected in England were sent to the House of COMMONS? If we didn’t want to have commoners represent us, we would’ve stuck with the House of Lords!

It’s this kind of elitist thinking that got Liberals in the developed societies of the US, UK, EU etc thrown out on their ears. The people don’t want to hear all that highfalutin language from some bygone age preceded by “Honourable” this or “Honourable” that! We’re in a brave new world with our new “people’s politics”.

Think of it like cricket. For the longest while, the purists insisted it was a “gentleman’s game” and we should clap genteelly when a six is hit. And God forbid we should get up and scream in delight!! Nah… The members stand at Lords was our model.

But no more! Look how T-20 has taken over cricket - with screaming, horns, and even skimpily-clad, nubile young women flaunting their assets and leaving nothing to the imagination! And we’ve even gotten Lords to serve jerk chicken rather than cucumber sandwiches!

Listen, if there’s one sub-species of humanity that knows what “the people” want, it’s politicians! That’s what gets them elected, ain’t it? They have to ensure that the term they aspire to - “man of the people” - is just that!

So, we better get used to the new normal in our Parliament.

The next step will see fistfights! …over Burnham’s whitewashing As the centenary of Burnham’s birth - 2023 - approaches, his acolytes are coming out of the woodwork to whitewash his record - and possibly have him beatified! But, in the words of Barrack Obama, you can put lipstick on a pig…but it’ll still remain a pig! This morning your Eyewitness was offered a context: “There is a story that Clemenceau, the PM of France, was in conversation with some German representatives during the Paris peace negations in 1919 that led to the Treaty of Versailles. One of the Germans said something to the effect that, in a hundred years’ time, historians would wonder what had really been the cause of the Great War, and who had been really responsible. Clemenceau, so the story goes, retorted that one thing was certain: ‘the historians will not say that Belgium invaded Germany’.

With Burnham, his acolytes are hoping that, 35 years on, folks have forgotten his destruction of Guyana.

But after Mingo, no one can say he didn’t introduce electoral rigging in Guyana?! …over the ERC’s mendacity In his response to Haji Roshan Khan, Bishop John Smith, Chair of the ERC, used the pronoun “we” throughout his missive.

Was he sharing blame to the Commissioners, or was it the Royal “we” to accept responsibility?

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

NEWS

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Opposition Chief Whip owes sugar workers apology for “blood sucker” slur – GAWU

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha

P

ressure is now mounting for Opposition Chief Whip Christopher Jones to apologise to workers across the sugar belt over his “blood sucker” comment during his presentation in the ongoing debates on the 2021 National Budget.

Jones was at the time speaking against the PPP/ C’s $381.5 billion budget in the National Assembly on Monday, when he said that instead of the Guyana Sugar Corporation being the mainstay of Guyana’s economy, “GuySuCo is the blood sucker on the backs of the taxpayers.”

In a statement issued on Thursday, GAWU posited that Jones’s attack has crossed the line.

“He has insulted and embarrassed a significant contingent of Guyanese who have committed no wrong to deserve such a verbal lynching. Indeed, we believe Mr. Jones should do what is honourable and offer an apology,” the union noted, while adding in the same breath that it does not expect any modicum of responsibility and decency from the Opposition Chief Whip.

According to GAWU in

the missive, Jones’s “jaundiced and…vitriol attack” was not just on the sugar corporation, but, by extension, on the thousands of Guyanese whose lives and livelihoods are supported by the industry.

“The Opposition Chief Whip labelled the sugar industry as the bloodsuckers that live on the backs of the Guyanese taxpayers. From all appearances, Mr. Jones’s sordid view extends to Guyanese in the sugar belt. Our Union finds the remarks by such a senior member of the political Opposition as disturbing and equally disconcerting,” GAWU stated.

The Union went on to express the view that Jones’s remark is a vivid demonstration of the level of contempt that he holds for sugar workers, whose contribution he clearly undervalues and seemingly despises.

“It seems the Opposition’s Chief Whip is either unaware or chooses to ignore that the sugar industry, for its travails, continues to make several tangible contributions to the nation. He seems to forget, conveniently, that the sugar workers themselves are taxpayers and do not get any ‘free rides’ as he apparently seeks to promote in his message, which took on, from our point of a view, a clearly divisive and partisan character. The utterances of Mr. Jones, we hold, are a continuation of the mercilessness the sugar industry was shown during the Coalition’s term in office,” the missive detailed.

While Jones’s tirade on the GuySuCo during his debate continued with him further saying that the sugar industry should be buried, GAWU pointed out that this should clear the minds of those who hold any

doubts as to the APNU/AFC Coalition’s position on the fate of the sector. “…Had the Coalition succeeded in a second term, the sugar industry, in the words of Mr Jones, would have been buried. The Opposition Chief Whip’s outburst is not surprising, but yet again confirms the contemptuous view that the wider Opposition holds for the sugar industry, despite utterances to the contrary.

This has been pointed out in the past, and we are sure we will see such derisive talk in the future as well,” it contended.

The workers union further noted that while it recognises the denunciation of the sugar industry was seemingly intended to stir up feelings of disenchantment among a certain section of the Opposition support base, it has completely ignored Opposition supporters in the sugar industry.

“So, while Mr Jones was playing for the obvious gallery by his remarks, in our view, he has undermined his credentials as a national leader. In fact, if you ask us, he has demonstrated that he is not a leader for all, but just some. It goes on to question his place in the nation’s highest forum, which imbues all to inspire national, not prejudiced interests,” GAWU added.

Condemn

The union’s call for an apology from Jones comes on the heels of Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, in his debate presentation, also condemning the Opposition Chief Whip’s remarks and calling for him to apologise.

Mustapha said the MP’s comment was shameful, and that he took “his eyes pass

the sugar workers”.

As such, the Agriculture Minister is adamant that Jones must publicly apologise to the sugar workers.

“Anyone who has decency, anyone who is supporting the workers, must condemn that blatant, wicked statement. That is the kind of way they treat workers, that is why they are over there. They tried their best to rig the elections to stay in power because they know people will not vote for them,” Mustapha stated.

The APNU/AFC Coalition had downsized the sugar industry by closure of four estates – Wales, Skeldon, Rose Hall and East Demerara (Enmore), placing some seven thousand sugar workers on the breadline.

However, the PPP/C has since promised to reopen the closed estates and return the sugar industry to a via-

Opposition Chief Whip Christopher Jones

ble state.

Since taking office in August 2020, the Government has injected in the sector $9 billion dollars, of which $2 billion is in the 2021 budget.

10 NEWS “You could not deliver” – Manickchand tells APNU/AFC’s Nicolette Henry FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

…as numerous projects left incomplete

Former Education Minister Nicolette Henry

F

ormer Education Minister Nicolette Henry came under fire on Thursday from her successor Priya Manickand, after she was called out for the coalition’s failures at several initiatives during their time in office.

Henry opened the budget debate on Thursday at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre by demanding credit for the work done by the APNU/AFC, noting that they had hit high achievements.

“It is the fact, and I can tell you that a lot was achieved during the coalition’s term in office. I can tell you that it took a lot of work to get that done,” she contended.

These claims were immediately debunked by Manickchand, who factchecked that the former

Government failed to deliver and complete numerous projects that were earmarked to develop education delivery.

One such is the ProFuturo project – a programme launched in 2016 with the aim of closing the education gap in the world by providing quality digital education for children in vulnerable environments. Construction at several schools, including Westminster Secondary and St Roses High School, were left incomplete. In some cases, the contracts were terminated.

There is also the recent revelation that smart classrooms were never established at the 11 locations at which they were touted to be.

Even with these revelations, the Minister said, the coalition is still blinded in their web of ‘untruths’ which they continue to promulgate in Parliament.

“The APNU/AFC’s problem was just that they’re fancy talkers, sensational talk. Everything just sounds right. That’s how they rode into office. Their problem is they cannot deliver…

Understand that that is your weakness and try to correct it…We come back here and we’re insisting that the smart classrooms exist and that is the epitome of what we see playing out here.

Untruths that they believe themselves. The problem is that the people don’t believe

it,” she asserted.

In fact, Manickchand told the House that the PPP/C Government will ensure that these projects are completed for the greater benefit of students. She said senior officers, including Chief Education Officer Marcel Hutson, are back on the job, contributing to greater success.

“These people are back on the staff, and that’s why all those projects that you started, we’re rolling them out now. You couldn’t get it done, and that’s the problem…This budget demonstrates very clearly a difference in style, philosophy, ideology between the two parties.”

Meanwhile, Henry was also chided for failing to create a comprehensive plan during the COVID-19 pandemic after schools were closed. It was highlighted that during the 143 days, there was little to no activities to engage children in the school system.

At the end of this same period, Manickchand shared her accomplishments as she highlighted, “We had done worksheets. We have employed the Learning Channel towards learning.

We had reopened schools for the exam classes. We put instructions on the radio. We started online teaching. All of these fancy plans that the Honourable Member says

Education Minister Priya Manickchand

she had, she was in place for the same time that we were in place, but didn’t put in place. It is important that we don’t buy into those lies,” the subject Minister underscored.

Upcoming plans

Government’s commitment to develop the education sector is reflected in the 2021 budgetary allocation – a whopping $60.7 billion to build a world-class system. It is the largest allocation that was set aside.

Speaking about the plans for education, references were made to the reinstatement and increase of the ‘Because We Care’ cash grants from $10,000 to $15,000 – which will see an incremental increase up to $50,000 over the next five years.

The budget caters for an expansion of the Guyana Learning Channel to offer six channels, reaching every single indigenous community.

“We are giving to the villages television sets, solar systems, electricity and the satellite. The PPP/C Government is doing that.

When we talk about equity, it cannot just be talk. It has to be something we do that is tangible…We’re also getting our own radio station so that we can dedicate radio to learning. In some places in the country, radio is the only thing some people get,” she added.

The Dr Irfaan Ali-led Administration is improving its pandemic preparedness with the provision of PPEs for all students and teachers, and to retrofit all schools with troughs, sinks and water systems to provide a safe learning environment across all levels.

Overall, an amount of

$5.2B has been allocated for construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of educational facilities countrywide.

Expansion will commence with two secondary schools, in Regions Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).

Works will begin on a secondary school at Prospect to address the growing demands on the East Bank of Demerara, while Abram Zuil Secondary School will be reconstructed to provide necessary facilities for learners on the Essequibo Coast.

UG/CPCE

With intentions to transform the Cyril Potter College of Education to a fully online-compatible modality, Guyana has seen its largest enrollment of trainees this year, despite a pandemic.

“We saw, and we continue to see, remarkable interest, so much so that we are going to have the most trainee teachers enrolled this year in COVID. When other countries are shutting down, five years from now, Guyana is going to be spitting out the most trained teachers in this country because, during COVID, we innovated and came up with a plan.”

The University of Guyana will also be refashioned to better respond to the needs of a modern Guyana. Budget 2021 provides a total of $3.3B to finance the operations of its two campuses to achieve just that. A sum of $1B was also budgeted to support online scholarships to be granted in 2021. (G12)

NEWS

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021|| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Businessman found dead APNU/AFC had denied proposals to offer Coursera with bullet wound to head T programme in Guyana

O

ne month after the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) took office in August 2020, it opened up avenues for free Coursera courses through the Commonwealth of Learning, under which thousands of certificates have been issued.

But before this initiative started, the then A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) Administration was approached to roll out the accredited modules in Guyana – a proposal which was refused several times. This revelation was made by Education Minister Priya Manickchand on Thursday during the budget debate.

She said the refusal came from then Education Minister Nicolette Henry, blocking Guyanese from accessing these courses during the pandemic.

“We have letters from the Commonwealth of Learning to [Henry], begging her. Every two months, they wrote her begging to roll out Coursera and it was not done. Coursera and the Commonwealth of Learning collaborated to offer courses for free to the people of the Commonwealth during COVID. It was a direct measure and response to COVID recovery. This Minister (Henry) refused to do it,” Manickchand disclosed to the House.

Over 43,000 certificates

The programme was officially launched by the PPP/C in September, and to date, Guyana ranks num-

ber one in the world for the highest number of persons enrolled and also for the degree of interest shown.

In less than half a year, 53,301 persons have registered, 31,297 took courses and 43,305 certificates were issued.

“We launched it in September less than a month after I came into office. When we launched it, it was criticised by the Honourable Member, Amanda Walton-Desir…

Right now, Guyana ranks number one in the world for interest in that online programme. Number one in the world for members enrolled. Number one in the world for graduates,” she revealed.

The Workforce Recovery Initiative is a response to the employment difficulties which have arisen owing to the current pandemic. It gives persons the opportunity to gain new knowledge and enhance their current capacity with certification from globally-recognised universities.

This initiative marks Coursera’s first institutional partnership in the Region and is part of a longterm commitment to helping citizens prepare for a digital future by providing 4000 free online courses on the Coursera platform in various areas such as art, business, computer science, health, social science and engineering.

“I have never seen anything like it across the world,” was the observation of Coursera Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jeff Maggioncalda last year on the response from Guyanese towards the Workforce Recovery Initiative.

Another area of workforce development that was introduced by the current Administration was the online training programme for teachers to prepare them to deliver education through the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

All educators from public and private schools, trainee teachers at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) and lecturers at the University of Guyana (UG) were introduced to a 100-hour programme, facilitated by the Ministry through a partnership with the Organisation of American States (OAS) and the ProFuturo Foundation.

Thus far, over 9000 teachers received training. (G12)

he Police have launched an investigation into the death of a Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) businessman whose body was found lying motionless in his farm with what appeared to be a bullet wound to his head.

Based on information received, at about 5:45h on Thursday, the now dead man’s wife realised that her

husband was missing from bed, and she went into the lower flat of the house to look for him, but he was nowhere around.

She reportedly made several calls to his mobile phone, but the number went unanswered. She then ventured to their farm, located at the back of the house, where she saw him lying motionless on the ground, facing upwards, with blood

oozing from his mouth.

As she looked closer, she observed a .32 semi-automatic pistol in his hand.

She immediately raised an alarm, and with the assistance of others, he was picked up and taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The weapon has been lodged with the Police and a post-mortem is expected to be conducted shortly.

4-year-old mysteriously dies

F

our-year-old Shelly Modeste of Charity, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) died mysteriously after complaining of experiencing abdominal pains.

The child retired to bed on Wednesday evening, but did not wake up on Thursday morning.

Information received revealed that family members had been engaged in a game of cricket on Wednesday, during which the ball had accidentally hit the child to her tummy. She had cried out for pain following that incident, but had fallen asleep on Wednesday evening.

On Thursday morning her mother attempted to wake her, but found she was not responding. Thinking something was amiss, the

child was picked up and rushed to the Oscar Joseph Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The distraught family has since been left in a state of shock, and can only wait

on a post mortem to be conducted to ascertain the cause of death. The child’s body is presently at the Charity Hospital Mortuary awaiting a post mortem. An investigation has been launched.

12 NEWS COVID-19 death toll rises to 195 after 2 more fatalities FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

…no adverse effects from vaccines so far – Health Minister

T

he coronavirus death toll has moved to 195 as of Thursday with the announcement of two more persons succumbing locally.

The latest fatalities are a 38-year-old male from Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni) and a 79-yearold female from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) – both of whom died on Wednesday.

The Health Ministry informed that these persons died while receiving care at medical facilities.

Previously, it was reported that a 65-year-old male

from Region Four also died on Wednesday.

His death was announced along with the two other males– a 48-year-old also from Region Four and a 63-year-old from Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara), who were categorised as Tuesday’s deaths.

New cases

There were 28 new cases in one day after 657 samples were sent for testing.

According to the Ministry’s dashboard, the total number of confirmed cases in the country is now 8485 – 4391

males and 4097 females.

There are 460 active cases: four in the designated Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 418 in home isolation and 10 in institutional isolation.

Another 38 persons are also in institutional quarantine.

The data shows that 7890 patients have recovered from the life-threatening virus while 63,046 persons have been tested.

Of the new cases, four were detected in Essequibo Islands-West Demerara, 17 in Region Four, two in Region Five (DemeraraMahaica), one in CuyuniMazaruni, two in Region

Nine (Upper EssequiboUpper Takutu) and two in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

The cases in Regions One (Barima-Waini), Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) and Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) remain at 1019, 234, 463, and 245 respectively.

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony informed during the COVID-19 update on Thursday that symptoms from the vaccines were very “short-lived”, as is common with most shots.

“Within a 24-hour period for most people, that disappears. It’s a very short-lived reaction that you’ll get and that’s how you know the immune system is working to produce antibodies that would fight future infections. That’s a very good thing,” he explained.

While the vaccines have

been used for a protracted period, health authorities have not witnessed adverse reactions or events from the shots that were administered.

“So far for all the vaccines that we have administered, we haven’t seen any adverse side effects…We have a committee that is set up to monitor any adverse side effects and so, once those things are reported back to the place where you’ve gotten the vaccines and so forth, we would keep a record. But as I said, the most common type of side effects people would get, we expect that from any vac-

cine.”

All Guyanese are reminded to observe the protocols of the COVID-19 Emergency Measures (NO.14), which are in effect until February 28, 2021.

This order emphasises the need for correct and consistent use of a face mask when leaving your home, the importance of maintaining six feet of physical distance from others, and the need for good hand hygiene to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

The measures expire this weekend, unless extended by the Health Minister.

(G12)

NEWS

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

13 cops under probe for criminal conduct

T

hirteen officers from the Guyana Police Force (GPF) were accused of committing criminal conduct within the last quarter of 2020.

These statistics were revealed by Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn on Thursday, as he submitted written responses to questions posed by Opposition Member of Parliament, Geeta Chandan-Edmond.

The figures showed that another 22 ranks were found in breach of disciplinary guidelines under various codes of conduct that guide the operation of the Force during this same period.

To this end, Minister Benn reported that case files were sent for legal proceedings to be undertaken in the courts. The administrative action files were sent to Commanders of the respec-

tive departments for these defaulters to be sanctioned.

The 2019 Auditor General’s Report had revealed last December that 224 ranks had severed their employment with the GPF for various reasons during the reporting year. While these reasons were not outlined in the report, rogue elements have always been an issue within the Police Force.

For the year 2020, several Police ranks were placed before the courts for offences such as narcotics smuggling, assault, corrupt transactions, rape, manslaughter, and causing death by dangerous driving. Most times, ranks with pending court matters are interdicted. Some of them are also charged departmentally.

In a recent report on Guyana’s human rights record, the US State

Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn

Department noted that corruption by Police Officers was frequent. In fact, the report found that there remained “a widespread public perception of corruption involving officials at all levels, including the Police and the Judiciary”.

In November 2020, an audit of the GPF revealed

that over 150 firearms had vanished from Police custody under the previous A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government.

It is understood that these weapons were either seized from criminals and were to be exhibits in cases, or fire-

arms lodged by private citizens.

In the past, guns that have gone missing from the hands of the Joint Services have subsequently been linked to criminal activities.

During the 2018 Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the Lindo Creek Massacre, it was revealed that a number of weapons and ammunition which were stolen in February 2006 were later used in the commission of various crimes.

To improve the services provided by the Police Force, the Home Affairs Ministry last month wrapped up the Public Trust, Confidence and Satisfaction Survey, which was intended to determine citizens’ satisfaction with, and confidence in, policing services. It will reveal if citizens who interacted with law enforcement officers with-

in the last 12 months were treated fairly and with dignity during their interactions.

Meanwhile, members of the Force were engaged in a job satisfaction survey – created to determine the level of performance, job satisfaction, leadership, and communication of the law enforcement body.

“We propose to determine the level of satisfaction of the employees in the workplace, and what are the probable measures to be taken based on the responses to the survey. This is important to identify resorts to motivate higher performance as we seek to maintain law and order in Guyana. We support the view that it is crucial to retain an effective and proficient workforce as critical to the institution’s performance,” the GPF had stated in a release to the media. (G12)

14 NEWS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Mazaruni Prison escapees still at large Youth confesses to torching Enmore pensioner at supermarket

T

Arrested: Marco Seudatt

he identity of the man whose badly burnt body was discovered lying motionless on the premises of a Chinese supermarket at Enmore, East Coast Demerara (ECD) on Monday morning has been given as 72-year-old Mathura Etwaru of Enmore, ECD. A suspect in the man’s death, Marco Seudatt, 22, a labourer of Lot 175 Fourth Street, Foulis, ECD, was arrested, and has since confessed to committing the heinous crime.

According to reports, the suspect was arrested on Tuesday, hours after he was seen on CCTV footage having an argument with the now dead man.

Commander of Region 4 ‘C’, Mahendra Siwnarine, when contacted, related that the suspect confessed to the crime during Police interrogation. He added that based on Police investigations, nei-

ther the suspect nor the victim was known to each other.

It was reported that Etwaru’s severely torched body was found close to the fence of the Huaxin Supermarket located at Lot 371 Beezie, Enmore, ECD. His body was discovered at about 08:16h by a painter.

Following the discovery, an alarm was raised and the Police were summoned to the scene. The body was removed and taken to Lyken’s Funeral Home, where it awaits a post-mortem.

After reviewing the CCTV system installed at the supermarket and at contiguous buildings, it was revealed that at about 02:46h on Monday morning, the deceased and the suspect were involved in a heated argument, after which the suspect was seen holding on to the deceased and pushing him to the northern side of the fence.

The suspect was then seen picking up some empty cardboard boxes and heading to the area where he had pushed the deceased.

At about 03:12h, a fire was seen in the same area where the deceased was lying. The suspect then picked up a bicycle and left the scene.

Police are now of the belief that the suspect thought the pensioner had died after pushing him into the fence.

As such, he “panicked” and set the elderly man alight using the cardboard boxes.

The suspect is expected to make his court appearance shortly.

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lthough a joint operation is in effect to recapture the four high-profile prisoners who escaped from the Mazaruni Prison in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) last week, the men still remain at large.

This is according to acting Director of Prisons Nicklon Elliot, who stated that a team comprising of Joint Services members is making every effort to arrest the men.

“We have received a number of intelligences that we are working with, so that we can be able to pursue same.

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he Guyana Court of Appeal has reserved judgment in an appeal by convicted wife killer Rupert Brown against a death sentence imposed on him for the May 29, 2011 murder of his wife Seema Singh.

Among other things, Brown, also known as “Bird”, is contending that trial judge Brassington Reynolds made several errors during the trial proceedings, which renders

$30,000.

Following the discovery, the suspected cannabis was weighed in their presence and amounted to 490 grams. An investigation was launched into the discovery, and the items and the inmates were taken to the Vigilance Police Station.

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wenty-three-year-old Andy Motilall, an inmate at the Lusignan Prison serving time for break-and-enter and larceny, was on Monday found with a quantity of ganja after he was searched by Police.

According to reports received, Motilall, allegedly an orderly at the penitentiary, was in the company of other inmates on Monday who had gone to clean the prison’s kitchen.

However, after he was escorted back to the Prison’s holding bay, he was searched and the ganja was found in his crotch.

The cannabis, when weighed, amounted to 30.5

grams, and Motilall has admitted to ownership of the ganja.

Investigations are ongoing.

Only last month, two prisoners from the Lusignan Prison were found with a quantity of ganja and several contraband items, following a raid at the correctional facility.

It was reported that prison officials conducted a search on the two inmates, during which 490 grams of cannabis were discovered in their possession.

Officers also unearthed one cellphone, one earpiece, 29 packets of cigarettes, a quantity of Ziploc bags, 12 smoking papers, a quantity of tobacco leaves, and

the Brick Prison (Solitary Division), it was observed that the padlock to the entrance gate had been tampered with, and further checks revealed that two bars within the cell were cut.

After the discovery, the Emergency Action Plan relative to the escape of inmates was immediately activated, and a joint patrol was established at the outer perimeter of the prison, but no one was seen.

After the incident, several prison officers who were on duty at the time were questioned, and taken off of the job until investigations

are completed. In addition, 60-year-old Ralph Jones, the father of escapee Rayon Ryan Jones, was arrested, charged, and remanded to prison after he assisted the fugitives. He had confessed to offering the escapees a change of clothing and, in exchange, he took possession of the clothes they were wearing at the time and disposed of same at the back of his house.

In addition, the four men reportedly stole a boat from Karrau, Essequibo River, which they used to travel to Bartica. The Joint Services are continuing their search for these prisoners.

Appeal Court reserves judgment on death row inmate for wife’s murder

Inmate busted with ganga at Lusignan Prison

The cannabis that was found in the prisoner’s possession

It is still a Joint Service collaboration effort…Police is currently still assisting in the investigation”, he said.

Those who escaped from the prison are Imran Ramsaywack, Kenrick Lyte, Samuel Gouveia, and Ryan Jones. Ramsaywack and Lyte were on death row, while Gouveia and Jones were convicted for manslaughter.

It was reported that on Tuesday last, the four prisoners escape from the maximum-security prison at about 07:00h.

It was reported that during the unlocking of

On death row: Rupert Brown

Dead: Seema Singh

his conviction unsafe. In the circumstances, he is asking that his conviction and sentence be set aside.

Justice Brassington Reynolds had imposed the death sentence on Brown after a 12-member jury had found him guilty of murdering his wife when a trial ended in October 2014. Following a brief hearing on Thursday, the Court, led by Chancellor of the Judiciary Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards,

announced that notices would be sent to the parties when the decision is ready.

Seema Singh, a mother of two, was brutally murdered at Helena Number One Village, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

According to reports, Singh, who hailed from Richmond, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supernaam), was stabbed multiple times about her body.

It was reported that

Brown became enraged after the woman had left their Mahaica residence to visit her children in Essequibo.

The woman had promised to return within a certain time, but when she did not, Brown had gone in search of her.

The man had eventually caught up with his wife at a relative’s house at Mahaica, where she had sought refuge.

It was reported that Brown had pleaded with the woman to return home, and when she refused to do so, had stabbed her several times about the body.

The injured woman was rushed to the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital before being transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where she succumbed.

During his trial, Brown had given an unsworn statement from the prisoner’s dock, in which he denied attacking and killing his spouse. He claimed he had gone to visit his wife on the day in question and had found her lying in bed in a pool of blood. (G1)

Attempted murder duo walk free after victim’s no-show in court

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n attempted murder charge was on Thursday discontinued against two men after the virtual complainant failed to show up in court to testify.

It was alleged that the two accused, Ernest James and Linden Flavious, had on July 11, 2019, at John Fernandes Squatting Area, Georgetown, with intent to commit murder, unlawfully and maliciously wounded Derrick Nelson. They were not required to plead to the indictable charge.

However, on Thursday,

Linden Flavious and Ernest James

Senior Magistrate Leron Daly was forced to discharge the accused after Nelson failed to attend court on several occasions to testify. The Magistrate had even issued

a warrant for his arrest.

According to reports, on the day in question, the two men hired Nelson to take them to West Rumiveldt, Georgetown. When they

boarded the taxi, James and Flavious allegedly pulled out an ice pick and stabbed Nelson several times about his body. The men then reportedly relieved Nelson of an undisclosed sum of cash and his jewellery before making good their escape.

The vehicle with the badly injured taxi driver crashed into a pile of wood, and Nelson was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was admitted in a serious condition. The incident was caught on a CCTV recording, and both accused were positively identified.

NEWS

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

APNU/AFC appeals dismissal Repeat offender jailed of 2nd election petition for 8 months for

Acting Chief Justice, Roxane George, SC

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awyers for the A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance for Change (APNU/ AFC) are contending that Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George, SC, in dismissing the party’s second election petition, filed by Brenan Nurse and Monica Thomas, failed to consider the overriding objective of the petition. Led by Roysdale Forde, SC, the lawyers have now moved to the Guyana Court of Appeal asking that the decision of Justice George be set aside.

They are also asking that costs be awarded to their clients.

On January 18, 2021, Justice George dismissed the petition owing to non-compliance with effecting service as prescribed under Section 8 of the National Assembly (Validity of Elections) Act and Rule 9 of the National Assembly (Validity of Elections) Rules.

The acting Chief Justice found that the petition was not properly served on former President David Granger, the second-named respondent.

Justice George, in arriving at her decision, among

other things, relied on the decision in Eusi Kwayana et al v The Chief Elections Officer et al No. 205 of 1986, and noted that given the guidance outlined in this case, the procedures for the filing of an election petition must be strictly complied with, otherwise it can result in the dismissal of the petition.

The manner of service is prescribed in Rule 9 (1) of the National Assembly (Validity of Elections) Rules, which imposes on the petitioners the statutory obligation to effect service within five days after the presentation of the petition. The petition having been filed on September 15, 2020, should have been served on the former President five days thereafter which would have been September 21, 2020, since the fifth day – September 20, 2020 – was a Sunday.

However, in the affidavit of service of Nurse, it was stated that the petition, along with the relevant documents, was only served on Granger on September 25, 2020 – five days outside of the statutorily-prescribed period.

In a Notice of Appeal filed Wednesday, lawyers for the petitioners contend that the acting Chief Justice erred in law and misdirected herself by failing to recognise that the purpose of Rule 9 of the National Assembly (Validity of Elections) Rules, requiring service of an affidavit is to verify that service was achieved within the time prescribed by the statute, and that an error in the affidavit does not affect the fact of service.

They contend that the

acting Chief Justice erred in law and misdirected herself by following the decision in Eusi Kwayana et al v The Chief Elections Officer et al No. 205 of 1986, which decision in itself was erroneous.

According to the lawyers, Justice George again erred in law and misdirected herself when she applied the doctrine of strict compliance by holding that such compliance related to the contents of the affidavit of service instead of the filing of the affidavit of service on time.

Further, the lawyers claimed that Justice George

that the acting Chief Justice erred in dismissing the entire election petition for non-service on Granger even though the former President notified the court that he would not oppose the election petition and that the other proper and necessary respondents were served with the statutory timeline.

APNU/AFC has another election petition before the court. The petitioners, in this case, are Claudette Thorne and Heston Bostwick. The acting Chief Justice has fixed April 7, 2021, to commence hearing submissions in this case.

erred in law and misdirected herself when she concluded that leave was required to file a supplementary affidavit of service to give a more complete understanding of how service was effected on the former President.

They contend that this is inconsistent with the court’s ruling at a case management conference in which their clients were invited to provide an explanation in relation to what the court considered an apparent error in the original affidavit of service.

It is also being contended

In keeping with an order handed down by the acting Chief Justice, the Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, and by extension, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), has handed over all Statements of Poll (SoPs) and Statements of Recount (SoRs) to the Registrar of the High Court for safekeeping.

This petition seeks to challenge the legitimacy of the elections, which a recount showed that the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic won. (G1)

breaking and entering

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hirty-one-year-old Andrew Arjune of Anna Catherina, West Coast Demerara (WCD), who is no stranger to the law, appeared on Wednesday before Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts after he was slapped with a breakand-enter charge.

Arjune pleaded guilty to the charge which stated that between February 19 and February 20 at Vlissengen Road, Georgetown, he broke and entered the convenience store of Robben Lowe and stole a quantity of Digicel and GTT phone cards, two cellphones and cash, valued in total $803,000, property of Robben Lowe.

Following his guilty plea, Arjune expressed remorse and begged Magistrate Daly for a short sentence.

According to the Prosecutor’s facts on the case, on the day in question about 13:40h, a staff on duty at the Shell Gas Station observed Arjune hanging around.

She then went to the washroom and upon returning, she checked the store and observed that Arjune was in the store. She then raised an alarm and a security guard responded, but the defendant managed to escape.

Meanwhile, on February 20, about 18:00h, Lowe made checks of the store and discovered the items were missing. He subsequently made a report to the Alberttown Police Station and law enforcement ranks, acting on a tip, were able to

arrest Arjune.

At the time of his arrest, ranks carried out a search of the defendant and found one of the stolen phones on his person.

He allegedly told the Police that “I want money, so I raid the store” and that he gained entry through the roof of the store.

He was sentenced to eight months in prison.

In February 2018, Arjune was fined for stealing a zinc sheet from the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) Sports Complex building; however, in April 2018, he found himself yet again before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts for stealing a water pump.

He admitted to stealing the water pump valued $200,000, property of Doonauth Lalta from the Kitty Seawall on April 5, 2018 when the charge was read to him by Magistrate Judy Latchman.

According to Police Prosecutor Arvin Moore, the defendant was seen

by Police ranks walking along Vlissengen Road, Georgetown, with the pump on his shoulder and as a result, he was stopped and questioned.

Further investigations revealed that the pump was stolen from a contractor doing work at Vlissengen Road.

The man was called in and the pump was positively identified as well as the defendant. Arjune was then sentenced to 18 months in prison. (G15)

16 NEWS CCJ urges Guyana to urgently reform Deeds Registry Act I FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

n a judgement delivered on Thursday, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) urged the Government of Guyana to urgently consider reforming the Deeds Registry Act. The judgement was delivered in the case of Merlene Todd v Desiree Price and Ann Jennifer Jeboo.

Allan Price, now deceased, had owned the west half of Lot 153 Queenstown, Georgetown. In February 2004, Jeboo, claiming to act on behalf of Price, used a Power of Attorney to sell the land to Todd, who obtained a transport. It was subsequently discovered that the Power of Attorney was fake and Jeboo was convicted of fraud.

Price sued both Jeboo and Todd in the Guyana

High Court seeking to set aside the sale and have the transport declared void.

Under the Deeds Registry Act, a person loses his or her land once a transport is registered at the Deeds Registry

unless fraud is proved on the part of the holder of the new transport. Price died in 2010 and the proceedings were thereafter carried on by his widow, Desiree Price, on behalf of his estate. On August

30, 2012, the trial judge dismissed the action against Todd, but awarded damages to the estate of Allan Price against Jeboo.

Desiree Price appealed this decision and asked the

Guyana Court of Appeal to find that Todd was part of the fraud. Todd resisted the appeal on the ground that High Court proceedings had not been conducted on the basis that she was part of Jeboo’s fraud.

On March 16, 2020, the Court of Appeal allowed the appeal and found that Todd’s gross negligence made her part of the fraud. The court declared that the transport was null and void. Todd appealed to the CCJ arguing that the Court of Appeal was wrong to find that she was part of the fraud. She asked the CCJ to set aside the Court of Appeal’s decision and restore the trial judge’s decision.

The CCJ found that there was no allegation before the trial judge that Todd was part of Jeboo’s fraud and that she had, therefore, not been allowed to defend herself against these allegations. Against this backdrop, the regional court found that it was unfair to allow those allegations to be made at the appellate stage of the trial.

The CCJ held that gross negligence was not the same as fraud and that, in any

case, Todd had also not been allowed to respond to allegations of gross negligence.

In these circumstances, the Court of Appeal was wrong to find that Todd was part of the fraud.

According to the CCJ, the Court of Appeal also made errors in the way in which it conducted its fact-finding exercise and was not entitled to overturn the findings of fact which were made by the trial judge.

Finding that the original landowner had been deprived of his land through no fault of his own, CCJ Judge Winston Anderson

expressed that this showcased the need for legislative reform. In separate judgements, CCJ Judges Jacob Wit and Peter Jamadar both reasoned that the approaches to the law as well as the outcome of this appeal did not seem satisfactory or just.

The Judges suggested that there may be other legal approaches that could have resulted in different outcomes and explored those possibilities. The CCJ Judges noted that the legislature should review and amend the Deeds Registry Act to refine or improve the

law to meet the needs of current land law realities in Guyana.

Justice Jamadar also suggested that the Deeds Registry Act needed to be reviewed and an assessment made whether it passed constitutional muster in Guyana, and if not, what modifications were required to do so, explaining why this should be done.

Given its findings, the CCJ allowed the appeal, setting aside the orders of the Court of Appeal. The orders granted by the trial Judge were restored, including the orders as to costs. (G1)

Fisherman’s murder

Retrial ordered for father, daughter, neighbour

Dead: Shereffudeen Nazamudeen

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retrial was on Thursday ordered for a father, his daughter, and their neighbour who were on trial for the murder on Valentine’s Day 2017 of 22-year-old fisherman Shereffudeen Nazamudeen of Ruby, East Bank Essequibo (EBE).

Mandy Sukhdeo; her father, Surendra Sukhdeo; and their neighbour Rean Ghani are accused of fatally beating the fisherman on the day in question.

Their trial concluded before Justice Navindra Singh on Thursday in a hung jury.

In the circumstances, they were further remanded to prison where they now await a new trial at the next practicable sitting of the Demerara Assizes. The three murder accused were represented

by Attorneys-at-Law Nigel

Hughes, Ronald Daniels, and Sophia Findlay.

At the time of the killing, Mandy Sukhdeo was an Alliance For Change (AFC) Councillor. Mandy Sukhdeo had reportedly claimed that she was confronted by Nazamudeen, who snatched her bag and attempted to escape. She raised an alarm and residents in the neighbourhood pursued the man. Reports are that Nazamudeen was caught in the ruins of a house.

According to reports, he was tied up and beaten by the woman, her father, and their neighbour. Following

Murder accused: Rean Ghani

the beating, the man suffered severe injuries to his body and was taken to the Leonora Cottage Hospital, where he subsequently succumbed.

Three pieces of wood, suspected to be the murder weap-

Murder accused: Surendra Sukhdeo

Murder accused: Mandy Sukhdeo

ons, were recovered from the scene by detectives. The woman and her father were immediately arrested while Ghani was apprehended the following day after he was implicated by neighbours. (G1)

10-year-old raped in Region 1

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close relative of a 10-year-old girl is now in Police custody after he allegedly raped her while she was left in his care. The child of North West District (NWD), Region One (Barima-Waini) was reportedly left unconscious after the incident.

Based on the Police report, the incident took place on Wednesday. After the man committed the act, he reportedly threatened to kill the child if she reported the matter to anyone.

Nevertheless, the violated

child confided in her grandmother, who immediately made a report with the authorities. The victim was later escorted to the hospital, where she was examined and a medical certificate was obtained.

Meanwhile, swift actions by the Police led to the arrest of the man who remains in custody. He is expected to be charged shortly.

Earlier this week, it was reported that a 12-yearold girl of NWD is pregnant after she was allegedly raped by a man over several months.

it was reported that the incident took place in 2020.

The Police have since confirmed that the girl is five months pregnant.

On Monday, Police stated that ranks attached to the Matthews Ridge Police Station, acting on information, visited the victim where she related what had transpired.

She was subsequently taken to the hospital where a medical certificate was acquired. An investigation has been launched into the incident.

NEWS

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Small-pocket States being squeezed out of COVID-19 vaccine access by influential countries – Caricom Chair A

midst a global rush to access the COVID-19 vaccines, Chairman of the Caribbean Community (Caricom), Dr Keith Rowley, has pointed out that Small Developing States like members of the regional bloc are being squeezed out of accessing the jab by big pocket, influential countries.

The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago made this remark at a virtual press briefing to mark the close of the two-day 32nd Intersessional Meeting of the Heads of Government of Caricom on Thursday.

“We have been literally squeezed out of the access to vaccines. We know that there is world shortage of vaccines, but what had been put in place to allow countries like us to have access to the vaccine have not been working along those lines, and the end result is that at this time, we’ve only had one gift of 170,000 vaccines within our region, and up to now we haven’t been able to access any other,” Dr Rowley contended.

The Caricom Chair noted that when contact is made with manufacturers, they indicate that they cannot take any orders, since they already have huge commitments with other countries. He added that even suppliers have a similar sentiment when they are contacted.

“Countries with deep pockets and great influence have contracted the early production of the [Oxford/ AstraZeneca] vaccines and similar ones in some of the bigger countries… What we have been experiencing as countries with small pock-

Caricom Chairman, T&T Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley

ets… [is that] the large suppliers and the major countries have bought up all the supplies, and the suppliers are telling us that they are unable to access orders from us because of their commitment to those who have access to those vaccines,” he related.

Moreover, Dr Rowley disclosed that there are some countries that are willing to sell the COVID jab under conditions, such as a confidential arrangement so that the buying states cannot disclose the cost at which they got the vaccines.

“But we discover different people can be charged hugely different prizes… That is the environment in which the vaccine access and purchase is now,” the Community Chairman stated.

Nevertheless, Caricom on Thursday issued a missive in which the regional bloc expressed its collective dissatisfaction and deep concerns over the inequitable access to vaccines for Small Developing States.

“Caricom calls for equitable access to vaccines in order to curb the impact of the pandemic, to protect our cit-

izens and bolster the economy. As the virus does not discriminate, access to vaccines should not be discriminatory, with a few countries dominating the market with their resources and their volumes.

Heads of Government noted that, to date, even countries with the funds to purchase have been unable to procure and receive vaccines through commercial arrangements, given the relatively small volumes which they seek,” the statement detailed.

Member States further noted that although they have all signed on to the highly valued and appreciated COVAX Facility, the only vaccines received in the region to date were through the generosity of the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, who has donated 170,000 vaccines to Barbados and Dominica through bilateral arrangements. Caricom has commended Prime Minister Modi for his generosity which, it is understood, will be continued. They also thanked Barbados and Dominica for having shared their initial supplies from India with other Member States in the Community.

Further, the regional countries pointed out that while the COVAX Facility, which was established with the aim of ensuring equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines, will provide up to 20 per cent of Members’ needs, this limited supply will not allow them to attain the regional herd immunity which is so necessary to fuel the resilient recovery that we are seeking.

“Heads of Government therefore call for a mech-

PM calls for COVID-19-related debt write-offs at PROSUR meeting

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rime Minister, Retired Brigadier Mark Phillips on Thursday called for more to be done to help developing countries recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Phillips was at the time representing President Dr Irfaan Ali at a virtual extraordinary summit of Heads of State at the Forum for the Progress and Integration of South America (PROSUR).

The meeting focused on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the continent.

According to a Department of Public Information (DPI) report, during his address, Phillips said that Guyana was looking forward to working with the countries of PROSUR to combat the pandemic and to ensure that adequate relief measures were instituted, such as viable economic and social programmes.

He also called for a more collaborative approach within the international financial system to consider debt write-offs of COVID-19related financing and bet-

Prime Minister, Retired Brigadier Mark Phillips

ter refinancing conditions to allow developing countries time to recover before having to repay.

Additionally, the Prime Minister asked PROSUR to focus on the surveillance of new variants of the coronavirus and to explore opportunities for regional networking in order to access genetic sequencing of the virus and for viruses that may appear in the future.

PROSUR, which was created in March 2019, is currently chaired by Colombian President Ivan Duque. It includes formal

Member States Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, and Guyana. Uruguay and Suriname also participated in Thursday’s video conference.

Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) Director General, Dr Carissa F Etienne; Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) President Mauricio ClaverCarone and International Monetary Fund’s Western Hemispheric Department Director, Alejandro Werner were special guests at the meeting.

Regional leaders participating in the Caricom Intersessional Meeting

anism that allows smaller countries to have access to sufficient vaccines at the earliest juncture, if action is to be put behind the oft-repeated phrase that ‘no-one is safe until everyone is safe’,” the missive detailed.

The region is expected to receive vaccines under this facility between March and April, with the expectation of additional tranches later in the year.

Other initiatives, such as procurement through the African Union’s African Medical Supplies Platform (AMSP), as well as bilateral arrangements, are being pursued by some Member States with the support of CARICOM. We commend the Government of the Republic of South Africa and the African Union for having carved out an allocation for CARICOM countries.

However, according to PM Rowley, while the Community has agreed to put in a request via this arrange-

ment, Members will have to first pay up.

“All countries are required to pay so that the shipment can be made, and we have committed to do that in such a way that will allow them to assist us by sharing the vaccines that they are getting…,” the CARICOM Chair noted.

Moreover, the Community Members have since urge developed countries - and especially those in the neighbourhood, whose populations travel frequently to this region, and who host the Caribbean’s largest diaspora populations - to make some available to the Community, initially as an interim supply given the immediacy of the need.

In fact, Caricom has taken a decision to write to the governments of some traditional partners on the matter, including the United States of America.

During Thursday’s virtual press briefing, Dr Rowley had pointed out, “…we fear that

if we wait too long to get our supplies, there is always this danger that this new variant can take place within our borders here, and that can undo what they are doing there in inoculating their populations.

And because we are so close in sharing space, and economically if anything is going to happen to improve our economics, we need to travel and we need to open up our borders, but that is predicated on us all being properly vaccinated so that we will have the same level of health.”

Further, the statement added that attention is needed at the multilateral level, and to this end, the Community has called on the World Health Organization (WHO) to convene a Global Summit to address urgently equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, particularly for developing countries, which should be held in the context of the World Health Organization’s ACT-A Facilitation Council.

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guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021

Regional

1st asylum-seekers from Mexico’s Brazil’s COVID-19 death toll passes 250,000 – Health Ministry Matamoros border camp enter US

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razil’s death toll from COVID-19 surpassed on a quarter-million Thursday, a year after the first case was confirmed in the country, which is struggling with vaccine shortages and a devastating second wave.

The new coronavirus has now killed 251,498 people in Brazil, according to Health Ministry figures – the second-highest toll worldwide, after the United States, where the number passed half a million Monday.

The news came a day before Brazil marks one year since health officials confirmed its first case of the virus, a São Paulo businessman returning from a trip to Italy.

Since then, the virus has spread across the sprawling South American country with dire effectiveness.

It has hit especially hard in Brazilian cities’ impoverished favelas, among Indigenous communities with

A worker wearing a protective suit and carrying an umbrella walks past the graves of COVID-19 victims at the Nossa Senhora Aparecida cemetery in Manaus, Brazil on February 25, 2021

vulnerable immune systems, and in the Amazon rainforest city of Manaus, where there have been haunting scenes of mass graves and patients suffocating to death with no oxygen.

President Jair Bolsonaro has meanwhile flouted expert advice on managing the pandemic at every turn, railing against lockdowns and face masks and instead touting

the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine despite a series of studies showing it is ineffective against COVID-19.

The Health Ministry registered 1541 COVID-19 deaths in the past 24 hours.

This has been the deadliest week of the pandemic in Brazil, with a daily average of 1149 deaths over the past seven days. (Excerpt from AFP)

he first asylum seekers from a Mexican border camp that had become a symbol of Trumpera immigration restrictions entered the United States on Thursday under a new policy meant to end the hardships endured by migrants in dangerous border towns.

The United Nations’ International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said the initial group comprised 27 people who had been living in the makeshift camp in Matamoros opposite Brownsville, Texas.

Some residents have lived there for more than a year under former President Donald Trump’s controversial Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) programme requiring asylum seekers to wait in Mexico for US court hearings.

A new process under President Joe Biden will gradually allow thousands of MPP asylum seekers to

await courts’ decisions within the United States. Some migrants last week were permitted to cross into San Ysidro, California.

Francisco Gallardo, who runs a migrant shelter in Matamoros and provides humanitarian aid at the camp, welcomed the news that the process had begun in Matamoros, but said it should have come sooner.

“It’s good that they are doing it, but unfortunately coming late,” he said.

Freezing temperatures at the US-Mexico border had

made the Matamoros camp a priority, the Department of Homeland Security said on Wednesday.

Migrants at the camp have struggled to ensure proper hygiene and to protect themselves from organised crime, in a state that is one of the most violent in Mexico.

“The camp was a space that had multiple risks for the migrants,” said Misael Hernandez, a researcher on migration issues at the Colegio de la Frontera Norte.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Trial of US citizen charged with terrorism in Venezuela to begin Barbados Court of Appeal orders release of Jamaican quarantine breaker A

Venezuelan criminal court in a Wednesday hearing ordered that a trial begin for Matthew Heath, a US citizen detained in the South American country on terrorism charges and accusations of being a US spy, Heath’s lawyer said on Thursday.

Heath, 39, was detained in September 2020 in north-western Venezuela and charged with terrorism and arms trafficking. His defence lawyer, Guillermo Heredia, said he rejected the “false” charges in the Wednesday hearing, which

lasted until midnight.

President Nicolás Maduro at the time of Heath’s arrest said he was spying on the nation’s oil refineries, and that he had been carrying “specialised weapons”. US officials at the time said Heath was not sent to Venezuela by Washington.

No further court date had been set, Heredia said, adding that Heath was being held in the headquarters of Venezuela’s military counterintelligence directorate, known as DGCIM. Heath was arrested along with National Guard

Sergeant Major Darwin Urdaneta, Marcos Garces, and Daeven Rodriguez, the driver of the vehicle. The three Venezuelans were charged with treason, terrorism, arms trafficking, and conspiracy.

Ned Price, spokesperson for the State Department, blasted Maduro on Thursday saying that human rights abuses have continued to escalate under the leader’s regime and that the leader and his allies have used violence in order to maintain control over the country. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Honduran President says US drug probe threatens cooperation

H

onduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez warned that allegations by United States Prosecutors of his involvement with organised crime could affect cooperation with Washington in fighting drug trafficking.

US Prosecutors, in a federal court filing in New York on February 5, said Hernandez used Honduran law enforcement and military officials to protect drug traffickers as part of a plan “to use drug trafficking to help assert power and control in Honduras”.

US Prosecutors have said Hernandez accepted a million-dollar bribe from Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who was convicted in 2019 and is serving a life sentence in a US prison.

Hernandez has denied the allegations and he has not been charged with a

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, speaking to the National Congress of Honduras on Wednesday

crime.

Hernandez, while speaking to the Honduran Congress on Wednesday, said that members of the “Los Cachiros” cartel falsely accused him in an effort to seek shorter prison sentences. He warned US of-

ficials that believing these allegations could compromise joint security efforts between Washington and Tegucigalpa.

“If certain offices in the United States make the mistake of rewarding drug traffickers who give false testimony, instead of increasing their penalties … then the battle that we have jointly waged with our allies against drug trafficking may become unsustainable, because there will be loss of trust,” Hernandez said.

He added that if Washington took the accusations against him seriously, “it will mean that sooner or later effective cooperation systems will inevitably collapse”.

Hernandez, who has been in power since 2014, is a close US ally in Central America. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

T

he Court of Appeal has ordered that Jamaican quarantine breaker Dean George Scott be released from HMP Dodds immediately after the two months he was there was deemed as time served.

This decision was handed down Thursday morning by Chief Justice, Sir Patterson Cheltenham and Justices of Appeal Rajendra Narine and Margaret Reifer.

Scott, 49, a mason, who was a guest at Crystal Beach Hotel, had pleaded guilty before Chief Magistrate Ian Weekes to contravening Paragraph

(14) of the Emergency Management (COVID-19) Curfew No 4 Directive, 2020, in that being a person in quarantine at the St Lucy District Hospital, he left the facility without a reasonable explanation on December 7 last year.

Chief Magistrate Weekes imposed a sixmonth sentence after Scott begged for community service, saying he had enough money to buy his ticket back home but not Bds$6000 to pay a fine.

Queen’s Counsel Andrew Pilgrim and Attorney Michelle Russell appeared for Scott during the appeal, while the

Dean George Scott

Crown was represented

by Senior Crown Counsel Oliver Thomas and Crown Counsel Danielle Mottley.

(Nation News)

Trinidad: Ramlogan, Ramdeen return to court

I

ndictments have not yet been filed against former Attorney General Anand Ramlogan and former United National Congress (UNC) Senator Gerald Ramdeen.

And, a new prosecutor will have to be appointed since the one previously assigned to the case, Mauricia Joseph-Patrick, is no longer with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, having been appointed a Master of the High Court.

Both men appeared virtually before Chief Magistrate Maria Busby Earle-Caddle on allegations of conspiring with

Jamaica-born Queen’s Counsel Vincent Nelson for Ramlogan to misbehave in public office as AG, by accepting money from Nelson as reward for giving him State briefs.

It is further alleged that they conspired for Ramdeen to receive, conceal, and transfer criminal property which represented corrupt rewards given to Ramlogan

by Nelson for the State briefs.

The third allegation against the two is that they conspired for Nelson to give 10 per cent of the paid legal fees to Ramlogan as a “gift” or “reward” for being granted State briefs.

They were charged in May 2019.

Deputy DPP George Busby, who appeared for the prosecution, also admitted indictments had not yet been filed by the Director and requested an adjournment. There was no objection by the defence and the matter has been adjourned to June 18.

In March 2020, Nelson, who pleaded guilty in June 2019 to his part in the alleged kickback scheme, was ordered to pay TT$2.25 million restitution as part of a plea bargain arrangement struck between him and the State. (Excerpt from Trinidad Newsday)

guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021

19

Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Bank of America expects fastest oil price rise in 30 years

O

il prices are set to rise by the fastest rate since the 1970s over the next three years, Bank of America said in a new report, joining the growing group of analysts forecasting a return of oil to three-digit territory.

The average price of Brent over the next five years, however, will be between US$50 and US$70 per barrel, according to the bank, as quoted by The National.

The bank also said the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries-plus (OPEC+) might decide to reverse its production cuts now that Brent is trending above US$60, but added that a slow return of U. shale to international markets might lead to an extension of the production cut agreement to make sure prices stay higher.

"We believe that slower shale growth and oil price stability will likely require a continuation of OPEC+'s market management beyond April 2022," the bank's analysts said.

OPEC+ is meeting next week to discuss the progress of its agreement in an environment of much tighter supply, and expectations are that some members may push for a production increase. The increase, however, will be moderate, at 500,000 barrels per day (bpd), according to reports.

The last Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee of OPEC+ met in the first week of February, and the meeting ended without many surprises. For the month of February, another 75,000 bpd was added to the quotas –65,000 bpd to Russia and 10,000 bpd to Kazakhstan. For the month of March, production quotas were eased again by the same amount, with the same distribution of the additions.

Russia is one of the extended cartel's members that will likely call for a further increase in production. Moscow has a tradition of budgeting for pessimistic oil prices, which increases the benefits from each additional dollar benchmarks gain. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, might like to see much higher prices as its breakeven level, despite the lowest production costs in the world, remains quite high. (Oilprice.com)

EU leaders push to step up COVID vaccinations

G

erman Chancellor Angela Merkel has said the European Union must prepare to vaccinate for new coronavirus variants over the coming years after EU leaders discussed ways to fight new variants of the virus, step up inoculations, and save Europe’s tourism industry from another ruinous summer.

The 27 EU leaders agreed on Thursday to keep “tight restrictions” on public life and free movement in place as the bloc races against the emergence of new variants that may hamper an eco-

German Chancellor Angela Merkel addressing a news conference in Berlin. EU leaders are seeking to inject new energy into the bloc’s lagging coronavirus vaccination effort

nomic rebound.

“We have to prepare for a situation where we have to

continuously vaccinate for a longer period of time, maybe over years, due to new coronavirus variants, akin to the situation we know from the flu,” Merkel said.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the EU “will have to live with this virus” over the long term.

Italy’s new Prime Minister, former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi called for a much tougher stance from the EU towards pharmaceutical companies producing the vaccines after a stuttering start to deliveries of jabs.

The executive European Commission told the virtual leaders’ gathering that 51.5 million doses of vaccines had so far been delivered to the EU and 29.17 million administered, with about five per cent of citizens having had their first dose.

The Commission and EU countries have come under fire for missteps in their joint inoculation programme and a stuttering roll-out of shots that has lagged badly behind Israel, the United Kingdom, and the United States. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Dutch Parliament: China's treatment of Uighurs is genocide

T

he Dutch Parliament on Thursday passed a non-binding motion saying that the treatment of the Uighur Muslim minority in China amounts to genocide, the first such move by a European country.

Activists and United Nations rights experts say at least one million Muslims are being detained in camps in the remote western region of Xinjiang. The activists and some Western politicians accuse China of using torture, forced labour

and sterilisations.

China denies any human rights abuses and says its camps provide vocational training and are needed to fight extremism.

“A genocide on the Uighur minority is occurring in China,” the motion said, stopping short of directly saying that the Chinese Government was responsible.

Canada passed a resolution labelling China’s treatment of the Uighurs genocide earlier this week.

The Dutch motion said

that actions by the Chinese Government such as “measures intended to prevent births” and “having punishment camps” fell under United Nations Resolution 260, generally known as the genocide convention.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s conservative VVD party voted against the resolution.

Foreign Minister Stef Blok said the Government did not want to use the term genocide, as the situation has not been declared as such by the United Nations

or by an international court.

“The situation of the Uighurs is a cause of great concern”, Blok told reporters after the motion was passed, adding that the Netherlands hoped to work with other nations on the matter.

The author of the motion, lawmaker Sjoerd Sjoerdsma of the centre-left D-66 Party, has separately proposed lobbying the International Olympic Committee to move the 2022 Winter Olympics away from Beijing. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Equality Act: US House passes Jamal Khashoggi: Biden legislation protecting LGBT rights raises human rights in call with Saudi king

U

S President Joe Biden has talked by phone with King Salman of Saudi Arabia as he seeks to put relations with America's old ally on a new footing.

He "affirmed the importance" the US "places on universal human rights and the rule of law", the White House says.

Biden made the call after reading a forthcoming US report into the murder of Saudi Journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The report, due to be released shortly, is expected to implicate the king's son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump, pursued closer ties with Saudi Arabia.

The Trump Administration rejected a legal requirement to release the report in declassified form, focusing instead on improved cooperation with the Saudis.

Biden is expected to take

a much tougher stance on certain Saudi positions.

During the murder in 2018 inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, Khashoggi's body was dismembered. The Crown Prince denies involvement.

Saudi authorities blamed his death on a "rogue operation" by a team of agents sent to return him to the Kingdom, and a Saudi court tried and sentenced five individuals to 20 years in prison last September, after initially sentencing them to death.

There was no mention of Khashoggi by name in the White House statement, but it said: "The President noted positively the recent release of several SaudiAmerican activists and Ms Loujain al-Hathloul from custody, and affirmed the importance the United States places on universal human rights and the rule of law." (Excerpt from BBC News)

T

he US House of Representatives has passed sweeping legislation that prohibits LGBT discrimination, but it faces an unlikely future in the Senate.

The Equality Act was previously passed by the

Democratic-led House in 2019, but was killed by Senate Republicans.

The debate has laid bare the ideological battle between liberals who support the act and conservatives who say it infringes on religious freedom.

The act expands on a 2020 Supreme Court ruling protecting some LGBT rights.

The Equality Act expands on the 1964 Civil Rights Act to include protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Advocates for the act have argued that the current "patchwork" of state anti-discrimination laws does not provide enough comprehensive protection, and leaves many LGBT individuals at risk. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Kremlin critic moved out of Moscow prison – lawyer

J

ailed Russian Opposition politician Alexey Navalny has been moved to an undisclosed detention centre outside Moscow that may be a prison camp, according to his lawyer and a member of a rights organisation.

Navalny, a prominent critic of President Vladimir Putin, was jailed earlier this month for alleged parole violations related to an embezzlement case he said was trumped up for political reasons, which the authorities have denied.

The European ?ourt of Human Rights has also ruled the case unlawful and, citing risks to Navalny’s

life in custody, ordered the Russian Government to release him.

Russia has rebuffed the court’s demand as unlawful and “inadmissible” meddling in the country’s affairs.

Navalny is due to spend just more than two and a half years behind bars, according to his lawyers.

One of his lawyers, Vadim Kobzev, said on Twitter that Navalny was moved from the Moscow jail, later adding that the politician could have been taken to a prison camp.

Kobzev said such a move was against the law, adding that Navalny’s rela-

Alexey Navalny is due to spend a little more than two and a half years behind bars, according to his lawyers

tives had not been informed of his whereabouts.

RIA news agency reported that Eva Merkacheva, a member of Moscow’s public monitoring committee for human rights, said Navalny was sent to a standard penal colony, the location of which should be

disclosed when he arrived there.

Navalny, 44, was arrested on January 17 after his return from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from a nerveagent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

20

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021

guyanatimesgy.com

ARCHIE

ARIES

(March 21April 19)

DILBERT

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

Take better care of your health, well-being and important relationships.

Uncertainty will loom if you are indecisive or you let your emotions override practicality. Stubbornness will stand in your way.

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

Temptation will lead to excessive behavior. Focus on opportunities that will help you get ahead and maintain a comfortable lifestyle. Align yourself with people who have your best interest at heart.

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Use your imagination.

Structure your day to encourage success, peace of mind and happiness. Learn from experience, and protect meaningful relationships.

Romance is in the stars.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Get your facts straight before you indulge in rhetoric that can taint your reputation. Refuse to let anyone push you around or involve you in an unhealthy situation.

PEANUTS

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

CALVIN AND HOBBES

SUDOKU

Call on your allies to ensure that you get the support you require to reach your goal.

Expect to face opposition if you want to bring about change.

Spend quality time with a loved one.

You've got control, so stop wasting time. Make a promise, do your thing, shoot for the stars and follow through with your plans. Refuse to let uncertainty get in the way of your goals.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Tidy up loose ends before someone steps in and takes charge. Don't leave yourself open for criticism or complaints.

Concentrate on stabilizing your position and relationships with loved ones.

SCORPIO

Stop wasting time. Look around, size up your situation and make a dent in the clutter. It's time to find peace of mind and to set goals that will help you get on with your life.

(Oct. 24Nov. 22)

SAGITTARIUS Spend less time dealing with manipulative people (Nov. 23and more time picking up Dec. 21)

information and skills that can help you get ahead. It's time to do your own thing.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

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

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

An exciting prospect will grab your attention. A change in the way you handle your affairs will lead to a better lifestyle. Embrace the future with optimism, and you'll gain peace of mind.

Take the high road.

Refuse to let others' actions bother you. Set your sights on what's essential and on those who mean the most to you. Ask questions and adapt to change.

Don't be afraid; show your feelings and let others know what you want. Taking the high road and being honest with yourself and others will help you come to terms with your life.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021

21

Patel’s 11-for sees India surge to 2-1 series lead in 2-day Test

M

anic, manic, manic.

The speed of the final act of the third Test was, on the one hand, a gross misrepresentation of the extraordinary mayhem that had preceded it. As Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill flogged a dispirited and under-resourced England spin attack to all corners, picking off a paltry target of 49 in 7.4 overs and with ten wickets in hand, it might have appeared to any latecomers that India's dominance in home-spun conditions had been entirely, and predictably, unchallenged.

But, on the other hand, that final flurry was a perfectly crazy denouement to a match that had been accelerating all the way through like a pair of brawlers tumbling down a flight of stairs - a contest wrapped up with a vast six over wide long-on from Rohit only minutes after tea on the second day of action, making it the shortest completed Test match since 1935, after 17 wickets had tumbled in the first two sessions of the day, and 30 in the first five all told.

In any ordinary contest, any one of the day's top lines would have sufficed to hold the attention and lure in the plaudits.

There was Joe Root, England's most likely source of a revival, but in his most unlikely guise, claiming the astonishing figures of 5 for 8 in 6.2 overs, the most economical five-for by a spinner in Test history, and the first by an England captain since Bob Willis in 1983.

There was R Ashwin, who rumbled through to 400 Test wickets in the course of England's second-innings subsidence to 81 all out - the fourth Indian to reach the landmark, and the secondquickest of any nationality after Muttiah Muralitharan.

And bowling in tandem with him for all but four balls of the innings was Axar Patel at the opposite end of his career - who was denied a hat-trick by DRS but could still console himself with match figures of 11 for 80, including his third five-for in a row.

Stitch all of those landmarks and stand-out moments together, and the upshot was a contest of blink-and-youmiss-it entertainment. A more manic sequence of events than the most fluctuating IPL clash could ever serve up, and if there will be some inevitable grumblings about the surface on which it all played out, there's still something captivating about watching your lottery numbers roll in.

What would England have given for another 50 runs in

The Indian team celebrating their 2-day win

their abject first innings - or for an extra frontline spinner to apply the knowhow required to turn the screw in that harum-scarum fourth innings, when Root's status as a parttimer was finally exposed by circumstance.

Instead, they'll have to settle for the pyrrhic victory that comes with putting up a fight when most of the world had given them up for dead already. There's still a series to be squared on this same ground next week, after all.

The day had dawned as it would finish, with England pinned to the ropes - an impression hardly improved when Rohit, as dominant then as he would be at the end, slammed the habitually un-cuttable James Anderson through the covers twice in an over to bring up India's 100, and reduce what remained of England's paltry lead to single figures.

But that would prove to be the death of certainty as far as batting would go for the rest of the day - for the rest of the match - as the contest was cranked open like a can of wriggly, red, earth-burrowing worms.

Not for the first time in this series, it was the unassuming Jack Leach who scotched all preconceptions. By matching the methods that had already served Patel so well, he scalped both of India's overnight batsman with balls that skidded on through Ajinkya Rahane nailed on the back pad attempting to cut, and Rohit down on one knee for a yawning slog-sweep one over later.

The die was cast as far as England were concerned, and into the attack came an even less assuming weapon. Root had claimed 32 wickets in his previous 101 Tests, although his preferred method, of undercutting the ball from round the wicket with his slightly round-arm action, has rarely failed to be a challenge in the right conditions.

His first delivery, to

Rishabh Pant, could not have been more perfectly targeted had it been a T20 match-up. A vicious spitting spinner to the left-hander, luring his everaggressive hands into action before cuffing the edge for Ben Foakes to cling onto another effortlessly tough take.

And before he'd even conceded a run, Root had two more - Washington Sundar bowled for a duck by a snorter that gripped and straightened to nail the top of off, and Patel, flinging the bat through the line second-ball, and picking out Dom Sibley at short cover.

India, all of a sudden, had lost five wickets for 11 runs, and now it was a race to the bottom, as Ashwin reprised the loose-limbed bat-flinging that had set up his superb century in the second Test. He died as he had lived, caught off a top-edge at deep square to give Root his fourth; but not before he'd picked off 17 runs that would prove exponentially precious the longer the day wore on.

Ishant Sharma took the same cue, lumping the first six of the match over long-off before Root trapped Jasprit Bumrah in front of leg. Just as England had stumbled from 74 for 2 to 112 all out in their first innings, so India's own innings had gone the same way - 145 all out, their last eight scalped for 47. A lead of 33 was neither here nor there, was it?

And yet, if that was a crazy passage of action, we had seen absolutely nothing yet like an over-hyped hen party at a comedy club, thinking the MC's warm-up wisecracks were the most side-splitting jokes they'd ever heard.

They hadn't reckoned for Zak Crawley and Jonny Bairstow against Patel and the new ball.

Nobody had, to be frank.

Crawley, England's one shining light in that abject first innings, faced up to the first ball with confidence seemingly brimming. But the shot he produced was paralysed by uncertainty, as he slid back to another wicket-to-wicket dart,

and neither played for the spin nor the one that sped straight on. His middle stump quickly discovered that it had been the latter.

Out came Bairstow, on a pair, and out of practice after his less-than-ideally-timed spell of R&R following a decent Sri Lanka series. His opening gambit was a horrific mow of a sweep shot - the right intent maybe, but clearly the wrong choice on a pitch where even Root has shelved his go-to stroke. Up went the finger as the ball slapped his right hip, and Patel was celebrating a hat-trick, having cleaned up Foakes at the end of the first innings.

However, Bairstow reviewed, and somehow the ball was shown to be skidding over middle stump. No matter.

Patel simply returned to the top of his mark and speared another skidder through the widest gate south of Mumbai.

England were unequivocally zero for 2 this time, and even the most masochistic sports fans were pleading for the action to slow down so that they could taste the drama before it was swallowed whole.

For a time, therefore, Sibley played within himself - assuming that's not a tautology. But then, suddenly and without warning, he, too, planted that front dog for a massive wipe across the line at Ashwin. The shot was arguably the correct one - the ball was outside the line of off, so lbw wasn't on.

Unfortunately, this was not one that skidded, it bit violently for Pant to cling onto a blinder behind the stumps.

Sibley thought he hadn't hit it, but UltraEdge implied otherwise, and he had to go.

And as Ben Stokes marched out to join Root, England were still 14 runs shy of parity, with no guarantees that an innings defeat wasn't still on the cards.

Stokes, to his credit, adjusted his approach from the meek surrender that had ended his first innings’ effort.

With Root watching the ball like a hawk - and surviving a very tight lbw review on 16, after he was deemed to have grazed an inside edge Stokes set about disrupting the spinners with his range of aggressive sweeps conventional and reverse alike. But his nemesis Ashwin wasn't going to be held back for long, and on 25, another non-spinner skipped into his planted front foot - it was the 11th time Stokes had been dismissed by Ashwin, and it was a body blow for England's hopes of a 100-plus lead.

One over later, and

England's goose was as good as cooked, as Patel sealed his ten-for with another slider into Root's knee-roll. As mighty as Ollie Pope may one day prove to be at this level, he completed a Test to forget as Ashwin outfoxed him for the second time in the match, pushing another non-spinner across his bows to pluck the off stump. When Archer lined up a sweep that was too full for the stroke, Ashwin was into the 400 Club and India were deep into the tail.

Leach did not stand on ceremony, he cut a startling six over long-on off Patel, as he and Foakes tried to chisel something defendable. But after each had fallen in quick succession to the main men, Virat Kohli tossed the ball to the hitherto invisible Sundar,

who rewarded his skipper's faith by luring Anderson into a muffed reverse sweep.

England were 81 all out, and 193 for the match their lowest aggregate in a completed Test in India. There could be no coming back from that.

And so it proved! A twoover foray before the dinner break might, with a bit of luck, have ratcheted up the tension, but instead it dissipated before our eyes as Anderson at point fumbled to get Rohit off the mark, before Root speared four wayward byes past even Foakes's trusty gloves. And with the jeopardy gone, Rohit and Gill were able to finish the match with an insouciant flourish. Next to none of it had made any sense at all. (ESPNcricinfo)

SCOREBOARD ENGLAND 1ST INNINGS Zak Crawley lbw b Patel 53 Dom Sibley c RG Sharma b I Sharma 0 Jonny Bairstow lbw b Patel 0 Joe Root (c) lbw b Ashwin 17 Ben Stokes lbw b Patel 6 Ollie Pope b Ashwin 1 Ben Foakes † b Patel 12 Jofra Archer b Patel 11 Jack Leach c Pujara b Ashwin 3 Stuart Broad c Bumrah b Patel 3 James Anderson not out 0 Extras (b 1, lb 2, nb 3) 6 TOTAL (48.4 Ov, RR: 2.30, 204 Mts) 112 Fall of wickets: 1-2 (Dom Sibley, 2.3 ov), 2-27 (Jonny Bairstow, 6.1 ov), 3-74 (Joe Root, 21.5 ov), 4-80 (Zak Crawley, 24.4 ov), 5-81 (Ollie Pope, 27.4 ov), 6-81 (Ben Stokes, 28.5 ov), 7-93 (Jofra Archer, 34.2 ov), 8-98 (Jack Leach, 37.3 ov), 9-105 (Stuart Broad, 46.3 ov), 10112 (Ben Foakes, 48.4 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Ishant Sharma 5-1-26-1 Jasprit Bumrah 6-3-19-0 Axar Patel 21.4-6-38-6 Ravichandran Ashwin 16-6-26-3 INDIA 1ST INNINGS Rohit Sharma lbw b Leach 66 Shubman Gill c Crawley b Archer 11 Cheteshwar Pujara lbw b Leach 0 Virat Kohli (c) b Leach 27 Ajinkya Rahane lbw b Leach 7 Rishabh Pant † c †Foakes b Root 1 Ravichandran Ashwin c Crawley b Root 17 Washington Sundar b Root 0 Axar Patel c Sibley b Root 0 Ishant Sharma not out 10 Jasprit Bumrah lbw b Root 1 Extras (b 2, lb 2, w 1) 5 TOTAL (53.2 Ov, RR: 2.71, 273 Mts) 145 Fall of wickets: 1-33 (Shubman Gill, 14.6 ov), 2-34 (Cheteshwar Pujara, 15.5 ov), 3-98 (Virat Kohli, 32.2 ov), 4-114 (Ajinkya Rahane, 38.2 ov), 5-115 (Rohit Sharma, 40.1 ov), 6-117

(Rishabh Pant, 41.1 ov), 7-125 (Washington Sundar, 45.1 ov), 8-125 (Axar Patel, 45.3 ov), 9-134 (Ravichandran Ashwin, 49.2 ov), 10-145 (Jasprit Bumrah, 53.2 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W James Anderson 13-8-20-0 Stuart Broad 6-1-16-0 Jofra Archer 5-2-24-1 Jack Leach 20-2-54-4 Ben Stokes 3-0-19-0 Joe Root 6.2-3-8-5 ENGLAND 2ND INNINGS Zak Crawley b Patel 0 Dom Sibley c †Pant b Patel 7 Jonny Bairstow b Patel 0 Joe Root (c) lbw b Patel 19 Ben Stokes lbw b Ashwin 25 Ollie Pope b Ashwin 12 Ben Foakes † lbw b Patel 8 Jofra Archer lbw b Ashwin 0 Jack Leach c Rahane b Ashwin 9 Stuart Broad not out 1 James Anderson c †Pant b Washington Sundar 0 TOTAL (30.4 Ov, RR: 2.64, 96 Mts) 81 Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Zak Crawley, 0.1 ov), 2-0 (Jonny Bairstow, 0.3 ov), 3-19 (Dom Sibley, 8.3 ov), 4-50 (Ben Stokes, 17.2 ov), 5-56 (Joe Root, 18.5 ov), 6-66 (Ollie Pope, 21.6 ov), 7-68 (Jofra Archer, 23.2 ov), 8-80 (Ben Foakes, 28.2 ov), 9-80 (Jack Leach, 29.4 ov), 10-81 (James Anderson, 30.4 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Axar Patel 15-0-32-5 Ravichandran Ashwin 15-3-48-4 Washington Sundar 0.4-0-1-1 INDIA 2ND INNINGS (TARGET: 49 RUNS) Rohit Sharma not out 25 Shubman Gill not out 15 Extras (b 8, lb 1) 9 TOTAL (7.4 Ov, RR: 6.39, 26 Mts) 49 Did not bat: Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant †, Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma

22

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BCB/Faizal Jafferally 20/20 West Berbice tournament…

D’Edward, Bath, Cotton Tree Paradise advance to second round

T

he Faizal Jafferally 20/20 Knockout tournament bowled off on Sunday last at four venues as the 2021 Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) season continues. D’Edward Cricket Club, Bath Cricket Club, Cotton Tree Cricket Club and Paradise won their respective Matches to advance to the second round of the tournament.

At the Cotton Tree Ground, the home team defeated Bush Lot Sports Club in the first match of the tournament. The visitors batting first reached 132 for 9 from 20 overs

with Alex Mohabir 26 and Kamesh Ali 24 been the top scorers.

Pooran Persaud 4 for 19 and Naushad Gafoor 2 for 15 were Cotton Tree best bowlers. Cotton Tree in reply raced to victory by scoring 132 for 3 from 15.3 overs with Gafoor returning to score 56 with six sixes and three boundaries.

Abdul Subhan 27 not out and Pooran Persaud 25 not out supported Gafoor in the successful run chase.

At the Paradise Ground, Bath Sports Club defeated Achievers CC by three wickets. Achievers reached 106

for 6 from fifteen overs after early morning showers affected the start of play.

Collis Noble 29 and Shamal Angel 16 top-scored while the best bowlers for Bath were Kapil Dew Armogan 2 for 15 and Haresh Singh 2 for 22. In response, Bath ended on 107 for 7 in fourteen overs to win by three wickets. Akash Singh 46 (3x4, 2x6) and Armogan 16 top scored while Kenjie Sedou 3 for 21 and Shamal Angel 2 for 12 bowled well in a losing cause.

In the second encounter at the Cotton Tree Ground, D’ Edward hand-

ed Police on 86 runs defeat. Keith Fraser top scored with 46 not out while Kevon Jawahir 31, Rajapul Heralall 26, Dianauth Persaud 22 and Heralall Bridgelall 21 offered support. Kurt Griffith and Dwayne Mc. Pherson picked up two wickets each for 17 and 33 runs respectively. Police in response were dismantled by medium pacer Rickey Moore 3 for 37 and left arm spinner Hemraj Heralall 4 for 22.

Griffith top scored with 35 while Mc. Pherson fought for his 28.

Paradise playing at

home, reached 162 for 6 in 20 overs with Eon Carmichael 48 and Glenroy Fraser 49. In response, Blairmont Remnants were bundled out for 67 in 13.4 overs to lose by 95 runs. T. Totaram top scored with 15 while Troy Mckienze 3 for 12 and Carlton Saul 2 for 17 bowled well for Paradise Member of Parliament Faizal Jafferally at the launching of the tournament and announced that in addition to the cash prize, the winner of the tournament would receive a collection of cricket gear.

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GFF honours Bobby Fernandes with tribute 2237230-1

(Ext 55)

NOW!

BCB Executives Angela Haniff and Lyken Edwards pose with the New Amsterdam/Canje female team

BCB/Nand Persaud Co Ltd Female 30 overs tournament…

New Amsterdam/Canje defeat West Berbice to win second place prize

F

ormer West Indies player Tremayne Smartt was the outstanding player as New Amsterdam/Canje defeated West Berbice/Achievers by 37 runs to emerge second place in the Berbice Cricket Board- organised Nand Persaud Co. Ltd 30 overs female cricket tournament.

Rose Hall Town Metro had earlier been declared Champions after defeating both teams in the earlier rounds.

Playing at the historic Rose Hall Canje Welfare Community Ground, New Amsterdam/Canje batted first after being invited to

do so by the visitors. They amassed 135 all out from their allotted 30 overs, with Smartt top scoring with 35.

She was well supported by Kassie Munroe’s 27 and Ashmini Munisar’s 13.

Bowling for West Berbice/ Achievers, Devona Frank took 2 for 11 and Tea Isaacs took 2 for 20. West Berbice, in reply, were dismissed for 88 in 14.3 overs as national player Katana Mentore top scored with an unbeaten 37 and R. Liverpool chipped in with 16.

The best bowlers for New Amsterdam/Canje were Smartt with 4 for 17, and Ashmini Munisar with 2 for

17.

BCB Secretary Angela Haniff congratulated the home team for emerging in the second place, and urged the disappointed West Berbice girls to keep improving.

She also expressed thanks to the Management of the Nand Persaud Co. Ltd Group of Companies for their sponsorship of the tournament especially, Marketing Executive Divesh Persaud.

The BCB also handed over a trophy and financial prize to Ashmini Munisar, captain of the Winning New Amsterdam/ Canje team.

J

The late Robert ‘Bobby’ Fernandes and one of his relatives

ust a week after his passing, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) on Thursday paid tribute to the life and achievements of former Golden Jaguar international and Georgetown Football Club President Robert “Bobby” Fernandes.

“Bobby and his powerful left foot are legendary in the history of Guyanese football,” GFF President Wayne Forde said. “His exemplary service to the game as a player and, later, as an administrator set a fine example for others to follow, both on and off the pitch.”

Born in 1947 as the youngest of 14 boys, Fernandes fulfilled his boyhood dream to represent Guyana in 1967 when national team coach August Wootar picked him to play

against Suriname.

The midfielder-turned-striker made his debut for GFC as a schoolboy in 1965.

“Bobby was a largerthan-life character who will be greatly missed by the Caribbean football community, but his memory and considerable achievements will live on to inspire us. The entire GFF family would like to offer our heartfelt condolences to his loved ones, friends and family at this time,” said Forde.

Fernandes’s international career lasted until 1973. At the age of 29, he married and relocated to the interior, which effectively brought his journey as a player to a close.

Later, Fernandes served the development of club football with distinction as GFC President.

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

GMR&SC Drag Racing Round 1

23

Over 60 competitors on stream, tickets now on sale

GMR&SC’s Motilall Deodass

P

lans are well on stream for this weekend’s two-day drag race meet set for the South Dakota Circuit according to executive committee member Motilall Deodass.

Speaking on Tuesday, the Committee Member said that all the necessary arrangements

that needed to be put in place by the club have been dealt with.

“Things are actually ahead of what we where we want to be right now. We have secured permissions from the relevant persons; that is the COVID-19 Task force, as well as the police for the venue, that was done a

while ago.”

“We were also able to confirm marshals as well as the emergency medical teams long before our prescribed dates so I’d have to say that we are ahead of schedule when it comes to that.”

As it relates to the live streaming that the club has

promised. The Guys from E-Networks were up here setting out spots for cameras and getting a lay of the land.

So we can safely say that the Saturday/Sunday event is poised to be successful.”

“Competitor wise, we’ve been granted a limited number so we are urging people to get registered early. It will be on a first come first serve basis and when we get to our quota, that is it.”

Meanwhile, as it relates to competitors, there have been 62 participants registered, 5 of which are bikers.

The Executive member also confirmed that there will be mandatory wearing of masks for all competitors, mechanics and support staff as well as officials and the limited number of spectators.

“There will be strict penalties for those persons found in the venue not wearing their masks or adhering to the COVID Guidelines. Those could result in people being ejected from the venue and for future events. It’s not something we want to do but if you put us in the position, we will have no choice.”

The club also managed to net a new sponsor in L. Mahabeer and Sons Cambio who came on board this week.

The company joins the list of other sponsors in Cyril's Transportation Services, E-Networks, First Class Auto Sales, Guyoil (Castrol), Homeline Furnishing, Imran Auto Works KFC, KGM Security, Land Star Drilling Company, MMD Hollow Blocks and Pavers, Mohamed's Enterprise, Motor Trend Service

Center, Modern Building Solutions, NALICO / NAFICO, Panko Steel Fabrication, Power Tech Sound Company, Prem's Electrical, Ready Mix Concrete, Rush Energy Drink, Samaroo Investments Inc., Secure Innovations & Concepts Inc., STAG Beer, Trans Pacific Motor Spares & Auto Sales, Truck Master, UNICOM United Commodities, West Coast Customs Washbay and Windjammer.

Tickets for this weekend’s races are now on sale at the GMR&SC’s Albert Street and Thomas Lands office, with adults being priced at $2000 and small children at $500.

VIP Tickets are set at $8000.

However, the Club has said that there will be a limit on tickets and they will not be sold on race day.

BCB/Premium Asphalt New Amsterdam Under-19 Tournament…

BCB/WBCA/Brian Ramphal Under-19 tournament…

Blairmont and Achievers register victories in 50 overs tournament

T

he Berbice Cricket Board-organised West Berbice Cricket Association/Brian Ramphal under-19 tournament bowled off on Saturday last at two venues. The four teams playing in the tournament are Achievers, D’Edward, Paradise and Blairmont.

At the Paradise Ground, Achievers won the toss and elected to bat, and posted an imposing 305 for nine from their allotted 50 overs. Jayden Samuels top scored with 67, hammering ten boundaries, batting at number seven.

The talented Samuels added 130 for the ninth wicket with Shelton Ramsay who made 55 with five boundaries and a six. Collis Noble, a Berbice youth player, battled well to make 54 with seven boundaries and two sixes. Omari Arthur and Darius Joseph scored 27 and 17 respectively

to offer support.

Herman Semple was the principal wicket-taker with four for 65 and received support from off-spinner Daniel Ramoutar with 3 for 37 in 4.3 overs. Paradise, in reply, were bowled out for 46 in 12.4 overs as Shelton Ramsay with 4 for 16 and Shamroy Ramsay with 4 for 19 bowled well.

At the Cotton Tree Ground, Blairmont CC defeated D’Edward CC by 94 runs despite a brilliant innings of 94 from Adel Milex for D’ Edward. Blairmont amassed 253 all out from 43.2 overs as national player Marvan Prashad top scored with a polished 75, which included six boundaries and five sixes. Satyah France 42 (3x4, 1x6) and Farook Subhan 24 (2x4, 2x6) offered support to Prashad.

Bowling for D’ Edward

Inderjeet Lalsa took 2 for 12 and Tony Dalana took 2 for 20. In response, D’Edward were bowled out for 157 in 31 overs despite a brilliant 94 from Milex, who blasted ten massive sixes and six boundaries. Only Hemraj Harilall with a patient 18 offered support to Milex as Shreedat Roopnarine’s 4 for 11 and Anthony Sukhraj’s 2 for 31 were outstanding for Blairmont.

The historic tournament is been sponsored by overseas BCB donor Brian Ramphal, and is one of four that would be played before a countywide tournament which would include approximately 20 teams. The other tournaments would be the Rickey Itwaru Lower Corentyne, Ahmad Construction Upper Corentyne, and Premium Asphalt Construction New Amsterdam.

Thorne hits brilliant century as Rose Hall Canje trounce East Bank Berbice

T

he Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) continued to create history when it hosted the Premium Asphalt New Amsterdam/Canje/East Berbice Under-19 tournament. It is the first time ever that the BCB is organising an under 19 tournaments for teams in the sub-zones.

Six teams are participating in the tournament - Edinburgh A, Mt. Sinai CC, Tucber Park, RH Canje, Kendall’s Union and East Bank Blazers. East Bank defeated Edinburgh by 41 runs while Rose Hall Canje trounced Mt. Sinai by 389 runs.

West Indies Under 15 player Isiah Thorne stroked a brilliant century to spearhead Rose Hall Canje to a massive 455 for six from their allotted 50 overs. Known for his bowl-

ing skills, Thorne showed his talent with the bat by scoring 129 runs.

His innings featured four sixes and thirteen boundaries.

Llyod David struck ten boundaries and five sixes in 89 as he added 133 runs with Avishkar Persaud, who scored 46.

National female youth player Ashmini Munisar hit two boundaries in a fine 35. For Mt. Sinai, Doree George took 3 for 50 while Stephen Sue-Chung returned with two for 62.

In reply Mt. Sinai were dismissed for 60 in 22.3 overs as only Allister Persaud reached double figures with 14. Medon Mentore and Andrew Benneth picked up three wickets for 7 and 12 respectively while Aaron Craig took 2 for 9.

At the Edinburgh

Ground, East Bank Blazers posted 123 all out in 23.2 overs before containing Edinburgh to 82 all out in twenty overs. Steve Sookram top scored with 16 while James Kesney and Jamal David scored 12 each for Edinburgh, Wilfred Castello bagged 3 for 17 and Tyron Kendall 2 for 18.

Needing to score 125 to win, Edinburgh were dismissed for 82 to lose by 41 runs. James Simpson bowled well to take seven wickets for 27 runs in eight impressive overs Jake Kesney took two for 19.

The victory by East Bank Berbice was historic as it was the first time, the team was playing in a BCB Youth tournament. The Kendall Union and Tucber Park first round match would be played this weekend.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021

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

Hit-man Hetmyer slams majestic ton as Jaguars surge into final – Motie continues dream season SCOREBOARD S himron Hetmyer stroked a brilliant 113 to lead the Guyana Jaguars into the final of the CG Insurance Regional Super50 tournament, where they will oppose the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force in tomorrow’s grand final match.

Hetmyer’s seventh List A century was backed up by a collective bowling effort from Gudakesh Motie and the Jaguars spinners in a 95-run win against the Windward Islands Volcanoes.

Earlier, Volcanoes skipper Sunil Ambris won the toss and asked the Jaguars to bat first.

It proved to be a good decision when Jaguars were quickly reduced to 63-4. Chandrapaul Hemraj once again wasted a good start and was caught for a 29-ball 24 to bring the score to 34-1.

The solid Tevin Imlach was taken down the leg-side for 14, and Christopher Barnwell was trapped by a top yorker for 8.

Then Skipper Leon Johnson was out for a golden duck, when he failed to negotiate a short, quick delivery from Ray Jordan.

The left-handed duo of Hetmyer and Reifer then took

the game out of the Volcanoes’ control by stitching together a masterful alliance. The Berbician Hetmyer was dropped on 12 when he edged a Jordan snorter to wicket-keeper Emanuel Stewart, but he made the best of that opportunity as he played a more mature innings and decided to bat according to the situation.

He crafted a record-breaking 194-run fifth-wicket partnership with Reifer, in the process displaying great skill to reach his seventh List-A century in 75 balls. He slammed five sixes and 11 fours, and was eventually dismissed for 113 in 80 balls.

His partner Refier, playing his first match of the tournament, anchored the innings and played some delightful shots. He was eventually dismissed for a 104ball 90 which was decorated with eight fours and three sixes.

With them eyeing up that 330-run mark at one stage, Volcanoes came back in the contest with some good bowling, as the final 10 overs of the Jaguars innings yielded 49 runs and took three wickets.

Pacemen Ryan John and Jordan had three wickets each. John claimed 3-42 in his 10 overs,

while the steaming Red Force in the final being Jordan, who showed played tomorrow, good skill in bowling the Saturday February yorker, had 3-45 in 10 27, from 13:30h at overs. the Coolidge Cricket In response, Volcanoes Ground in Antigua. used a different ploy, opening with Kaveem Hodge and Alick Athanaze.

The duo began with caution, adding 54 runs in 13.1 overs. Some good fielding from Imlach saw Hodge back in the pavilion for 28. Andre Fletcher never got going and was removed for a 27-ball eight by the returning Veerasammy Permaul.

The Jaguars spinners kept tightening the Shimron Hetmyer screws despite Athanze showing batting in the course a touch of class of compiling his in his 58, which century (CWI Photos/ included four Phillip Spooner) boundaries and one six. Sunil Ambris showed a bit of fight, but was removed for 22. Kevin Stoute made 28, but the Volcanoes never erupted in their chase, eventually petering out for 210 made in 46.2 overs.

Motie ended with 4-53 in 10 overs, his third four-wicket haul this season, while Hemraj had 2-35. Jaguars will meet

Guyana Innings Chanderpaul Hemraj c McSween b John Tevin Imlach c Stewart b Jordan 14 Shimron Hetmyer c Stewart b Stoute 113 Christopher Barnwell lbw b Jordan 8 Leon Johnson c Stoute b Jordan 0 Raymon Reifer c Fletcher b John 90 Anthony Bramble c Fletcher b John 14 Romario Shepherd not out 11 Kevin Sinclair not out 9 Total (7 wickets, 50.0) (22 extras) 305 FOW: 34/1 (7.5) Chanderpaul Hemraj 44/2 (10.2) Tevin Imlach 63/3 (12.4) Christopher Barnwell 63/4 (12.5) Leon Johnson 257/5 (40.3) Shimron Hetmyer 273/6 (43.1) Raymon Reifer 286/7 (45.3) Anthony Bramble Bowling Preston McSween (10-2-45-0) Alick Athanaze (3-0-30-0) Ryan John (10-0-42-3) Ray Jordan (10-1-45-3) Sunil Ambris (6-0-36-0) Larry Edward (4-0-42-0) Kevin Stoute (5-0-35-1) Kavem Hodge (2-0-23-0)

Windward Islands Innings Kavem Hodge run out 28 Alick Athanaze lbw b Moti-Kanhai 58 Andre Fletcher c Imlach b Permaul 8 Sunil Ambris c Bramble b Moti-Kanhai 27 Keron Cottoy c Hetmyer b Sinclair 11 Kevin Stoute c Bramble b Moti-Kanhai 28 Ryan John b Hemraj 1 Emmanuel Stewart c Barnwell b Moti-Kanhai 14 Larry Edward not out 21 Ray Jordan run out 9 Preston McSween b Hemraj 1 Total (10 wickets, 46.2) (4 extras) 210 FOW: 54/1 (13.1) Kavem Hodge 77/2 (20.6) Andre Fletcher 100/3 (26.5) Alick Athanaze 113/4 (29.5) Keron Cottoy 144/5 (34.2) Sunil Ambris 151/6 (35.2) Ryan John 178/7 (40.4) Kevin Stoute 178/8 (40.5) Emmanuel Stewart 206/9 (45.3) Ray Jordan 210/10 (46.2) Preston McSween Bowling Chanderpaul Hemraj (9.2-0-35-2) Romario Shepherd (7-1-43-0) Kevin Sinclair (8-0-33-1) Raymon Reifer (5-0-11-0) Veerasammy Permaul (7-0-35-1) Gudakesh Motie (10-0-53-4)

S Jagmohan Hardware and Construction Services Golf Tournament set to tee off tomorrow

By Timothy Jaikarran

I

n their bid to reintegrate golf back into the hearts of many after the long break due to the COVID 19 pandemic Lusignan Golf Club has teamed up with S Jagmohan Hardware and Construction Services as they prepare to host the “S Jagmohan Hardware and Construction Services Golf Tournament.” The tournament is set for tomorrow and will commence from 12:00 hrs.

The format of the tournament will be the Stable ford Shotgun Start. The rules of the tournament are: * Net score at a hole refers to the gross score minus any stroke one is allowed at that specific hole having allocated an overall handicap. * The index of each hole on the score card will help you to know which holes you are entitled to strokes. * Index ranges from 1-18 [1

being the most difficult hole and 18 being the least] reflecting the 18 holes to be played on the score card. * Strokes are allocated to the most difficult hole first [index 1] then gradually filtered down relevant to your HC. * A player with HC 10 will get a stroke at holes indexed 1 through 10. * A player with HC 24 will get 2 strokes at each hole indexed 1 through 6 and 1 stroke each at holes indexed 7 through 18. * A net score of 2 strokes over par at a hole 0 point. * A net score of 1 stroke over par is 1 point * Net par 2 points. * Net 1 stroke under par 3 points * Net 2 strokes under par 4 points * Net 3 strokes under par 5 points * One can discontinue playing a hole if they realise they will score 0

LGC President Patanjilee Persaud alongside LGC PRO Anasha Ally, S Jagmohan representative and Project Manager Vidya Mangalram

Sharing her sentiments at the simple ceremony was Project Coordinator of the company Vidya Mangalram, who noted that S Jagmohan is one of the best construction companies in Guyana. She was also elated that the company was able to honour some aspects of their core social responsibilities, stating that they were ecstatic to

present the cheque to support the tournament.

Also speaking on behalf of the club was Public Relations Officer Anasha Ally who said, “As a representative of the Lusignan Golf Club I am very happy to be the recipient of this cheque, to what promises to be a grand tournament on Saturday. We look forward to

the participation of many of our members and others golfers and the presence of this esteem company S Jagmohan.”

President of the Lusignan Golf Club, Patanjilee Persaud, was grateful to the sponsors.

He noted that all COVID-19 precautionary measures would be in place for the tournament.

Special prizes would also be

obtainable at this tournament.

S. Jagmohan Hardware Supplies & Construction Services (SJHS&CS) is a Guyanese based Supply and Construction Company with registered office at Lot 32 First Street Campbellville, Georgetown, Guyana. SJHS&CS has been in operation for over Twenty (20) years and has now grown to become one of the largest construction company in Guyana. The Company continues to expand and diversify its investments and while focusing primarily on infrastructure projects SJHS&CS has ventured into sawmilling and potable water wells construction. With growing investments in infrastructure projects in Guyana and the increase demand for aspalt, the company is currently constructing a Concrete Plant and its second asphaltic concrete in Essequibo and the first at Madiwini.

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