Guyana Times - Friday June 11, 2021

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Page 9

Issue No. 4675

THE BEACON OF TRUTH FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021

PRICE

Intense rainfall

Over 29,000 households affected by floods – PM tells National Assembly …some 200 persons in shelters

…more than 37,400 hampers distributed

$80 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE:

2 more COVID-19 deaths, 149 new cases recorded

…PSC urges population to get vaccinated P10

Pyramid scheme agents slapped with money laundering P12 charges

P13 Police in prosecution mode – Commander tells COVID violators

APNU/AFC sugar estate closures led to rise in suicide, alcohol abuse Page 2

…after weekly income dropped by 64% – ILO report

Govt to expunge National Assembly to debate $10B all public records of emergency flood relief "wrongdoing" package Monday

by Dr Walter Rodney Page 15

Page 7

…death certificate details to also change

President Ali to meet bankers, creditors to help flood-affected debtors See story on page 3

Teen arrested for absconding with $8.2M in workers’P14 salaries Football Coach nabbed with illegal gun, P11 ammo

Businessman, P14 employee get life sentences for trader’s murder …3rd murder accused dies before sentencing

Barber chopped to head, arm P14 by drunken man

2 NEWS

FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

APNU/AFC sugar estate closures led to rise in suicide, alcohol abuse …after weekly income dropped by 64% – ILO report A section of the report states, “At the household level, there could have been compensating increases in economic activities outside of the sugar industry, and there could have been an increase in the number of other persons within the household who engaged in income-earning activities after the closures. The focus group data, however, confirmed that weekly household incomes had also fallen dramatically by 64 per cent, from an average of $32,238

Director of UG’s GREEN Institute, Dr Thomas Singh

A

report on the socioeconomic impact of the sugar estate closures revealed that weekly household income fell by a startling 64 per cent, fuelling an escalation in alcohol abuse, crime and suicide in affected communities.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) launched its findings on Thursday, giving an in-depth analysis of the challenges faced by sugar workers and thousands more in the secondary network. Funded by the Organisation’s Caribbean Resilience Project, the study was conducted by Director of the University of Guyana GREEN Institute, Dr Thomas B Singh, with support from the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU).

rhythm of life of individuals and the communities, the aspirations of families, the opportunities that existed for alternative employment, the types and successes of business ventures, the services available in the community – every single thing seemed to depend on the functioning of sugar estates.”

Dr Singh underscored that from his findings that workers affected by the closures had more leisure time, resulting in the “prevalence of excessive alcohol con-

“It is heart-breaking to read the painful consequences of commodity market fluctuations and sugar estate closures that have impacted workers and their families, economically, socially and personally.

The study offers many lessons for policy-making and implementation in economic diversification and social services. It underlines the importance of stakeholder consultation and engagements in decision-making” – UN’s Mikiko Tanaka to $18,450 after the closures.”

It added that the overarching factor, which played a very important part in the livelihoods of laid-off persons, was the “sheer dominance” of the sugar estates in the economies of the communities surrounding each one.

Despair, hopelessness

“The

incomes,

the

Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh

sustained after closures,” he vocalised during the launch.

Meanwhile, the report added, “An increase in crime is not unrelated to an increase in substance abuse itself, but beyond that, many of the factors that lead to an increase in substance abuse

from which workers, their families, and communities could have benefited as they learnt to deal with the closure of estates in a manner that would sustain their livelihoods.”

The 2016 downsizing of the sugar industry by the former A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) Administration saw the dismissal of 5160 workers, including 1889 from Skeldon Estate and 1531 from East Demerara Estate.

Dismissals from the Wales and Rose Hall Estates both numbered below 1000.

To the extent that persons were able to find employment, all workers had to bear their own transportation costs, the highest being at Wales. Weekly transportation costs amounted to an average of $1200 or 6.5 per cent of weekly house-

UN Resident Coordinator Mikiko Tanaka

estates, at 60 per cent and 55 per cent respectively. The unemployment rates among the respondents drawn from the Berbice estates were lower, with Skeldon and Rose Hall unemployment rates pegged at 12.5 per cent and 20 per cent respective-

sumption in rural communities and in the sugar belt”.

Suicide and crime rates also took a leap.

“Career aspirations of children were shattered.

Suicide, alcohol consumption and crime increased in each of the affected communities, as perceived by the respondents in the focus groups. As mentioned before, incomes fell significantly so livelihoods were not The closed Rose Hall Estate

also led to an increase in crime. This includes the loss of income, unemployment, and the despair and the seeming hopelessness that arose in the households and communities after the closures. These things undermine the very social capital

hold income.

“Many of those who did find new jobs were employed on a part-time or seasonal basis. The highest continuing unemployment rates among the respondents in focus groups, occurred at the Wales and East Demerara

ly. In Rose Hall, many of the laid-off workers found parttime work.”

Diversification

Recommendations from this study included diversifying the industry to produce cellulosic ethanol, adopting renewable energy mediums that would contribute to the realisation of the country’s commitments under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and ensuring sustainability.

“The particular “advanced-biofuels” investment that is being proposed for the sugar industry could co-exist with any proposal to use natural gas to generate power, as the cellulosic ethanol that will be produced would be in the nature of “off-grid energy” that will be used largely by the transport sector that itself could be expected to grow as the economy expands. Additionally, consideration could be given to developing a biorefinery to produce ethanol and other high-value chemicals from lignocellulose, both as a strategy for reducing costs and also for further diversifying the industry,” the document outlined.

TURN TO PAGE 7

NEWS

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FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Friday, June 11 – 04:00h-05:30h and Saturday, June 12 – 04:00h-05:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Friday, June 11 – 17:20h-18:50h and Saturday, June 12 – 05:00h-06:30h.

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

WEATHER TODAY Sunny conditions are expected throughout the day, with clear skies at night. Temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

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

High Tide: 17:13h reaching a maximum height of 2.47 metres.

Low Tide: 10:46h and 22:56h reaching minimum heights of 0.60 metre and 0.77 metre.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, 2021

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COMMODITIES Indicators

US$

Change %

Crude Oil

$72.52/barrel

+0.41

Rough Rice

$233.874/ton

-0.12

London Sugar

$454.70/ton

-1.86

Live Spot Gold

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1899.60

$1900.60

Low/High Change

$1869.70 +1.40

$1901.40 +0.07%

President Ali to meet bankers, creditors to help flood-affected debtors …there is shared national interest to help productive sector back on feet – Finance Minister

W

ith the countrywide floods affecting economic activities, particularly in agricultural and mining communities, President Dr Irfaan Ali will be meeting with bankers and other creditors this weekend to explore ways to alleviate the burden on indebted persons who are currently battling floods.

The Head of State gave this reassurance to residents of Regions Five and Six, which are mainly agriculture-based, during visits there earlier this week.

“We’re scheduling meetings this weekend with the banking system, and what I will also do is ask Minister Zulfikar [Mustapha] to meet with the big millers and creditors and we work out how we can help; how the Government and these people can work together; but that will come after the assessment.

We have to understand what is the total picture, the macro picture. We cannot speak in isolation,” the President said, according to a DPI report.

Cash crop and livestock farmers on the Corentyne Coast have expressed concerns about their crops and the protection and preservation of their cattle amidst the inundation.

Consequently, the President indicated that elevated lands have been made available within Region Six for cattle. These lands can cater to at least 10,000 animals.

Additionally, transportation is being provided by the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) to move the cattle to higher grounds.

Notably, over 40,000 pounds of formulated feed have also been manufactured for cows.

Meanwhile, several mining communities are also experiencing floods in various hinterland regions. While dredge owners are forced to cease operations, some of them have complained that they are being harassed by the banks for loan payments.

President Dr Irfaan Ali

But according to Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh, there is a shared national interest to help the productive sector back on its feet after having been devastated by these floods, which are likely to continue into next month.

He noted that these floods have caused devastation not only to households, but have also tremendously destroyed productive activities.

“You have seen what has happened with farmlands.

You’ve seen what has happened with livestock. You’ve seen what has happened with hinterland roads, which will have implications for access to the interior in terms of mining activities and so on. So, productive activity, particularly agriculture, has been very, very severely hit by these floods.

“A lot of these people have loans in the banks, etcetera, and it is in nobody’s interest to see these people find themselves in a situation where they are in default in loans, or deemed to be bankrupt, or taken to court.

We have a shared interest – Government, the financial sector, the people who are involved in productive activities who are affected [by the floods] – I believe we have a shared national interest in helping everybody back up on their feet,” Dr Singh said in response to a question from Guyana Times.

He explained that Government has recognised the financial distress the people in debt are in, hence the move to reach out to the financial sector to ascertain what can be done to bring some level of relief to these persons. “[We want] to at least engage with the financial sector, to have a discussion on what can be done to minimise the distress that these farmers and miners and others who are involved in productivity activities are facing,” Dr Singh noted.

While the Ali-led Administration has already engaged the banking sector to implement various relief measures to combat the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Finance Minister was unable to say what relief Government will be seeking from the commercial banks on behalf of those in debt.

Meanwhile, President Ali has contended that while Government is taking steps to bring long-term relief, his Government’s immediate priority remains the safety and protection of citizens.

“Presently, our aim is to ensure that people have access to food, water, sanitation and healthcare. That is our immediate task, and that is what we have been doing,” he was quoted as saying in the DPI article.

Nevertheless, the Head of State has reassured flood-affected residents that once the water recedes, Government officials would conduct a complete assessment of the losses. That assessment would determine the interventions the Government would undertake to support those who have lost their livelihoods.

4

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FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 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

National suicide prevention strategy

T

he World Health Organization (WHO) reports that every year close to 800,000 people take their own lives, and there are many more people who attempt suicide. The organization also informed that suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15-to-29-year-olds globally.

Suicide is a mental health problem, often precipitated by one catalyzing factor at a moment’s impulse. This global phenomenon is a scourge affecting every nation of the world.

However, suicides are preventable, and education through generally interactive counselling sessions, especially in schools, churches and at various youth fora; as well as easilyaccessible helplines that could provide timely interventions by way of a conduit – a compassionate listening ear and provision of advice based on rational reasoning, for revealing bad experiences and expressing negative emotions, especially if it is an impersonal one, can serve to reduce the crippling pain to bearable levels, and enable rational thought that diffuses intentions of self-destruction.

In a national context, there needs to be a holistic approach involving multi-sectoral agencies, especially in the health, education and social services sectors.

A comprehensive suicide prevention strategy is imperative to curb and eventually eliminate this scourge from society.

According to the WHO, experiencing conflict, disaster, violence, abuse or loss and a sense of isolation is strongly associated with suicidal behaviour. Suicide rates are also high among vulnerable groups who experience discrimination, such as refugees and migrants; indigenous peoples; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex (LGBTI) persons. By far the strongest risk factor for suicide is a previous suicide attempt.

Prioritising formulating a strategy for suicide prevention has become an imperative, because the consequence is not only the tragic, preventable loss of a life; but this one irreversible and tragic act has many victims, especially loved ones on whom are inflicted a lifetime of unendurable pain and emotional and psychological scars.

Statistically, only 38 countries are reported to have formulated a national suicide prevention strategy.

Raising community awareness and breaking down the taboo is important for countries to make progress in preventing suicide, but this figure is not cast in stone because, according to WHO, globally, the availability and quality of data on suicide and suicide attempts is poor. Only 80 Member States have good quality, vital registration data that can be used directly to estimate suicide rates. The first WHO World Suicide Report, “Preventing suicide: a global imperative”, published in 2014, aims to increase the awareness of the public health significance of suicide and suicide attempts and to make suicide prevention a high priority on the global public health agenda. It also aims to encourage and support countries to develop or strengthen comprehensive suicide prevention strategies in a multisectoral public health approach.

Suicide is one of the priority conditions in the WHO Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP) launched in 2008, which provides evidence-based technical guidance to scale up service provision and care in countries for mental, neurological and substance use disorders. In the WHO Mental Health Action Plan 2013–2020, WHO Member States have committed themselves to working towards the global target of reducing the suicide rate in countries by 10 per cent by 2020.

In addition, the suicide mortality rate is an indicator of target 3.4 of the Sustainable Development Goals: by 2030, to reduce by one third premature mortality from noncommunicable diseases through prevention and treatment, and promote mental health and well-being.

Recently, in Guyana, a 15-year-old student of a city school took her own life. Adolescents are especially at risk of hormone-related fluctuation of moods and they can sink into depression through many catalysts. In this instance, it is being alleged by fellow students that the child was being bullied, humiliated for an alleged wrongdoing by a teacher causing her shame. These accusations against the teacher by the dead child’s classmates need to be thoroughly investigated and, if found culpable, should be removed from their positions and severely punished, even charged, because teaching is not merely a profession but should be a vocation. Teachers have over-arching responsibility of moulding young lives to become the best they can be and becoming rounded, grounded, mature personalities; simultaneous to guiding young minds into achieving their greatest potential for education acquisition.

Even one life lost to suicide is one too many. A listening ear, and rational advice, proffered in a non-judgmental way, can prevent many disturbed persons from taking their own lives.

Military personnel arrive at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) for Exercise Tradewinds 2021, which is sponsored by US Southern Command. Army personnel from 17 nations, including Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, Canada, France and the United Kingdom will be participating (GDF photo)

Simple wisdom dictates that we get vaccinated

Dear Editor, Hard times are all over the world, and here in Guyana, it seems as though Guyanese are still quite unwilling to cooperate with people and measures set out to alleviate worsening situations.

I speak here in terms of the COVID-19 pandemic, and I feel certain that even though Guyana has fared fairly well thus far, things could have been better. So let me make a few very telling comments, and hopefully, some better responses will be evoked from all of us.

First, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), “In countries with the greatest access to vaccines, we are seeing a decline in mortality among older age groups. In these countries, the public health and social measures that have helped to protect people are being eased, but

they must be eased cautiously, and adjusted in line with viral circulation and response capacities.”

Now, this kind of correlation of the downward trend of infection and deaths with accessibility to the vaccines is indeed great news. It means that Guyana, if the cards are played right, can enter into a recovery mode very early.

Secondly, the idea that a lockdown would help Guyana is very foolhardy in nature, and is mythical. In fact, it is the opposite. Emergency Medicine Specialist Dr. Zulfikar Bux explained that, “Based on evidence gathered since the onset of COVID-19, a lockdown to help combat the disease could potentially cause more harm than good.”

Why? Well, I ask that all read the following.

“Citing a 2021 system-

ic review of studies on COVID-19 spread, Dr Bux noted that it was deduced that a low proportion (less than 10 percent) of global infections occurred outdoors, and higher odds (18.7 percent times) compared to outdoors’ transmission. In fact, he noted that experts are convinced that outdoor COVID-19 transmissions may be less than one percent - a state of affairs that was demonstrated in Ireland, where evidence showed only 0.1 percent of COVID-19 infections occurred outdoors.”

So, simply put, we have to respond to the vaccination drive, and in this regard, we have the input of the Government being most robust and futuristic.

In fact, Dr. Bux shared his belief that “vaccination will take us ahead of the pandemic.” Here, in Guyana, as it stands, we are indeed in a good posi-

tion to ‘get ahead’ if only we hasten and get going with the vaccination programme being unrolled.

There is no excuse on behalf of the populace, as Guyana is poised to receive sufficient vaccines for its population before the year ends. Let us remember that “…countries with high vaccination rates have been able to get ahead of the pandemic and substantially reduce deaths and infections from COVID-19.”

In fact, as far back as May 2021, Guyana was able to position itself to get herd immunity, but the key challenge now is for people to come forward for inoculation.

Guyanese must save Guyanese, and Guyana by extension.

The Government has done its part, it is time we do ours.

Yours truly, Attiya Baksh

GECOM must dismiss Lowenfield, Myers, Mingo now

Dear Editor, The trio of Lowenfield, Myers and Mingo will forever be remembered not fondly when elections are discussed in this country and in the diaspora. The many attempts to blatantly rig the March 2nd General Elections are unparalleled in any part of this globe in this age of advanced technology, and are well documented for now and posterity.

These attempts were seen live and direct, and posted on social media for the world to see.

What is disappointing

though, is that, in any part of the democratic world, these three would have been summarily dismissed, given the mountain of irrefutable evidence available.

This clarion call for dismissal of Lowenfield can be traced back to 2020, when Commissioner Robeson Benn filed a motion for Lowenfield to be fired from his post. He had submitted numbers which were not reflected by the Recount, even though he was instructed by the Chairperson to submit numbers reflected by the recount.

A statement by ANUG

was definitive, that he should have been summarily dismissed, and criminal charges instituted against him. This statement read that “Lowenfield’s willful disobedience, recalcitrant and contemptuous attitude through his submission of fraudulent numbers and failure to attend a meeting of national importance scheduled on Saturday 11th July warrants not only summary dismissal, but immediate criminal investigation.” This was in July 2020.

Other organisations, such as the Organization

of American States and the Citizenship Initiative, among several others, also echoed this call, but to no avail. Nearly a year after these calls, and more than one year after the General Elections, we have seen that whilst charges are still being instituted, there has been no dismissal as yet.

It now seems that dismissal is not on GECOM’s agenda. This has become so ludicrous and appears to be a farcical enactment of the sad path where our democracy is now heading.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

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FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021

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Ramjattan and Nagamootoo have lost relevance

Dear Editor, Moses Nagamootoo has seemingly retired from the fray, but Khemraj Ramjattan is seemingly joined at the hip with the destructive coalition cabal in attempts to again lead this country down a destructive path, apparently not seeming to realise he has lost relevance.

Former President, subsequent Leader of the Opposition, and current Vice-President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo called Ramjattan’s filibustering in Parliament during Budget 2017 debates “bluster”, as indeed it was, because Moses Nagamootoo and Khemraj Ramjattan have lost rel-

evance in the coalition Government. Their support base in the AFC has eroded to the point of that party becoming obsolete.

In the pre-2015 General Elections, Guyana was at a crossroads – one road that would have added to the gains enjoyed by Guyanese post-elections of 1992, and one road that would lead this nation back into the days of the PNC administration, with the PNC-led cabal once more in charge of this country’s economy.

The PNC tsunami flattened this country and crushed the soul of this nation like a relentless juggernaut, until it was rescued by the collective ef-

forts of some brave souls, chief among which was the PPP/C under the leadership of the indomitable Dr Cheddi Jagan; and Guyana was restored to democratic and progressive trajectory once more in October 1992.

But Dr Jagan’s PPP has always been betrayed by those it has espoused and empowered, to the detriment of the nation – Burnham being the foremost among all. Leading up to the 2011 elections, Guyana was once more held to ransom by the destructive and self-serving opposition collective and their satellite enclaves; but even more so by the betrayers of Dr. Cheddi Jagan:

by such as Ramjattan and Nagamootoo, who, in pursuing their own agendas and vendettas, strove untiringly, ironically using their former affiliation with the PPP, to deliver this country and people into the hands of the PNC; to be exact, into the hands of Granger and other PNC dinosaurs, even though they knew full well the consequences of their actions.

However, ambition and hatred of Bharrat Jagdeo overcame their reason and subsumed their consciences and morals.

Ramjattan and Nagamootoo had forgotten the fate of late UF leader Peter D’Aguiar, who paid a

dear price for trusting the PNC; but the latter was driven by conviction, while the former was propelled by ambition that has made them myopic and blind to the realities of the bottomless abyss of darkness they were once again leading this country into.

History has judged Peter D’Aguiar, and will no doubt similarly judge this infamous duo; but it is not too late for this country, because there is still a dynamic PPP/C that is imbued with the spirit of that Party’s iconic founder-leader, Dr Cheddi Jagan, to lead another epic, heroic fight to rid this nation of the oppression and suf-

fering that the Guyanese people have endured in the past over the long, relentless, painful years of PNC mismanagement, dictatorship, and destructive practices.

Today the people have recognised that the coalition cabal is a destructive, oppressive, corrupt sham, and trust the leadership of the current PPP/C Administration.

The entire AFC has become obsolete, and Nagamootoo and Ramjattan have completely lost relevance in Guyana’s socio-political construct.

Yours very truly, Erin Northe

Investing in shelters No appearance of Lowenfield, Myers, Mingo at Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts Dear Editor, Several media outlets have reported that Mr Keith Lowenfield, Ms Roxanne Myers and Mr Clairmont Mingo failed to attend the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court on the 9th June 2021 before Her Worship Ms Sherdel Isaacs.

The following is the chronology of events which have led to the misrepresentation of the circumstances, leading to the issuance of a summons to attend court for the above persons.

Keith Lowenfield and Ms Roxanne Myers were invited to attend the CID at Eve Leary on Tuesday 8th June 2021 at 3.30pm.

This invitation was issued

by Senior Superintendent Mitchell Caesar via Nigel Hughes in his capacity as Attorney-at- law for Mr Lowenfield and Ms Myers and to them.

In keeping with the request, both Mr Lowenfield and Ms Myers attended the CID HQ at 3.30pm, where they were informed in a video-recorded interview of the intention of the Guyana Police Force to file two criminal charges of conspiracy to defraud

the electors of Guyana between March 2nd 2020 and August 2nd 2020.

At the conclusion of the video-recorded interviews, Mr Nigel Hughes specifically inquired of Mr Mitchell Caesar when Mr Lowenfield and Ms Myers would be required to attend court, and Mr Caesar indicated that he would contact Mr Hughes to inform him of the date and time, as the charges had not yet been filed.

Caesar then requested the presence of Mr Mingo the following day, and it was agreed that he would attend the CID HQ at 8.15am the following day.

On Wednesday 9th June 2021, at 8.15am, Mr Clairmont Mingo attended the CID HQ with his attorney-at-law. He was informed in a video-recorded interview that the Guyana Police Force intended to institute two charges against him: of conspiring with Keith Lowenfield, Roxanne Myers, Volda Lawrence, Carol Joseph and others to defraud the electors of Guyana in the 2020 National and Regional Elections.

After the conclusion of

the interview, Mr Hughes inquired of the officers when Mr Mingo would be required to attend court.

He was informed that they were unable to say, as the charges had not yet been filed.

Mingo then left Georgetown to return to his home at Belladrum, West Coast Berbice.

At 10.52am, Mr Caesar called Nigel Hughes and asked that all three persons attend court at 11.00am. Hughes informed Mr Caesar that it would be impossible, as Mr Mingo was on his way back to West Coast Berbice, and it may be difficult to attend court in eight minutes. He further indicated to Mr. Caesar that he would have to contact Mr Lowenfield and Ms Myers to inform them of the requirement to attend court in eight minutes, at which point it would be impossible in Georgetown. When informed, Mr Mingo immediately started his return to Georgetown.

At 10.55am, Mr Caesar called Mr Hughes again and informed him that the matter had been fixed for 12:00 noon.

At 11.45am, Mr Mingo and Mr. Lowenfield were standing outside the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court#3, awaiting the 12.00 noon hearing, when the Court Prosecutor informed Mr. Hughes that the matter was called at 11.00am and was adjourned to the 29th June 2021, as there was no evidence that the defendants had been informed. He indicated that the Magistrate has ordered that a summons be issued to the defendants.

It was indicated to the Prosecutor in the presence of another Senior Police Officer that the request to attend court was received at 10.52am.

Ms Roxanne Myers attended the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court #3 at 11.50am.

The only notification to attend court at 11.00am was issued by way of a telephone call at 10.52am to Counsel for Mr Lowenfield, Ms Myers and Mr Mingo.

Sincerely, C A Nigel Hughes Attorney-at-Law for Mr Keith Lowenfield, Ms Roxanne Myers, and Mr Clairmont Mingo

Optimism for many still jobless Dear Editor, Job loss (which is really unemployment) and natural unemployment (like when people just do not want to work) are inextricably linked to crimes of all sorts and to drugs (abuse especially). I think no one would argue against this connection, and many papers have been written along this line. So, as expected, to now learn that the “Enmore Sugar Estate will become (the) hub for employment on ECD” is indeed quite refreshing.

The news is that there are some major plans for

the Enmore Sugar Estate to be transformed to serve as an employment hub for the East Coast of Demerara (ECD). Let us remember that A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) had shut down this Estate, plunging many into despair, and eventual wastefulness of their lives.

If all goes well, according to Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, “the Government was mulling a large-scale industrial complex at Enmore that would go beyond sugar production.”

“We just had, a couple

weeks ago, a discussion on the entire masterplan for five years of turning around sugar. It would involve a number of things, including packaging more processed sugar. We’d have to make a determination between Enmore, because Enmore and other areas are slated for industrial development too.”

To be honest, I really don’t care where, so long as we can find employment for the many who were so cruelly dislocated when Enmore was shut down.

In the minds of the planners, this development is

not “necessarily just sugar-related, but to absorb employment that people lost jobs. So, we’re looking to Enmore for a broader-scale industrial (complex) that would employ people from the East Coast.

East Coast, parts of Region Five. To shift more employment into the lower areas, Haslington, Golden Grove, all of these areas, Cove and John, Foulis.”

This kind of national mind-set must be commended and welcomed.

Regards, Baldeo Mathura

Dear Editor, The recent events of flooding that occurred across our nation is extremely devastating. Many have lost their homes and much more, as we can see daily in the media and in other mediums, where pictures and videos are depicting the water levels in some areas in Guyana covering homes.

I note and applaud the initiatives so far implemented by the CDC

and the Government of Guyana. However, we must think ahead; proactive approaches are needed! While we set up temporary shelters, as I saw the CDC is saying, while we may not know whether this is to occur next year or ten years from today, it is always better to be prepared. May we all continue to stay safe during this time.

Sincerely Tanya Niamatali

GECOM must dismiss...

FROM PAGE 4

The court matter is a different kettle of fish. The charges of conspiracy to defraud, misconduct in public office, forgery are for the court to determine based on evidence presented, but this should not be used to stall the disciplinary measures which should have been enforced. Lowenfield and Myers should have been summarily dismissed since the Chairperson and all the Commissioners have enough evidence for this.

Well, I am sure that the Coalition’s Commissioners “heard and saw no evil”, but the Chairperson and the other three Commissioners are enough to institute and enforce the disciplinary process. Lowenfield and Myers should then, if they so desire, seek redress in the civil courts, where the burden of proof is on a balance of probability, in-

stead of beyond reasonable doubt. In any organisation, this is what should have been done, and had happened before.

What is disappointing is that the trio continues to hold this nation hostage, and this is absolutely unacceptable, since Local Government Elections due this year will not be held if these people continue to be on the job. We cannot, and should not, hold another election until the entire GECOM is sanitised.

GECO must dismiss these miscreants now.

Democracy demands this.

Guyanese here and abroad must demand that this happens, so that we are not forced to endure this unbearable torture once again!

Yours sincerely, H Yusuf

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FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021

Page

Foundation ◄ Thursday’s answers

Questions 1 a. i) 3.5cm ii) 45o

iii)12.5cm iv) 5.5cm2

By Robert Burns

Is there, for honest poverty, That hings his head, an’ a’ that?

The coward slave, we pass him by, We dare be poor for a’ that!

For a’ that, an’ a’ that, Our toils obscure, an’ a’ that; The rank is but the guinea’s stamp; The man’s the gowd for a’ that, What tho’ on hamely fare we dine, Wear hoddin-gray, an’ a’ that; Gie fools their silks, and knaves their wine, A man’s a man for a’ that.

For a’ that, an’ a’ that, Their tinsel show an’ a’ that; The honest man, tho’ e’er sae poor, Is king o’ men for a’ that.

U

se any paper for the cover: cardstock, interesting cardboard and pretty greeting cards can all be used as a cover.

Then, collect some twigs from the backyard and find a large, thick rubber band. Fold your cover in half. Fold your inside pages, and put them inside the cover. Trim as needed. Punch two holes with a hole punch, measuring down from the top and up from the bottom about 2 inches.

Pull one end of the rubber band through the bottom hole and slide twig into the loop. Pull the other end of the rubber band through the top hole and slide the other end of twig through that. You now have a special journal into which you as a budding scientist can record observations. (Adapted from startwithabook.org)

Ye see yon birkie, ca’d a lord Wha struts, an’ stares, an’ a’ that; Tho’ hundreds worship at his word, He’s but a coof for a’ that: For a’ that, an’ a’ that, His riband, star, an’ a’ that, The man o’ independent mind, He looks and laughs at a’ that.

A prince can mak a belted knight, A marquis, duke, an’ a’ that; But an honest man’s aboon his might, Guid faith he mauna fa’ that!

For a’ that, an’ a’ that, Their dignities, an’ a’ that, The pith o’ sense, an’ pride o’ worth, Are higher rank than a’ that.

Then let us pray that come it may, As come it will for a’ that, That sense and worth, o’er a’ the earth, May bear the gree, an’ a’ that.

For a’ that, an’ a’ that, It’s coming yet, for a’ that, That man to man, the warld o’er, Shall brothers be for a’ that.

WORD SEARCH

NEWS

7

FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

National Assembly to debate $10B emergency flood relief package Monday S

enior Minister with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, on Thursday tabled two Financial Papers in the National Assembly, seeking supplementary funds in excess of $23 billion. However, $10 billion of these funds will be injected in Government’s flood response efforts.

Guyana has declared a Level Two Disaster; that is, the national capacity to respond is not overwhelmed, but some external assistance is required.

The $10 billion is for the “provision of flood relief interventions, including repairs to infrastructure and

Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh

supporting recovery in the productive and household sectors.”

According to Dr Singh, the National Assembly will be reconvening on Monday,

June 14, 2021 to consider these two Financial Papers, given their urgency, especially as it relates to flood interventions.

“There has been an immediate response to the crisis. There is floodwater on the land, and we’ve had to deploy additional equipment. We’ve had to deploy additional pumps [to remove the water from the land], and that effort is still ongoing… The physical effort of addressing the flood and removing the water from the land involves, of course, additional costs [for the] relocation of pumps, purchase of fuel, deployment of heavy equipment,

APNU/AFC sugar estate closures...

Biorefineries would make use of bagasse and other kinds of biomass, allowing for the production of several commercial-scale, high-valued co-products that will enhance the profitability of the core cellulosic ethanol facility.

The guidelines provide specific options on how to formulate, implement and monitor country policies and sectoral strategies towards environmental sustainability, the greening of enterprises, social inclusion and the promotion of green jobs in accordance with national priorities.

Value-added products

Meanwhile, Senior Minister with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh expressed that the industry has sustained generations of Guyanese and was still integrally linked to sugar pro-

duction. With sugar woven into the fabric of the village and rural economy, he said the decision to close the estates was an “ill-considered” and “unconscionable” act against thousands of people.

As such, Government is working to restructure and reopen the industry, with considerations for value-added production. Moving away from the low value-added bulk sugar, he expressed, would require additional investments in packaging plants and producing high-quality sugar to meet the packaging standards.

“We expect that this plan will seek to restore some measure of socioeconomic balance in the sugar belt, including through recapitalisation of the industry, promoting products diversification of value-added production as well as agro-energy,” the Minister said.

Dr Singh further explained, “Amongst the key elements that we’re considering within this plan would be the redirecting of GuySuCo’s efforts towards a more optimised product mix, moving away progressively from the current low value-added bulk sugar market and towards more value-added production. The industry sees a potential for a quadrupling of sales from packaged sugar, which, of course, is much more valued added…This, of course, will require some investment in packaging capabilities at Blairmont and Enmore.”

Context

United Nations Resident Coordinator Mikiko Tanaka indicated that this study now brought context to the need for stakeholder consultations and the effects of policy-making on the population.

FROM PAGE 2

“It is heart-breaking to read the painful consequences of commodity market fluctuations and sugar estate closures that have impacted workers and their families, economically, socially, and personally. The study offers many lessons for policymaking and implementation in economic diversification and social services. It underlines the importance of stakeholder consultation and engagements in decision-making,” Tanaka said.

Director of the ILO’s Caribbean Office, Dennis Zulu said his organisation remained committed to ensuring that the recommendations of the report are implemented. (G12)

etcetera,” he explained.

The Finance Minister went on to say that addressing the immediacy of the flood crisis also entails continuous supply of relief items to affected residents.

“In many communities, people don’t have access to foods, they don’t have access to markets, they don’t have access to cleaning supplies. We’ve had to scramble to mobilise emergency supplies to these communities, and that effort is still on the way. That is a tremendous cost as well,” he posited, adding that relief would also have to be given to farmers and other players in the productive sectors who have been affected by the flood crisis across the country.

Moreover, Dr Singh explained that funds would also be needed to restore and rebuild infrastructure that was destroyed by the flood waters. These include dams, bridges and roads that have been washed away.

Following weeks of per-

sistent and heavy rainfall, all 10 regions in Guyana are experiencing varied levels of flooding. With several communities across Guyana inundated, some families have even been forced to relocate to shelters established by Government due to the high-water levels in their homes.

Meanwhile, the supplementary Financial Paper also contained funds for critical works in other sectors as well, including the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines and other pharmaceuticals, road works, purchase of vehicles and vessels for the security sector, and funds for the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).

An additional $1.5 billion is being sought for additional resources to support the restructuring of the sugar industry, while two sums totalling over $1.9 billion are to facilitate the purchase of vaccines, vaccine supplies and vaccine rollout activities to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus across Guyana.

8 NEWS

FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Ex-soldier challenging murder conviction

Convicted killer Jermaine Jefford

F

ormer Guyana Defence Force rank Jermaine Jefford has filed an appeal challenging his conviction for murder, which was returned by a 12-member jury on Tuesday May 25, 2021.

Jefford, a 28-year-old father of one, was unanimously found guilty of the 2016 Emancipation Day murder of Orin David, a 33-yearold taxi driver who was gunned down in front of his Laing Avenue home in Georgetown.

Trial Judge Sandil Kissoon had on Wednesday, June 9, sentenced Jefford, called “Smokey”, to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after serving 30 years.

Jefford’s attorney, Senior Counsel Stanley Moore, filed the appeal on

Tuesday at the Guyana Court of Appeal, proffering four grounds on which he is seeking to have his client’s conviction overturned.

Moore is likely to apply for leave to appeal on the issue of sentencing.

In the meantime, the Senior Counsel is contending that Justice Kissoon misdirected the jury on the law of murder and on the issue of identification evidence and the dangers of relying on dock identification.

He also contends that the trial Judge failed to direct the jury fully and properly on his client’s defence.

The lawyer also argues that the verdict of the jury was unreasonable and cannot be supported, having regard to the evidence adduced at trial.

For his part, Justice Kissoon described David’s killing as a deliberate, calculated and brutal act that was committed in the light of day.

“You executed an unarmed and helpless man in full view of his family, in the proximity of his home, in the streets of his community. You are heedless to man…Heedless to humanity,” the Judge told Jefford during Wednesday’s sentencing hearing.

In a victim impact statement, David’s wife expressed that although her spouse had been involved in criminal activities, his

Dead: Orin David

death has affected her immensely; and David’s 16-year-old son has said he is still living with the trauma of witnessing his father’s killing.

When given opportunity to address the court, David’s mother, Joycelyn Munroe, said, “I am happy with the verdict. I am glad that justice has been served.”

As for Jefford, he maintained his innocence, but offered an apology to the family of the deceased in light of the verdict returned by his peers.

On May 21, 2021, Jefford’s co-accused, Howard Rambarose, called “Spleen”, was acquitted of David’s murder after Justice Kissoon upheld a no-case submission made by his lawyer George Thomas.

The Judge directed the jury

to return a formal verdict of not guilty.

According to reports, David, also known as “Malik”, was shot dead in front of his Lot 89 Laing Avenue, Georgetown home in the presence of his reputed wife and relatives. He received two gunshot wounds – one to the chest and another to the leg.

It was reported that the father of one was shot following an argument stemming from the payment of debts.

It was reported that David had bailed Rambarose out of prison. However, when he confronted Rambarose for the money, a heated argument ensued between them.

Jefford reportedly was present while they were arguing. Shortly after, Jefford and Rambarose left David’s home.

However, Jefford returned sometime after with four other men in a motorcar. It was reported that Jefford exited the vehicle and shot David with a 12-gauge shotgun. The injured man was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

In February 2015, David was acquitted by a jury of the August 20, 2010 murder of Mahaica, East Coast Demerara (ECD) farmer Lakhram Bishundia, who was shot during a robbery at De Hoop Mahaica, ECD. (G1)

"Curry" charged over alleged rape of ex-lover

A

37-year-old man who is accused of raping his ex-lover after she had accompanied him to the Alpha Hotel was on Wednesday slapped with a rape charge.

Troy Jones, called ‘Curry’, of 97 James

Street, Albouystown, Georgetown, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in that Georgetown Magistrate’s Court and was not required to plead to the indictable charge, which stated that on October 24, 2020, at

Alpha Hotel, Agricola, East Bank Demerara, he engaged in sexual penetration of a woman without her consent.

The rape accused was released on $150,000 bail. His case continues on June 21, 2021.

According to information presented to the court, Jones and the woman had been in a relationship for the past 11 years, but that relationship ended sometime last year. However, they were still on speaking terms.

It is alleged that on October 24, 2020, the woman agreed to meet Jones at the hotel. Jones sent a taxi to pick her up from home, and he and the woman spent time together at the hotel.

Thereafter, the taxi dropped them at their respective homes.

Sometime after, the woman made a report at the Police station that Jones had raped her at the hotel. An investigation was launched, and Jones was later charged with the offence. (G1)

Succession…

Y

…fight roiling the PNC our Eyewitness has been trying his best to keep you, dear readers, up to date with the goings-on in the PNC. They’ve been very quiet on the whole - but that’s when you gotta worry! As you’ve been informed in this space, there’s some vicious infighting going on to pip Granger as leader. God forbid that one of the “Wild Men” - as Corbin once described the type - takes over!

It could get even nastier than the post “slow fyaah, mo’ fyaah” era.

Well, one of the latest entrants in a now very crowded field is Dr. Richard Alexander Van West-Charles.

Yep, that’s right…the same fella who’s been mired in controversy in GWI ever since he was appointed as CEO

by Granger back in 2015. Seems that supplying water in the land of many waters wasn’t enough to keep him busy.

He received a licence to import chicken in partnership with a fella named Goring - a twice-convicted man. But what made the connection even more incestuous and venal was he’d created a special position at GWI for the fella - from which he was soon fired by the Board!!

But he and Goring were also Directors of Atlantic Fuels Inc – an entity which was also issued with a fuel licence by the PNC. And soon got into all sorts of hot water with their dodgy schemes. All lucrative, however, to Van West! The man has a long heritage of being taken care of! He’d married, Roxanne (of the Roxanne Gardens fame) - the older daughter from Burnham’s first marriage - and was sent to Cuba to study medicine. Just year after he returned in 1980, he was catapulted over dozens of party stalwarts and made Minister of Health!!

He was dubbed “Baby Jesus”. An allusion, of course, to Burnham, who acted as if he were GOD, and to the son of the Haitian dictator Papa Doc Duvalier - dubbed “Baby Doc”! After Burnham died precipitately, Van West didn’t get to succeed like Baby Doc did, and soon departed the jurisdiction for a cushy, nominated PAHO job. He returned in 2009, after 19 years at PAHO, to bid for leadership in the PNC against Corbin. But was soundly trounced, just like “Team Alexander” had been earlier.

When he couldn’t make side in the rigged 2011 PNC leadership elections, he tried to brand himself as a “moderate”, and flirted with the AFC. With the new 2015 PNC Government’s “jobs for the boys” policy, Van West was made CEO of GWI - even though he and Granger’s “Conkey” didn’t match!! Granger, after all, had vowed to fulfill Burnham’s legacy.

So it was deja vu all over again, since Van West had absolutely no experience for the job!

…of Gay Rights’ support This is ‘Gay Pride Month’, dedicated to celebrating the LGBTQ community and their struggle against discrimination and social ostracism. And let’s not pretend that this isn’t unfortunately still the norm in Guyana.

Imagine, this discriminatory attitude is still buttressed publicly by some church bodies, who cite biblical references analogous to the ones that justified slavery for hundreds of years!! This confounded nonsense must stop!!

Gay Pride Month started in 1969, when riots broke out at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, where gays would gather to imbibe drinks they’d brought - since the joint didn’t have a liquor licence. But the Police would still raid and harass the patrons, who weren’t disturbing anyone. After one lesbian was beaten by the Police, all hell broke loose. For the first time, gays showed they wouldn’t be treated like vermin for just displaying their love.

The following year there were marches in NYC, and by 2000, when President Clinton declared Gay Pride Month, the commemoration had spread to cities across the world.

…of caring for the poor President Irfaan Ali is demonstrating that his administration places the concerns of ordinary persons at the very top of its agenda.

Has anyone seen any other President ground with the beleaguered people as he’s done?

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

NEWS

9

FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Intense rainfall

Over 29,000 households affected by floods – PM tells National Assembly …some 200 persons in shelters …more than 37,400 hampers distributed and rivers has left the logging community covered in several inches of water – in some cases, almost covering flat houses and almost reaching the upper flat of two-storey houses.

Other hinterland communities as well as riverine communities along the coast are also under water. Shelters have been established in Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and Nine (Upper TakutuEssequibo).

According to Phillips, the floods in the hinterland re-

Prime Minister, Brig (ret’d) Mark Phillips

F

ollowing weeks of heavy rainfall throughout Guyana, some 29,300 households have been inundated, and more than 200 persons have had to be relocated into Government-established shelters after their homes had been affected by the floods.

This was revealed by Prime Minister Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips, who on Thursday updated the National Assembly on the ongoing flood situation across the country.

Currently, all 10 administrative regions in Guyana are experiencing varied levels of flooding.

According to the Prime Minister, the massive rainfall experienced in May alone was recorded as the second highest rainfall across the country in the last 40 years. He noted that

these torrential rains have impacted not just thousands of households, but also large swathes of farmland as well as livestock.

“These severe conditions have affected over 29,300 households in more than 300 communities in all 10 regions across our country, and have caused damage to homes; distress to and loss of livestock and domestic animals; destruction of crops, farmlands and other forms of livelihood.

“Families have been forced to evacuate, and are being housed in shelters as a result of the damage caused to their homes,” he posited.

PM Phillips revealed that some 201 persons have been forced to relocate to shelters after their homes were inundated. In fact, at Kwakwani in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), the overtopping of creeks

Flooding in Kwakwani

gions have threatened food security there. However, the Prime Minister pointed out that his Government, under the leadership of President Dr Irfaan Ali, has responded swiftly to the flood situation by bringing relief to the impacted households and communities.

Further, he alluded to the multi-stakeholder outreaches across Guyana by Cabinet Members and other Government officials who have been fanning out to affected communities to make first-hand assessments of the situation on the ground

IMPACS Director (ag) Tonya Ayow handing over the donated items to CDC’s Deputy Director General, Major Loring Benons, after arriving at the Eugene F Correia International Airport on Thursday

and to participate in the ongoing relief measures to residents.

“In the wake of these devastating conditions, the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) has been exceedingly active in its shelter management, evacuation, and relief distribution efforts across the country. To date, CDC has distributed 19,935 food hampers and 17,529 cleaning hampers to affected persons as a form of emergency relief,” he stated.

In addition to these and other continuing on-ground support to the flood-affected communities, the CDC has been providing technical support to the Regional Emergency Response System in 10 regions, while other Governmental and non-Governmental agencies have also implemented response measures to aid in effectively tackling these

harsh conditions and bringing urgent relief to citizens.

Moreover, the Commission has been engaging the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and other regional and international stakeholders for support in its national flood response efforts.

On Wednesday, President Ali announced that the CDC has advised that the flood situation in Guyana has reached a Level 2 Disaster.

According to CDEMA’s Regional Response Mechanism, a Level 2 event is one in which the national capacity to respond is not overwhelmed, but some external assistance is required.

As such, the Head of State noted that Guyana will now be reaching out for “international support.”

TURN TO PAGE 15

10 NEWS

FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

2 more COVID-19 deaths, 149 new cases recorded

…PSC urges population to get vaccinated

W

ith two more COVID-19 fatalities, Guyana’s death toll has risen to a startling 419. The deaths for June have also climbed to 21.

The Health Ministry announced the deaths as two males from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica): a 58-year-old and a 42-yearold. They both died while receiving care at a medical facility.

From 1135 swabs that were taken for analysis, 149 persons tested positive for COVID-19. Now the total number of confirmed cases is at 18,088, of which 8903 are males and 9185 are females.

A whopping 20 persons are still seeking treatment in the Intensive Care Unit, and 101 persons are in institutional isolation, 1506 are in home isolation, and one is in institutional quarantine.

There are 1627 active cases in the country.

Meanwhile, a dispersion of new cases showed one in Region One (BarimaWaini), 26 in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), 44 in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), eight in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), 26 in Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne), one in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), 37 in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) and six in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

Positive cases in Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) and Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) remain at 493 and 370 respectively.

On Thursday, the Private Sector Commission (PSC) shared its concerns over the continuous rise in COVID-19 cases and deaths.

It said the situation is endangering lives and threatening the economic welfare of all citizens.

With more than 210,000 persons having been admin-

istered the first dose of the vaccine, the Commission has thrown its support behind the Government’s efforts to have every adult vaccinated, and is encouraging citizens to take their shots.

“While vaccination is not mandatory in Guyana, it is a critically important public health measure in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is therefore imperative for every citizen eighteen years and over to be vaccinated. It is vital that employers continue to educate their employees on the need to be vaccinated.

The Ministry of Health is ready to provide full support to employers who may require assistance in providing information to their employees and in arranging for their vaccination,” the Private Sector body has posited in a statement.

The PSC has also called out deliberate misrepresentation and myths targeted

GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD JUNE 10 UPDATE

NUMBER OF NEW CASES

149

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL ISOLATION

101

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN HOME ISOLATION

1506

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN COVID-19 ICU

20

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE

1

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (FEMALES)

9185

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (MALES)

8903

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES IN GUYANA SINCE 2020

18,088

NUMBER OF RECOVERED CASES

16,042

TOTAL 1st DOSE VACCINATED FULLY IMMUNISED

215,729 81,761

TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

419

DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES SINCE MARCH 2022 REGION 1

1157

REGION 2

493

REGION 3

2105

REGION 4

8505

REGION 5

619

REGION 6

1272

REGION 7

1230

REGION 8

370

REGION 9

1078

REGION 10

1259

HERE IS HOW YOU CAN BE SAFE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC Wear a face mask.

Keep a physical distance of at least 6 feet.

Wash your hands or use handsanitizer If you have any symptoms, call the COVID-19 Hotline.

GET MEDICAL ADVICE ON COVID-19 FROM MOH 24/7 HOTLINE NUMBERS: 2311166; 226 7480; 624 6674; 624 2819; 624 3067 OR 180/181.

at the vaccination rollout in the form of conspiracy theories, stressing that there has been no adverse effect caused by the injections in the 43 per cent of Guyana’s population which took the first dose.

“The Private Sector Commission continues to work closely with the Government, health authorities and other stakehold-

ers to assist in mitigating the impacts of COVID-19 on lives and businesses. In addition, the PSC and its member organisations have all contributed to several outreaches across Guyana.

We commend the Ministry of Health for its exemplary dedication and aggressive approach towards immunisation and the achievement of herd immunity. The

Private Sector Commission intends to continue to advocate for the best interest of all stakeholders, businesses and people of our country,” the missive concluded.

While the vaccination rate has been progressing in each region, the Health Ministry has identified the issue of vaccine hesitancy in Region 10 – the zone with the lowest uptake.

NEWS

11

FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

“Magga Man” appeals life sentences Football Coach nabbed with illegal gun, ammo for Agricola, Nandy Park killings

Dead: Gladstone George

Dead: Travis Rudder

rpheus Johnson, called “Magga Man” and “Orphe”, who pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter over the slaying of two men at Nandy Park and Agricola, East Bank Demerara (EBD), has filed an appeal against the severity of his jail term for the offences.

In court documents, it was revealed that Johnson is desirous of adding other grounds of appeal.

On May 3, Johnson was handed two life sentences for unlawfully killing Travis Rudder and Gladstone George. Rudder was killed on June 21, 2015 at Nandy Park, while George was killed on April 22, 2015 at Agricola.

Trial Judge Sandil Kissoon has ordered that the two life sentences are to run concurrently. The convicted 34-year-old killer becomes eligible for parole after serving a minimum of 30 years.

According to reports, Rudder, his reputed wife Mowanza Gill, and their 18-month-old son Jaheal Rudder were shot while they were sleeping at their Nandy

Park home on Father’s Day of June 2015. Johnson opened fire on the couple and their baby through a window.

As a result of that attack, Rudder was shot 21 times about his body. His reputed wife was reportedly shot seven times to her legs.

Their 18-month-old son received injuries to his stomach and leg.

The family was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where the senior Rudder was pronounced dead on arrival. Gill and her baby were admitted in serious condition, but they survived.

George was shot several times by Johnson while he was a passenger in a minibus that had stopped at Agricola.

Johnson had walked up to the window and discharged several rounds at George.

The injured man was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he also was pronounced dead.

Johnson was also indicted on two counts of attempting to commit murder committed on Gill and her son.

To these charges, he also

O

pleaded guilty, thereby admitting that on June 15, 2015, at Nandy Park, he discharged a loaded firearm at Mowanza Gill and Jaheal Rudder with intent to murder them.

Johnson was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment on each of the two counts of attempting to commit murder. Like the life sentences, these two sentences were ordered to run concurrently.

The two life sentences with parole after serving respective jail terms of 30 years and 20 years run concurrently.

Prison authorities have been ordered to deduct the time Johnson had spent on remand awaiting trial. No appeal has so far been filed against the prison sentences imposed on Johnson for attempting to commit murder.

Cold, calculated, and brutal

Noting that Rudder was shot some 21 times while he lay in bed with his family, Justice Kissoon said the circumstances of this case reflect a “cold, calculated and brutal slaying”. The Judge said it showed that no compassion or consideration had been given to the occupants of the home.

A probation report detailed how Johnson, a father of three of Craig, EBD, had lived a life of crime. After he dropped out of school at age 14, he developed delinquent tendencies which led to him appearing before the courts.

Besides being committed to the New Opportunity Corps, Johnson had been listed as a person of interest by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters as he was reportedly the leader of a gang that had operated

Confessed killer Orpheus Johnson

in the East Bank Demerara communities of Craig, Kaneville and Agricola.

CID records revealed that he was involved in several criminal activities, namely robbery under arms, possession of illegal firearm, and possession of ammunition, for which he was convicted.

A probation report disclosed that although his family members had reprimanded him for his delinquent lifestyle, Johnson had continued along that path.

TURN TO PAGE 12

The firearm and ammunition that were found

A

local football coach has been arrested by Police after an illegal firearm and matching ammunition were found in his possession.

Reports are that ranks from the Brickdam Police Station were on a mobile patrol in ‘C’ Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown at about 10:45h on Thursday when the 43-year-old man of ‘B’ Field Sophia was stopped and searched.

Police found on his per-

son a .32 Taurus pistol, the serial number of which was filed off, and nine live .32 matching rounds of ammunition in his left side pants waist.

The coach was arrested and taken to the Turkeyen Police Station, where the firearm was processed for latent prints by a rank of the Crime Scene Unit before the firearm and ammunition were marked, sealed, and lodged. The coach remains in custody, pending charges.

12 NEWS

FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Pyramid scheme agents slapped with money laundering charges

Yuri Garcia Dominguez and his wife, Ateeka Ishmael

T

he Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) has charged two agents/marketers of a major pyramid scheme ran by

Cuban national Yuri Garcia Dominguez and his wife, Ateeka Ishmael with money laundering. Through Accelerated Capital Firm

Aubrey Norton

Martina Seepersaud

Inc, the couple allegedly fleeced hundreds of Guyanese of millions of dollars.

As agents/marketers of the pyramid scheme, Aubrey Norton and Martina Seepersaud accrued millions of dollars which they used to purchase properties. They appeared at the Vigilance and Sparendaam Magistrate’s Courts to answer two counts of money laundering on Thursday.

The duo was not required to plead to the indictable charges. They were each ordered to post $500,000 bail on the condition that they lodge their passports and report to SOCU weekly.

Norton and Seepersaud will return to court later this month. According a release from SOCU, they lived at Lot 242 Tract A, Coldingen, East Coast Demerara with Dominguez and his wife.

On June 8, they entered into an agreement of sale and purchase with vendors to purchase a property situated at Lot 6 First Street, Montrose, East Coast Demerara for $60,000,000.

SOCU said they transferred $50,000,000 as a down payment with the balance to be paid on the passing of the transport.

Norton and Seepersaud also transferred $53, 500,000 to vendors, being part payment for the purchase of property at Block XIV Parcel 86 Fourth Street, La Bonne Intention, East Coast Demerara. SOCU said that they transferred

the monies knowing or having reasons to believe that they were proceeds of crime as they had no legitimate source of income that could have generated the funds acquired to enable them to purchase these properties.

“The properties were

these investigations were ongoing ever since the pyramid scheme was reported to the Police.

Superintendent Karimbaksh stressed that the Unit would continue to execute its mandate without fear, favour, or affection

bought from illegitimate proceeds from the pyramid selling scheme operated by them and Yuri Garcia through Accelerated Capital Firm Inc. The properties were later resold to purchasers in the USA,” the SOCU release added.

according to law. Through Accelerated Capital, the couple enticed Guyanese by offering extraordinary returns of approximately 40 per cent, while investors were also encouraged to enlist additional investors for a commission of 10 per cent.

Garcia Dominguez and his wife are currently before the court on several charges, including obtaining money by false pretence and running a financial institution without the required licence. With the matters still pending before the courts, they are out on over $30 million bail.

1st money laundering charges

The press statement noted that this was the first-ever money laundering charges to be instituted since the SOCU was established back in 2014.

Meanwhile, the Head of SOCU, Senior Superintendent Fazil Karimbaksh indicated that

“Magga Man” appeals life...

FROM PAGE 11

According to Justice Kissoon, Johnson’s record “speaks to a life of crime.”

“These killings and the circumstances of the attempt to commit murder speak to brutality, remorseless, callous and merciless acts. Merciless acts of killing by this accused were demonstrated, and indifference of the sacredness of life of his fellow man, of his neighbour and others in his community, and which was extended on an 18-month-old infant,” the Judge added.

What is worse, the Judge noted, is that Johnson “is a healthy man with a healthy mind.”

Meanwhile, even though he pleaded guilty to the charges, Johnson maintained his innocence.

Johnson was previously indicted for the April 2009 murder of Kaneville, East Bank Demerara resident Brendon Charles, whose lifeless body was discovered in a yard a short distance from his home. After a trial, a jury at the High Court in Demerara found him not guilty of the capital offence.

(G1)

NEWS

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FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

ECD, EBD COVID-19 vaccine drive-thrus this weekend T he Health Ministry has recorded successes in its vaccine drive-thru efforts within recent weeks, and is planning similar initiatives for both the East Coast and East Bank Demerara this weekend.

The vaccine drive-thru will be operational from 09:00h to 16:00h on both Saturday and Sunday at the Movietowne parking lot at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara. At the National Stadium at Providence, East Bank Demerara, the exercise will run from 09:00h to 18:00h on both Saturday and Sunday.

Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony noted during Thursday’s COVID-19 update that mobile units would also be on site to cater to passers-by. The drive-thru setup is coordinated to incorporate the vaccination steps in which persons can be immunised without leaving their vehicles. Persons who had utilised this system within recent weeks have lauded its efficiency.

A drive-thru set up at the Providence Stadium

“Those persons who haven’t gotten their vaccines and would like to come at the drive-thru, you can do so. Normally, while we would say it’s a drive-thru, there are also people who walk through, so if there are persons who want to come and get their vaccines, we will be able to get them their vaccines.

“Whether you walk or

drive, we will make arrangements for you to get that vaccine,” Dr Anthony has informed.

The decision to continue this exercise, he said, has stemmed from a resounding response during the inaugural drive-thru, and other such exercises that followed, which saw an excess of 1000 persons each day.

In Guyana, 215,729 per-

Police in prosecution mode – Commander tells COVID violators

Regional Commander Khali Pareshram

R

egional Commander for Region Four ‘C’ Police Division, Khali Pareshram, has declared that the time for educating the public about the COVID-19 guidelines is over, and ranks are now focused on prosecuting violators.

He was at the time being interviewed on the Guyana Police Force’s “Police and You” weekly programme on Tuesday last.

Commander Pareshram explained that, initially, Police officers had adopted a more lenient approach in light of the fact that the COVID-19 situation was new to everyone. However, he noted, enough time has passed and persons should now be fully aware of when they are breaking the rules.

“Our posture at this time is that we are prosecuting.

As I said, we have finished the period of educating, we are now in prosecution mode,” he affirmed.

Police enforcement operations are oftentimes conducted in collaboration with ranks of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF). The Commander explained that special courts have been established in his district to deal with cases of COVID-19 violation.

“Two weeks ago, we… commenced what we call the special COVID courts across the division. That is on Wednesdays and Thursdays, where there are special sittings for persons with COVID offences,” he explained.

The Commander has expressed surprise at the number of persons who are still flouting the guidelines, especially by participating in large gatherings and putting themselves at risk of contracting the life-threatening virus.

He also noted that violators are getting more creative. “You would not know if there is a house party…

because they are in such secure environments now, you would not even hear the music playing,” the Commander explained.

He noted that many business establishments are practising similar methods in a bid to deceive the Police.

To date, more than 400 persons have been arrested and charged for various COVID-19 breaches within the division, the Commander has noted.

Commander Pareshram has explained that enforcing the COVID-19 guidelines is putting officers at risk of contracting the virus, since they are interfacing with persons who are also at risk.

Moreover, he has said the enforcement operations are stretching the division’s resources. “But whatever, we have to work within the confines to enforce [COVID-19 regulations], and at the same time to ensure our anti-crime and traffic arrangements are in place. We have to work…we work with tens to hundreds of persons on a daily basis,” the Commander has said.

He added: “We have been very effective in terms of enforcing. The thing is, our resources have been stretched between our anti-crime traffic operations and the COVID enforcement. What I’m very thankful (for) is the commitment of my ranks during last year at the start of the pandemic to this date, they have been very committed to their job in providing that service to the division.”

sons have taken their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. From this number, 81,761 persons, or 16.8 per-

cent, have already returned for the second dose. The health system has enough first doses, and persons have been encouraged to get immunised if they have not so done as yet.

“Right now, we’re giving the Sputnik V first dose. We’re also giving Sinopharm first dose. So, any one of those two vaccines you can get them. We also have a lot of people who are now due for their second dose vaccine. Many of them would have received their AstraZeneca vaccine earlier in the vaccination process, and we’re asking them to come forward and get their second dose,” the Minister has added.

Dr Anthony has reminded that there has been no case of hospitalisation or death from the virus among

the immunised subset of people. He has also reiterated that both doses are needed to effectively protect against the novel disease.

“Persons who have been fully vaccinated, we have not seen them coming to the hospital. We have not seen them coming to the ICU, and we have not had a single COVID-19 death of persons who have been fully vaccinated. I think this is an incentive to get people to come out and get their vaccinations…

“Again, for you to get the full benefit of the vaccine, you have to come back and get your second dose. While we’re happy with large numbers for first dose, we wouldn’t get the full benefit unless people come back and get their second dose,” he admonished. (G12)

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FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Businessman, employee get life Barber chopped to head, sentence for trader’s murder arm by drunken man …3rd murder accused dies before sentencing

Dead: Shameer Ali Mursalin

A

Corentyne, Berbice, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) businessman and one of his employees were handed life sentences for killing a Crabwood Creek, Corentyne trader back in 2015.

The sentences were handed down by Justice Jo-Ann Barlow at the Berbice Assizes.

Dennis Veerasammy and his employee, Basheer Harrinauth, both of Crabwood Creek, along with another of Veerasammy’s employees, Delroy Fraser, were recently found guilty of killing Shameer Ali Mursalin on October 24, 2015, at his Crabwood Creek home.

During the three-week

trial last month, the jury found that Veerasammy, Harrinauth and Fraser shot and killed Mursalin.

On Thursday, before handing down the sentence, Justice Barlow announced that the number three accused, Fraser has since died.

In deciding on the penalty of a life sentence, Justice Barlow noted that she took into account the seriousness of the offence, which included the taking of life from the society, the accused resorting to violence to settle a dispute, and the fact that a

gunshot wound to his head lying in a pool of blood at his home. It was alleged that Mursalin had shared a relationship with the wife of one of the accused.

The State presented 11 witnesses to prove its case with the key witness, Ricky Profit, relating that he witnessed the execution-style killing.

Throughout the threeweek trial, the trio maintained their innocence, stating that they had alibis for the time of the shooting.

The jury returned a

A

29-year-old barber of Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam, Berbice has been chopped to his head and arm by a drunken man.

Reports are that the incident occurred at around 18:30h on Tuesday at Black Water Backdam, Cuyuni River, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

Police have said the barber was in a hammock at a mining camp when the suspect approached him and an argument ensued. The suspect then armed himself with a cutlass and, upon seeing this, the barber ran away.

However, the suspect chased and caught him, and dealt him a chop to his head

and right arm before fleeing the scene.

Public-spirited persons then escorted the barber to the Bartica Regional Hospital, where he arrived on Wednesday afternoon and was admitted a patient.

As a result of his injuries, he was transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital for further medical attention.

The suspect has since evaded arrest. An investigation has been launched.

Teen arrested for absconding with $8.2M in workers’ salaries

From left: Basheer Harrinauth, Delroy Fraser (now deceased) and Dennis Veerasammy

firearm was used to commit the act.

Justice Barlow also announced that the number three accused, Fraser has since died.

The prosecution’s case was that Veerasammy and Mursalin had an ongoing feud and on October 24, 2015, Mursalin’s lifeless body was discovered with a

unanimous verdict of guilty.

The State was represented by Attorney Sita Bishundial and State Counsel Tuanna Hardy.

Attorney-at-Law Brandon DeSantos represented Veerasammy while Attorney-at-Law Chandra Sohan represented Harrinauth and Fraser.

A

District Development Officer (DDO) within the Accounting Unit of the Region Nine Regional Democratic Council (RDC) has been arrested for running away with over $8.2

million in workers’ salaries.

The 18-year-old of Aishalton Village, South Rupununi was arrested as Police pursue the embezzlement probe.

Reports are that on

May 25, a total of $8.2 million, along with pay sheets for May 2021 salaries, was handed over to the DDO, as payment for Government employees within the Aishalton District.

However, on June 2, several employees within Aishalton District complained of not receiving their salaries. This resulted in an internal investigation which revealed that a total of $867,144 was missing.

An initial search for the teen proved futile as he had fled the Aishalton District.

A report was made to the Police on June 8, and he was arrested at another location.

Investigations are ongoing.

NEWS

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FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Govt to expunge all public records of “wrongdoing” by Dr Walter Rodney …death certificate details to also change

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall

O

n the heels of the 41st death anniversary of Dr Walter Rodney on June 13, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic administration has vowed to make every effort to amend all public records of wrongdoing committed by the late politician and historian.

Dr Rodney was killed in a bomb blast on June 13, 1980 at the height of political tensions. But the Forbes Burnham Government at the time had accused the politician of attempting to blow up the Georgetown Prisons when the bomb exploded a short distance away. The Rodney family has vehemently and consistently opposed this narrative for 41 long years.

According to Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, the family has even requested President Dr Irfaan Ali to honour the life, legacy and contribution of Dr Rodney to Guyana, and to finally set the public record straight in relation to certain matters surrounding his tragic death.

Nandlall announced in the National Assembly on Thursday that the Ali-led Government has acceded to this request – a move which he says is a historic step in bringing a level of closure to the Rodney family regarding the death of Dr. Rodney.

“Every effort will be made to remove and expunge all public records that intimate any level of guilt or wrongdoing by Dr. Walter Rodney in relation to the June 13th 1980 tragedy… This is a momentous occasion for many reasons, and it is also a personal privilege for me and, indeed, all of us to be part of a process to right this tragic wrong and to begin the process of the rectification of the historical record,” he posited.

Irreverent misdescription The AG pointed out that,

for too long, Dr Rodney’s death has been the subject of an irreverent misdescription.

“It was not a misadven-

Ramotar.

Nandlall told the National Assembly that those records will be digitised by the National Archives, which were recently renamed the Walter Rodney National Archives, in collaboration with the Walter Rodney Foundation and the Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library, Atlanta, Georgia.

Copies of same would also be housed at that institution as part of the Walter Rodney Papers and Special Collection.

In addition, the AG announced that the Rodney Gravesite and Memorial, which are currently being managed collaboratively between the Rodney Family

He [Rodney] could only have been killed in what we find to be a State organised assassination with the knowledge of Prime Minister Burnham in the Guyana of that period” – CoI Report ture; it was an assassination.

A great stain on our Republic.

This sadistic misrepresentation on Dr. Rodney’s death certificate prevented his family from recovering not a blind cent from his life insurance policy, the only financial provision he had made for his family, his wife and three infant children. This desecration must end now.

His death certificate will be amended to delete the words “misadventure” as the cause of death and substitute therefor the word “assassination”, the Attorney General stated.

Nandlall outlined that despite being known and respected throughout the world for his academic accomplishments, scholarship and activism, Dr Rodney’s death certificate described him as “unemployed”.

According to the AG, the late historian was denied a job at his country’s only university, after having worked at universities across the globe.

This historical wrong, he contended, will be corrected, and as a consequence, the death certificate will be corrected to read “Professor” instead of “unemployed”.

Other efforts being taken by the current administration to restore Dr Rodney’s legacy is securing the record of the 2014 Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the circumstances leading to his death, which was launched by former President Donald

and the National Trust, will be declared National Monuments and fall under the administration of The National Trust.

“One of the greatest tragedies flowing from Dr. Rodney’s death is the loss of his scholarship to the people of Guyana. His children’s books that celebrate the cultural heritage of Guyanese, Kofi Baadu: Out of Africa and Lakshmi: Out of India, shall be placed on the national syllabus by the Ministry of Education and in the hands of primary and secondary school students across this land.

Additionally, his other major works, including A History of the Guyanese Working People, Guyanese Sugar Plantations in the late Nineteenth Century, and How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, shall be made available to the library of the University of Guyana,” he added.

Moreover, the Walter Rodney Chair at the University of Guyana would also be re-established.

Walter Anthony Rodney was 38 years old and the leader of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) when he was killed in the June 13, 1980 bomb blast.

The news of Dr. Rodney’s tragic death sent shock tremors to the conscience of Guyanese, West Indians, Americans, Europeans, Africans, and indeed people the world over.

“To say that Dr. Rodney’s

Dr Walter Rodney

death and ensuing events in relation thereto were a horrendous miscarriage of justice would be an appalling understatement. The self-evident truth is that when wrongs of such magnitude occur, they can never really be righted. The least that can be done in this instance is to attempt to grant the wishes of the loved ones of Dr. Rodney, and to work with them in bringing these wishes to fruition as they attempt to forge their own closure in relation to this horrific tragedy,” Nandlall stated.

The Commissioners who inquired into and reported on the circumstances surrounding the death of Dr. Rodney had detailed in their report that “We have no

hesitation in holding that Gregory Smith was responsible for Dr Walter Rodney’s death on 13 June, 1980, and that in so doing, he was acting as an agent of the State, having been aided and abetted so to do by individuals holding positions of leadership in State agencies and committed to carrying out the wishes of the PNC Administration.”

Another key finding stated that, “Dr Walter Rodney was a man of large and significant stature both in Guyana and beyond, at the time of his death. He could only have been killed in what we find to be a State organized assassination with the knowledge of Prime Minister Burnham in the Guyana of that period.”

The COI report was tabled in the National Assembly in the 11th Parliament under the APNU/AFC Government in 2016.

A Motion was subsequently tabled by then Opposition Member of Parliament Gail Teixeira, calling upon the Coalition Government to implement the recommendations of that Report. However, that motion was voted down by the then Government, which was comprised of Dr Rodney’s own political party – the WPA. Nevertheless, Minister Nandlall said on Thursday that this current PPP/C administration commits to moving a similar motion in the National Assembly soon for the House to approve the COI Report and the recommendations contained in it.

Further, he noted that steps would also be taken to invalidate or set aside the perverse findings of an inquest that was conducted eight years after Dr. Rodney’s death and found that he died by “misadventure”.

That inquest was reviewed by the 2014 CoI and was found to be incredible, flawed and dubious. (G8)

Over 29,000 households affected...

FROM PAGE 9

IMPACS donation

Already, the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) has donated 10,000 surgical masks, 30 handheld non-contact thermometers and 6,600 water purification tablets to the CDC to support local relief efforts. These items were handed over to the Commission today.

However, the CDC has been receiving overwhelming assistance from local stakeholders. Almost day, there are financial support and donations of relief supplies from the Private Sector, citizens and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) along with other entities.

In fact, the Commission has opened a bank account in collaboration with the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) Ltd. to facilitate donations from members of the public towards its flood response.

According to Prime Minister Phillips, over $35 million dollars in monetary donations have been received to date.

“It is this type of unwavering support that showcases a true spirit of unity amongst our people when our country faces hardship, and for this, our government is immensely grateful… As our country continues to face this national crisis, our government expresses our unwavering commitment to the ongoing support and relief of our people and we look forward to continued collaboration as we take a multisectoral and interagency approach to bring resolution and relief for our citizens,” he posited.

Continue relief efforts Nevertheless, Phillips went onto say that Government will continue its relief efforts, which include the distribution of food and non-food items, such as sanitation hampers and hygiene care packages, to affected residents as needed; establishing and managing temporary shelters as needed and conducting detailed damage assessments as needed. He also reassured of government’s commitment to supporting affected families by ensuring that their livelihoods can be returned

to them following the damages caused by this disaster.

This, the Prime Minister outlined, is especially important since more flooding is anticipated in most regions throughout this month into mid-July.

"Guyana’s rainy season usually lasts until early July for Regions One, Two, Three, Four, Five, the northern part of Six, Seven, Eight and 10, while it would continue until early August for Region Nine and the southern parts of Region Six. Based on the latest seasonal reports, however, it is estimated that we will continue to experience above normal rainfall during the period June to August 2021.

During this period, an increase in the number of wet days and approximately seven days of extreme wet spells can be expected," the PM noted.

With these conditions expected to continue in the coming weeks, residents are advised to take necessary precautions to safeguard against possible flooding, wind, lightning, and mudslides. (G8)

16 NEWS

FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Guyana on Forbes’ Top 50 Best Places to visit post-COVID-19 list

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uyana has once again made the list of top travel destinations, this time Forbes Advisor’s “Top 50 Best Places to Visit Post-Pandemic”.

In its latest edition, published last Thursday, Forbes stated that while Guyana is South America’s only English-speaking country, it has not been widely explored. It also listed some of the country’s most notable features including the majestic Kaieteur Falls and rich wildlife, and advised travellers to “strap on an adventure mindset”.

With regard to travelling post-pandemic, the article noted that “more people are being vaccinated every day and travel is already top of

mind. Suddenly, the whole world feels in reach again, even if travel restrictions haven’t quite been lifted yet.”

Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA),

Carla James-Vantull said she was pleased with Guyana’s listing. She said it reinforced the country’s marketing message that it was uniquely positioned as one of the safest destinations in relation to social distancing.

She also said the vast, pristine, open landscapes and small group numbers lend to a more intimate tourism experience, which was ideal for travel in the “new norm”

post-COVID world.

“Significant efforts were made by the GTA to develop recommended hygiene and sanitation protocols for the sector, and capacity building and technical assistance to support the implementation of those protocols at a business and community level.

These efforts, along with our conditional approval system, gives us the confidence to boast that Guyana is safe for travel,” James-Vantull said.

She told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that the vaccination programmes in Guyana and worldwide would restart the tourism industry.

“Which is why we urge and appeal to people to be educated about the vaccine, understand it, and get vaccinated so that we could accomplish that 80 per cent vaccination of our population so that we can achieve herd immunity and that’s really what’s going to open tourism.”

She said Guyana had seen a decline to 58.8 per cent in visitor arrivals between January and March when compared to the same period last year. However, the industry started seeing an uptick of 4.2 per cent in March, which indicated a return to tourism and travel.

“Guyana is truly a safe place to travel. Our tours are designed with small group

sizes, open spaces, small lodges so you really don’t have mass tourism or where large gatherings is an issue, so we are really well -positioned on that front.

“Our tourism sector in Guyana is very resilient and we have been able to see that in how they were able to cope in this time of the pandemic. Our borders were shut down since March 18, [2020] which basically meant that they could not operate at least for eight or nine months, until we would have worked on a reopening plan,” the GTA Director not-

ed.

Guyana’s tourism sector has been gaining recogni-

tion over the past few years, as tourists explore more exciting places to visit.

Service interruptions to end soon – GTT’s CEO …says new system upgrade planned by 2022

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TT’s new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Damian Blackburn, who took office in April of this year, on Thursday admitted that there were a number of issues with the company’s services and assured that the local telecoms giant was working to improve the overall experience and service being offered to consumers.

During a virtual press conference on Thursday, Blackburn pointed out that the unusually long wait times on customer service calls and long-in store queues would be a thing of the past. He noted that there have been improvements in the automatic call system and to boost that even more, a total of 40 new customer service agents would be hired. Training for these persons, he added, begins on Monday and within weeks they would be ready to serve customers. To reduce the long lines in stores, more outlets – both MMG and regular stores – will be opened to facilitate

GTT’s new CEO, Damian Blackburn

payments across the country.

Blackburn said, “I know I haven’t the time so far to meet everyone, but I know they are all hard working and doing so to the best of their abilities.”

New Chief Operations Officer (COO) for Home and Fixed Services, Eshwar Thakurdin; Head of Mobile Business Unit, Richard Stanton; COO for GTT’s Business Solutions, Orson

Ferguson and MMG General Manager Babita Ram are the four persons who will be directly working with Blackburn in realising the 2022 goal. During the conference, Thakurdin and Stanton stated that some of the plans would be in motion by year end, but the entire programme of planned works would be implemented

by December 2022.

NEWS

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FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

T&T manufacturers ask Brazil plans to allow vaccinated people Govt for grants for half of to not wear face masks − Bolsonaro sector’s 53,000 workers B

T

he Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers Association (TTMA) says it welcomes the supplementary funding in various sectors such as Health, Agriculture, National Security and Social Development as announced in the mid-year budget review yesterday.

But the association is asking Minister Colm Imbert to provide salary relief grants to just under half of the manufacturing sector’s 53,000 employees who it said are also “adversely” affected by COVID-19.

In a statement after the Minister of Finance presented the mid-year review, the TMMA said given the socio-economic challenges the people of Trinidad and Tobago are experiencing because of the COVID-19 pandemic it is pleased with the decisions announced.

In the statement, the TTMA said, “We are especially pleased on the supple-

mentary funding that is to be provided to address the pandemic including additional provision of TTD $267 million to the Ministry of Health (MOH) to assist in the rollout of the national vaccination programme. This funding is crucial to address the present COVID-19 pandemic situation in Trinidad and Tobago.”

The TTMA said it also noted the additional financing being offered under the Salary Relief Programme, the extension of the Entrepreneurial Relief Grant under NEDCO and the extension of the Credit Union Programme.

It said it looks forward to the continued support being offered to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and the outreach programme to be provided to SMEs. It said, “With the introduction of this additional financing, TTMA looks forward for Government’s consideration on salary grants for the Manufacturing Sector. To

date, this sector represents 53,000 workers of which approximately 47 per cent are affected adversely, in some form or fashion, because businesses are not allowed to remain opened, and or curtailed because of the present restrictions under the State of Emergency.”

The association added there is also the immediate need to address the VAT refund delays businesses are presently experiencing once again, thus alleviating cash flow challenges, especially for businesses belonging to the SME sector.

Additionally, the TTMA said while it appreciates the assistance received last year to allow injections into the flow of VAT returns, the bottlenecks are building up again. It said there is a need to address this matter on a sustainable level and thus, “we are asking for consideration of recommendations of Net Off, and or removal of VAT on imported Raw Material as a means to resolving the matter on a permanent basis.”

The TTMA said it looks forward to further information on the Minister’s presentation when available and welcomes consultation and collaboration with the Government with respect to the Manufacturing Sector.

(T&T Guardian)

razil President Jair Bolsonaro said on Thursday that the health minister was preparing a measure to no longer require face masks for people who have been vaccinated for the coronavirus or previously infected.

Bolsonaro, who has opposed lockdowns and social distancing despite his country having the second-deadliest coronavirus outbreak, said in a speech that quarantines should be only for infected people.

“They are useful for people who are infected,” he said, adding: “Quarantines are for those who are infected.”

Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga said Bolsonaro has asked him for a study on the use of masks in Brazil.

The minister, however, testified this week before a Senate commission of inquiry that masks should be used to prevent transmission. He also contradicted Bolsonaro on the use of hydroxychloroquine, saying there was no evidence the anti-malaria drug is effective in treating COVID-19 patients.

On a weekly webcast to his supporters, Bolsonaro defended the use of chloroquine and said it had helped reduce COVID-19 deaths in Brazil, which

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro

he maintained have been over-reported by including fatalities caused by other

illnesses.

More than 480,000 Brazilians have died from COVID-19, the second worst death toll outside of the United States.

Meanwhile, Brazil’s vaccination program has been slow to get off the ground and the Senate inquiry is investigating whether Bolsonaro, a vaccine skeptic, deliberately delayed securing timely supplies. Only 23.6% of Brazil’s population has received a first dose and just 10.2% have been fully vaccinated with two doses, according to health ministry data. (Reuters)

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guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021

Regional

Nicaragua-US trade 14 deaths, 273 new COVID-19 cooperation in jeopardy cases recorded in T&T if elections unfair T

Police Officers keep watch outside the Nicaragua Attorney General of the Republic office where Felix Maradiaga, aspiring candidate of the Opposition group National Blue and White Unity (UNAB), was summoned by authorities, in Managua, Nicaragua, June 8, 2021

T

he United States is prepared to review “trade-related activities” with Nicaragua, including Managua’s participation in a Central America free trade agreement, if the country’s coming elections are not free and fair, a senior State Department official said on Thursday.

Julie Chung, acting Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, said Washington did

not currently see conditions for democratic elections under “a wave of repression” by leftist President Daniel Ortega, and urged the Organisation of American States to address the issue immediately.

“Ultimately, if Ortega continues on this path, he will further cement his status as an international pariah,” Chung told reporters on a conference call.

She spoke a day after the Administration of US

President Joe Biden imposed sanctions on Ortega’s daughter and three of his allies.

That followed the arrests of several Opposition figures, including potential challengers to Ortega in November elections as he vies to keep the office he has held since 2007.

Asked whether the US Government was considering suspending Nicaragua from the CAFTA-DR regional trade agreement that gives preferential treatment to exports to the United States, Chung said: “We know that this is something that really improved the lives of the people of Nicaragua.”

But she said that given the deterioration of democratic practices in Nicaragua, the United States was already trying to make sure US trade cooperation was not directly benefiting the Nicaraguan Government.

“If the November elections are not free and fair, we would continue to review the Nicaraguan Government’s participation in these trade-related activities,” she added. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Argentine President apologises for Brazil comments

A

rgentina’s President has apologised for saying that Brazilians were “from the jungle” in remarks about his country’s European heritage.

“The Mexicans came from the Indians, the Brazilians came from the jungle, but we Argentines came from the ships and they were ships that came from Europe,” Alberto Fernández said.

The statement – a quote from a song – caused a storm on social media.

Fernández later said his country’s diversity was a source of pride.

He made the controversial remarks as he and visit-

ing Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez met business leaders in Buenos Aires.

Fernández said he was quoting the Mexican poet Octavio Paz, but commentators later said the offending phrase was taken from a song by Argentine musician Lito Nebbia, of whom the President is a keen admirer.

“I am a Europeanist. I am someone who believes in Europe,” Fernández said.

The statement was aired on Brazilian media, drawing a tweet from right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro that included a photograph of himself wearing a native head-dress among a group of Indigenous people.

The only text in the

tweet was the word “Selva” (jungle) in capital letters.

Bolsonaro’s son, the congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, called the comments “racist” and highlighted Argentina’s troubled economy.

“I say the ship that is sinking is that of Argentina,” he tweeted.

Fernández later backtracked, saying: “In the first half of the 20th Century we received more than five million immigrants who lived with our native peoples. We are proud of our diversity.”

He added: “I did not mean to offend anyone, in any case, whoever has felt offended... I give my apologies.” (BBC News)

rinidad and Tobago recorded 273 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday.

An additional 14 deaths were reported over the previous 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 630.

The Health Ministry’s COVID-19 update on Thursday said the new cases were detected in samples taken between June 4

C

Maritime Affairs Minister Kirk Humphrey

up of like-minded Member States, to tackle some of the world’s most pressing ocean challenges.

It said that the action

group on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), initiated by Seychelles in 2018, aims to promote good practices in the effective management of MPAs; raise awareness on the subject across all sectors of society, and exchange expertise, information and experience among Commonwealth countries.

“The Commonwealth covers more than a third of the world’s coastal waters, with 47 out of our 54 member countries bordering the ocean. With so many countries dependent on the ocean for food security, jobs and way of life, it is vital to set aside ocean areas in

es of COVID-19, of which 17,566 have recovered.

As of Thursday at 16;00h, 144,502 people had received their first vaccine dose. Of these, 82,131 received the AstraZeneca vaccine and 62,371 the Sinopharm vaccine. The number of people who had received their second dose was 7157. (Excerpt from Trinidad Newsday)

Venezuela says payments to COVAX vaccine system have been blocked

V

enezuelan officials said on Thursday the country’s Government has been unable to complete a payment required to receive coronavirus vaccines because transfers to the global COVAX vaccine programme had been blocked.

The Government of President Nicolás Maduro for months said it was unable to pay for the COVAX programme because of US sanctions, and then in March announced that it had made almost all the required US$120 million payment.

Vice President Delcy Rodriguez in a televised broadcast on Thursday said the Government had been unable to pay down the remaining US$10 million because four operations had been blocked.

“The financial system that also hides behind the US lobby, has the power to block resources that can

Venezuelan Vice Delcy Rodriguez

President

be used to immunise the population of Venezuela,” Rodriguez said.

Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza later tweeted a copy of a letter from COVAX saying it had received information from Swiss bank UBS that four operations, totalling US$4.6 million, “were blocked and under investigation”.

It was not immediately evident who blocked the op-

erations or why.

UBS, when asked for comment, said that for legal and regulatory reasons it was “unable to comment on matters relating to potential client relationships”.

COVAX did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

The COVAX letter notes Venezuela has expressed interest in the Johnson & Johnson and Novavax vaccines.

Maduro’s Government this year began negotiating with Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó to pay for COVAX vaccines using funds frozen in the United States via Washington’s sanctions against Maduro.

In March, Venezuelan officials announced they had managed to pay for the vaccines on their own, and have since backed away from talks over using the frozen funds. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Chile shuts capital Santiago once more as vaccines fail to quell rampant cases

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hilean health authorities announced a blanket lockdown across the capital Santiago on Thursday following some

Barbados praised for action on marine protected areas ommonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland has welcomed the announcement by Barbados that it is joining Seychelles to co-champion Commonwealth action on marine protected areas, a vital domain in promoting ocean conservation and the sustainable blue economy.

The London-based Commonwealth Secretariat said that Barbados joined 15 other “champion countries” that have stepped forward to take the lead under the Commonwealth Blue Charter in mobilising action groups made

and 9.

It said the people who died were five elderly men, three elderly women, two middle-aged men, and two middle-aged women, all with comorbidities, as well as one elderly man and one middle-aged woman without comorbidities.

There are 9610 active cases. Since March 2020, there have been 27,806 cas-

Commonwealth national jurisdictions that are legally protected and dedicated for conservation purposes,” said Scotland.

“This is the key to a sustainable ocean economy, and a way to ensure that resources are not exploited destructively, but given the opportunity to flourish,” she added.

The Minister of Maritime Affairs and the Blue Economy of Barbados, Kirk Humphrey said Bridgetown was leased to have this opportunity to co-lead with the Republic of Seychelles on MPAs. (Excerpt from Nation News)

of the worst COVID-19 case numbers since the pandemic began, despite having fully vaccinated more than half its population.

The development, which will alarm authorities elsewhere who are debating how fast to reopen as vaccination campaigns gather steam, comes as Chile’s confirmed daily caseload surged 17 per cent in the past two weeks nationwide and 25 per cent in the metropolitan region that includes Santiago and is home to half the country’s population.

Intensive care beds in the capital region are now at 98 per cent capacity. Jose Luis Espinoza, the President of Chile’s National Federation of Nursing Associations (FENASENF), said his members were “on the verge of collapse”.

Chile has one of the world’s highest vaccination rates. Around 75 per cent of

its 15 million residents have already received at least one dose of vaccine, and nearly 58 per cent are completely inoculated. On a per capita basis among larger countries, it is the vaccination leader in the Americas and the fifth highest worldwide, according to Reuters data.

It has used nearly 23 million vaccines doses so far – 17.2 million of Sinovac, 4.6 million of Pfizer BioNTech, and less than one million each of AstraZeneca and CanSino.

Also driving the fierce second wave is lockdown fatigue and the appearance of more contagious variants.

Of 7716 people confirmed as infected with COVID-19 between Wednesday and Thursday, 73 per cent had not been fully inoculated and 74 per cent were under 49 years old, the Health Ministry said. (Excerpt from Reuters)

guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021

19

Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Oil gains with rising inflation boosting appeal of commodities

O

il rose to the highest settle in over two years, drawing support from higher-than-forecast US inflation data and a strong demand outlook.

Futures in New York rebounded from a plunge of as much as 1.8 per cent earlier on Thursday that followed reporting of US removing sanctions on a former Iranian oil official.

Crude found support with US consumer prices in May topping forecasts, extending a months-long build-up in inflation that is seen helping spur more interest in alternative assets like commodities to find yield. At the same time, oil’s market structure strengthened amid recovering demand and signs global supplies may be less than expected.

“The outlook for oil demand is staying strong and getting stronger,” said John Kilduff, a partner at Again Capital LLC. Meanwhile, “there’s an inflation pulse rippling through the commodity sector, and crude oil is a big participant as a base hedge element against inflation.”

Prices remain over 40 per cent higher this year. Even as the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries expects the global demand recovery to gather steam in the second half of the year, the spare capacity buffer of the group and its allies have is seen being less than 80 per cent than what it is on paper.

OilX analysts also flagged “several signs” in their data that oil supplies worldwide are surprising to the downside, reflecting a combination of mature field declines and maintenance that was delayed into this year.

The US announced it deleted sanctions on a number of people, including former Managing Director of the National Iranian Oil Company. (Excerpt from Bloomberg)

“Crimes against humanity” detailed in China’s Xinjiang – Amnesty

Uighur women gather outside the Chinese consulate in Istanbul to denounce the alleged rights violations of Uighurs in Xinjiang [File: Ozan Kose/AFP]

U

ighurs and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities in China’s Xinjiang autonomous region face systematic and State-organised “mass internment and torture amounting to crimes against humanity”, Amnesty International said, citing dozens of eyewitness accounts from former detainees, as the group stepped up calls for the camps to be closed.

In a report published on Thursday, Amnesty said the minority groups had been forced to abandon their religious traditions, language and culture, and subjected to mass surveillance, supporting previous allegations of genocide and ethnic cleansing committed within a network of hundreds of detention centres.

More than 50 former camp detainees shared new testimony with Amnesty, providing a detailed inside account of the conditions and treat-

ment of Uighurs and other groups in the internment camps sanctioned by Chinese authorities since 2017, Amnesty said.

“The Chinese authorities have created a dystopian hellscape on a staggering scale in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General and a former UN investigator on human rights.

“Uighurs, Kazakhs and other Muslim minorities face crimes against humanity and other serious human rights violations that threaten to erase their religious and cultural identities.

“It should shock the conscience of humanity that massive numbers of people have been subjected to brainwashing, torture and other degrading treatment in internment camps, while millions more live in fear amid a vast surveillance apparatus.”

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Biden says biggest vaccine donation “supercharges” battle against coronavirus

U

S President Joe Biden said on Thursday that a donation of 500 million doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to the world's poorest countries would supercharge the battle with the virus and comes with "no strings attached".

Biden, speaking alongside Pfizer chief executive Albert Bourla in the English seaside resort of Carbis Bay ahead of a G7 summit, thanked other leaders for recognising their responsibility to vaccinate the world.

"The United States is providing these half billion doses with no strings attached.

No strings attached," Biden said. "Our vaccine dona-

Empty vials of the (COVID-19) vaccine

Pfizer-BioNTech

tions don't include pressure for favours, or potential concessions. We're doing this to save lives."

Biden, keen to burnish his multilateral credentials

coronavirus

disease

on his first foreign trip as leader, cast the donation as a bold move that showed America recognised its responsibility to the world and to its own citizens.

"America will be the arsenal of vaccines in our fight against COVID-19, just as America was the arsenal of democracy during World War Two," Biden said.

The largest-ever vaccine donation by a single country will cost the United States US$3.5 billion but will spur further donations from other G7 leaders – including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

G7 leaders want to vaccinate the world by the end of 2022 to try to halt the COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 3.9 million people, devastated the global economy and upended the normal lives of billions of people. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Man who slapped French Man accused of antiPresident Macron Muslim attack in jailed for 4 months Canada appears in court

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French President Emmanuel Macron is protected by security guards after being slapped by a member of the public [BFM TV/ Reuters]

A

French court on Thursday sentenced a man who slapped French President Emmanuel Macron across the face this week to a prison term of 18 months, 14 of which were suspended.

Damien Tarel, a 28-yearold medieval history enthusiast, has been in custody since the assault on Tuesday, which a Prosecutor called “absolutely unacceptable” and “an act of deliberate violence”.

Tarel attacked Macron when the French President was shaking hands with

members of the public during a walkabout in France’s Drome region.

Tarel said that several days ahead of Macron’s visit to the region, he had thought about throwing an egg or a cream tart at the president, but added the slap was not premeditated.

“I think that Macron represents very neatly the decay of our country,” he told the court, according to BFM TV. “If I had challenged Macron to a duel at sunrise, I doubt he would have responded.” (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

CAR Prime Minister and Cabinet resign

C

entral African Republic (CAR) Prime Minister Firmin Ngrebada, has resigned along with the entire Cabinet, the latest political crisis to hit the war-weary country.

The development on Thursday came during a turbulent week after France announced it was suspending military operations with its former colony.

Ngrebada said on Twitter he handed over his and the Government’s resignation to President FaustinArchange Touadera, but

a presidential spokesman told the AFP news agency the Prime Minister could be tapped to lead a refreshed administration.

“We will know within a few hours if the President keeps the Prime Minister on,” Albert Yaloke Mokpeme said.

A former Chief of Staff to Touadera, Ngrebada had been in post since early 2019 when he helped craft a February 2019 peace deal signed with rebel groups in Khartoum that now appears on the verge of collapse.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

he man accused of mowing down a Muslim family with his pick-up truck in what Canadian Police are calling a hate-motivated attack appeared briefly via Zoom before a Judge on Thursday and is due back early next week.

Nathaniel Veltman, 20, was arrested on Sunday in a London, Ontario mall parking lot, a short distance from the city’s oldest mosque. He was wearing what appeared to be an armoured vest and a helmet at the time, Police said.

Veltman, who will next appear in court on Monday, faces four charges of first-degree murder and one of attempted murder.

Police said Veltman was not known to have links to any hate groups, but added that they were still investigating and terror charges were being considered.

London Police Chief Steve Williams told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp that little information is being made public in order to guarantee the integrity of the judicial process.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Ethiopia's Tigray crisis: UN aid chief says there is famine

U

nited Nations humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock has said there is famine in northern Ethiopia after the release of a UN-backed analysis of the situation.

"There is famine now," he said, adding: "This is going to get a lot worse."

The analysis found that 350,000 people were living in "severe crisis" in the wartorn Tigray region, as well as neighbouring Amhara and Afar.

Tigray has been devastated by fighting between Government forces and rebels, with 1.7 million people displaced.

According to the analysis, the food situation in the region has reached the level of a "catastrophe", which it defines as starvation and death affecting small groups of people spread over large areas.

The UN's World Food

Programme (WFP); Food and Agriculture Organisation and children's agency Unicef have all called for urgent action to address the crisis.

The analysis –or Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) as it is known – was not endorsed

by Ethiopia's Government, which insists that humanitarian access is being expanded as it restores order across the region.

People in Qafta Humera, an isolated district in the west of Tigray, told the BBC this week they were on the verge of starvation.

"We don't have anything to eat," one man said by phone, explaining their crops and livestock had been looted during seven months of war.

They were being prevented from seeking aid by a militia fighting with Government forces, he added. (Excerpt from BBC News)

20

FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021

guyanatimesgy.com

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

You’ll gain perspective regarding what’s possible and what isn’t. A change in direction looks promising.

Reach out to someone who can offer sound advice or help you get ahead.

Reach out to people who TAURUS can help you reach your (April 20- goal. A personal change will lift your spirits and give you May 20) the confidence you need to take on a new challenge.

Love is featured.

DILBERT

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

PEANUTS

CALVIN AND HOBBES

SUDOKU

Do what you do best.

Own the stage instead of letting others crowd your space. It’s time to embrace what you enjoy doing most and take on a leadership role. Think big, but live within your means.

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Look for the silver lining in any situation you face; you’ll find a way to parlay it into something valuable. A physical change or an image update will result in positive attention.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Pay attention. Observe what others are doing. Don’t rely on others to do things for you. Invest time and money in yourself. Put more effort into the way you look and upgrading your qualifications.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Display what you have to offer, and interest will grow.

Making a move in a new and exciting direction will give you the boost you need to resurrect something you enjoy doing.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Keep gathering information. Being tech-savvy and knowing what’s possible will give you the advantage you need to avoid getting involved in a risky venture. Be wary of temptation.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Expand your interests, knowledge and flexibility.

Take precautions to ensure you stay healthy and fit. Put your energy into educational pursuits and improving the way you manage your money.

Your emotions will lead SAGITTARIUS you in one direction and (Nov. 23your common sense in anDec. 21) other. Stick to the guidelines suggested when dealing with financial, health or legal matters.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

You’ll gravitate toward situations that are unique, sensitive and changeable. Be open regarding your feelings, and ask questions if someone’s response is confusing.

Romance is on the rise.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

Put your money, time and effort into building a solid home base. How you deal with domestic issues will determine how much you achieve.

Set your standards and goals high and keep striving.

PISCES

Safe socializing and networking are favored, as long as they don’t subject you or your loved ones to unpredictable situations. Contact someone who shows interest in the unique way you do things.

(Feb. 20March 20)

FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021

21

Georginio Wijnaldum joins PSG after leaving Liverpool

G

eorginio Wijnaldum has signed a threeyear deal with Paris St-Germain after leaving Liverpool on a free transfer.

The Netherlands midfielder, 30, opted against signing a new contract at Anfield, and moves to the French capital after being linked with Barcelona.

“I’m joining one of the best squads in Europe, and I want to bring all my desire and commitment to this ambitious project,” Wijnaldum

said.

Wijnaldum joined Liverpool from Newcastle United for £25m in 2016.

PSG are understood to have made a better offer than Barca, with Manager Mauricio Pochettino’s presence also thought to have been a factor in Wijnaldum’s decision.

The former Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven midfielder made 237 appearances for the Reds, helping Jurgen Klopp’s side win the

Champions League in 2019, and the Premier League a year later.

Pochettino is preparing for his first full season in charge of PSG, after missing out on the Ligue 1 title to Lille.

Wijnaldum, who is part of the Netherlands squad for Euro 2020, added: “Paris St-Germain have proved how good they are in recent years, and I am convinced that together we can go even further and higher.”

Krejcikova to meet Pavlyuchenkova in final of French Open 2021

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zech Barbora Krejcikova showed incredible sprit to beat Maria Sakkari in a classic French Open semi-final and reach her first Grand Slam final.

Krejcikova, 25, won 7-5 4-6 9-7 with her fifth match point - after saving one herself - in a dramatic match lasting over three hours.

Krejcikova thought she had won earlier in the final game, but had a line call wrongly overruled by the umpire.

She will play Russian 31st seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the final.

“I always wanted to play a match like this,” said Krejcikova, who is ranked 33rd in the singles and is also a former doubles world number one. “When I was younger and I was playing juniors, I always wanted to play such a challenging match, where we both had chances and were playing so well, and only one can win.

“Even if I (had) lost today, I would be very proud

of myself, because I was fighting. That is the most important thing, to fight in here and in our own life.”

Pavlyuchenkova continued her late bloom at the French Open to also reach her first Grand Slam final, beating Slovenia’s Tamara Zidansek 7-5 6-3 on the Paris clay.

Pavlyuchenkova, 29, was a dominant junior player, but had never previously reached a Grand Slam semi-final.

’brutal’ umpire mistake

In a highly unpredictable match that was full of twists and turns, 25-yearold Krejcikova was second best for much of the contest, but somehow came through what turned into a Roland Garros classic.

After failing to convert her match point in the ninth game of the decider, Greek 17th seed Sakkari lost her nerve and failed to serve out for a place in the final.

That allowed Krejcikova, who had not played at her best level previously, to re-

gain her composure in the decisive moments.

What was arguably most amazing in a deciding set packed with key moments, tension and drama was how the Czech was able to brush off the disappointment of being wrongly denied victory four points earlier.

At 30-40, Sakkari hit a forehand which was called out, and Krejcikova - who stretched her arms into the air in celebration - also thought it was long. Umpire Pierre Bacchi, however, disagreed.

The Frenchman scampered down to the clay and pointed out the mark where he thought the ball had hit the line.

Technology is not used on the clay to challenge calls, with testing so far not proving it is accurate enough on the surface.

However, television replays seemed to indicate the ball was out, leading Britain’s former world number one Andy Murray to say on Twitter that Bacchi had made an “absolutely brutal error”. (BBC Sport)

Wijnaldum won the Champions League and Premier League during his five-year spell with Liverpool

“I’m having fun again,” – Omar McLeod says after recording world-leading time in Florence

O

mar McLeod has said he is having fun again as he once more signalled his intent to successfully defend his Olympic title with a world-leading 13.01 to win the 110-metre hurdles at the Diamond League meeting in Florence, Italy.

The 2016 Olympic champion was running his fastest time since 2019, which equalled Allen Johnson’s meet record set back in 1999.

“It feels good to be winning again. I am having fun again,” said a pleased McLeod afterwards.

“It was a really good race. I put together a technically sound race. I did not hit a hurdle. The weather is a bit shaky, but we have to put up with this.

“The time is close enough to 13 seconds, and I will get under 13 seconds when the time is right. Now I had two solid races back-to-back, and I am getting better with every race. It is good to get opportunities to race again,” he said.

Great Britain’s Andrew Pozzi ran 13.25 for second place, while Wilhem Belocian clocked 13.31, a season’s best for the Frenchman, who was third.

Shane Brathwaite of Barbados was fifth in 13.46.

Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn was equally

impressive in winning the women’s sprint hurdles event in meet record 12.38, the secondfastest time in the world this year, behind her own 12.32. She broke Russia’s Vera Komisova’s record of 12.39 that had stood since 1980.

“Actually, I did much better than I thought I would. I was really nervous at the start, so all I could think when I was in the blocks was to have a good start, push really hard, and be good to go,” said Camacho-Quinn, who has plans to go even faster as the Olympics draw nearer.

“Of course I want to run faster, but I just take it as it comes.

I’ve been very consistent with my races, so I’m really excited, and not rushing at all. I’m looking forward to the Olympics this year, it will be like redemption from my fall in 2016. I’m really excited, training really hard, work really hard, but really looking forward to it.”

Meanwhile, Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas was the runner-up in 12.80. Elvira Herman of Belarus ran a seasonbest 12.85 for third, while Jamaica’s Megan Tapper was fourth in 12.94.

Dina Asher-Smith, the reigning world and European champion, destroyed a talented

field to win the 200m in 22.06, the second-fastest time in the world this year.

It was also a meet record for the Briton, as she erased Marion Jones’s 22.19 set in 1999, and said afterwards that the victory was an essential one.

“It was really important to do a good race here today.

Obviously, it’s been really hard over the past year, and a bit because of the pandemic; so, I’m really proud to be able to put that kind of time, and I definitely have more in me,” she said.

Asher-Smith won handsomely over the Ivory Coast’s Marie Josee Ta Lou, who stumbled at the start, but recovered to run a season-best 22.58 for second place.

“I am very satisfied with the time, because I nearly fell at the start. Then I really had to get out of the curve quick and fast. I have not run as fast as 22.58 seconds since 2017. Now I know that all the work I put in pays off and is worth it. The shape is there, and it keeps getting better and better.

Now I will go back home to my country and train, and in July I will come back to Europe for some meetings,” she said.

Switzerland’s Mujinga Kambundji ran a season-best 22.60 for third. (Sportsmax)

22

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021

Ramson requests $75M supplementary funds for community grounds

By Jemima Holmes

O

ne of the highlights in Thursday’s reconvening of the National Assembly came compliments of sport, though not one ball was bowled or a goal scored, in the Arthur Chung Conference Center.

A fiery exchange of jabs between Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr, and shadow Minister of the same Institution, Jermaine Figueira, proved that they would do well as pugilists going jab for jab.

However, it also brought to light the continuous efforts of the Ministry to upgrade community centre grounds across the country.

The topic at hand was a $75M request by the Sport Ministry in the supplemental budget for the purpose of continuing work at several grounds.

Prompted by a question from Opposition Member of Parliament Jermaine Figueira, Minister Ramson shed light on the Ministry’s request for $75M. “There was so much neglect for community centres and grounds by the last administration. I have been able to make the recommendations to the Cabinet for the request of additional sums.

So, part of the supplemen-

Sport Minister Charles Ramson Jr (DPI Photo)

tary Budget that has been tabled by the Honourable Minister with Responsibility for Finance, we’ve just asked for an additional $75M for community grounds,” Ramson explained to the National Assembly.

Further, he highlighted, “So that the Regions of 10, 7 and 1, the entire country, will be able to get the allocations for their grounds and community centres.”

Under the premise that funds had already been allocated in the 2021 National Budget for this project, Ramson was again prodded

by Figueira to state why the grounds needed more funding.

“When we had the requests to come to locations by the representatives of the regions, the communities, the residents and the community

centre representatives, those requests came in such an abundance that the Ministry engaged in an aggressive community ground assessment programme,” Ramson related.

“And when we started to go there, that was how we were able to get the assessment of how bad the neglect was. It was so bad that even the public facilities, the Gymnasium, for example, which is right here in South Georgetown, which is an area that serves probably a 100,000 people, the bush was this high,” Ramson illustrated with hand gestures to the Parliament.

He concluded his answer by saying, “Bigger than me!

Heaps of junk filled the yard, and that is the condition and the care that you were showing to the Guyanese people.”

Crandon impressed with Jaguars’ intensity

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he Guyana Jaguars have hit preparation mode despite the uncertainty surrounding the return of the Regional 4-Day cricket for the 2021-2022 season.

The Jaguars are conducting training in small groups, with the focus being strength and condition work.

Guyana Jaguars Head Coach Esuan Crandon has said he is impressed with the intensity shown by the players since the return of training, which began at the National Stadium at Providence and has now moved to the La Bonne Intention (LBI) facility.

The players are training in small groups of four/five while adhering to the Covid-19 protocols.

"Saftey is important for us. The focus is on batting, bowling and fielding skills, along with strength and conditioning work," Crandon said. Further, He indicated

that two practice matches are expected to be played in July, since the weather has been inclement.

"We have plans in place to have a couple of fourday matches for the guys.

Hopefully, the weather holds.

The effort from the players has been good, with some good intensity. Some guys have not played for a while but they are getting in the groove.

Some of them are rusty but, the important thing is that they are clear on what they want to work on at the moment," Crandon told this daily publication.

Crandon also credited the presence of the senior players, inclduing Leon Johnson, Vishaul Singh, Keemo Paul and Romario Shepherd.

"The response has been really good, and the guys have been very supportive around the group," Crandon noted.

The players are also tasked with programmes in

the gym, in addition to the net sessions conducted by Coach Crandon and Julian Moore.

Besides the Jaguars, other franchises have recently announced the list of contracted players for the new season, with contracts being awarded from July 1.

The new addition to the Jaguars squad is Kevlon Anderson.

Guyana Jaguars’ contracted men are: Kelvon Anderson, Christopher Barnwell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Shimron Hetmyer, Leon Johnson, Gudakesh Motie, Keemo Paul, Veerasammy Permaul, Romario Shepherd, Vishaul Singh, Kevin Sinclair, Nial Smith, Anthony Bramble and Keon Joseph. The Jaguars usually train on the weekdays, with the exception of Wednesday. (Brandon Corlette)

In a burst of vigour that was punctuated by applause from the Government’s side of the house, Ramson listed the community grounds that have benefited from the budget allocation and will continue to benefit from the supplementary funds.

“Reliance, Queenstown, Affiance, Cornelia Ida, Tuschen, Meten-Meer-Zorg, Zeelugt, Zeeburg, Goed Fortuin, Success, Buxton, Enterprise, Better Hope, Enmore, Bath Settlement, Blairmont, Bush Lot, Cotton Tree, Port Mourant, Line Path, Rose Hall Canje,” the Minister listed.

On the topic of the multi-purpose sport facilities that have been earmarked for Regions 2, 6 and 10, Ramson explained the technicalities with regard to the allocated funds, and even gave an update on the Ministry’s negotiations with the foreign entities that are expected to fund

the projects.

“If you go to the project details, it says here for that specific detail, it says $200M has been allocated, but as you should know, because it says so in the details, it says it is foreign-funded.”

He continued by saying, “So you have to be able to finalise the terms of the agreement before you get to be able to access the money.

The Government of Guyana is in the final details of fleshing out the details of the terms for the grant, and there are some bits of information that I’m able to share at this stage and some that I’m not,” Ramson divulged.

Posing a final question to Ramson on that Thursday afternoon, Opposition MP Figueira probed the overlap of multiple sport facility projects in some regions, specifically Regions 6 and 10, where synthetic athletic tracks are being construct-

ed.

To this Ramson answered by saying that the projects are completely diverse.

“These are entirely different projects. There are two in Region 10, for example, one is on one side of the river, the other one is on the other side of the river.

They are two different orientations for sports, one is for track and field, one if going to be for multi-purpose sport facility, and the project themselves are not going to augment each other. They are two different projects,” Ramson asserted.

Of the $1.5B Sport allocation in the 2021 National Budget, $915.5M was allotted to the improvement of community grounds countrywide, to expand their use as parks and create premium, multi-purpose sporting facilities of international standards, commencing in Regions 2, 6 and 10.

Diver Yona Knight-Wisdom reveals financial challenges on his way to Olympic qualification

J

amaica’s Olympic diver Yona Knight-Wisdom has qualified for his second Olympic Games, but things could have gone terribly wrong as he struggled financially to make ends meet.

The 26-year-old KnightWisdom, having decided to relocate from his family home, said the going got extremely tough as, all of a sudden, he had to be paying bills, which seriously hampered his preparation.

“It’s has been challenging because there have been times when I have to be borrowing money from friend and family to get through,” Knight-Wisdom revealed.

“I have been receiving the funding from the Institute of Sports, and it is tremendously helpful, because the last few years have been very challenging for me. I moved from Leeds to Edinburgh, so I left home, which meant I have to pay rent, bills and food, and pay for more things than when I was at home,” he pointed out.

“The scholarship that I have been receiving, plus now this Institute of Sports funding have been really, really helpful, and I am grateful to Minister Olivia Grange for providing that for athletes, and hope

that it is something that will continue, not just in the Olympic year, but in the years in between, because

those are the years that really count.

“But I am super grateful for it. It has been really helpful. I have been using it for some extra massage treatment and just try to look after my body to get me in a good condition for the Games”.

In 2016, Knight-Wisdom became the first Jamaican diver to qualify for the Olympic Games. In fact, he has been the first in the Caribbean.

“I am now starting to find my rhythm again. I went through the tough phase of getting back into training full time, and so hopefully I can start building on all the good work I did in Tokyo at the World Cup. I can start improving on the small details going forward to the Games,” said KnightWisdom.

The tall Knight-Wisdom, who won silver at the 2019 Pan American Games in Peru, said preparation is going well so far.

“It took a little bit of time because of the qualification to get back, recover physically and recover ment a l ly. It was quite a stressf u l environ-

ment, and (I had to) recover from the jetlag before getting back into training.

“This is my second Olympic Games, and it’s so incredible to be saying that.

I first watched the Olympics in 2004 at the age of 9, and everything that I am doing now is to make that little boy proud.

“The fact I am going to my second Olympic Games is really fun, and I am happy about it,” said KnightWisdom. “I want to improve on what I did five years ago.

I want to improve on my semi-final performance. I know I can dive well enough to get into the final, I have to dive well to make that happen, just like everyone else. So that’s what my aim is, to make it to the final, then we see what happens,” he noted.

“I just want people to enjoy the sport of diving.

Watch me and support me, and I am so appreciative of all the love, and I definitely feel that (love) when I visit the island.

“I want people to enjoy the beauty of diving and the competitiveness, and maybe one day we can see more Jamaican divers competing at this level. That would be awesome, and I

want to do my part and help that happen in Jamaica and the Caribbean,” said KnightWisdom. (Sportsmax)

23 Seales fights back after South Africa destroy West Indies F FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021

ourteen wickets fell on an eventful first day at St Lucia, where South Africa inched in front after dismissing West Indies for their lowest total against the Proteas.

Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen put their team in the lead after Anrich Nortje saw West Indies shot out for 97.

The visitors, touring the Caribbean for the first time in 11 years, adjusted well to conditions that suited their pace pack.

West Indies were left to rue their decision to bat first, especially as their attack were unable to cause the same problems as South Africa's on a pitch that appeared to flatten as the day wore on. Although the bounce remained true and the carry good, West Indies' attack did not generate the same seam movement as South Africa's, neither did they bowl with the same militaristic discipline, but they took four of the top six, with debutant seamer Jayden Seales being responsible for three of those wickets. playing in just his second first-class game, Seales was the most impressive of the home pack on a day for the quicks that belonged to South Africa's fast men.

They impressed with accuracy and aggression, and condemned West Indies to only their second sub-100 total since 2004.

No West Indies batsman scored more than 20, and no partnership was worth more than 24 in a reflection on South Africa's incisiveness and solid slip catching.

Kagiso Rabada set the tone and looked back to his menacing best when he beat Kraigg Brathwaite with

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Jayden Seales has bagged three wickets on debut thus far

Nortje could have had a second wicket off the next ball, when he greeted Nkrumah Bonner with a menacing short ball that Bonner appeared to topedge onto his badge.

South Africa reviewed while Bonner had a concussion test. The former was unsuccessful and showed no bat involved, and though he was deemed fit to continue, he was reassessed at the end of the innings, and duly replaced by Kieran Powell for the remainder of the contest.

Three balls after Bonner's helmet blow, Nortje bowled Brathwaite with a delivery that jagged back into the West Indian captain and onto the outside of the off stump.

While Bonner and Roston Chase spent 65 balls together trying to rebuild, they accumulated just 14 runs.

Chase took 25 deliveries to get off the mark, and the pressure told. Bonner was squared up by Rabada and edged to Quinton de Kock, before new batter Kyle Mayers tried to pull a Nortje length ball but gifted Rassie van der Dussen a catch at extra cover in the next over on the stroke of lunch.

success with his first ball of the second chase.

He generated extra bounce to have Roston Chase caught at second slip, and four balls later had Joshua da Silva caught low at third slip, after edging a ball that moved away.

Four overs later, Rahkeem Cornwall tried to smash Ngidi over the slip cordon but miscued, and Markram took the catch running from first slip towards third man.

In his next over, Ngidi had Roach caught behind, and four overs after that, finished the innings off when Holder pushed at a ball outside off and was caught at second slip.

South Africa has the upper hand

At the other end, Keegan Petersen impressed with his tight technique and confident defence, and the pair took South Africa to tea.

Petersen lasted only three balls after the break, and fell to the first one he faced off fellow newcomer Seales. The teenager, playing in just his second firstclass match, started off with good pace and plenty of energy, and took the splice of Petersen's bat with the last

to take South Africa to the close, but Seales had another burst to come. He forced Markram to play at a ball on fourth stump which took the edge on its way to Joshua da Silva. Markram departed for 60.

That brought another debutant, Kyle Verreynne, to the middle, but he could not keep van der Dussen company to the close.

Seales got his third when Verreynne flashed at a short ball and got a thick outside edge for da Silva to collect.

South Africa did not send in a nightwatchman, but stuck to their usual batting line-up, and Quinton de Kock accompanied van der Dussen to the close.

With only allrounder Wiaan Mulder to come before the tail, West Indies will be hopeful of keeping South Africa's lead from ballooning beyond their reach and staying competitive in the Test.

Play began with West Indies, as they have done for the last 11 months, taking a

knee in support of anti-racism. For the first time since the athlete activist movement began, South Africa opted to give their players individual choice over their gesture, after their collective decision last year not to take a knee but to wear armbands and raise a fist instead.

Rabada, Ngidi, Keshav Maharaj, Keegan Petersen, Rassie van der Dussen and Kyle Verreynne took a knee.

Elgar, Markram, Mulder and Nortje raised a fist, while de Kock stood. On the sidelines, South Africa's entire support staff took a knee, while one reserve player raised a fist and another stood.

"We come from a diverse country. Everyone is entitled to their own choice," Ngidi said at the close. "I have been very clear on my stance. Everyone is happy for everyone. We play for South Africa, and that's all we are trying to do as players." (Espncricinfo)

SCOREBOARD

Anrich Nortje made early inroads

Aiden Markram

the new ball on several occasions but did not find the edge.

Instead, it was Nortje who struck at the other end.

He bowled Shai Hope in the perfect fast bowler's fashion as the ball angled away and hit the top of off stump to break a 24-run opening stand.

At that stage, Ngidi had bowled seven overs for 10 runs and had not taken a wicket, but he made up for it after the break. After Jermaine Blackwood played the poorest stroke of the line-up when he hung his bat out to a back-of-a-length Nortje delivery and was caught at gully, Ngidi had

South Africa's reply started inauspiciously, when Dean Elgar recorded a duck in his first innings as permanent Test captain.

Elgar left the first four deliveries of South Africa's reply alone, but was drawn into playing at the fifth which Kemar Roach pitched fuller than the rest and closer to the off-stump.

The ball took the outside edge, and Blackwood took a good catch at third slip, diving to his left.

Roach had hopes of another in his next over when Markram withdrew from his stroke and edged between the wicketkeeper and Cornwall at first slip.

Markram also had an appeal for lbw against him, off Roach, turned down; Replays showed an inside edge.

ball of his first over.

Jason Holder took the catch at second slip to give Seales his first Test wicket.

Seales could have had another wicket two overs later when Rassie van der Dussen was given out lbw for 5 but reviewed. Replays showed the ball was missing leg stump by some distance and van der Dussen survived, only to slash Seales through the gully before a more confident pull off Holder.

Markram knuckled down and showed rare glimpses of positive stroke play, such as the backfoot drive off Mayers and the slap through the covers off Cornwall, but it was only when he pulled Seales in front of square to level the scores that he looked properly in control.

He brought up his fifty off 99 balls, and seemed set

West Indies Kraigg Brathwaite (c) b Nortje 15 Shai Hope b Nortje 15 Nkrumah Bonner c †de Kock b Rabada 10 Roston Chase c Markram b Ngidi 8 Kyle Mayers c van der Dussen b Nortje 1 Jermaine Blackwood c Petersen b Nortje 1 Jason Holder c Markram b Ngidi 20 Joshua Da Silva †c Mulder b Ngidi 0 Rahkeem Cornwall c Markram b Ngidi 13 Kemar Roach c †de Kock b Ngidi 1 Jayden Seales not out 0 Extras (lb 4, nb 3, w 6) 13 TOTAL (40.5 Ov, RR: 2.37) 97 Did not bat: Kieran Powell Fall of wickets: 1-24 (Shai Hope, 11.4 ov), 2-31 (Kraigg Brathwaite, 13.2 ov), 3-45 (Nkrumah Bonner, 24.1 ov), 4-46 (Kyle Mayers, 25.6 ov), 5-56 (Jermaine Blackwood, 29.4 ov), 6-56 (Roston Chase, 30.1 ov), 7-56 (Joshua Da Silva, 30.5 ov), 8-74 (Rahkeem Cornwall, 34.1 ov), 9-80 (Kemar Roach, 36.1 ov), 1097 (Jason Holder, 40.5 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W

Kagiso Rabada Lungi Ngidi Anrich Nortje Keshav Maharaj Wiaan Mulder

10-2-24-1 13.5-7-19-5 11-3-35-4 4-3-6-0 2-0-9-0

SOUTH AFRICA 1ST INNINGS Dean Elgar (c) c Blackwood b Roach 0 Aiden Markram c †Da Silva b Seales 60 Keegan Petersen c Holder b Seales 19 Rassie van der Dussen not out 34 Kyle Verreynne c †Da Silva b Seales 6 Quinton de Kock † not out 4 Extras (lb 1, nb 4) 5 TOTAL (43 Ov, RR: 2.97) 128/4 Yet to bat: Wiaan Mulder, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Dean Elgar, 0.5 ov), 2-34 (Keegan Petersen, 9.6 ov), 3-113 (Aiden Markram, 38.1 ov), 4-119 (Kyle Verreynne, 40.3 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Kemar Roach 10-2-27-1 Jason Holder 7-0-31-0 Jayden Seales 11-3-34-3 Kyle Mayers 5-2-8-0 Rahkeem Cornwall 8-1-27-0 Roston Chase 2-2-0-0

FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021

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

Pg 23

Seales fights back after South Africa destroy West Indies Page 22

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