Guyana Times - Friday January 22, 2021

P13

Full scholarship for Bartica murder victim’s daughter Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 4536

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

$500M new road from Diamond to Eccles

by April – President

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021

PRICE

WHAT'S INSIDE:

See story on page 9

Soesdyke man dies in motorcycle accident P12 Man found P16 guilty of raping, killing 13-yearold boy

UG’s Law Dept to introduce master’s, graduate P8 diploma programmes

As pressure mounts

PAC can file No Confidence Motion to remove David Patterson as Chair – AG …Parliament cannot act – Clerk

$80 VAT INCLUDED

52 new P10 COVID-19 cases detected in 24 hours “Brother Fraud” nabbed for P12 impersonating CANU rank

See story on page 3

Linden Enterprise Network’s "revolving fund" not revolving

Page 11

...hundreds of loans up to $10M each not being repaid

…Govt reviewing operations to ensure sustainability – Finance Minister Page 7

Banks DIH records $5.271B profit in 2020

First Lady P14 commits to working with animal welfare groups

2 NEWS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Berbice serial killer appeals life sentences

Serial killer: Rooplall Abrahim

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ooplall Abrahim, who is serving three life sentences and a 17year prison term for killing four persons in Berbice, including a couple, has moved to the Guyana Court of Appeal where he is asking for a reduction of the sentences.

Last December, at the Berbice Criminal Assizes, Justice Brassington Reynolds imposed the custodial sentences on the 28-year-old man, who opted to plead guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter having been initially charged with four counts of murder.

He admitted that between January 8 and January 9, 2016, at Bush Lot, Middle Dam, West Coast Berbice (WCB), he unlawfully killed US-based Guyanese Arthur Doodnauth Rajkumar, 81, and his 45-year-old reputed wife, Diane Devi. Based on reports, Abrahim and his accomplice, Madanpaul Gocoul, who also pleaded guilty to the lesser count and was sentenced to 24 years in prison, broke into the couple’s home.

It was reported that the men chopped the man and his wife several times while

Dead: Anita Baichan

demanding cash and other values. The couple, however, did not hand over anything.

Police later found their mutilated bodies after receiving reports of screams coming from their home.

Also, he pleaded guilty to unlawfully killing 49-yearold Anita Baichan by ar-

Dead: Arthur Doodnauth Rajkumar

son between January 3 and 4, 2016. Media reports are that the woman’s bound and gagged body was discovered at her Plantation Hope, WCB home, which was set on fire. Abrahim, and his accomplice, Gocoul, called, “Clown”, raided Baichan’s home and escaped with

Dead: Diane Devi

Dead: Neshan Jagmohan

$150,000 before setting it on fire.

Like Abrahim, Gocoul took a plea to the lesser offence of manslaughter and was sentenced to 19 years’ imprisonment. Abrahim was sentenced to life imprisonment with a possibility for parole after serving a minimum of 25 years in jail for the killing of the couple and Baichan.

Abrahim also faced another murder charge for killing his fellow inmate at the New Amsterdam Prison. He pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of manslaughter, admitting that on June 21, 2017, he unlawfully killed 27-year-old Neshan Jagmohan. He was sentenced to 17 years in prison for that crime.

Jagmohan, of Hampshire Squatting Area, and his older brother, Ramnarine, a farmer, of Belvedere Squatting Area, were both on remand at the prison for the mur-

der of Corentyne, Berbice businessman 34-year-old Devindra Deodat, which occurred in October of 2013.

The brothers, having attended court on June 21, 2017, returned to their cells where they were attacked by inmates, including Abrahim, who were armed with improvised weapons. They were rushed to the hospital where Jagmohan was pronounced dead on arrival.

Following a trial in 2011, Abrahim was acquitted of the September 2008 murder of 13-year-old Kavita Panday, whose body was fished out from a canal at Bath Settlement, WCB. Based on reports, the young girl went missing after she was last seen in the company of Abrahim.

After the teenager failed to return home, her family launched a search for her.

Her partially nude body was found floating in the canal.

(G1)

NEWS

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Friday, January 22 – 00:30h-02:00h and 10:30h-12:00h and Saturday, January 23 – 01:00h-02:30h and 11:00h-12:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Friday, January 22 – 10:55h-12:25h and Saturday, January 23 – 12:05h-13:35h.

As pressure mounts

PAC can file No Confidence Motion to remove David Patterson as Chair – AG …Parliament cannot act – Clerk

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Light rain showers will prevail throughout the day and into the evening with some instances of thunder. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: North-Easterly to East South-Easterly between 1.78 metres and 4.02 metres.

High Tide: 11:18h and 23:56h reaching maximum heights of 2.19 metres and 2.13 metres.

Low Tide: 17:23h reaching a minimum height of 1.03 metres.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2021

LOTTERY NUMBERS A

02 06 09

10 25 26

FREE TICKET

04 Bonus Ball

Thursday, January 21, 2021

DAILY MILLIONS

01 04 15 19 25 LUCKY 3

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Afternoon Draw

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DRAW DE LINE

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PAY DAY

SUPER PAY DAY FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2020

02 04

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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

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Rough Rice

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Live Spot Gold

Attorney General Anil Nandlall

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alls have been mounting for Opposition Member of Parliament David Patterson to be removed as Chairman of the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) after he admitted to receiving millions of dollars in gift items from agencies and departments under the then Public Infrastructure Ministry, which he headed in the previous APNU/AFC administration.

Patterson was appointed Chair of the PAC in December 2020. However, it was recently revealed that, in addition to more than $2.6 million worth of jewellery in gifts, large sums of money were spent to buy personal furnishings for the then Public Infrastructure Minister and his junior at the time, Annette Ferguson.

As such, his successor, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill, who disclosed an extensive paper trail of Ministry vouchers and receipts from jewellery stores, has called for Patterson to be removed as Chairman of the PAC.

Cannot act

However, when contacted on Thursday, Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, noted that there is nothing Parliament can do at this moment. He explained that as it is, these are allegations, and according to the Constitution of Guyana, unless Patterson is charged and convicted for criminal conduct, they cannot intervene. The Clerk noted that it will be up to Patterson to decide whether he will step down or not.

Efforts by Guyana Times to contact Patterson were futile. Calls to Leader of the Opposition, Joseph Harmon, also went unanswered on Thursday.

No confidence

21

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1862.20

$1863.40

Low/High Change

$1857.80 -7.80

$1875.60 -0.42%

3

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

When asked whether the PAC can do anything in this situation if Patterson refuses to resign from the Chairmanship, Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall told this newspaper, “The Committee itself can move a motion of no-confidence against Patterson being the Chairman of that Committee.”

However, Nandlall contended that this is a question of morality and leadership. He pointed out that the Public Accounts Committee is the most fundamental mechanism in a parliamentary democracy to scrutinise the financial accountability of public expenditure.

“How can the person who chairs such a unit commit such an egregious and flagrant transgression against accountability and financial propriety as Patterson did and still continue to chair such a com-

mittee. It’s a question of public confidence, it’s a question of the moral authority of he who holds the Chair of such a committee, and I dare say that MP Patterson has disqualified himself from holding such a position,” the AG asserted.

He went on to outline that Patterson has already admitted to receiving these items, so the question of whether they were properly or improperly procured is now irrelevant.

According to Nandlall, “The acceptance by him of those items is what is palpably wrong.

Moreover, he’s required to disclosed them as a matter of law to the Integrity Commission under the Integrity Commission Act. I could bet my bottom dollar that he did not do so. How can a Minister accept gifts from a Department under his Ministerial portfolio purchased with public funds such as personal jewellery and bedroom furnishings?”

The Attorney General further noted that this is the most “obnoxious form of corruption and graft.” He then questioned how the nation can now repose trust and confidence in such a person to exercise parliamentary oversight on matters such as misuse and abuse of funds, corruption, and lack of accountability.

Asked whether the PPP/C Government would be taking any action based on these findings, Nandlall said the matter is under consideration.

During a press conference on Wednesday, Minister Edghill showed the media vouchers and receipts from jewellery stores showing that over $2.6 million worth of gifts and personal items were purchased for Patterson, mostly for his birthday – by various agencies that fell under his Ministry.

For instance, $704,292 worth of gifts were purchased for the then Minister by the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) in May of 2020 – in the middle of the

Former Minister David Patterson

Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs

contentious period that followed the March 2 General and Regional Elections. In another case, on May 4, 2020, a further $387,000 was spent.

In May 2018, a further $600,000 was spent by MARAD for gifts for Patterson’s birthday, including a sum of $300,000 that was spent on May 3, 2018 and then the next day, $384,700 was spent on gifts for the Minister.

At some point in time, it seemed as though the agency had given up on purchasing jewellery gifts for the former Minister and purchased a $516,000 jewellery gift certificate.

On May 4, 2017, the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) spent $117,200 on a gift for Patterson.

The Transport and Harbours Department and Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) were also flagged for buying gifts and memorabilia for the then Minister, although in the airport’s case it was for the purchase of a $25,000 memorabilia that Edghill noted he had no problem with.

According to the Public Works Minister, Patterson was collecting items purchased by agencies under his remit as far back as 2015, months after coming to office.

Edghill was in possession of a spreadsheet of items he said were purchased for Patterson and his then junior Public Infrastructure Minister, Annette Ferguson.

It was also revealed that the two Ministers had a pair of Dell Latitude laptop computers and Apple Ipads purchased for them. Additionally, personal items like double and single mattresses, a double bunk bed, queen size mattresses and bed sets, as well as king size mattresses and bed sets were purchased by the Demerara Harbour Bridge Corporation.

According to Edghill, these were all listed as donations.

Only recently, a probe at the Asphalt Plant, which falls under the DHBC, found that some $424,700 of taxpayers’ money was spent to purchase a hand band for the former Minister from the Plant’s Fund.

Additionally, a sum of $76,300 was spent to purchase a tie pin for the former Minister.

Meanwhile, in a statement on Wednesday, Patterson admitted to accepting some of the gifts, but insisted that the practice is nothing new. He contended that he thought all the gifts he received were purchased by the various agencies after they got the necessary clearance to do so. (G8)

4

guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 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

Tourism potential

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he unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating effect on Guyana’s tourism sector. The Government has acknowledged these challenges and has begun to put a number of measures in place to revive the sector. The Government have expressed optimism that the sector will bounce back from these challenges and already with the re-opening of the sector this can be seen.

In many countries across the world the impact on tourism has been the same or even worse. The United Nations World Tourism Organisation estimates that world tourism declined by 65 per cent in the first half of 2020, resulting in the loss of more than 850 million jobs and as much as US$1.2 trillion in earnings.

As pointed out by President Ali late last year, in Guyana’s case the tourism sector is believed to have suffered an estimated decline of 46 per cent of its revenues for the first half of this year, with 30 per cent of the sector’s employees losing their jobs and an additional 36 per cent being placed on unpaid leave.

The Government has shown that it is very concerned about what is taking place and have actively engaged in employing measures to stimulate the revival of the sector.

We have noted that efforts are being made to encourage locals to take advantage of the opportunities to experience what is on offer here. This is a good was to start reviving the sector considering that due to the pandemic it may be some time before foreign tourists come to these shores. In any case for Guyana to be successfully marketed abroad, there is need for the country to be promoted locally in a more aggressive manner.

It is no secret that quite a lot of Guyanese choose to go abroad for vacation as against enjoying what obtains locally and this may be so for varying reasons, including cost, standard of services locally etc. For this reason much more needs to be done by local stakeholders so that citizens will begin to understand and appreciate more of what Guyana has to offer so that they in turn can become “ambassadors of tourism”.

Our tourism potential is huge; the challenge is for stakeholders; including Government and private sector to pool their talents and resources and create a package that would be affordable and attractive to both Guyanese and foreigners.

Guyana’s tourism industry is considered to be one of the most attractive and unique destinations in the world.

Unlike our Caribbean counterparts - typical sun, sand and sea tourism – Guyana has a different type of tourism product with our irresistible combination of fascinating and breathtaking natural beauty; pristine Amazonian rainforests, immense waterfalls, amazing wildlife, a vibrant indigenous culture and a rich cultural heritage.

Important to note too is that due to the social distancing guidelines to fight the spread against Covid-19, Guyana is considered to be uniquely positioned as one of the safest destinations with vast pristine open spaces.

Certainly, there is still much more work to be done as there are some impediments that pose a threat to the development of a thriving tourism sector. Issues such as expensive air travel, lack of trained personnel in the tourism and other related sectors etc continue to pose challenges.

These are issues that must remain on the front burner to be addressed as they have a direct impact on the quality and affordability of the tourism package we offer.

With Guyana now being an oil producing nation, more persons, both Guyanese in the diaspora and foreign citizens, will be coming here either to work, visit or for academic purposes; the focus should be on putting systems in place aimed at projecting a positive image of our country.

A thriving tourism sector will benefit all Guyanese, as more persons will be able to secure employment, our country’s revenue will be boosted and many other related industries will prosper, among other benefits.

A child reacts as villagers hold placards featuring then US Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, after participating in special prayers ahead of her inauguration, outside a Hindu temple in Thulasendrapuram, south of Chennai, Tamil Nadu state, India (VOA)

Indentured playground desecrated at Port Mourant

Dear Editor, Land cleared by indentured labourers and formerly used for recreation: cricket, mass gatherings, cultural activities, religious events like Ramayana, satsanghs, Phagwah, festivals like Holi, kite flying, kabadi, wrestling, and other functions at “Four Foot”, Ankerville, just behind the yard of the Jagans, has been desecrated.

The indentured labourers and those whose sweat went into converting a forest into a playground must be turning in their graves.

Their descendants let them down. There is so much history in that playground.

Great oral history was revealed about events at the ground. This holy land at the back of Ankerville, of great archival value to researchers, has been converted into house lots. One shudders to think that no Government, no politician, not even those who are geographic MPs, Councillors, and NDA reps, made any serious effort to preserve the playground.

Community voice was ignored.

I found out that the indentured cricket ground was turned into house lots only when I visited a few days ago to pay homage to Jagan at his ancestral home. Many people are quite upset that they are deprived of a playground, and about the erasure of history from our memories.

The indentured playground, which played such an important role in the growth and development of the Indian community on the Corentyne and beyond, has not been preserved for posterity to remember the

contributions of the indentured labourers and their children or grandchildren in developing the area.

Survivors from the 1920s onwards who played cricket behind the Jagans’ home at “Four Foot” are angry at the then Government for converting the playground into house lots. That large cricket field, where the indentureds and their children played ball, and where legends like Rohan Kanhai, Joe Solomon, Joey Carew and the fathers of Alvin Kalicharran, Rex Ramnarace, etc. once played or practised the game, has been converted into lots for housing. Such an act would inevitably result in the erasure of history of significance regarding the ground.

The indentureds and their children chopped down forest, cleared thick vegetation, dug drains, and moved tons of soil to develop that playground, and a roller was brought there for pitch preparation. It was all done by voluntary labour. It was established for the indentured, their children, grandchildren, and future generations for cricket and other sporting activities.

There were many community events at the location. People pooled resources and donated money for various programmes there.

Cheddi Jagan played ball at that hollowed playground that his father helped to establish; he visited often after he entered into politics.

Other famous personalities also played there.

People I spoke with claim there was no consultation with the community or with historians or ac-

tivists on the importance of the ground before it was parceled out into house lots.

Why was the ground desecrated by conversion into house lots? The argument cannot be there is a scarcity of land in Guyana; Berbice has unlimited land. There is abandoned rice land next to the ground that could have been used for housing. Alternative land can be easily identified on the Corentyne. The cricket ground could have been preserved in its most natural form for posterity.

I do not think politicians acted maliciously in converting the ground into house lots. They acted out of sheer ignorance, as is the wont of several politicians.

They tend not to study history. They do not study history, and don’t care for lessons of history, or even about preserving the legacy of indentured ancestors.

They do not understand the relevance of protecting historical grounds and edifices.

Mr. Austin of the famous Austin’s Bookstore told me that politicians don’t buy books, and certainly not history books, except Mr. Granger. African politicians would never convert into house lots Parade Ground or lands sacred or of historical significance to slaves. Few descendants of indentured labourers are aware of the significance of the indentured recreation ground in Ankerville, where just across the side line was built the first place of open worship (a Shiva Murthi) in a mandir, on the dam next to the cane fields.

It could very well be the oldest place of Hindu worship in Guyana.

I learnt of the importance of the ground in recent years, in my research on the history of the Indian community in Port Mourant, when I conversed with seniors in their 80s and 90s, including my 93-year-old surviving mother, who played there. The playground was just behind the yard of the Jagans, next to open rice land and a mile way was open cane fields as far as one can see. It was right across from Bound Yard and served cricketers from Bound Yard, Free Yard, and Ankerville. It used to have large gatherings. It was the first cricket ground in Port Mourant, and for many years the only one for the large community, before a ground was prepared behind the hospital, followed by the famous PM Community Centre cricket ground.

The indentured ground was probably the first cricket ground for Indians in Guyana. Later, grounds were established in newer sections of Port Mourant, like Ankerville (behind the hospital), Free Yard and Bound Yard, and later in Miss Phoebe Lowside, Train Line, Babu Jhan, Haswell, Miss Phoebe West, Tain, Clifton, Jones, Portuguese Quarters, etc.

The Ankerville ground was used for recreation and various other activities during the colonial era, before another one was built behind the hospital as the Indian population grew and settlements expanded. I played cricket at both grounds in Ankerville just before departing for university studies in 1977.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021

5

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

Jimmy James no longer willing to serve in capacity as an LJP representative Dear Editor, The Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) hereby wishes to clear the misunderstandings surrounding the RDC of Region Eight and the difficulties surrounding the same process.

In September of 2020, the Guyana Elections Commission requested the LJP to “resubmit” its candidates for Region 8 to sit on the RDC. Contained on that list were Mr Jimmy James as primary, and Ms Claris Francisco as alternate, both LJP candidates on the Regional List of Candidates, District 8. Shortly thereaf-

ter, Paramakatoi was hit by the coronavirus, which took the life of one of our loyal and ardent supporters and infected a large mass of the population, including our primary candidate, Mr Jimmy James.

It was communicated to the LJP that the RDC would be convening and our candidate needed to be ready, at which point Mr James was indisposed, as he was still stricken by COVID-19.

Against this backdrop, and cognisant of the effects of the disease on the healthiest of individuals, the LJP submitted a change of candi-

date request to GECOM, replacing Mr James with Ms Francisco. Several attempts were made to rectify the issue by way of telephone calls, emails and standard mail with Ms Myers in the absence of the CEO, through October, November, December and now January.

All attempts of the LJP to address this issue were rebutted by the DCEO, clearly demonstrating that the dark forces at GECOM’s Secretariat are still grappling with the exposure of attempted rigging and are now squarely focused on dismantling the democracy

fighters in the LJP. It is clear that the destruction of the LJP and all other parties that stood in the way of the rigging machine will now be the new focus of the vengeance of the rigging machine, inclusive of the remnants that still reside at the GECOM Secretariat.

Mr James, who has the respect of the LJP’s executive, no longer enjoys the confidence of the LJP, and, by his own admission, is not aligned to the LJP, is no longer willing to serve in the capacity as an LJP representative, and is aligned to the

Indentured playground desecrated at...

The indentureship cricket ground is of sentimental value to Indians who grew up in the area. It can be regarded as the cradle of Indian civilisation in Berbice, if not Guyana.

Port Mourant was the largest estate in Guyana, and had the most indentured labourers. The area produced some of Guyana’s most distinguished sons and daughters; besides the Jagans, Sir Shridath Ramphal’s parents were from Port Mourant, as were the parents of Muneshwer and Alim Shah, among others, who were bounded at the historic plantation.

In ‘The West on Trial’, Cheddi Jagan detailed his childhood days playing and interacting at that very

ground. It was at that playground that children of indentured labourers used to play soft ball as well as hard ball. It was a popular meeting point for the indentureds after the termination of that abominable exploitative system in 1920. It was used for rallies and for championing India’s swaraj (home rule), as well as to support Jagan in his struggle for Guyana’s independence.

Politicians don’t show appreciation for what our fore-parents did. Granger, Vincent Alexander, Harmon, Green, David Hinds, Tacuma Ogunseye boldly take initiatives to preserve their history. Regrettably, there is no corresponding alacrity

T

he (first six of the nine) steps in the pilgrimage of man towards God along the path of dedication and surrender are: (1) Developing a desire to listen to the glory and grandeur of the handiwork of God and of the various awe-inspiring manifestations of Divinity. It is by hearing about the Lord again and again, that we can transform ourselves into Divinity. (2) Singing to oneself about the Lord, in praise of His magnificence and manifold exploits.

(3) Dwelling on the Lord in the mind, revelling in the contemplation of His beauty, majesty and compassion. (4) Entering upon the worship of the Lord, by concentrating on honouring the feet or foot-prints. (5) This develops into a total propitiation of the Lord, and systematic ritualistic worship, in which the aspirant gets inner satisfaction and inspiration. (6) The aspirant begins to see the favourite Form of God, which one likes to worship, in all beings and all objects, wherever one turns, and hence develops an attitude of Vandana (reverence) towards nature and all life!

(Divine Discourse, Feb 19, 1970)

Shri Sathya Sai Baba Organisation

from members of the other groups to preserve their history. Indian scholars are almost never consulted for views on matters of importance to the nation or communities.

The indentured girmitya labourers and succeeding generations of Port Mourant were disrespected. Other ethnic groups show appreciation for the contributions made by their ancestors, while that of Indians are marginalised. There is a lack of appreciation for the history of the indentured and their contributions to the nation. The indentured sport-

FROM PAGE 4

ing ground should not have been converted into house lots. Such an act would result in the erasure from history of the significance of the ground.

The politicians and community leaders need to pay heed to historical events and activities, so we can remember our ancestors. Can anything be done to preserve such an important aspect of the history of the indentureds building their own cricket ground? Can a monument be established in tribute to the ancestors?

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

PNC. Further to the above, this demonstrates that a purge and overhaul of the politically aligned GECOM Secretariat is much needed, and we call on Madam Chair and the Commission to swiftly execute said purge, and

press for the much-needed electoral reform as recommended by the various rulings through the elections’ fiasco.

Sincerely, Liberty and Justice Party

6

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021

Foundation ◄

Page

Æsop’s Fables

FOR CHILDREN

Module test 4

3) One inch is equivalent to 2.54 centimetres.

How many inches is 5 metres?

How many centimetres are in 508 inches?

4) Calculate a) 12.25 + 71.58 b) 1.90 + 33.60 c) 0.33 + 19.67 5) Solve the problems using the Venn Diagram

Complete the following test items 1) Calculate a) 0.25 of 80% b) 60% of 0.9 c) 16.4% of 50 2) What is the perimeter and area of the figure below:

Thursday’s answers 1) Calculate

a) 25 ÷ 0.25 = 100

b) 0.36 ÷ 0.6 = 0.6

c) 16.4 ÷ 2.5 = 6.56

2) Calculate the following:

22/31 ÷ 7 = 22/217

36 ÷ 8/15 = 540/8

18/36 ÷ 3/15 = 270/108

= 30/12 = 26/12 = 21/2

3) Kim should take 19.6 litres of water, 3.5 pounds of trail mix, and 35 sandwiches for the trip.

4) Jai spent 0.778 hours a day, on

average, working on his bike.

4) Wendy will use 16 2/3 cups of sugar and 1 2/3 bags of chocolate chips.

Election Day! Sticky Situation

Y

o u r

s c h o o l has decided to start a student government. Two students are running for President of your student government and some of your friends don’t know them. The student candidates are from another class and your friends have never gotten to meet them. Your friends tell you that they are

not going to vote at all because they don’t know the candidates.

Do you think this is the right decision?

What might you do or say to change your friends’ minds about voting if you think they should vote? How might you suggest the candidates become better known to other students? (Adapted from startwithabook. org)

T

wo men, one who always spoke the truth and the other who told nothing but lies, were travelling together and by chance came to the land of apes.

One of the apes, who had raised himself to be king, commanded them to be seized and brought before him, that he might know what was said of him among men. He ordered at the same time that all the apes be arranged in a long row on his right hand and on his left, and that a throne be placed for him, as was the custom among men. After these preparations he signified that the two men should be brought before him, and greeted them with this salutation: “What sort of a king do I seem to you to be, O strangers?’

The lying traveller replied, “You seem to me a most mighty king.” “And what is your estimate of those you see around me?’ “These,” he made answer, “are worthy companions of yourself, fit at least to be ambassadors and leaders of armies.” The ae and all his court, gratified with the lie, commanded that a handsome present be given to the flatterer.

On this the truthful traveller thought to himself, “If so great a reward be given for a lie, with what gift may not I be rewarded, if, according to my custom, I tell the truth?’

The ape quickly turned to him. “And pray how do I and these my friends around me seem to you?’ “Thou art,” he said, “a most excellent ape, and all these thy companions after thy example are excellent apes too.”

The king of the apes, enraged at hearing these truths, gave him over to the teeth and claws of his companions.

WORD SEARCH

7 Banks DIH records $5.271B profit in 2020 NEWS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

…post-election uncertainties, COVID-19 among challenges faced – Chairman

D

espite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the contentious General and Regional Elections last year, the Banks DIH Group of Companies has reported a profit after tax of $5.271 billion in 2020.

In the annual report for the period ending September 2020, Chairman of the Group, Clifford Reis, said this taxed profit represents an increase of $747 million or 16.5 per cent when compared to the 2019 financial year. The company’s profit before tax was $7.329 billion in 2020.

The revenue generated last year amounted to $30.468 billion, an increase of 2.9 per cent or $871 million over the previous year.

Further, the Group’s third-party revenue went up by 4 per cent or $1.305 billion to $32.917 billion.

The Trading Profit from Operations for the Group was $8.851 billion, also increasing by $1.322 or 17.6 per cent over 2019.

Profit after tax attributable to shareholders of the parent company in 2020 was $5.666, that is, 15.7 per cent or $769 million more than

the previous year.

Additionally, the Group’s Net Asset Value per share increased by 12.5 per cent from $45.25 to $50.89. The Board of Directors has recommended a dividend proposal of $1.35 per share unit, resulting in an overall cost of $1.147 billion – $161.5 million or 16.4 per cent more than 2019.

According to the Chairman, the 2020 financial year presented new and varied challenges and experiences.

These, he said, include “…the post elections uncertainties and the Nationwide mitigation measures which were implemented to counter the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I can report that the Group, having experienced those challenges, by virtue of team work and commitment was able to surmount the obstacles presented, utilising the combined strengths of our work-force, the market acceptance of our brands, our effective selling and distribution network, and our loyal customer base.”

Reis noted that the combined contribution of this resource base enabled the

Banks DIH Chairman Clifford Reis

Group to achieve increased revenue streams, better control of operational expenses, and optimal use of financial resources.

In addition to safety measures taken against the COVID-19 pandemic during the period under review, the Chairman noted, capital investment projects were undertaken within the production and related facilities, which enabled the more efficient conversion of raw materials into finished products, thus achieving better efficiencies.

He further disclosed

that the company completed relocation of the Liquor Warehouse to Thirst Park, and the Rum Production facilities were upgraded with new bottle rinsing and capping equipment and chilling and storage capacities.

The company also completed the extension of the Stores to accommodate increased and improved storage, and various roofing areas across Thirst Park were also upgraded.

Meanwhile, new processing, baking and packaging equipment were installed on the Biscuit and Cone Biscuit Plants, and the power generation and distribution capacity was enhanced with a new generator, transformers, and fuel purification system.

The company also acquired new forklifts and trucks to enhance the distribution channels, while the selling and marketing functions were improved with the introduction of additional ice-cream freezers, beverage coolers and bottled-water dispenser.

Some of the capital projects that will roll over to 2021 include the Beer Bottling and Soft Drink

Plants’ upgrade and the installation of the new CIP System for the Rum Factory and the Winery.

Citizens Bank

With regard to the Group’s 51%-owned subsidiary, Citizens Bank Guyana Inc., there was a 2.8 per cent or $26.9 per cent increase in profit after tax to the tune of $$982.2 million. The commercial bank’s revenue last year was $3.749 billion, representing an increase of $337 million or 9.6 per cent.

Net Interest Income for the bank in 2020 was $2.835 billion, while the earnings per share was $16.51 and the total asset base was $63.8 billion. Additionally, Loan Assets were increased to $31.7 billion, reflecting an increase of 6.4 per cent or $1.9 billion.

Meanwhile, Banks Automotive and Services Inc., a fully owned subsidiary, generated $78.2 million in revenues and the Profit after Tax was $8.6 million.

Construction works are ongoing for the headquarters of the automotive and a multi-level parking facility at the Demerara Park, opposite Thirst Park.

During the 2020 financial year, the Banks DIH Group’s Production Plants successfully completed several ISO and CocaCola Quality and Safety Management Systems audit. In fact, the company retained the top spot within the Emerging Market Segment of the Coca-Cola Latin Centre Business Unit QSI scoring system.

Going forwarding in the 2021 financial year, Chairman Reis said, the Group will continue to pursue the diversification of the company’s business model, including the ventures into the transportation and alternative energy solutions.

Last January, the local food and beverage manufacturing company announced plans to enter the energy and auto sales industries with the hope of meeting the demands and needs of Guyanese and the country’s growing economy.

“We will pursue this new and emerging segment of our business activities with diligence and purpose, as has been our intention over the past 65 years of our existence,” the Chairman noted in the 2020 report. (G8)

8 NEWS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Man who killed neighbour appealing 56-year jail time A

50-year-old man who was found guilty by a jury of killing his neighbour has filed an appeal against his 56-year prison term, which he says is “severe”.

The appeal for Foster Gravesande was filed with the Guyana Court of Appeal, and his lawyers briefly outlined the grounds of appeal therein.

Gravesande, formerly of Mahaica, East Coast Demerara (ECD), was found guilty of the April 2, 2017 murder of his neighbour, Courtney Porter, following a trial before Justice Navindra Singh at the Demerara High Court in December 2020.

It was reported that Porter, a father of three, was beaten in the head with a piece of wood by Gravesande, who had accused him of pulling his wife’s garments.

Following the incident, Porter was hospitalised and his attacker was charged with attempting to commit murder and was released on bail.

However, Porter succumbed two weeks after the beating, and Gravesande subsequently fled the area, but was captured in another policing division. The charge against him was elevated to

Murder convict: Foster Gravesande

murder. After a Preliminary Inquiry (PI), he was committed to stand trial for the capital offence.

In a Notice of Appeal filed by his Attorney-at-Law Shareefa Parks, Gravesande contends that the verdict of the jury was unreasonable and could not be supported given the evidence adduced at his trial. He contends, too, that the trial Judge failed to give a balanced summing-up to the jury, as well as failed to sufficiently put his defence to the jury.

The murder convict argues that the trial Judge failed to adequately address the many deficiencies in the

prosecution’s case, in particular the many contradicting testimony given by the eyewitnesses. His lawyer submits that the trial Judge also failed to address several issues that arose from the evidence given in court, and only addressed them in his summing-up to the jurors.

Justice Singh, in sentencing the convict, who had pleaded for mercy, declared that the court would “show no mercy”, since he failed to show genuine remorse for his actions.

“This convicted prisoner has no remorse for what happened. He continuously expresses what he has lost, and what he has been unable to do, and what he can do when he comes out [of prison]. His story is impossible given the medical evidence of the pathologist. You cannot be truly remorseful unless you accept what you did,” the Judge asserted.

“This man [Gravesande] comes into the court, swears on the Bible, and then lies to me,” underscored Justice Singh. “Now he is asking the court for mercy.” The Judge went on, “No!” Speaking to the murder convict, the Judge reminded him that he had opted to

Y

…also for Guyana our Eyewitness reproduces the poem recited by 22year- old US youth poet laureate Amanda Gorman at the inauguration of President Joe Biden and VP Kamala Harris after the insurrection to overturn their democratic elections failed. It so applies to us.

Dead: Courtney Porter

have a trial, and now the jury has spoken.

“This is a senseless act he must pay for,” Justice Singh had told the court.

In passing sentence on the convict, Justice Singh started at a base of 60 years.

The Judge found that there were no mitigating factors for which the court could give a deduction. The Judge only deducted four years from the base sentence, which reflects the time Gravesande spent in pre-trial custody.

His sentence stands at 56 years; he only becomes eligible for parole after serving a minimum of 28 years behind bars. (G1)

UG’s Law Dept to introduce master’s, graduate diploma programmes

T

he Law Department of the University of Guyana (UG) has announced that it is reviewing its curriculum to introduce new programmes, including a master’s degree and graduate diploma.

This was outlined in the University’s annual report for 2019-2020.

The Law Department is headed by Professor Duke Pollard, a former Judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). The annual report stated that it continued to work closely with the University of the West Indies (UWI), Cave Hill, Barbados, Faculty of Law to build networks and to foster better communication and collaboration between the two institutions.

According to the

Department, it is also focused on curriculum development and the review of programmes with

the hope of offering the following programmes soon: Diploma in Legislative Drafting, Graduate Diploma in Legislative Drafting, and Master of Law in Legislative Drafting.

The Department also plans to draft courses in advocacy and international mooting, competition law in the Caribbean Single Market and Economy, introduction to legislative drafting, land registration and conveyance, and energy and mineral law.

Apart from these, the Department has already announced that it would soon expand its courses to offer an undergraduate Diploma in Legal Education specifically tailored for paralegals

A US Message…

and criminal justice practitioners.

Further, it had said that it would also be embarking on the development of courses in oil and gas law, since law was an imperative tool for national development and would play a critical role in the development of Guyana’s oil and gas sector.

In 1970, the first-year programme leading to a UWI law degree was started at UG. The full law degree programme was introduced in 1993. Over the years, UG’s law degree graduates have gone on to perform outstandingly at the Hugh Wooding Law School, copping the valedictorian and other special prizes. (G1)

The hill we climb When day comes we ask ourselves where can we find light in this never-ending shade? The loss we carry, a sea we must wade We’ve braved the belly of the beast We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace And the norms and notions of what just is Isn’t always just-ice And yet the dawn is ours before we knew it Somehow we do it Somehow we’ve weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken but simply unfinished…

And yes, we are far from polished far from pristine but that doesn’t mean we are striving to form a union that is perfect We are striving to forge a union with purpose. To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and conditions of man. And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us but what stands before us. We close the divide because we know, to put our future first, we must first put our differences aside. We lay down our arms so we can reach out our arms to one another.

We seek harm to none and harmony for all. Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true: That even as we grieved, we grew. That even as we hurt, we hoped. That even as we tired, we tried.

That we’ll forever be tied together, victorious. Not because we will never again know defeat but because we will never again sow division.

Scripture tells us to envision that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree. And no one shall make them afraid If we’re to live up to our own time. Then victory won’t lie in the blade But in all the bridges we’ve made. That is the promise to glade The hill we climb If only we dare It’s because being American is more than a pride we inherit, it’s the past we step into and how we repair it We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation rather than share it Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy And this effort very nearly succeeded But while democracy can be periodically delayed it can never be permanently defeated In this truth in this faith we trust For while we have our eyes on the future history has its eyes on us. This is the era of just redemption We feared at its inception We did not feel prepared to be the heirs of such a terrifying hour but within it we found the power to author a new chapter. To offer hope and laughter to ourselves So while once we asked, how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe? Now we assert How could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?

We will not march back to what was but move to what shall be. A country that is bruised but whole, benevolent but bold, fierce and free We will not be turned around or interrupted by intimidation because we know our inaction and inertia will be the inheritance of the next generation. Our blunders become their burdens. But one thing is certain: If we merge mercy with might, and might with right, then love becomes our legacy and change our children’s birthright.

So let us leave behind a country better than the one we were left with. Every breath from my bronze-pounded chest, we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one…We will rebuild, reconcile and recover and every known nook of our nation and every corner called our country, our people diverse and beautiful will emerge, battered and beautiful. When day comes we step out of the shade, aflame and unafraid The new dawn blooms as we free it.

For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it If only we’re brave enough to be it.

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

NEWS

9

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

$500M new road from Diamond to Eccles by April – President the Housing Minister, this congestion will be eased with this new alternative road.

“It’s going to open up an avenue for quick travel along the East Bank, particularly coming out of the Diamond/ Grove Scheme,” Croal noted.

Meanwhile, works are simultaneously ongoing at the head of Diamond for a second entrance into the housing scheme from the East Bank Public Road.

construction will be done in two phases. Phase I will consist of crusher run and Phase II will consist of the application of asphaltic concrete and possible extension of the tarmac access road to First Avenue.

These projects come on the heels of the India-funded Bypass Road Project which would link the East Bank Demerara corridor to the East Coast of Demerara, cre-

a standstill for several years.

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).

Last week, Public Works

Contractors working on one of two bridges being built along the new road

W

orks are currently ongoing for a new alternative road connecting Diamond and Eccles on the East Bank Demerara corridor in order to ease the traffic congestion.

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

The announcement of the new road was made by President Dr Irfaan Ali on Thursday.

“As promised, by the end of April, an alternate link between Diamond and Eccles.

Your Government at work for you,” the Head of State said in a Facebook post.

In the post, he included several photos showing ongoing works to construct the new road link. He also released a video showing the ongoing works amid the vast vegetation.

The project is being executed by the Ministry of Housing and would cost in excess of $500 million.

Housing Minister Collin Croal, when contracted, told Guyana Times that the works are on track for completion in April 2021.

“It’s about 65 per cent completed. [It is] new virgin road from soil and about four kilometres of road works… The current works include two heavy duty ac-

cess culverts as well as two heavy-duty reinforced concrete bridges. There will be street lights placed along the road,” he explained.

According to Minister Croal, the road was designed by the “experienced technical staff” of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), and the construction is being carried out by three different contractors.

Residents of the Diamond and Golden Grove Housing Schemes on the East Bank of Demerara have long been calling for an alternative road in and out of the schemes, which usually have long queues throughout the day, especially during the rush hour period.

However, according to

Works ongoing on the alternative road to connect Diamond and Eccles on the EBD corridor

That new road is located between the Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) factory and the GuyOil Gas Station, and will run to First Avenue.

The $57.1 million project also entails a tarmac for a market and parking lots at Diamond. The contract was awarded to Bardon Construction Service, and

ating 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. However, the project cost was driven up to over $208 million by the previous APNU/AFC regime and the project was at

Minister Juan Edghill told reporters that the documents with the redesigned project have been sent to the Indian Government and they are awaiting approval.

Meanwhile, Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr KJ Srinivasa, has noted that clearance should be given for the project within the next couple of weeks. (G8)

10 NEWS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

52 new COVID-19 cases detected in 24 hours

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he local count of COVID-19 cases increased by 52 on Thursday, raising the overall total recorded in Guyana to 7067.

Of this number, 6277 persons have made a full recovery. A total of 352 swabs were sent for analysis over a 24hour period and 52 returned positive results.

The Health Ministry’s statistics showed that along with the 52 new cases, deaths from the coronavirus are still at 170. A total of 3616 males and 3452 females have tested positive thus far.

Seven patients are seeking treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). There are 19 persons in institutional isolation, 580 in home isolation and

19 in institutional quarantine.

The total active cases are 741.

Of the 6277 recoveries – 11 was recorded on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Guyana has tested 45,427 persons thus far. For this week, a whopping 159 cases have surfaced.

A breakdown shows that two new cases were detected in Region One (BarimaWaini), seven in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), 29 in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), two in Region Five (DemeraraMahaica), one in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), two in Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni), two in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) and seven in Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice).

There are still 219 cases in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) and 229 in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni).

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony acknowledged on Thursday that law enforcement was assisting health officials whereby persons have breached the national COVID-19 measures. It was highlighted that as many individuals were now aware of what should be done to protect themselves, this knowledge should be practised.

“If you don’t wear your mask, not complying with the orders, then it is going to create difficulties for everyone.

While our emphasis is really on education, we know a lot of people know much more about the virus than they did may-

be a couple months ago. That’s a good thing, but what you need to do is the knowledge you would have gained over this period of time, you need to practise it,” he said during the COVID-19 update.

While most Guyanese are conscious about wearing a mask in public, there is also the issue of ensuring it is correctly fitted to serve the intended purpose. The Minister noted that while these anti-virus practices were not natural, they were needed in the current circumstances.

“If you wear the mask under your chin, not cover-

ing your mouth or nose, then you’re not preventing spread.

Lots of time you would see people not complying with the proper wearing of masks. We need to emphasise that…We really need people to comply if we are going to reduce this spread.”

Boosted capacity

This week, a mobile field hospital was donated by the Qatari Government to boost Guyana’s capacity to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be set up in the compound of the Infectious Diseases Hospital, located at Liliendaal, Greater

Georgetown.

Presently, health officials are looking at the operational side of the mobile hospital and overcoming the challenges associated with operating it on a 24-hour basis. However, he added that staffers at the Infectious Diseases Hospital will assist with running the facility.

“We had some more discussions. The challenge would be if you’re operating this facility 24 hours a day. You would have to get a shift system, enough staff, and so forth. That can prove challenging…We already have a lot of staff located at the Ocean View facility and, therefore, we thought that it would be not a bad idea to add some more capacity in that compound. We’ll have all the technical and medical people right there who can easily assist with running the facility. That is the paramount consideration.”

The hospital unit was delivered with 60 beds, 60 mattresses, 12 air-conditioners, 60 pillows, 60 blankets, eight carpets, one generator, 20 respirators, 20,000 pieces of small and large medical equipment, and one diesel tank. Because of this, Dr Anthony said hospitalisation could be done easily.

“We now have capacity for hospitalisation and additional capacity in the ICU. These are good things because we don’t know how many people can get infected and if people don’t comply with the basic prevention methods, then we are going to see more people getting sick. It is not something that we desire but we have to face reality as well,” the health official underscored. (G12)

NEWS

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 22,, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Linden Enterprise Network’s Rehabilitation of Mon Repos Market begins "revolving fund" not revolving ...hundreds of loans up to $10M each not being repaid …Govt reviewing operations to ensure sustainability – Finance Minister

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he Government has undertaken a review of the Linden Enterprise Network (LEN) to ensure that it serves its intended purpose.

Senior Minister with responsibility for finance in the Office of the President, Dr Ashni Singh, according to the Department of Public Information (DPI), said the programme – which was introduced by the previous People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government – was not meeting its target.

“Over the last few years, we found that it has not been serving the purpose it was intended and it is not generating the results we expected, including as a result of persons not repaying their loans; the fund is not revolving. The President

has instructed us to conduct a review of the programme and to examine how we can resuscitate and revitalise it,” he said, during a recent Cabinet outreach to the mining town.

The State-funded agency which was designed to serve as a revolving fund has among its objectives the financing of the establishment of businesses, and, by extension, job creation. It offers loan financing to sectors including construction, logging and vending, and provides financial and business advisory services.

Programmes offered include apiculture (beekeeping); agro-processing and blockmaking.

“So, you lend businesses, you lend individuals to set up businesses, their businesses

Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh

grow, they repay and the fund revolve to lend new entrepreneurs. We gave out hundreds of small loans under LEN for the purpose of setting up businesses,” Dr

Singh is quoting as saying.

Since its operationalisation, some 609 persons have benefited from the programme. A person can borrow up to $10 million at any one time.

Dr Singh said LEN was one of the initiatives the Government was promoting to foster the establishment of small businesses and generate jobs.

“We are working currently to facilitate major industrial investment in Linden, which is going to happen, but in addition to that, we are looking at ways in which we can promote medium and smaller-scale businesses,” he said.

The Minister said the 2021 national budget would also examine ways to revitalise the lending agency.

GA-FDD warns against improper packaging, labelling of pharmaceuticals

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he Government Analyst-Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD) has warned importers and distributors that all drugs and pharmaceuticals should be properly sealed in bottles, tubes, and packages and must carry a patient information insert in English.

On Thursday, the GAFDD issued the warning, noting that according to the Food and Drugs Act Chap 34:03 of 1977, Regulation 48 stipulates, all drugs and pharmaceuticals must be properly packaged and

examination, investigation, trial or inquiry, any article by means of or in relation to which he reasonably believes any provision of this Act has been contravened.”

labelled. It noted that the Department continued to observe practices where pharmaceuticals are being sold in packages without patient leaflets or inserts.

The Department reminded pharmacy proprietors to ensure that all pharmaceuticals are properly packaged before

being distributed or sold to the public. Failure to comply will result in enforcement actions by the Department.

According to the Food and Drug Act Chap 34:03 of 1971, no 21 (d): “An inspector may at a reasonable time – seize and detain for so long as may be necessary for the purpose of an

Phase One rehabilitation works ongoing at the Mon Repos Market, East Coast Demerara

T

he Local Government and Regional Development Ministry has begun Phase One of rehabilitation works on the Mon Repos Market, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

This is according to a brief statement posted on the Local Government and Regional Development Ministry’s Facebook page.

Several other markets are expected to undergo infrastructural upgrades during the year.

It was reported in December 2020 that the subject Minister, Nigel Dharamlall decided to upgrade the facility after learning of its dilapidated state.

“We will be rehabilitating fences, roofs, creating bigger washrooms with much better services. We will also look at the drainage within the markets and the basic flow of people in the market and that will only be the first phase, because we intend to go to different phases with these markets,” the Minister was quoted as saying by the Department of Public Information (DPI).

This initiative is part of the Government’s overall commitment to creating an enabling environment for business. The Minister had noted too that the upgrades would make provisions to stem COVID-19 transmission.

12 NEWS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Soesdyke man “Brother Fraud” nabbed for dies in motorcycle impersonating CANU rank accident A

A

27-year-old man of Hill Foot, SoesdykeLinden Highway is now dead following an accident along the public road at McDoom, East Bank Demerara.

Dead is Steven Armstrong.

Reports are that the accident occurred at about 17:30h as Armstrong was proceeding north along the McDoom Public Road on his motorcycle, CK7037. Police say the young man lost control of his bike, and it collided with an articulated vehicle which was at the time passing an off-

loading minibus.

As a result of the impact, Armstrong fell from his bike and suffered several injuries to his head and body. He was picked up in a semi-conscious state by public-spirited citizens and rushed to Georgetown Public Hospital, where he succumbed at about 19:45h while receiving treatment. Breathalyzer tests were conducted on the drivers of the articulated vehicle and the minibus, and no trace of alcohol was found. Police are continuing their investigation. (G15)

man called “Brother Fraud” was on Wednesday nabbed by law enforcement officers as he was in the act of impersonating a Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) officer and attempting to arrest a young man for narcotics.

Reports are that the incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon in the vicinity of Thomas and Middle streets, Georgetown.

According to information received, “Brother Fraud”, decked with a body camera and handcuffs while driving a heavily tinted white Toyota Premio car, approached a young man, claiming that he was wanted for the possession of narcotics, and would be taken to the Brickdam Police Station.

The young man, however, refused to go with “Brother Fraud” and demanded that he properly identify himself, but this was not forthcoming, and so the young man resisted as “Brother Fraud” attempted to force him into his car. By that time, Police on patrol noticed the commotion and went to the scene. This prompted “Brother Fraud” to jump into his car and speed away; however, he was pursued by the ranks and cornered. Unable to provide identification to substantiate his claim that he was a CANU officer, he was arrested and taken to the Brickdam Police Station. He remains in custody as Police continue their investigation.

Police intercepting “Brother Fraud” after cornering him following his attempt to escape

“Brother Fraud” had been charged in 2016 with four counts of forgery.

Police had charged him after he had forged receipts to Yohini Latchman, Principal Assistant Secretary (Finance)

at the former Ministry of Culture; and he had also forged receipts showing payments made to him by Universal Machinery. (G15)

Lowland Village drainage system to get upgrade – Minister

D

rainage and flood-related issues in Lowland Village on the East Coast of Demerara will soon be a thing of the past, as residents can now look forward to a complete upgrade to the community’s drainage system.

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, accompanied by Director General Madanlall Ramraj and other senior officials of that Ministry, met with Lowland

residents on Wednesday, and a number of issues were raised, including the need for work to be done on a number of drains and canals.

Vice Chairman of the Lowland Community Development Council (CDC), Chamanlall Bhagwandeen, pleaded for some degree of work to be done, as he pointed out that flooding poses serious health risks to those that are forced to traverse

the area.

“When you walk around our village, especially on the southern side, the drain is so clogged up with bushes; the culverts are so blocked up that, when the rain falls, the water is stuck, especially in the southern side.

Because it is stuck there; the water raises and cannot get out. It affects not only the crops and livestock, but the people that live around the areas.

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha engaging residents of Lowland Village

“It is very dangerous for our children; because, right now, if you go and look around that area, we have the burial ground and then this water there. The colour of the water has changed, and it’s smelly,” he shared.

Another resident, Danmattie Bisram, also highlighted the issue of poor drainage, and explained that there are no culverts in some sections. Due to the absence of channels for the water to drain, some persons had to undertake their own efforts to relieve the clogged drains of the water.

“Couple days ago, the villagers, because of not getting the drainage, ask around (for) a little donation to buy a 10-inch pipe, and (they burst) the dam and put it at the bottom through the dam, and now we get a little relief with the drainage. We are asking for something to be done so that

we can get better drainage,” Bisram said.

After hearing their concerns, Mustapha informed that he has instructed the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) to send an excavator to the community. This will complete all lagging irrigation works in the community.

“The machine will work until the entire system has been done. We’ll redo the entire drainage system for this community. I’ll also ask the head of the NDIA to do a report for me, to ensure we know the extent of the works to be done in the entire area. We have to get cooperation from the residents, because there are residents who have bottle necks when they make their bridges or culverts. If we have to put in tubes to help with the drainage, we’ll do so,” he assured.

A team from the NDIA

will be meeting with residents shortly to conduct an assessment of the works to be executed in the area. In this way, representation can be made for those projects to be included in the Ministry’s 2021 work programme.

On the aspect of road works, Mustapha indicated that the relevant authorities would be appraised of the situation, so that a visit can be made to Lowland village. For squatting, the Housing Ministry will be written in due course.

“I’ve seen some of the roads while we were driving in. They are indeed in a deplorable state. I’ll ask the Minister of Public Works to come into the community with his engineers to look at it. That main road has to have a proper engineering study, because the canals on both ends are very deep, and it’s causing the road to sink,” he explained. (G12)

13 Full scholarship for Bartica murder victim’s daughter NEWS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

K

ezia King, on Wednesday, received a full scholarship to the University of Guyana to further her studies in the field of social work from the Government of Guyana.

The scholarship was handed over by Public Service Minister Sonia Parag, who also heads the Government’s Scholarship Division.

King, the daughter of 37-year-old Natoya Speede who was chopped to death by her husband Orrin King in the vicinity of the Bartica Airstrip, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), recently enrolled at the University of Guyana where she is reading for her degree in social work.

Minister Parag reached out to King following an article published in Guyana Times on Sunday, January

Public Service Minister Sonia Parag handing over the scholarship documents to Kezia King

17 that highlighted that the young woman was having difficulties meeting her financial obligations to further her studies.

According to the Government’s press arm, the Department of Public Information (DPI), Parag, in an invited comment, said she was moved after reading about the young woman’s tragic circumstances and reached out to offer her a scholarship.

Shortly after receiving the scholarship, King told Guyana Times that she remained grateful for the opportunity and intended to make full use of it.

“I’m so happy that I can move on without having to study how I’m going to pay my tuition,” the 18-yearold said.

On March 27, 2020, King and her brother Oriel witnessed their fa-

ther hacking their mother to death. He would then turn the knife on himself in what would turn out to be a failed attempt to take his own life.

He was charged for murder and remanded to prison until the matter comes up again on May 14.

The teenager has been having a difficult time coping particularly because of the fact that she witnessed her mother’s murder. She tried to save her, but could not overpower her father.

As a coping mechanism, King enrolled into the University of Guyana’s social work programme to get qualified as a social worker. She wants to be able to use her experiences to change the world for the betterment of women – particularly in abusive relationships. (G2)

Health Ministry to intensify response to NCDs

Head of Presidential Commission on Non-Communicable Diseases, Dr Leslie Ramsammy

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ith the reappointment of the Presidential Commission on the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases by Cabinet, the Health Ministry is now looking to develop specialised programmes to enable better treatment for patients suffering from these illnesses.

Chronic NonCommunicable Diseases take a long time to develop and cannot be transmitted from one person to another.

They include hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular and endocrine diseases, cancers, and respiratory diseases.

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony shared on Thursday that these diseases could be prevented if persons took good decisions as it relates to eating habits. High salt, trans fats and unhealthy food intake can pose dangerous risks to one’s well-being and provide a window for such diseases to manifest. As such, the Commission was tasked with addressing these issues.

It is headed by former Health Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy and includes

members from other ministries, the Private Sector, and Non-Governmental Organisations.

“The Commission will look at these things and address them. For me, I think we need to use the power of the Commission to have a broader reach to the organisations that they represent and ultimately, to the various communities,” he shared.

Dr Anthony highlighted that a vast majority of persons are suffering from diabetes in Guyana, signalling the need for better access to treatment. Over the years, the Ministry has had a few ideas under its belt which would now be executed, and is seeking to build partnerships with other agencies along the way.

“I would also like them to develop some specialised plan on diabetes because we have too many persons who are affected by diabetes. In many cases, they are not taking the right measures to control their blood sugar. With better management, with better access to various types of care, we can make a bigger impact on how we manage diabetes,” the Minister noted.

With treatment, diabetic patients also require guidance on their nutritional intake to control their condition.

He said, “One of the best ways that we can address issues relating to diabetes would have to be what diabetics eat and how they eat.

In a lot of cases, they don’t have access to nutrition counselling. Over time, we want to change that and recruit personnel who can be able to offer this type of advice. So, diabetes will be one of the focuses we will have.”

In relation to cancers,

ities. Majority of the persons would have had a NonCommunicable Disease and so during this pandem-

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony

Dr Anthony contended that they would be tackling the more prevalent types.

Breast cancer is the main cause of death among women, followed by cervical cancer. For men, it is prostate cancer. He said the numbers could be lowered by an all-inclusive programme for early detection.

“We think we can help to reduce this if we have a more comprehensive programme to be able to screen and identify early and if we are able to put such a programme in place, it means that we’ll be able to reduce premature deaths. With cervical cancer, it’s a cancer that we can eradicate because that is caused by the Human Papillomavirus.

Therefore, if we use immunisation by HPV vaccines, we can eliminate this…We want to offer that protection to women.”

Now that Guyana is battling through the coronavirus pandemic, a majority of deaths from the virus were persons with NonCommunicable Diseases. As a result, patients are continuously urged to take extra precautions.

The Minister cautioned, “A lot of them were older people and had comorbid-

ic, it is especially important that people control their chronic Non-Communicable Diseases…Ultimately, if it

is out of control, it is putting you at extra risks if you get infected with SARS-COV-2.”

(G12)

14 NEWS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

First Lady commits to COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Region 5 – Chairman working with animal welfare groups

Regional Health Officer, Dr Desmond Nicholson

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First Lady Arya Ali in discussion with members of the animal welfare groups

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nimal Rescue Adoption and Protection Society (ARAPS) and Paws for a Cause on Wednesday paid a courtesy call on First Lady Arya Ali. In a Facebook post, the First Lady confirmed that she has made a commitment to both of the animal welfare groups to support their efforts to improve standards of care and well-being for animals.

Speaking with Guyana Times, Paws for a Cause member Karen Roopchand said that the discussion was fruitful and provided insights into a positive future for animal welfare.

Roopchand explained that discussions were held on the possibility of implementing a module at the primary education level to sensitise young children

on the humane and ethical ways to care for pets and animals. She noted that in order to bring about public awareness, the Paws for a Cause Foundation would continue to use social media platforms YouTube and Facebook to sensitise the general public.

The Foundation’s representative revealed that the First Lady would also provide support with the establishment of the organisation’s first animal shelter.

The shelter, which was proposed to be constructed in Paradise, East Coast Demerara (ECD), would tend to animals found within Georgetown and its environs.

The vision for the shelter entails on-site veterinarians and options for children to visit and play and care for animals. The shel-

ter will also offer the adoption of animals.

The establishment of the shelter will help the organisation to widen its reach and help reduce the number of stray animals around Georgetown. At present, volunteers usually foster animals at their homes until the organisation finds persons to adopt the animals. As such, only a small number of animals can be tended to presently. In instances where all volunteers are at their maximum fostering capacity, the organisation picks up strays, nourishes them, and spays them before releasing them.

The Paws for a Cause Foundation was founded in 2019, with the aims of improving welfare for animals, preventing animal cruelty, and controlling the animal population. (G15)

s the number of persons being tested for the novel coronavirus in Region Five (MahaicaBerbice) increases, the region has now recorded 173 positive cases.

Regional Chairman Vickchand Ramphal, who heads the Regional COVID-19 Task Force, speaking at a press conference on Thursday, said the figures are alarming, given that Region Five was the last region to record a positive case.

Of the 23 active cases, 22 are in home isolation and one person is in institutional isolation. The others are in home quarantine in the region. To date, there have been 145 recoveries. A total of 1064 tests have been conducted in the region, with Moraikobai remaining the hot spot. According to the Regional Chairman, 55 percent of the cases are from that community.

However, Regional Health Officer (RHO) Dr Desmond Nicholson told re-

porters that Moraikobai is not the only area of concern. In fact, he said, there are positive cases spread throughout the region. Some of the villages with positive cases the RHO named are Fort Wellington, Number Four Village, Paradise, Golden Grove, Farm Bush Lot, Hopetown and Lovely Lass.

“So, it is not a case where we can say that one particular area has COVID-19.

COVID-19 is all over Region Five,” the RHO disclosed.

He said the Health Department is equipped with adequate protective gear.

Meanwhile, the business community, through the Chamber of Commerce, has been providing sanitising material for the business sector, and bringing awareness on the guidelines to be followed.

However, according to Public Relations Officer of the West Berbice Chamber of Commerce, Pradeep Bachan, while many businesses have been adhering to the COVID-19 guidelines, minibuses and other public transportation service providers are being defiant. He explained that persons are allowed to travel in buses without wearing a face mask, and he called on the Police to enforce the COVID-19 guidelines.

But Regional Commander Assistant Superintendent Kurleigh Simon has said the Police have been doing their part and are receiving 95 per cent compliance.

He noted that in extreme cases they have been prosecution persons; however, most of the engagements

Regional Chairman Vickchand Ramphal

with members of the public has been centred on education.

“If we find that you are repeating yourself, we will be prosecuting.”

However, as it relates to public transportation, he told the media that it will be unfair for Police Officers to take persons off of a vehicle for not wearing a face mask.

“As much as possible we try to have our officers equipped with face masks so that if we find in public transportation do not have, we give them a face mask,” Simon said.

Meanwhile, Dr Nicholson is appealing to persons in that region to observe the COVID-19 guidelines. He said persons should not ignore the pleas to use their face masks and not to ignore the calls for social distancing or hand sanitisation.

He referred to those measures as being basic.

“There are measures that can really stop the spread on COVID-19 in Region Five,” the RHO noted. (G4)

Linden woman fined $10,000 for “buse out”

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orty-seven-year-old Michelle Daniels of Wisroc Housing Scheme, Wismar, Linden was fined $10,000 by Linden Magistrate Wanda Fortune on Tuesday when she appeared in that Magistrate’s Court charged with the offence of making use of abu-

sive language.

Daniels pleaded guilty to the charge, which stated that she used abusive language against the virtual complainant (VC) Holly Washington on January 1, 2021. The court heard that she told the woman she was a (*expletives) “crass”.

news@guyanatimesgy.com

Failure to pay the fine would result in an alternative sentence of two weeks’ imprisonment. Daniels was also placed on a bond to keep the peace for one year, default of which would result in her receiving a sentence of three months’ imprisonment.

NEWS

15

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Caribbean-US relations: Chance to merge might with right

By Sir Ronald Sanders

(The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the US and the OAS. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and at Massey College in the University of Toronto. The views expressed are entirely his own)

vents in Washington on January 20 were a welcome relief and release for the world.

Once Joseph R Biden took the oath of office as President of the United States and the noon hour struck while Donald Trump arrived, as a private citizen, at his estate in Florida, leaders and ordinary citizens in every corner of the globe exhaled the collective breath of trepidation they had held for four troubling years.

In his first official acts – the signing of 17 Executive Orders – President Biden dramatically improved relations with the world, including the Caribbean, and gave reason for optimism about the future.

Importantly, the US will re-join the 2015 Paris Climate Change agreement from which Trump withdrew. It should be recalled that the US is one of the world’s greatest contributors to global pollution and the harmful effects of cli-

E

mate change.

Writing to Biden, just hours after his swearing-in as the 46th President of the US, Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne, as Chair of the 44-nation Alliance of Small Island States, welcomed the new US Government’s decision. Browne told Biden: “We are already failing to limit the global average temperature to an increase of 1.5 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels. It is urgent that: (i) the machinery for global financial flows, including through International Financial Institutions, be adjusted to ensure that every country is served in accordance with its needs; and (ii) resources be provided to allow the most vulnerable countries to adapt to the present alarming conditions and to prepare for future negative occurrences”.

This is work that must be an urgent item on the agenda of US-Caribbean discussions, including early contact with former US Secretary of State, John Kerry, who Biden has appointed as his Climate Envoy.

Particularly significant for Caribbean countries, in the devastating epoch of the COVID-19 pandemic, is that the US will not withdraw from the World Health Organisation as Trump had

Sir Ronald Sanders

intended. Indeed, Biden is appointing the now renowned Dr Anthony Fauci, the Government's top infectious disease expert, to lead the US delegation. This should mean that the US will play a constructive leadership role.

The matter of making vaccines available to Caribbean countries, that have been allocated numbers that equate to less than 10 per cent of their populations, and an end to hoarding policies by the US and other countries, are also top priorities for Caribbean-US discussion.

No country will be safe from the coronavirus if it exists and thrives in any other. Therefore, it is as much

in the interest of the US as it is for its neighbouring Caribbean for the minuscule number of vaccines, allocated to the Region, to be reviewed and rectified.

President Biden has also mandated the wearing of masks on Federal Government property and installed a coronavirus response coordinator to oversee the efforts to distribute vaccines and medical supplies in the US. This is also vital to the Caribbean tourism-reliant countries that need US citizens to be free of the coronavirus and ready to travel as soon as possible. It is a hard task. The problem was allowed to grow out of control, bringing the US to its knees. Every encouragement and support should be given to Biden’s efforts.

Domestically, the President is also pushing for economic relief, including more money for unemployed workers and for safety net programmes, especially Medicaid and unemployment insurance. The revival of the US economy and restoration of employment are important to the Region because of tourism, US capacity to purchase Caribbean goods, and remittances from Caribbean nationals in the US, many of whom are hardest affected by unemployment.

Work on a border wall

between Mexico and the US will also be halted. This is a symbolic acknowledgment that the world needs bridges, not walls. It is a rejection of Trump’s unilateralist and bullying posture in foreign policy. On the practical side, since it is the US taxpayers who have been paying for the wall (despite Trump’s claims, Mexico did not pay a cent), that money can now be diverted to programmes that will help to stimulate the US economy. A stronger US economy is good for the countries of the Region for which the US is their largest trading partner.

One other executive order is notable for the Caribbean. It is the fortification of the policy for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, that allows some individuals, unlawfully in the US having entered as children, to enjoy deferred action from deportation and to become eligible for a work permit. Trump's Administration had sought to undo those protections. Caribbean nationals will benefit from Biden’s action.

President Biden is yet to elaborate fully a Latin American and Caribbean policy. In his many years as a Senator and Vice President, he gained profound knowledge of the Region. He has

a good understanding of its challenges and potential.

Trump’s Latin American and Caribbean policy was primarily directed at Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua as a sop to their dissidents in Florida whose support he needed for the US presidential election. Caribbean countries were pawns in that game.

Biden’s policies will be broader, aimed at advancing democracy and human rights, but also economic advancement. He knows that without all these things, refugees will continue to gather at US borders.

All Caribbean countries should show willingness to work with Biden, including by trying to influence his Latin American and Caribbean policy at its formulation.

A new era has dawned, it calls for new approaches. The US and the Caribbean might take as the guiding light for their future relations, a line from the gripping poem of the young African-American Amanda Gorman, at Biden’s inauguration: “If we merge mercy with might, and might with right, then love becomes our legacy and change our children's birthright”.

Responses and previous commentaries: www.sirronaldsanders.com

16 NEWS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Man found guilty Local Govt Ministry awaiting of raping, killing audit on several municipalities 13-year-old boy L

Convicted: Hillary Edwards

Dead: Leonard Archibald

n East Bank Berbice man was on Wednesday found guilty of abducting, raping and murdering a 13-yearold boy in September 2017.

Hillary Edwards, 31, of Kortberaadt, East Bank Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) was found guilty of murder by a mixed jury at the Berbice Assizes.

The trial was conducted

by Justice Simone MorrisRamlall. The case was prosecuted by State Attorney Tuana Hardy.

During the trial, Hardy called 16 witnesses to prove her case that between September 17, and September 24, 2017, Edwards sodomised 13-year-old Leonard Archibald of Sisters Village, East Bank Berbice, and in the process killed him.

The court heard of the gruesome act after Edwards, who left the teen unconscious, stuffed his clothing into his mouth and

tied his hands behind his back.

During the trial, Edwards maintained his innocence, claiming that he last saw Archibald at the birthday party.

However, one of the prosecution’s main witnesses, Detective Constable Beharry Jaigopaul, told the jury that Edwards gave a confession statement during which he admitted to luring the child to his home, committing the act, and later throwing him into the Berbice River with his hands and feet bound. The witness said the man confessed to disposing of the child’s bicycle by throwing it also into the river.

Jaigopaul told the court that it was Edwards who took investigators to the spot where the bicycle was thrown, and they were able to retrieve it.

The guilty verdict was unanimous. Justice MorrisRamlall has set February 11 for sentencing. (G4)

A

ocal Government and Regional Development Minister Nigel Dharamlall has said that Ministry is currently awaiting the Auditor General’s report on the operation of all municipalities, including Georgetown.

The Minister told DPI that since taking office, he has tried to engage the councillors of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council to discuss the works they have undertaken. However, he said, his attempts have been rebuffed, forcing the Government to go ahead and conduct works to enhance the city.

“I am aware of a lot of transgressions, like financial transgressions, procurement transgressions that has happen in the City Hall over the last year. So, I have spoken to the Mayor on numerous occasions about the conduct of the Council, who gets into administration, which it does not have any authority to do. This includes hiring and firing and determining administrative issues of the city,” the Minister is quoted as saying.

Dharamlall also said discussions with City Treasurer John Douglas revealed some alarming findings, including that the Council spent about $120 million on staffing. The Council employed 707 persons, including over 250 pensioners.

Further, between 2016 and 2019, the Council raised over $12.7 billion, but it remains unclear where those funds are kept.

“The Government, from our end, we have a responsibility to ensure that city, one, as the capital of the country and also as the cen-

Local Government Minister Nigel Dharamlall

tre of business, and the residents of that…we cannot wait on City Council to enhance Georgetown,” he said.

To this end, the Ministry has partnered with various Ministries to conduct infrastructural works which target roads, bridges, canals, markets and other infrastructure.

This led to commence-

ment of rehabilitation works at the East La Penitence, East Ruimveldt and Mon Repos markets during the last quarter of 2020. The Government also started clean-up exercises during the Christmas season in Georgetown.

Dharamlall said $75 million was allocated to this initiative, and of this sum, $25 million was expended to conduct the cleaning exercise.

“We have provided resources to various Neighbourhood Democratic Council areas, and some of the areas got $5 million, $6 million in different regions.

We also spend resources on Corriverton, Rose Hall, Anna Regina among other agencies,” the Minister said.

He added that the works done to date have been very satisfactory, and the Ministry intends to continue and expand this initiative.

Chateau Margot man wins GTT’s Smart Home makeover

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ames Jhingree of Chateau Margot,ECD is the grand prize winner of GTT’s ‘Stay in Touch’ Christmas promotion.

Jhingree will benefit from a GTT ‘Smart Home Makeover’ inclusive of three months of free Blaze (powered by Plume HomePass) Internet Service, the telephone company said on Thursday.

His winnings also include a brand-new Smart Washing Machine, a Samsung 58” TV, a Google Home Smart Talk, a Smart Doorbell, a Smart Wireless Pan, Tilt and Zoom Camera, two Amazon tablets and two cell phones.

“I am most excited about these prizes, since it means the complete transformation and modernisation of my

Grand prize winner James Jhingree (right) along with other winners Romario Chung and Marcia Sandy of the GTT’s "Stay in Touch" Christmas promotion

home,” an elated Jhingree stated.

GTT customers who applied for Blaze during the holiday period were eligible

to enter the year-end competition. Winners were announced, and prizes distributed on Wednesday, during an intimate ceremony at GTT’s Head Office.

After the randomised selection process, Romario Chung emerged as the first prize winner and Marcia Sandy copped the second prize.

Chung indicated that this win would help with his education. “Studying online can be difficult at times – the items that I won will help to enhance this experience, thanks to GTT,” Chung noted.

Chung received three months of free internet service, a Samsung 55” TV, a Google Home Smart Talk, an Amazon tablet and two cellular phones.

Sandy’s second prize consisted of a Smart Wireless Pan, Tilt and Zoom Camera, two Amazon tablets, two cellular phones and three months of free internet service.

At the prize-giving ceremony, Sandy encouraged persons to sign up for GTT’s Blaze service to enjoy “… great internet service”.

NEWS

17

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Govt committed to developing tourism industry – Prime Minister …aims to create thousands of jobs, attract billions in investment

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rime Minister, Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips, on Thursday evening reiterated Government’s commitment to grow and develop the tourism industry during its tenure.

The Prime Minister made this statement at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre while delivering remarks at the launch of the fourth video of the “Guyana Yours to Discover” series, titled “Colours of the Rainforest” and produced by Captain Michael Charles.

He said that, over the next five years, the tourism industry will see massive transformation and unprecedented levels of investment.

“Our aim is to have a

world-class tourism product, capable of creating thousands of jobs, attracting billions in investment, and earning just as much for Guyana as we presently do from some of our traditional exports,” the Prime Minister is quoted by the Department of Public Information as saying.

He added that even with restrictions in place as a result of COVID-19 regulations and the consequent reduction in tourism, many investors are still approaching the Government.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has not dampened investor interest in Guyana’s tourism. A number of investors are lined up and ready to inject massive investments in hotel construction.

Prime Minister Mark Phillips

We are also courting other investors with the aim of

increasing the stock of hotel rooms by an additional 2,000 units. We anticipate

more than US$1B investments in the hotel construction sector within the next three years. This will allow us to boost conference and convention tourism and, in the process, create about 4,000 additional jobs,” Phillips added.

The PM, who pointed out that Guyana has some of the world’s most splendid natural attractions, said that without investments in the sector, the attractions will remain only potential sources of wealth for the country, as opposed to value-added products.

“It is of little value to be bragging about Kaieteur Falls if we cannot make it part of a sustainable tourism product. It is of no use speaking about our treach-

erous rapids and unique biodiversity if these resources cannot be sustainably developed in a manner which allows for them to be preserved while becoming part of the country’s eco-tourism product,” he said.

The Prime Minister added that the Government would continue to support the industry during the pandemic, in preparation for its revival.

“We have begun to provide support to aid the sector. In last year’s Emergency Budget, for example, we announced the removal of the value-added tax on hinterland travel and the provision of special tax incentives for new hotels and tourism-related businesses.”

Google threatens to block Australians over media law G

oogle threatened Friday to block Australian users from accessing its search service unless the government changed proposed legislation to make the internet giant pay news outlets for their content.

Google Australia Managing Director Mel Silva told a senate committee in Canberra that if the current draft media laws went ahead unchanged it would be “the worst-case scenario” and force the firm to block Australians.

“If this version of the code were to become law, it would give us no real choice but to stop making Google Search

available in Australia,” Silva said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, whose conservative government has heeded demands by the country’s biggest news organisations to crack down on the US tech firms, responded sharply to the threat.

“Australia makes our rules for things you can do in Australia. That’s done in our parliament,” Morrison said.

“People who want to work with that in Australia, you’re very welcome, but we don’t respond to threats.”

The legislation was introduced last year to force Google

and Facebook to pay local media organisations to host news content or face millions of dollars in fines, in one of the most aggressive moves globally to check the power of the two US digital giants.

Under the laws, the firms will be required to compensate Australian media outlets, ranging from Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp to public broadcasters ABC and SBS. The government has decided to exempt other popular platforms such as YouTube and Instagram from the rules.

Silva insisted that Google wanted to support news com-

Fauci credits Biden for letting “the science speak”

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resident Joe Biden unveiled sweeping measures to battle COVID-19 on his first full day in office on Thursday, with his chief medical adviser, Anthony Fauci, praising his new boss’ willingness to “let the science speak” in contrast to the Trump administration.

Biden said he was stepping up the federal response to the virus including by taking steps to expand testing and vaccinations and increase mask-wearing.

“This is a wartime undertaking,” the Democratic president said at a White House event where he signed executive orders to establish a COVID-19 testing board to ramp up testing, address supply shortfalls, establish protocols for international travelers and direct resources to hard-hit minority communities.

The pandemic has killed 405,000 people and infected more than 24 million in the United States, the highest numbers anywhere in the

Dr Anthony Fauci

world. Former President Donald Trump, who left office on Wednesday, often sought to play down the severity of the country’s worst public health crisis in a century and left much of the planning to individual states, resulting in a patchwork of policies across the country.

Fauci, who served under Trump but has been promoted to Biden’s chief medical adviser, was at Biden’s side during the event and then spoke to reporters in the White House briefing room for the first time in weeks, after Trump largely banished him from the po-

dium.

Fauci said he was “uncomfortable” at times during the Trump administration. He did not mention the Republican former president by name, but referred to comments about the drug hydroxycloroquine, which Trump boosted as a treatment for COVID-19 before its efficacy had been proven, which Fauci said “were not based on scientific fact.” “I take no pleasure at all in being in a situation of contradicting the president,” said Fauci, adding that he felt free under Biden to speak without “repercussions.”

“The idea that you can get up here and talk about what you know, what the evidence, what the science is, and know that’s it - let the science speak - it is somewhat of a liberating feeling,” he said.

“One of the new things in this administration is if you don’t have the answer, don’t guess. Just say you don’t know the answer,” Fauci added. (Reuters)

panies and instead suggested amendments to the media law, due to come into effect later this year.

“There is a clear pathway to a fair and workable code, with only slight amendments,” Silva said.

The company earlier suggested it could block content from Australian news outlets from appearing in its searches in response to the law, and began experimenting with the move earlier this month with a small number of users.

But Friday was the first time the company said it was prepared to block Australians from accessing its search.

Amendments Google demanded to the draft law included dropping a proposed

mandatory arbitration process to determine compensation for news businesses, which was earlier labelled “fundamentally imbalanced” by the US government.

Facebook similarly labelled the code “unworkable” in its current form and said it would cause the social media platform to stop publishing Australian news.

“The great majority of people who are using Facebook would continue to be able to do so, but we would no longer be able to provide news,” APAC Public Policy Vice President at Facebook Simon Milner told the hearing.

Australia initially proposed a voluntary code of con-

duct but toughened its stance after deciding the “unequal bargaining position” between traditional news media businesses and digital platforms would prevent fair deals being struck.

The initiative has been closely watched around the globe, as news media worldwide have suffered in an increasingly digital economy where big tech firms overwhelmingly capture advertising revenue.

An Australian review that led to the proposed changes found that for every US$100 spent on online advertising, Google captures US$53 while Facebook takes US$28 and the rest is shared out among others. (AFP)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021

Regional

Brazil’s most T&T students to face means vulnerable communities tests for electronic devices face COVID food crisis W

C

oronavirus is spreading and the death toll is mounting — but what most worries the leaders of Brazil’s isolated and vulnerable communities is how on earth to feed people now that the Government has pulled their main emergency aid.

Ivone Rocha is cofounder of Semeando Amor (Sowing Love), a non-profit that distributes basic staples to some of the very poorest people in Rio das Pedras, one of Rio de Janeiro’s many favelas.

For most of last year, they had received a decent government stipend to survive the pandemic, but that all ended with 2020, unleashing a frenzy of favela requests for food.

“People here have no jobs,” Rocha told Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone. “Now the aid has ended. My God, what will happen?”

It was April when Congress first passed a bill that established the monthly $600 real (US$112) stipend — a little over half the country’s minimum wage — pledging to tide people over for three months during the

Even before COVID-19, some 13 million Brazilians were living in extreme poverty [File: Amanda Perobelli/Reuters]

pandemic.

By July, almost half of the 210 million people who call Brazil home lived with someone who was receiving the aid, Government data shows.

Even before COVID-19, some 13 million Brazilians were living in extreme poverty and a full quarter of the population was classified as below the World Bank’s poverty line, according to Government data.

After initially opposing it, President Jair Bolsonaro embraced the programme and renewed it through the rest of 2020, while slash-

ing the total in half due to what he called budgetary constraints. Those cuts came even as infections and deaths continued to surge.

The fast-mutating virus has already killed about 212,000 people in Brazil, data shows, a national death toll surpassed only by that of the United States.

The end of the aid programme will disproportionately hit the poor north and northeast of the country, according to a study by Tendencias Consultoria, a consultancy focused on the economy. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Witness implicates Mexican soldiers in mass student kidnap, President says

M

exican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador confirmed on Thursday that a witness implicated soldiers in the 2014 disappearance of 43 students in the southern state of Guerrero that rocked the country.

The attack on the trainees from the Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers’ College on September 26, 2014 sparked widespread protests across the country.

The witness, known as “Juan”, said soldiers detained a group of the students, interrogated them at the army base in the town of Iguala and then handed them to a drug gang, according to a copy of his testimony reported by newspaper Reforma.

Former defence minister Salvador Cienfuegos, recently arrested on US drug charges that were later dropped, long refused to allow investigators access to soldiers at the base over their possible involvement in the massacre.

The witness said mem-

A student looks on as family members gather to mark the 74th month since the disappearance of the 43 students of the Ayotzinapa College “Raul Isidro Burgos” in the state of Guerrero, in Mexico City, Mexico, November 26, 2020 (Edgard Garrido file photo)

bers of the Guerreros Unidos gang hacked up some of the students with machetes and took their remains to a crematorium controlled by the gang, while others were dissolved in acid, Reforma reported.

Evidence was sown at a rubbish dump, the witness said, to support a narrative being pushed by the federal government at the time.

The witness’s testimony is included in the Attorney

General office’s investigation of the case.

Lopez Obrador confirmed Reforma’s reporting reflected the testimony in the investigation.

“What Reforma published is in the Prosecutor’s file.

I don’t know how they got it, but it’s real,” said Lopez Obrador. He cautioned that the accusations were based on only one witness. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Trinidad records 1st case of COVID-19 variant

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rinidad and Tobago has recorded its first confirmed case of the COVID-19 Variant of Concern (UK) – Variant B117, the Trinidad Express reported.

The report said “the presence of the variant was confirmed via a gene sequencing study at the Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, which has

been testing COVID-19 positive samples collected since September 2020. The patient is a returned national who travelled from the United Kingdom.”

hile students in need and those facing exams are being given priority for electronic devices for schoolwork, a means test to be given to other students will examine if their household has devices or receives Government grants.

This was indicated by acting Chief Education Officer Lisa Henry-David at Wednesday’s parliamentary committee meeting on the hybrid learning system.

Henry-David said devices were first given to students in need, including those doing exams.

The Telecommunications Authority of T&T has offered 10,000 devices and there are 9000 first for students in Standard Five and Forms Five and Six – they won’t have to take a means test.

As more devices are obtained, the Ministry will offer them to other students based on the means test.

This will examine informa-

Director of Curriculum Planning and Development at the Education Ministry, Anna Singh (left) and acting Chief Education Officer Lisa Henry-David at Wednesday’s virtual parliamentary committee meeting

tion on students, including the caregiver’s financial information, number of people in the household, number of devices in the household and if persons receive Government grants.

She said the means test will, however, take time to be formatted.

JSC member Rudy Indarsingh said he hoped students in households which receive a Government grant would not be debarred

from getting devices.

Henry-David said TATT’s arrangement targets disadvantaged students in rural and inner-city areas and for service providers to connect where there’s no connectivity. She said providers are aware of underserved geographical areas. Interaction with those authorities will continue for the Ministry to ensure all students are served. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Justice Minister calls on Jamaicans to support NIDS

J

ustice Minister Delroy Chuck, has called on Jamaicans to support the National Identification System (NIDS), as it will prevent identity theft from affecting hard-working Jamaicans whose information fall into the hands of criminals through cyberspace.

While responding to issues outlined during the third Joint Select Committee on National Identification & Registration Act, 2020, Virtual Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday both online and through traditional media outlets, from the Banquet Hall at Jamaica House, Chuck reiterated the importance for Jamaicans to support the new identifica-

tion system.

“One of the great benefits of the NIDS identification when it’s actually implemented is that it will avoid identity theft. We have so many Jamaicans now who have suffered from identity theft, and their bank accounts have been depleted, because criminals are able to use, by whatever means, identification that has been stolen,” the minister said.

“So, with the NIDS identity, probably the best benefit, if I might put it that way, is that the individual will have a unique identity and no one can steal it, and to that extent, it is a benefit that all Jamaicans should appreciate,” added Chuck, who is also Chairman of the

Joint Select Committee.

Meanwhile, NIDS Programme Director, Warren Vernon, highlighted that the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA), reported over 2000 cases of passport fraud cases between 2009 and 2019, while the National Security Ministry reported over 400 cases involving identity theft.

“The aggregate losses arising from all bank-related frauds are connected to identity issues, costing the country over $600 million, so yes, the NIDS is significantly different from all other IDs that we have now,” he said. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

Mother, daughter, friend admit to killing St Augustine man

A

woman, her daughter and a family friend on Wednesday pleaded guilty to killing a St Augustine man in 2006.

Gewan Pardassie, Ramdaye Ramlal and her daughter Kareen Ramlal appeared virtually before Justice Hayden St ClairDouglas during a virtual hearing from the Golden Grove and the Women’s prison.

They are charged with killing Anil Jadoo at his Deokiesingh Street, St Augustine home on May 3, 2006.

Jadoo’s body was found by a relative. He died from

blunt force trauma to the skull and brain, according to autopsy reports.

The facts of the murder were not read out at Wednesday’s hearing since Prosecutors Indira Chinebas and Ambay Ramkelawan said they needed instructions to discontinue a conspiracy to murder charge against the three accused.

Prior to the charge being read out to them, and them entering their guilty pleas, St Clair-Douglas questioned the two women on their intention to admit to the killing.

He explained that bio-social and probation reports

gave the impression that they were denying responsibility for the murder.

“If you are denying, then you should not plead guilty,” the Judge advised.

Each of the women said they understood that by pleading guilty to the charge of felony murder, they were agreeing they were responsible for the crime.

After the indictment was read out to them separately, all three then pleaded guilty and the matter was adjourned to February 4, when their Attorneys will each make a plea for mitigation on their behalf. (Excerpt from Trinidad Newsday)

guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021

19

Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Oil declines after unexpected build in US inventory

O

il prices slipped on Thursday after industry data showed a surprise increase in US crude inventories that revived pandemic-related fuel demand concerns, while US stimulus hopes buoyed prices.

Brent crude futures fell three cents to US$56.05 a barrel.

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures settled 18 cents, or 0.3 per cent, lower at US$53.13 per barrel.

Both benchmarks rose over the past two days on expectations of massive COVID-19 relief spending under new US President Joe Biden.

Late Wednesday, industry data showed US crude oil inventories rose 2.6 million barrels last week, compared with analysts’ forecasts in a Reuters poll for a 1.2 million-barrel draw.

Official inventory data has been delayed by two days to Friday due to the Martin Luther King Jr holiday and Inauguration Day. “We are on pause until we get the inventory report,” said Phil Flynn, senior analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago.

“The market is waiting to see what we’re going to see in inventories tomorrow and stimulus down the road.”

Elsewhere, compliance with a deal to cut output from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies fell in December from November. Compliance reached 99 per cent last month, two sources told Reuters.

(Excerpt from CNBC)

Pfizer-BioNTech agree to supply WHO coled COVID-19 vaccine scheme – sources

Syringes filled with a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine are prepared at the CHIREC Delta Hospital in Brussels, Belgium, January 21, 2021

P

fizer and BioNTech have agreed to supply their COVID-19 vaccine to the World Health Organisation co-led COVAX vaccine access scheme, two sources familiar with the deal said, the latest in a series of shots to be included in the project aimed at lower-income countries.

The deal is expected to be announced today, according to the sources, who declined to be named due to the confidentiality of the agreement.

Details on the size of the deal or the price per dose COVAX would pay were not immediately clear, but the sources said the allotment would likely be relatively small. One source said the reason for the limited vol-

ume was that the doses were primarily meant for healthcare workers in the countries that COVAX serves.

BioNTech declined to comment while Pfizer did not respond to requests for comment. Spokespeople for the WHO and the GAVI vaccine alliance, which co-leads the COVAX scheme, also declined to comment.

Senior WHO adviser Bruce Aylward said on Monday the COVAX scheme was in “very detailed discussions” with Pfizer, which has already committed hundreds of millions of doses this year to several wealthy nations, and expected to be able to include the vaccine in COVAX “very soon”.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Biden seeks 5-year extension of New START arms treaty with Russia

U

S President Joe Biden will seek a five-year extension to the New START arms control treaty with Russia, the White House said on Thursday, in one of the first major foreign policy decisions of the new Administration ahead of the treaty’s expiration in early February.

“The President has long been clear that the New START treaty is in the national security interests of the United States. And this extension makes even more sense when the relationship with Russia is adversarial as it is at this time,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a briefing.

She also said Biden had “tasked” the US intelligence community for its full assessment of the Solar Winds cyber breach,

Then Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (right) shakes hands with then US Vice President Joe Biden during their meeting in Moscow, March 10, 2011 (Alexander Natruskin file photo)

Russian interference in the 2020 election, Russia’s use of chemical weapons against Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny, and alleged bounties on US soldiers in Afghanistan.

“Even as we work with

Russia to advance US interests, so too we work to hold Russia to account for its reckless and adversarial actions,” Psaki said.

The arms control treaty, which is due to expire on February 5, limits the

United States and Russia to deploying no more than 1550 strategic nuclear warheads each.

In addition to restricting the number of deployed strategic nuclear weapons to its lowest level in decades, New START also limits the land- and submarine-based missiles and bombers that deliver them.

The treaty’s lapse would end all restraints on deployments of US and Russian strategic nuclear warheads and the delivery systems that carry them, potentially fuelling a new arms race, policy experts have said.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday it remained committed to extending New START and would welcome efforts promised by the Biden Administration to reach agreement. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Ghana “babyDeadly twin suicide attack hits harvesting central Baghdad syndicate” arrested

A

t least 32 people have been killed and 110 wounded in a rare twin suicide bombing that tore through a busy area of central Baghdad on Thursday morning, Iraqi officials said.

Defence Ministry spokesperson Yahya Rasool told Al Jazeera one of the two perpetrators lured a crowd of people towards him in a market in the central Tayaran Square by feigning illness, only to detonate his explosives.

The second bomber struck as people helped victims of the first attack, Rasool said.

The attack is the first

twin bombing in Baghdad since January 2018, when 35 people were killed and 90 injured in the same square that was targeted on Thursday.

Videos from Thursday’s attack show scenes of chaos, with people running for cover and bodies strewn across pavements and the road.

The Health Ministry said the capital’s hospitals were being mobilised to treat the wounded. While officials suggested the death toll is likely to rise as many of those injured in the attack are in critical condition.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Russia rounds up allies of Kremlin foe Navalny in protest warning

P

olice in Moscow on Thursday detained several allies of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, including his spokeswoman, for making calls online to join unauthorised street protests to demand his release.

Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s most prominent critic, was detained at the weekend and later jailed for alleged parole violations after flying back to Russia for the first time since being poisoned by a military-grade nerve agent.

He accuses Putin of ordering his murder, which the Kremlin denies. His supporters have called for

nationwide protests on Saturday, hoping to press the Kremlin into letting him walk free ahead of parliamentary elections in September.

In Brussels, responding to Navalny’s arrest, European Union lawmakers called for the bloc to stop the completion of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to take Russian natural gas to Europe.

Several of Navalny’s allies in Russia said Police had come to their homes, including that of his spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh, who was later detained for allegedly disobeying Police orders and violating protest laws. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Two babies were sold to undercover investigators for about US$5000 each

M

embers of an alleged "baby-harvesting" and child-trafficking syndicate have been arrested in Ghana.

It follows a sting operation where two babies were sold to investigators for about US$5000 and US$4800 each.

The 11 suspects include two doctors, four nurses, two mothers, two social welfare officers, and a traditional birth attendant.

They were allegedly operating at health facilities in the capital, Accra, and the neighbouring city of Tema.

Authorities believe some of the mothers may have been told their babies had died after delivery.

They say others who were

unable to take care of their new-borns may have been encouraged to sell them.

The two rescued baby boys are now in the care of the authorities.

The BBC's Thomas Naadi in Accra says the case has come as a surprise to many in Ghana, where talk of "baby-harvesting" is not new, but until now there had been no evidence of the practice.

Elsewhere in the continent, a number of so-called "baby factories" have been reported in recent years in Nigeria, and Kenya's government has ordered an investigation into the theft and sale of babies following a BBC investigation. (Excerpt from BBC News)

UK bans passengers from Tanzania, DRC to control spread of COVID variant

B

ritain is banning all arrivals from Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo from today to stop the spread of the South Africa COVID-19 variant, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said in a tweet on

Thursday.

“All passengers from these countries except British & Irish nationals and third-country nationals with residents rights will be denied entry,” Shapps wrote in his tweet.

(Reuters)

20

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021

guyanatimesgy.com

ARCHIE

ARIES

(March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

DILBERT

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

Live and learn. Learn something new. Don’t let a change someone makes or a problem with an institution throw you off guard. Utilize your time and money carefully.

Work with people you know will come through for you. A partnership based on equality will help you overcome any situation you face. Follow your heart and instincts. Romance will enhance your life.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Refuse to let anyone cause instability in your life.

Get along with your peers, but don’t share personal information that could be used against you. Stick to what and who you know and trust.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

SUDOKU

Check the facts before you pass along information. An exaggerated version of a situation will make you look bad. You can be creative and attract attention without being misleading.

CANCER (June 21July 22)

PEANUTS

CALVIN AND HOBBES

Your enthusiasm will attract attention, but it will attract those who want to exploit your energy to get ahead. Don’t do something for others without receiving what you want in return.

Enjoy the company of those with whom you share common goals. You will learn much and contribute much, as well. Keep an open mind, but don’t lose sight of your ultimate goals.

Romance is featured.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Keep your money and possessions in a safe place.

Don’t share financial information or leave your passwords on display. Be smart when dealing with someone close to you.

SCORPIO

A partnership will experience difficulties. Hesitation will be an indication of uncertainty regarding whether you are heading in the same direction. Personal growth and romance are favored.

(Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Conversations will lead SAGITTARIUS to emotional fallout. Think (Nov. 23before you speak, and Dec. 21) question what’s said before you react. An exaggerated opinion will lead to assumptions and premature judgment.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

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

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Use your charm to entice others to do things your way. You’ll gain support if you do something nice for a friend, relative or colleague.

A change at home will pay off. Romance is featured.

Refuse to let anyone control what you can do.

Gather information, and make a move only if you feel it will benefit you.

Helping others is admirable, but not when it’s at your expense.

Be a good listener, but don’t share personal secrets or get involved in gossip. Review your accomplishments, and consider what’s in your best interest as you move forward.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021

W

21

West Indies have to play harder, dig deeper, says Alzarri Joseph

est Indies can no longer think about their lack of experience if they are to beat Bangladesh at home. Fast bowler Alzarri Joseph, one of the few members of this squad to have ODI caps prior to the game, said they now have enough information about the opposition and conditions to mount a comeback in the second game on Friday.

West Indies went down by six wickets after being bowled out for 122. Joseph gave them a steady start, before left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein showed that their bowling has the bite that their batting lacked.

Joseph, who went wicketless in his eight overs but was highly economical, said the West Indies camp is very motivated to bounce back in the second game, knowing full well that another defeat would be the end of the series for them.

“It probably might have boiled down to not hav-

ing the experience playing against a team that is well experienced,” Joseph said.

“Probably a bit of (lack of) application as well. But that being said, we have already seen what is there to come at us, so we have no excuses in the second ODI. We have seen their bowling attack and somewhat of their batting, so we should be well prepared to give a better showing in the second ODI. “Everyone is aware of what’s at stake. Everyone is pumped up to give a better showing in the second ODI. It is really important for us to come in. This game is even more important than the last one. If we lose this game, it’s the series. Everyone knows exactly what they need to do.

We have to play harder, dig deeper, and push the Bangladeshis all the way.

From ball one to ball 300.”

Joseph admitted that had there been a hundred more runs on the board in

the first game, they could have made a good fist of it.

He said the pace bowlers have to show patience in order to get the best out of pitches that are generally spin-friendly.

“Maybe 220 would have been a more challenging total based on what the bowlers put up yesterday. A few more early wickets and you don’t know what could have happened. It wasn’t the best (pitch) to bat on, if I was to be honest. As a fast-bowling group, we have to be more consistent, hit good areas, also play the patient game.

I know its 50 overs, not necessarily the longest format, but being patient in the good areas is what is needed for the fast bowlers to be successful in this wicket,” he said.

West Indies could have made a bigger score on Wednesday, particularly after Kyle Mayers and Rovman Powell added 59 runs for the sixth wicket, but from 115 for 5,

Alzarri Joseph realises that both he and his team need to take more responsibility with the bat

they slipped to 122 all out.

Joseph said the lower order must take a bit more responsibility, and he himself has ambitions to become an allrounder, although his first priority is bowling.

“We all have our roles to play, weight to pull. If the top half got skittled out earlier, the bottom half has to pull that weight. It is a

team, we all need to look within ourselves and realise that this is international cricket, and we have to do better.

“Personally, I am aiming to become an allrounder myself. But, as of now, I am just taking everything step by step. I am looking to firstly do my main attribute, which is contribute what I can with the ball, and then I will give my best in batting”, he explained.

Joseph has however

ruled out the notion that bowling first is the best way to go with their fragile batting and somewhat better bowling attack.

“A toss could go either way. We all have to be prepared for what we have to do first, or second. I think it all boils down to cricket.

“We shouldn’t focus on the toss. We have to be better than Bangladesh in all three aspects if we want to win games,” he said.

(ESPNcricinfo)

Sergio Aguero: Man City striker’s comeback delayed after positive Covid-19 test

a

Cavs end Nets’ winning streak

…As Sexton outshines ‘Big three’

A

Brooklyn Nets team featuring James Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, playing together for the first time, lost 147-135 to the Cleveland Cavaliers after second overtime.

‘The Big Three’, among the current highest paid NBA stars, played more than 48 minutes, and combined for 28 points in the fourth quarter.

However, Collin Sexton

scored a career-high 42 points to win it for the Cavaliers. He also scored a three-pointer with 1.2 seconds left in the first overtime.

Durant led the Nets’ scoring with 38 points, but missed a potential game-winning shot at the buzzer in the first overtime, as the Nets lost a five-point lead with just under two minutes remaining, and saw a four-game

winning streak end.

The Nets are fifth in the Eastern Conference with nine wins and seven defeats, and the Cavaliers are one place below them.

Centre Joel Embiid scored 42 points and managed 10 rebounds, as Eastern Conference leaders the Philadelphia 76ers overcame the Boston Celtics 117-109. Tobias Harris added 22 points for the Sixers, who have won

eight of nine at home.

The Los Angeles Clippers took advantage of city rivals the Lakers’ slip-up on Tuesday with a 115-96 victory over the Sacramento Kings to go top of the Western Conference.

Kawhi Leonard produced a man-of-the-match performance with 32 points, six steals and five assists, as the Clippers recorded their fifth consecutive win. (BBC Sport)

T

he Argentine, who has only played a total of 141 minutes across five appearances this season, was already isolating after coming into contact with a positive case. The 32-year-old tweeted: “I had some symptoms and I’m following doctor’s orders for recovery.”

Aguero missed the past three matches as he self-isolated and is now set to be out for a longer spell. This is the latest setback for City’s all-time top scorer following knee and hamstring problems earlier in the campaign.

Aguero, who has been with the club since 2011, has only figured for 31 minutes since being substitut-

ed at half-time in the draw at West Ham on 24 October.

On Tuesday, City boss Pep Guardiola said his side had coped without their star striker, but that they needed him back.

“Sergio is a player who can create for himself and win a game by himself but he has not been with us for a long time,” the Catalan boss said. “When we didn’t have him we could have started complaining. but we did completely the opposite.

“We want him back as soon as possible. But at the same time, we have to go forward and we have done that because of the quality and skills that we have.”

(BBC Sport)

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O

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021

GASA hopeful of getting access to Aquatic Centre soon

n the heels of a meeting with the subject Minister for Sport, Charles Ramson Jr., Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) President Dwayne Scott is very optimistic about the prospects of the sport discipline, going forward.

One of the key topics on the agenda was both entities’ involvement in getting the local swimmers back into the pool in anticipation for the Tokyo Olympics. To Scott’s delight, the opportunity for swimmers to get back into action is on the horizon.

“The Minister indicated that he will work and provide us with a solution for that, and he promised that before the end of the week we should have access to the

GASA President, Dwayne Scott

pool (Aquatic Centre) for the athletes to train. He assured up that he will take the responsibility of working out with the Task Force and the Ministry of Health,” Scot said.

In the interest of protecting athletes, he continued by saying, “They asked us to provide him with a list of details and names of the athletes and actions that we

will take to protect the athletes. That information (has) been provided to him, and he will provide a letter to us, giving approvals with the names of the athletes, (so) that that will be able to use the facility.”

Sending a contingent to the Olympics is no easy feat, and with the need to take caution in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the overall cost for such an activity is expected to be steep.

With this in mind, the GASA President has taken the bold step to request assistance from the MCY&S. “For the athletes who are involved in Olympics’ preparation, the Minister indicated that he is also willing to assist us with some financials to take them through this developmental phase.

Farfan and Mendes Ltd renews RHTY&SC cricket sponsorship for 25th year

We need to put together a budget and approach the Minister on this, and he will advise us on what can be made available.”

Scott further advised, “This is notwithstanding the fact that all these athletes currently do have some form of support from the Guyana Olympic Association. It will not be a duplication, but it will be an addition to that, because some expenses have gone up, due to the COVID and different circumstances.”

Essentially, Scott noted, he is grateful for the fruit-

ful discussion with the Sport Minister on the way forward for Swimming.

“So, this is what was discussed. We are extremely grateful for whatever opportunities are provided to this discussion, and whatever initiatives can be fostered and developed and realised through these engagements.

I think it’s a commendable job being done by the Minister in trying to meet with the associations on a monthly basis, just to get updates and to work through situations and work through things,” Scott said.

No World Cup for European Super League players

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-warns FIFA

S

ponsorship deals in Guyana for sports normally last a few years, and, over the last decade, most sports organisations have struggled to obtain sponsorship from corporate Guyana.

On Tuesday last, Guyana’s leading youth and sports club, the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC), renewed its long-standing relationship with Farfan and Mendes during a simple presentation at the company’s Head Office at Providence, East Bank Demerara.

The two organisations have enjoyed a very close working relationship since 1996.

RHTY&SC Secretary/ CEO Hilbert Foster has described the long serving sponsor as one of the main reasons why the club is widely called the best in the country. He noted that Farfan and Mendes Ltd is the longest serving supporter of the RHTY&SC’s activities.

The relationship started with a donation of a grass cutter to the club in March 1996, done towards the upkeep of the Area H Ground, and then financial support followed from 1997. The Rose Hall Town Farfan and Mendes Ltd Under 15 team has won five Berbice championships under the name of the sponsorship, and undertaken over 1000 community-related programmes.

Those programmes include cricket academies, senior citizens breakfast, youth information booklets, beach cleanup campaign, tribute to mothers and fathers, summer camps, feeding of the less fortunate, food hampers project, tribute to heroes, medical outreaches, Say No/Say YES campaign, Mash Parade and youth inspirational forums.

The club has also produced dozens of players who have gone on to represent Berbice, Guyana and the

F

RHTY&SC Asst Secretary/CEO Simon Naidu receiving sponsorship from Joshanna Marcus of Farfan and Mendes Ltd

West Indies. Among those players are Assad Fudadin, Royston Crandon, Delbert Hicks, Dominic Rikhi, Abdel Fudadin, Khemraj Mahadeo, Murphy La Rose, Kelvon Anderson, Junior Williams, Shawn Perreira, Slyus Tyndall, Matthew Pottaya, Jonathan Rampersaud, Jeremy Sandia, Christopher Deroop, Chanderpaul Govindra, Mahendra Gopilall, Shemaine Campbelle, Sheneta Grimmond and Shabaki Gajnabi.

Fudadin, Crandon, Anderson, Campbelle, Grimmond and Gajnabi have all gone on to represent the West Indies at different levels.

RHTY&SC Asst Secretary/ CEO Simon Naidu has stated that the 25-year relationship has touched and changed the lives of countless persons on the cricket field, in the class room, and in their homes.

The company, over the years, has also co-sponsored the club’s annual youth magazines, cricket academy, summer camp, charity programme, Christmas Village,

Say No/Say Yes campaign, and youth information booklet, among numerous other activities.

Naidu reassured the company management that the club would continue to uphold its high standard in 2021, and would always strive to be the best on and off the cricket field.

The team would be led

by Rapheal Fraser, with Raj Tika as his deputy in 2021.

Long serving club executive Ravinranauth Kissoonlall is the manager, while Tyrone Pottaya is his deputy. The team would also complete sixty community projects under the sponsorship during the year.

Farfan and Mendes Marketing Executive Onai Vasconcellos hailed the outstanding work of the club over the years, and noted that his company is delighted to be associated with the RHTY&SC. Vasconcellos noted that the relationship has lasted for so long because the club has been an outstanding representative of his company brand on and off the cricket field.

IFA has warned that any player competing in a European Super League would become ineligible to take part in World Cups, European Championships, or the Champions League.

Speculation is rife that the biggest clubs from the Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1 are keen on forming a breakaway competition, but football’s world governing body has taken a strong stance against such ideas.

A joint statement from FIFA and the six continental federations read: “In light of recent media speculation about the creation of a closed European ‘Super League’ by some European clubs, FIFA and the six confederations (AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC and UEFA) once again would like to reiterate and strongly emphasise that such a competition would not be recognised by either FIFA or the respective confederation.

“Any club or player involved in such a competition would, as a consequence, not be allowed to participate in any competition organised by FIFA or their respective confederations.

“As per the FIFA and confederation statutes, all competitions should be organised or recognised by the relevant body at their respective level, by FIFA at the global level, and by the confedera-

tions at the continental level.

“In this respect, the confederations recognise the Club World Cup in its current and new format as the only worldwide club competition, while FIFA recognises the club competitions organised by the confederations as the only club continental competitions.

“The universal principles of sporting merit solidarity, promotion and relegation, and subsidiarity are the foundation of the football pyramid that ensures football’s global success, and are, as such, enshrined in the FIFA and confederation statutes.

“Football has a long and successful history, thanks to these principles. Participation in global and continental competitions should always be won on the pitch.”

It was reported in October that FIFA was hoping to create a closed 18-team tournament that would be dubbed the ‘European Premier League’.

However, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said he was “not interested” in the idea, and felt the existing Club World Cup had greater potential.

Prior to his resignation as Barcelona President, Josep Maria Bartomeu revealed at a news conference that he had accepted a proposal for the club to join the proposed European Super League. (Sportsmax)

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

23

New year, new start, selectors had their reason: Crandon on Foo’s omission – Paul, Rutherford will be missed

By Brandon Corlette

T

he Guyana Jaguars have announced a strong 15-man squad to contest next month’s Regional Super50 Cup in Antigua. Head Coach of the Jaguars, Esuan Crandon, has said it is good 15man squad on paper, but the all-round services of Keemo Paul and Sherfane Rutherford would be missed.

He also shared some sentiments on the non-selection of Jonathan Foo, explaining that the selectors had there reason why he was not selected.

“I think we have a decent team on paper, a bit of experience, pretty much balance in terms of youth and experience. Probably we would have liked to have (had) the services of Rutherford or Paul, who would bring their all-round ability that would have been an ideal spot, but it is what it is,” Crandon said.

Further, he noted that this 15-man squad would be aiming to finalise the preparation, start the tournament well, and be capable of winning the championship.

“It is just for me to prepare them well, get them physically and mentally prepared for this tournament,” he de-

Sherfane Rutherford

clared.

Shedding light on the non-selection of Foo,

Crandon said: “Everyone cannot be selected, but the selectors picked the best 15, who they think can represent Guyana this year. Foo would have loved to be

i n the squad, but the selectors d i d not go that way, obviously they had their reason why, nothing much for me Jonathan Foo to say at the moment. We all know what he is capable of, we saw it last season; but, I mean, it’s a new year and a new start,” Crandon explained.

According to a recent Cricket Guyana Inc. (CGI) release, Paul

will sit out the tournament in order to facilitate adequate recovery from an injury, whereas Rutherford, who was considered for selection, has opted to play T/10 and T/20 cricket in Bangladesh and Pakistan respectively, which collectively coincides with his time demands to play for the Guyana Jaguars during the Regional Super 50.

For those players not selected, Crandon has said he is encouraging them to continue working hard and they would be provided with some clarity in areas they need to work on to get in the team.

“The best they can do

Esuan Crandon

is use this as an additional motivation. Control what you can control, and leave the rest to the selectors,” Crandon explained.

The Jaguars have four solid opening options with the bat. Hemraj is expected to be the first-choice opener, while Trevon Griffith, Assad Fudadin and Tevin Imlach are openers by nature. Shimron Hetmyer, who is expected to bat at number three, will boost the left-handed stacked top-order.

Seasoned Jaguars cap-

tain Leon Johnson and Christopher Barnwell are expected to fill those number four and five slots.

Anthony Bramble may bat at number six, if Imlach is not the gloves man at the top of the order. If the latter does play, Akshaya Persaud may fill that void at number six.

With the absence of Rutherford, Raymon Reifer and Paul, all-rounder Romario Shepherd may be called upon to bat and add impetus to the innings. The Jaguars are equipped with three spinners in Gudakesh Motie, Kevin Sinclair and Ramaal Lewis, while Keon Joseph and Nial Smith are the other pacers in the balanced squad. However, Jaguars are without that extra variety in a front-line leg-spinner.

Jaguars Super50 squad reads: Chandrapaul Hemraj, Trevon Griffith, Christopher Barnwell, Leon Johnson (Captain), Shimron Hetmyer (vice-captain), Assad Fudadin, Keon Joseph, Romario Shepherd, Kevin Sinclair, Ramaal Lewis, Nial Smith, Gudakesh Motie, Anthony Bramble, Akshaya Persaud and Tevin Imlach.

API important to Olympic qualification for locals A s expected, the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) is backing the upcoming Aliann Pompey Invitational Track meet, slated for June this year.

The event which was founded in 2016 and missed out in 2020, owing to the Coronavirus Pandemic, has long proven to be a catalyst for local athletes to come up against regional and international competitors and

meet qualification marks.

It will be no different in 2020, as the meet will pave the way for some local athletes to score points for the Tokyo Olympic Qualification.

AAG President, Aubrey Hutson spoke to the quality of the event, noting that it was essential enough for them to shift their calendar dates.

“Our National Youth and Junior Championships should have been on the 19th of June but we would have released that for the Aliann Pompey Invitational (API) which again gives the athletes much needed competition especially if the foreigners do come for Aliann Pompey and we’re also certain that they will,” Hutson shared.

Although it may not bring in as much points as other events, Hutson stressed on the importance of the meet.

The AAG Boss stated, “Yes, the points earned are not as high but we still think that Aliann Pompey Invitation is a very important staple in our calendar, so we would have

freed up that space so the meet can run on that day,” On the other hand, Pompey in a correspondence on Wednesday shared that an major part of planning the tournament surrounded the date, which in her opinion was perfect for Olympic Qualification.

“I think the date is ideal for a number of reasons.

It’s not too early in the season, that athletes haven’t gotten a chance to get into their training rhythm and it’s also well within the Olympic Qualifying time so that athletes can qualify for the games by competing at the API,” the former Olympian said.

Local athletes, who have their heart set on Olympic Qualification, will also get the chance to bag some points at the National Seniors Championship in April and the South American Seniors in May. After being pushed back in 2020, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic the Olympic is currently slated for July 23 to August 8.

However, there are still uncertainties surrounding the hosting of the global tournament.

Connell hard at work with new coaching staff in Antigua camp

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021 is the year of Shamilia Connell, who is ready to cement her name as one of the best bowlers in women’s cricket.

She returned from injury in late 2019 and continued to perform well in 2020, now she’s looking to remain consistent and lead the West Indies to more victories.

The tall, strongly built fast bowler is also looking forward to working with new Head Coach, Courtney Walsh, with whom she worked with previously during the ICC Women’s

T20 World Cup in Australia a year ago.

In her career so far in the maroon, she has achieved the feat of 50 wickets -- 20 in One-Day Internationals and 30 in T20 Internationals. Her best bowling figures were 3-14 against England in Derby in September last year.

She is presently part of the West Indies women camp at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua and attributes her current consistency, to work

with Walsh and assistant coach Corey Collymore who worked with her during the tour to England last September and recently back in Barbados.

With the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 Qualifiers looming in July, Connell is focusing on improving her game all-round and is excited to compete in the qualifiers and do her part in ensuring that the West Indies women book their spot in New Zealand for the main event next year. (CWI)

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021

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

New year, new start, selectors API important to Olympic Page 23 had their reason: Crandon on Foo’s omission qualification for locals Pg 23

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