Guyana Times - Friday November 19, 2021

Beneficiary of CIOG’s Vulnerable Children P10 Programme excels at CSEC

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

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 4836

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2021

Govt announces 7% increase for public servants – additional $400M one-off payment for frontline health workers

PRICE

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

5 WCB men arraigned for murder of labourer P8

Page 3

Govt willing to purchase Pfizer pills if local companies produce – Health Minister Page 9

…3 unvaccinated women die from COVID, 91 new cases detected

Husband, pregnant wife killed in horrific EBD accident Page 7

High-level participation from Govt at Energy Conference 2022 – Pres Ali $2B worth of ganja Kamarang gets destroyed along first-time access Berbice River to potable water See story on page 7

Page 12

Page 17

Guyanese shot P dead during 16 argument with wife’s cousin in Suriname Flights resume between Guyana and Brazil P18

Legal challenge against COVID-19 measures

Chief Justice to hear arguments on January 20 P19

1 to face Judge, P jury for child 19 rape; another released on bail

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

NEWS

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

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

Friday, November 19 – 04:00h-05:30h and Saturday, November 20 – 00:00h-06:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Friday, November 19 – 16:00h-17:30h and Saturday, November 20 – 16:25h-17:55h.

Govt announces 7% increase for public servants

– additional $400M one-off payment for frontline health workers

FERRY SCHEDULE

Parika and Supenaam departure times – 05:00h, 10:00h-12:00h, 16:00h, 18:30h daily

WEATHER TODAY Sunny intervals are expected during the day. Partly cloudy skies are expected at night. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Northerly to North-Westerly between 1.78 metres and 3.57 metres.

High Tide: 16:21h reaching a maximum height of 2.69 metres.

Low Tide: 09:57h and 22:19h reaching minimum heights of 0.65 metre and 0.52 metre.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021

LOTTERY NUMBERS H

04 15 18

19 22 23

FREE TICKET

25 Bonus Ball

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021

DAILY MILLIONS

04 08 14 18 19 LUCKY 3

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9

7

6

Afternoon Draw

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DRAW DE LINE

02 03 04 07 08 12 17 SUPER

PAY DAY FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2021

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02 04 09 16 21

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COMMODITIES Indicators

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Change %

Crude Oil

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+1.20

Rough Rice

$262.674/ton

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London Sugar

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+2.14

Live Spot Gold

T

he People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration has announced a seven per cent salary increase for all public servants retroactive to January 2021.

This declaration was made by Senior Minister with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, during a live broadcast on Thursday. He noted that this across-the-board increase would benefit all categories of public servants, including teachers, members of the Disciplined Services, constitutional office holders, as well as Government pensioners.

“This increase will be granted retroactively to 1 January 2021, and work will start immediately to ensure that it is processed and paid to eligible employees together with their December salary and in time for the festive Christmas season,” Dr Singh disclosed.

Only last month, President Dr Irfaan Ali had reassured public servants that salary increases for them were imminent. That was a reiteration of an earlier commitment back in August when he had promised a retroactive salary increase for public servants before the end of this year.

Frontline workers

Evening Draw

PAY DAY

Senior Minister with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1858.80

$1859.80

Low/High Change

$1854.50 +0.30

$1870.80 +0.02%

Meanwhile, Minister Singh, during the broadcast on Thursday, also announced an additional $400 million for frontline health workers, who have been battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Government has set aside an amount of $400 million for a special 2021 payout to be made to frontline workers in the health sector who have continued to face extenuating circumstances in the daily discharge of their duties, as our country and the world continue to battle the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he disclosed.

According to the Minister, the details of this payout will be announced shortly.

However, he reassured that the payout would be made to eligible employees before the end of December 2021.

Meanwhile, the other an-

Teachers attending a meeting (file photo)

nouncement that was made

by Dr Singh had to do with inconsistencies regarding the salary scale across the public sector. He indicated that the Government was working to have this disparity resolved.

“Government has recognised the existence of a number of anomalies and disparities across positions within the public service salary scales, as a result of which there are marked inconsistencies across the pay received by persons holding similar qualifications, but occupying different posts depending on the agency in which they work, the post to which they are appointed, and the salary scale in which their post is classified,” the Finance Minister pointed out.

He added, “For example, a new graduate with

a degree in environmental science might be earning $120,000 in one agency while a new graduate with an identical degree in environmental science might be earning $190,000 in another agency.”

Correcting salary inconsistencies

According to Minister Singh, steps will be taken next year to reduce these inconsistencies by making suitable adjustments to salaries in order to improve the parity and consistency with which persons with comparable qualifications are paid.

These changes, he noted, will be catered for in Budget 2022, for which preparations are already underway.

Nevertheless, Dr Singh stated that work would commence immediately to implement the measures he has announced.

Despite his commitment to salary increases, President Ali had previously explained that his Government had a holistic vision for public servants that was not just about pay hikes. He had said they also wanted to empower public servants and ensure that they became homeowners, among other things.

“We’re looking at the mechanism that will allow every public servant to own their own home… We want to empower public servants so that their children, too, can benefit from the scholarship programme. The public servants themselves are benefiting. And we are happy about this. So, let us not limit the discourse only to the tax waivers and [salary increases],” the Head of State had stated.

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guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 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

Public health issue

W

e should continue educating ourselves about suicide, which is an unfortunate phenomenon that has caused Guyana to be labelled the “suicide capital of the world”. This dubious distinction has not been due to the infamous Jonestown mass suicide that consumed the lives of over 909 persons, but to numbers compiled by the World Health Organisation (WHO). While there were some questions about those numbers which did come down from the 44/100,000 the following year to be in line with previous years, a figure in the high 30s per 100,000 keeps Guyana near the top of the charts, which is totally unacceptable.

Suicide became a noticeable issue from the beginning of Indian indentureship, when the rate of suicide rose from approximately 6/100,000 in the North India districts from which they were brought by a factor of one hundred times. While suicide is an observed phenomenon in all social groups, in Guyana, Indian Guyanese remain the main victims, with their rates almost 10 times the next closest ethnic group. This was confirmed in a 1999 study by the Centre for Economic and Social Research for Action (CESRA). In 2001, the Ministry of Health declared suicide as a public health issue, and launched several initiatives within a “National Suicide Prevention Strategy” to deal with it. The then Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, indicated that the programme would be coordinated by the Ministry of Health, and would involve the Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security, the Education Ministry, and the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport.

In 2009, a very grassroots-oriented “Gatekeepers Programme” was launched to train individuals in communities to be aware of signs of suicide risks, and to make interventions with the aim of directing the identified persons to professionals. UG had introduced a threeyear Master’s Programme in Mental Health to produce specialists for treating mental illness, of which suicide is deemed a subset. Since then, there have been other interventions, but the suicide rate rose inexorably to the 2012 high, from where it has not budged significantly.

In 2012, the WHO had issued a desiderata as to what ought to be done by the authorities, which bears repetition: “We need to (1) continue to research suicide and non-fatal suicidal behaviour, addressing both risk and protective factors; (2) develop and implement awareness campaigns with the aim of increasing awareness of suicidal behaviours in the community, incorporating evidence of both risk and protective factors; (3) target our efforts not only to reduce risk factors, but also to strengthen protective factors, especially in childhood and adolescence; (4) train health care professionals to better understand evidence-based risk and protective factors associated with suicidal behaviour; (5) combine primary, secondary and tertiary prevention; (6) increase use of and adherence to treatments shown to be effective in treating diverse conditions; and to prioritise research into effectiveness of treatments aimed at reducing selfharm and suicide risk; (7) increase the availability of mental health resources and reduce barriers to accessing care; (8) disseminate research evidence about suicide prevention to policy makers at international, national and local levels; (9) reduce stigma and promote mental health literacy among the general population and health care professionals; (10) reach people who don’t seek help, and hence don’t receive treatment when they are in need of it; (11) ensure sustained funding for suicide research and prevention; (12) influence governments to develop suicide prevention strategies for all countries, and to support the implementation of those strategies that have been demonstrated to save lives.”

While we are battling the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, which have stretched our human and material resources, we cannot afford to let up on the fight against suicide; if for nothing else than the fact that the pandemic has forced the populace into isolation, which can induce depression in general, but can prove fatal to suicide-prone individuals. This year’s theme for World Suicide Day, which we observed in September, was “Creating Hope Through Action”, and we must act.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo greets Senator of the State of Roraima, Francisco de Assis Rodrigues on Thursday at his office. The Senator led a delegation to Guyana and fruitful discussions were had on a range of issues

Inaugural Integrity in Policing Symposium Dear Editor, Recently, the Guyana Police Force held what it called its “Inaugural Integrity in Policing Symposium” at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre.

Among the presenters were the Prime Minister, the Minister of Home Affairs, and the Top Cop. The objective/s of the activity was/ were not publicly communicated, and there was no public statement on the symposium after the event.

However, I believe that the symposium was hurriedly put together to address the behaviour of ranks in the Force, which has perpetually come in for serious criticism in the print, electronic media, and elsewhere.

Top Cop Nigel Hoppie, at the last Police Awards Ceremony, bemoaned the fact that 29 Policemen were before the courts, facing criminal charges that include murder, attempted murder, rape, corruption, and other serious crimes.

That number has since increased.

In addition, there are numerous complaints of unacceptable behaviour by the Police at all levels reported to the Police Complaints Authority, which is still to be reconstituted; the Office of Professional Responsibility, and the still-to-be-putin-place Police Service Commission.

Recent letters to the ed-

itor by Paul Slowe and Clement J Rohee are very instructive.

Editor, please permit me to repeat some issues I posited before, and introduce some new concepts about behaviour in the GPF, and what could be done to correct the existing sad state of affairs.

Behaviour is the major phenomenon the Guyana Police Force must deal with as it sets out to achieve the objectives of the Force under Section 3 (2) of the Police Act, Chapter 16:01, and the unwritten societal expectations of the Police. Members of the Force must not only deal with the behaviour of the general public, their families, their friends, peers, subordinates, and superiors, but their own behaviour.

They can no longer regard the study of behaviour as the sole concern of the psychologist and psychiatrist. They must learn about behaviour and the behavioral science in order to effectively and safely carry out the job.

What is required is a holistic approach towards behaviour at all levels in the GPF. If behaviour is not adequately addressed at all levels, the Police would continue to display deviant behaviour, thereby tarnishing the image of the Force and eroding the fading public confidence in the organisation. Piecemeal efforts would only produce piecemeal re-

sults.

According to a recent article in the press, the Police employed a therapist/ counsellor who recently acquired a Master’s Degree in Psychology to cater for thousands of Policemen at all levels in the force. I understand the therapist/counsellor mounted a four-day Train the Trainers Course for a few ranks in the regional Police divisions with the intention that the trainees would become trainers to address unacceptable and psychological behaviour.

Wow! Those initiatives are small steps in the right direction, but their scope of operations is woefully limited. Much more must be done to address the current unacceptable behaviour perpetrated with alarming frequency by numerous ranks at all levels.

I am again compelled to make another clarion call for the establishment of a Behavioural Science Unit in the Guyana Police Force, staffed by fit and proper persons, not a one-woman show. Establishing of that Unit would go a long way towards influencing acceptable behaviour by members of the Force at all levels. This would fit nicely into UNESCO’s imperatives for learning. Here are they: Learn to live together; Learn to be; Learn to do; Learn to learn. Some important areas to be cov-

ered are effective communication, cultural sensitivity, conflict resolution - do you resolve conflict by resorting to the boots, baton, bayonet, or through the barrel of a gun? Self-esteem, emotional intelligence, policing multi-cultural and diverse communities, effectively dealing with people, effective investigations, cultural awareness, anger management, critical thinking, people skills, capacity to act, and the ability to apply knowledge.

More than two decades ago, I attended the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, in the United States of America.

My interactions with their Behavioural Science Unit then and later enabled me to effectively deal with members of the public in the execution of my duties as a law enforcement officer, and in my relationships with my family, friends, and colleagues. I am confident that the creation of a similar unit within the Force would influence excellent behaviour by members of the Force, and would go a far way towards promoting public trust and confidence in the Police.

Yours respectfully, Clinton Conway, Assistant Commissioner of Police (retired)

guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2021

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

Rail transport is possible Dear Editor, I would be grateful for an opportunity to follow up on my letter published on November 17 under the title “We should not give up on railway along the embankment.”

Rail transport is, in my view, possible, relevant, and indefinitely profitable.

Using just a few points as food for thought, I want to make an attempt to elaborate on why I believe this to be true. On suggesting such a megaproject as raised rail, the question of how it would pay for itself is likely to be the first one to arise.

To make anything vi-

able, anything at all, that thing that we invest in must be fully utilised. Our perception about whether the return on investment is sufficient would depend upon our preference for time - that is, when we feel that something should finish paying for itself. This is actually up to us (or how well we can negotiate with those we get in bed with).

Fully utilising something like a railway system might involve the following: defining the number of services (touring/business, coach, economy, cargo etc.) offered, and their departure frequencies; defining

which distances would be covered when, and thereby determining how often each train stops, some would shuttle short distances, and some may go further and stop less frequently; then deciding about the number of lines to construct in the raised rail zone to make it all work.

These numbers would then be constrained to either minimise cost or maximise revenue - both of these effectively mean the same thing. In other words, we make trains work for us by solving the problems implied by trains. We do the same for highways; we do

the same for streets, drains and other things; and, in most cases, we use the same applied math to think rigorously about everything.

Another question may follow from the first: would a rail in Guyana be fully utilised? I believe very strongly that rail would be fully utilised, and especially so in light of the future. The future involves momentary labour shortages due to labour force impacts like low birth rates or migration.

The future involves the need for the transference of workers between industries during moments of vulnerability on world markets.

Safety comes first

Dear Editor, Congratulations to President Ali on his refocus on the safety of our citizens.

This is the foundation that is necessary to start down a path to true prosperity. It is one of the three pillars of a good society, where citizens are able to easily prosper and enjoy the fruits of their hard work.

Environment, health, and safety are essential to setting the correct course towards a good life, and within this framework, safety must be first and foremost. Offering amnesty and an opportunity for self-change among those who have taken our nation down the wrong path towards prosperity is a very forgiving action being taken by the current administration. It should not be taken lightly.

After the amnesty period is up, the administration would have full support and authority to use the entire weight of the law to round up and punish those still engaging in criminal activities.

A good house-cleaning always starts at the top, and it is essential that the Government begins by purg-

ing itself of all those known to have participated - and continue to participate - in criminal and illegal activities.

If that is not done, the lower-level criminals, who are the protected foot soldiers of the criminal elements with influence and powerful connections, would continue to disregard the authority of Government, the courts, the Police, and the prisons.

By purging the system of criminals with authority, the voices of those who adhere to the law would be strengthened and allowed to have a stronger impact on the integrity and honesty of our nation. This would allow the Government to regain control of our legal system, the Police and the prison systems.

To this day, I still remember when a thief was sentenced to 3 years in prison for stealing a breadfruit. This was in the 1980s, when criminals were still being given the grand sentence of hanging, and caning was acceptable in our schools. During that time, our streets and homes were safer. Those thinking of behaving badly

and engaging in criminal activities would hesitate to carry out such actions because they knew how serious the punishment was for being disobedient and breaking the law.

Singapore still carries out caning of criminals, and China continues to use a firing squad. The culture of Guyana is not that of other nations, such as North America, and we must revert to the system that works best for our culture, which is more aligned to that of Singapore.

Then, and only then, would control be regained, and the safety of our villages, communities, cities, and nation would be restored.

Currently, many criminals and deviants laugh at the authorities with no fear of punishment, because of rampant corruption and weak penalties for criminal activities. We must teach the

criminals that we have nothing to fear but fear itself, and the punishment they would receive in our nation is such that it would drive fear into their souls and they would pray to go to a different country.

People must have that confidence and knowledge that, in Guyana, the authorities do not play around. You have to follow the law, or you would feel its full force and weight. The laws of our nation are not a joke, and we, the Guyanese people, will not tolerate any disrespect for our laws, nor any stealing of our belongings nor killing of our law-abiding citizens.

Once again, congratulations to His Excellency President Ali for taking the first steps towards a safer Guyana.

Best regards, Jamil Changlee

The future involves increased local and attracted tourism - more bars, nightclubs, restaurants, hotels, resorts, specialty hospitals - and the need for a transport option that does not involve driving while inebriated. The future involves getting to far-out places cheaply and quickly - places like the proposed Wales Industrial Estate (which cannot be viable without expanded transport for workers). The future involves a growing population that does more business across regional centres. The future involves opening up areas of the country to individuals, empowering them to optimise themselves by giving them more options.

The future involves making it safer for our bodies to move around in the context of an increased truckand-car traffic; and last, but certainly not least, the future involves adopting electricity as the primary energy source for almost everything, because oil is not going to be the main driver forever. Trains can put us on track to handle these outcomes gracefully.

Editor, we are about to

build bridges with our little sister state to the west.

There are Surinamese documents evidencing visions of power-sharing via transmission lines embedded in highways and bridges.

Why not add raised rail to the list while we are at it?

On these same transmission lines, renewables from multiple sources could join the grid from anywhere on the map – rail powered by hydro dams from all sides, carrying the nation’s power across the entire coast and beyond.

What could be more secure? What could be more future-proof? It is estimated that if we add just 160MW of hydroelectric capacity, our fossil fuel bill would fall

by US$140M. How much fossil fuel reliance could we eliminate altogether with rail? How much more economic activity would we unlock? What if raised rail is as much the key to securing our energy future as it would be a boon to business for everyone, including the buses and taxis that take us from our stops?

Sincerely, Emille Giddings

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2021

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Foundation ◄

Changing improper fractions to mixed numbers

I

n a fraction, the number on the bottom is the denominator. The denominator tells what units the whole is divided into. The number on the top is the numerator. It tells how many of those units there are.

When the numerator is the same as the denominator, a fraction is equal to 1. When the numerator is greater than the denominator, a fraction is equal to more than 1. This is called an improper fraction. Sometimes, it is easier to perform a calculation when you change an improper fraction into a mixed number, part whole number and part fraction. These are mixed numbers: 4 1/4, 18 1/2, 152 4/9 To change an improper fraction to a mixed number, divide the numerator by the denominator. The quotient is the whole number part. If there is a remainder, that becomes the fraction part. Simply use the remainder as the numerator and keep the original denominator.

Example: Change 13/4 to a mixed number Step 1: Divide the numerator by the denominator.

13 ÷ 4 = 3, and remainder of 1 Step 2: The quotient becomes the whole number and the remainder becomes the fraction.

So 13/4 = 3 1/4

Exercises: Change to mixed numbers

1) 4/3

4) 14/7

2)32/15

5) 3/2

3) 6/5

6) 11/7

Materials:

Pen Paper Scissors Styrofoam plate Tape Marker Air dry clay or play dough

Instructions:

Find a picture of a fossil to base your stamp off of. There are plenty on the Web, make sure yours is not too complicated (for example, a skull or bone works better than a whole skeleton) Print the picture or trace it onto a sheet of paper.

Cut the flat centre out of the Styrofoam plate.

Place the fossil image onto the Styrofoam, then draw over it with a pen. Push hard enough that the design transfers to the foam beneath the image.

Remove the paper, and you should be able to see your fossil image in the Styrofoam. Draw over the image once more with the pen.

Your stamp is almost done!

You can make a handle out of tape by sticking a loop to the back of the Styrofoam.

Colour over the front of the stamp with a mark-

er or highlighter, then quickly press it firmly onto a sheet of paper.

To make a clay or play dough ‘fossil’ using similar methods, repeat steps 1-5.

Trace over the fossil image three or four times with a pen, pushing firmly into the Styrofoam.

It should be easy to pop the centre of the fossil picture out of the Styrofoam. If it isn’t, draw over the outline one or two more times.

Gently pull the centre out of the fossil design.

Use the fossil cut-out you just made to make a fossil imprint on a flat piece of air-dry clay. Peel the cutout off of the clay and let it dry according to the clay’s instructions.

WORD SEARCH

NEWS

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

High-level participation from Govt at Energy Conference 2022 – Pres Ali

P

resident Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali on Thursday disclosed that his Government was pleased to partner with the International Energy Conference and Expo for the four-day event scheduled for mid-February in Guyana.

“We believe that the multi-faceted nature of the Conference is in keeping with the national drive for holistic development and investment opportunities of Guyana,” the Head of State said.

The Government will actively contribute to the

President Dr Irfaan Ali

Conference at the level of the President, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, and other members of the Cabinet.

The Head of State added that the Government was pleased that other global agencies would participate in various discussion sessions on energy, oil and gas, climate change, and food security among other areas.

“We look forward to a successful conference and welcoming the many international delegations to Guyana,” Dr Ali noted.

The energy conference, launched in September of

Husband, pregnant wife killed in horrific EBD accident

A

Linden man and his pregnant wife were on Thursday killed in a two-vehicle collision at Caledonia, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

The dead couple were identified as Olisa Sanderson-Valcin and Nicholas Valcin of Wismar, Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

Based on reports received, the now dead couple and a third person were travelling along the East Bank corridor and while in the vicinity of Caledonia, a Canter truck reportedly veered into their lane, causing a head-on collision.

As a result of the impact, the woman, who was a senior teacher at the Wisburg Secondary School, and her husband died on the spot while the third person was trapped.

With the assistance of public-spirited citizens, she was eventually pulled from

this year, will be held under the theme, “Charting a Sustainable Energy Future”, from February 1518, 2022. It aims to bring together leading experts – both local and international.

Only a few days ago, the Private Sector Commission (PSC) endorsed the event.

This comes mere weeks after Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat and the Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chamber (GOGEC) pledged their support for the event as well.

PSC Chairman Paul Cheong had stated: “The PSC is pleased to be partnering with the organisers of the energy expo. It’s a good opportunity for local

businesses to connect and explore partnerships with foreign investors/businesses. Also, we are urging all local businesses to come on board, as this is a good initiative that will benefit Guyana greatly as it develops capacity in the energy sector.”

The PSC is committed to the promotion of a vibrant and dynamic Private Sector as the engine of growth in Guyana, the achievement of a welfare standard for citizens, and the addressing of pertinent issues in the national interest. The PSC has a broad membership base ranging from the agriculture sector to the mining sector and now companies

involved in Guyana’s energy sector.

The conference continues to receive tremendous support from local, regional and international business communities, regional Government leaders, and industry experts.

Registration has commenced for sponsors, exhibitors, in-person attendees, virtual attendees, workshop participants, and members of the media, all being done online at www.guyanaenergy.gy. Companies interested in sponsoring or exhibiting can contact the team at conference@guyanaenergy.gy to request sponsorship documents and to find out about booth availability.

Govt announces 7%...

Dead: Nicholas Valcin and his wife, Olisa Sanderson-Valcin

the wreckage and rushed to the Diamond hospital from where she was referred to the Georgetown Public Hospital. She remains in critical condition.

The driver of the Canter truck was arrested as investigations continue.

The couple are survived by their five-year-old daughter.

At the end of December 2020, public servants had benefited from a one-off $25,000 cash grant from the PPP/C Government.

Approximately $2 billion was budgeted for that initiative, which was said to have benefited over 60,000 workers.

The beneficiaries of this grant included workers within Central Government, statutory bodies, subvention agencies, public corporations, teachers, medical workers, members of the Joint Services, Government pensioners and staff of the University of Guyana, to assist them with the chal-

lenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Then in the 2021 Budget, some $10 billion was budgeted in the estimates under the heading, “Revision of Wages and Salaries” – a huge part of which the Government had said was for salary increases for public sector workers.

Further, another $7.8 billion in assistance was earmarked for households and farmers affected by the unprecedented May-June floods. This was coupled with a subsequent announcement in August of $2.6 billion of financial support for vulnerable groups as well as one month of free electricity for

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over 40,000 households consuming 75 kilowatts per month.

Meanwhile, the Emergency Budget in 2020 provided for $7 billion in COVID-19 relief cash grants to households across Guyana and $1.1 billion in year-end bonuses to some 19,000 front-line workers in the health sector and the Disciplined Services.

Those measures were complemented by the reversal of taxes on a slew of utilities and items, as well as the removal of Value-Added Tax on electricity, water, health care, education and even construction materials.

8 NEWS

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

5 WCB men arraigned for murder of labourer

To be, or not to be…

Murdered: Bheem Evans

F

ive men were on Thursday arraigned at the Fort Wellington Magistrate’s Court for the murder of Bheem Evans, the 54-year-old West Coast Berbice (WCB) labourer who was beaten to death last Saturday.

Those charged are: Brian Evans, called “Black Boy”, 22, of Number 11 Village, WCB; James David, 18, a labourer of Number 12 Village,

Murder accused Brian Evans

Murder accused Ryan Dhanraj

WCB; Ryan Dhanraj; Samuel Vanbrook, called “Chucky”, 22; and Leeward Chung, called “Boysie”, 22, all of Bath Settlement, WCB. The five accused have been charged with murder, contrary to Common Law, and were not required to plead to the indictable charge.

Magistrate Peter Hugh has remanded them to prison un-

til December 8.

It was reported that Evans, called “Lyio”, of Third Street, Number 11 Village Squatting Area, WCB, was beaten to death by a group of men at some time around 23:50h at Block D, Bath Settlement, WCB. Reports are that Evans’s son, Tishan Persaud, 19, called “Monkey Man”, was heading

Murder accused James David

Murder accused Leeward Chung

Murder accused Samuel Vanbrook

home at about 20:00h on the day in question when he was confronted by four known men on a street in Block D, Bath Settlement. At the time, the men were all armed with cutlasses, ropes, and chains.

According to the young man, the men told him that his father had stolen silver and gold chains along with eight silver rings from one of them.

Persaud made a run for his life, and ended up at the home of his teenage sister, who contacted their father. After receiving news of the attack on his son, Evans rushed to the scene and began inquiring about what had transpired.

The teenager said his father was asked by the men about the missing jewellery, and he responded by saying he knew nothing of it. The men then dealt his father a sound thrashing with the cutlass and rope. According to Persaud, the men also sprayed pepper spray on his genitals and buttocks.

A Police report said that Evans was then wrapped in a rice sack and dragged about 300 feet into another street before being left to die on a grass parapet. He was later taken to the Fort Wellington Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries while receiving treatment.

Evans had been released from prison only in May of this year, after he was found not guilty on a murder charge.

He is the second of eight siblings to have been murdered.

T

…or is it to audit? here was never any question that the monies Exxon and its partners – Hess and CNOOC – have claimed to’ve spent on the development of the Stabroek Block had to be audited. Were we going to depend on the Communist Chinese-owned CNOOC to look after our interest in a show of Third World solidarity against the western capitalist “running-dog” companies? (That’s how China described anything American back in 1972, when Guyana went out on a limb and recognised them as the “real” China!) Now they can teach America a thing or a hundred about exploitative capitalism!

So, your Eyewitness didn’t pay much attention to all the sturm and drang about the VP saying that the time for the audit had elapsed. And this was because he said there wasn’t local auditing capacity responding to the Government’s advertisement for auditors.

He was so sanguine because he knew back in early 2018 - before first oil was drawn - the GRA had announced the formation of a Customs Petroleum Unit. It’s still on its website: “In fulfilling its legal mandate to optimise revenue collection and following recommendations of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in a Guyana Technical Assistance Customs Petroleum Report (September 2019), the GRA established the Customs Petroleum Unit and Petroleum Revenue Audit Unit (PetRAD)to focus on oil and gas audits and routine Customs functions relevant to the sector.

GRA Commissioner General Godfrey Statia elaborated further to the press: “(GRA) is preparing to audit ExxonMobil’s operations even as it prepares to staff a special Oil and Gas Unit with as much as 100 persons by 2020, when the country is expected to earn at least US$700 million annually from oil production.” More specifically, another report stated, “The second aspect of PetRAD’s mandate is the Execution of Cost Recovery Audits aimed at verifying the expenditure claims of contractors who have entered into PSAs with the Government of Guyana and ultimately the State’s share of Profit Petroleum.”

So, your Eyewitness - knowing of the efficiency of the GRA in doing the right thing when it comes to ensuring Guyana gets its fair share of what’s owned to it -figured that while the Government hadn’t done its independent audit of Exxon’s claimed expenses, the GRA would be ready with its numbers!!

But sadly, your Eyewitness found this report from earlier this year: “Currently the complement of the Petroleum Revenue Audit Department has expanded to 14 officers since its establishment, but 11 of the 14 officers directly involved in the execution of audits are officially assigned to the Tax Audit Division. The only assigned member of the Cost Recovery Audit Division is the Assistant Commissioner.”

Et tu, GRA? …tribal The race for the PNC Leader “wuk” has thrown up the perennial question in Guyanese politics: how does the leader solidify support of his ethnic base but still try to get some support from the other “five peoples”? When Burnham formed the PNC in late 1957, he was the darling of urban Africans because of the pride over his exploits at Queen’s College. He appealed to the rural Africans by bringing in Eusi Kwayana (then Sydney King) and the urban Mixed with the UDP of John Carter.

For the Indian support, he brought over Jainarine Singh and JB Latchmansingh from the BGEIA via the PPP. Jagan, of course, did the same thing with the rump PPP he was left with, consisting of mostly Indians and some loyalists from the other race groups. And they pretty much set the pattern of party mobilisation in Guyana for the next sixty years!! So, is anything gonna be different this go-around in the PNC? Let’s see if each candidate has their Latchmansingh or Jainarine Singh! …influenced by American culture Social media is flooded with American celebrities; sports pages cover the NBA; the G/town in-crowd just had their Halloween parties. So, with Thanksgiving coming up in a week’s time, will Guyanese forget their angst and celebrate Thanksgiving?

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

NEWS

9

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Govt willing to purchase Pfizer pills if local companies produce – Health Minister …3 unvaccinated women die from COVID, 91 new cases detected

GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD NOVEMBER 18, 2021 UPDATE

NUMBER OF NEW CASES

91

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL ISOLATION

59

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN HOME ISOLATION

1825

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN COVID-19 ICU

16

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE

8

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (FEMALES)

19,615

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (MALES)

17,475

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES IN GUYANA SINCE 2020

37,090

NUMBER OF RECOVERED CASES

34,222

TOTAL 1st DOSE VACCINATED

394,094

FULLY IMMUNISED

266,127

TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

968

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

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fizer has signed with a United Nations-backed group a deal that allows generic manufacturers to make its experimental anti-viral COVID-19 pill. This would see pills being produced for use in 95 countries, which accounts for over 50 per cent of the world’s population.

Guyana had said it was mulling the use of the pills locally, and with this new development, Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony has indicated that Guyana is willing to purchase the pills from local private companies interested in producing same.

In Thursday’s COVID-19 update, it was posited that the Public Sector does not have such manufacturing capacity. If private companies do not take up the task, Government would wait until production commences to purchase the pills from other suppliers.

“Here, in Guyana, there are private companies that would have the manufacturing capabilities. If those companies work with the WHO patent office and are able to bring that particular medicine to Guyana, it is something that we would want to procure. If that does not happen -because it would require a lot of investment --then certainly, with the number of countries now that are going to be producing this medication, we’re certain that we’ll be able to get the medicine at an affordable price once production has started,” the Minister stated.

According to him, the efficacy of the drug has proven promising enough to add to the country’s current treatment regimen against the deadly virus. “We have reviewed the efficacy of the medication; it seems to be working

quite well. Therefore, as soon as it is made available and it is licensed, then that’s something we’ll want to look at, and certainly a medication that we’ll want to add to the meds that we already have.”

Paxlovid, developed by Pfizer, and Molnupiravir, developed by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, are the two pills on the market which have proven to significantly reduce both hospitalisations and deaths.

New deaths, cases

The Health Ministry on Thursday reported that three more unvaccinated persons who tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have died. This takes the total number of deaths from the pandemic to 968.

All three persons were unvaccinated females from Region Four – aged 69, 73 and 85. With an increase of 91 cases, the total confirmed positives have climbed to 37,090.

There are 16 patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 59 in institutional isolation, 1825 in home isolation, and eight in institutional quarantine. Throughout the pandemic, 377,534 individuals were tested.

There are 2,049 active cases being monitored across the country. Some 64 persons are hospitalised – 37 of which are at the Infectious Diseases Hospital at Liliendaal. Sixteen persons are being treated in the Intensive Care Unit.

Regional breakdown of new cases shows three persons have tested positive in Region One (BarimaWaini); eight in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); 38 in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara); one

DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES SINCE MARCH 2020 REGION 1

1649

REGION 2

1520

REGION 3

5010

REGION 4

17,501

REGION 5

1364

REGION 6

3010

REGION 7

1773

REGION 8

617

REGION 9

2460

REGION 10

2186

in Region Four (DemeraraMahaica); 30 in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice); 30 in Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne); two in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), and one in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

Cases in Regions Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) remain unchanged.

Children’s immunisation

Meanwhile, slow vaccination coverage for children against the novel coronavirus is one of the recent concerns for health authorities, as the country fights to reach herd immunity within the soonest possible timeframe.

Dr Anthony reported that 28,551 children, or 39.1 per cent of that demographic, have been immunised with a first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

To amplify the current statistics, he noted that further collaboration is needed with

the Education Ministry to get school-aged children vaccinated.

“One of the challenges we have been having is not a lot of people within this age group, the 12-to-17, we’ve had a challenge with how many persons are coming forward to get the vaccine. It is an area of concern for us. We have to redouble our efforts with the Ministry of Education to make sure that more of the persons who are at school or within the school age, that they get their vaccination,” Dr Anthony underscored.

A key way of raising the uptake, he noted, is through support from parents and guardians to ensure that children take the vaccine. The Minister outlined that it is especially important, since youths are developing severe forms of the virus.

“One of the big challenges that we have is while children might experience a milder form of the COVID disease,

in some children, they have multisystemic disorders, and this can lead to severe forms of the disease. It is something that we have to monitor, so children need to be vaccinated to keep them safe. The Pfizer is what we’re using to ensure that we vaccinate this population.”

The Health Ministry, in collaboration with the Education Ministry, will commence COVID-19 vaccination for children within the age cohort of five to 11 as of Friday, November 19.

A memorandum seen by this publication on Tuesday announced this move, which will see administration of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to this subset of children.

In Guyana, 394,094 persons, or 76.6 per cent of adults, have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Of this number, 266,127 persons, or 51.9 per cent, have returned for their second jab.

10 NEWS

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Beneficiary of CIOG’s Vulnerable Children Programme excels at CSEC

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atalia A. Resaul Maraj, a beneficiary of the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana’s (CIOG’s) Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) Programme, has been recognised for her outstanding performance at this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations, at which she gained six Grade Ones and two Grade Twos.

The OVC programme assists children under the age of 16 with financial resourc-

es for their educational and social needs, in an effort to ensure their future success and growth. Each child receives school uniforms, textbooks, medical examinations, and financial help for extra lessons and examination fees, as well as a monthly stipend.

With its donors and supporters continuing to champion the cause of orphans and vulnerable children, the programme currently provides financial assistance to more than 500 children,

Natalia Resaul Maraj (6 Grade Ones, 2 Grade Twos)

Takiyyah Ali

Ameenah Abdul Jabar

Abdullah Edun

CIOG General Manager Shameena Haniff related.

Haniff, in a recent interview with this publication, disclosed that the initiative, which was launched in 1993, has seen a significant and continued growth in the number of children catered for yearly.

She noted that the initiative was launched with just 13 children as beneficiaries.

Haniff said that although children no longer benefit from the programme when they reach the age of 16, the organization, in most cases, continues to support some of them, to ensure they have access to resources that would enable them to benefit from a university education.

“The programme is up to when they finish writing CXC, so we see them up to CXC; but even though there are some of them with potential, or even those who don’t have the potential, we still try to work with them after they finish writing CXC. The whole idea of the programme is for them to be self-sufficient; so we take them up to that level, and, in a lot of cases, we end up getting scholarships for them, so they can end up going to university,” Haniff added.

She also noted that CIOG works to ensure that those students who do not wish to go to a university are sent to other tertiary institutions to learn a trade, so that they can earn.

The programme, accord-

ing to Haniff, has had a major impact, and has been ‘churning out’ adults in every profession, including teachers, lawyers, and doctors.

“Seeing how well children in the OVC programme have grown is pretty amazing, because some children would have been in this programme as young as six months old, and it would have carried them through until they are a good 17 or 18 years old. We get to help them in a way that was necessary for them to excel and understand that they can achieve whatever they want. It’s pretty amazing,” she said.

Meanwhile, the school’s CSEC 2021 class scored an outstanding one hundred percent (100%) pass rate at the examinations.

The school’s top four students are: Natalia Maraj, who secured eight subjects; Takiyyah Ali, who passed nine subjects; Ameena Jabar, with nine subjects; and Abdullah Edun, also with nine subjects.

The CIOG wishes these students continued success in their endeavours. The organization has extended profound gratitude to the teachers of the Al-Ghazali Islamic Academy, especially its headteacher, Shaheed.

Further, CIOG has thanked its donors for selflessly giving towards the Orphans and Vulnerable Children programme.

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

12 NEWS

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

$2B worth of ganja destroyed along Berbice River

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s the Police continue their drug eradication exercises in

the Berbice River, they have discovered and destroyed more than $2 billion worth

of cannabis sativa at Maria Henrietta village.

The Police have said that

A section of the cultivated ganja farm

more than 500,000 cannabis plants ranging in height from one foot to 8 feet; 2000 pounds of dried cannabis, 100 pounds of cannabis seeds, and four nurseries were destroyed in this most recent exercise.

The Police have said that the operation was conducted on Wednesday by ranks of Regional Division 10 on 40 acres of land at the said location.

Upon arrival of the Police at the location, two males were seen attending the plants, but as they spotted the Police, they ran into the thick vegetation, where they subsequently boarded an engine boat and made

Some of the dried ganja found during the exercise

good their escape.

Further checks conducted in the area led to the discovery of six camps suspected to be living quarters. In addition, empty 12-gauge shotgun cartridges were

found in one of the camps.

The cannabis plants and camps were set on fire. The estimated street value of the cannabis find is over $2 billion.

TURN TO PAGE 17

NEWS

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Unusually high rainfall forecasted for upcoming season – Hydromet

…residents should prepare for flash floods

CDC Director General, Colonel Kester Craig

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he Hydrometeorological Office has cautioned that there will be unusually high rainfall in Guyana during the upcoming season, which will run from December 2021 to February 2022.

At the 11th National Climate Outlook Forum and Flood Preparedness Session, hosted in collaboration with the Civil Defence Commission, Chief Hydrometeorological Officer Dr Garvin Cummings said there must be adequate preparation for the rainy season, which promises unusually high amounts of rain.

According to him, a specialist team continues to work with climate resources to ensure that weather predictions are as accurate as possible, and that the information is disseminated in a timely manner. The aim of the forum is to guide the Weather Service to present climate information to meet the needs of all stakeholders, and to convey uncertainties associated with weather predictions for the impending rainy season.

Additionally, CDC’s flood preparedness session focused on key activities to strengthen flood risk management and reporting, operational gaps, and significant next steps.

Specialist Meteorologist Komalchand Dhiram predicted that above-normal

rainfall is in the forecast when compared to previous years, and as such, most of Guyana will be wetter during that period. A summary climate outlook illustrated that citizens should prepare for flash flooding in most Regions, with the southern Regions expecting cooler-than-usual temperatures.

Between May and June this year, heavy rainfall resulted in widespread flooding across the country, affecting thousands of households. The devastation included submerged buildings and vehicles, with adverse effects on crops, livestock, and health.

It has been noted that the rainfall experienced in May alone was recorded as the second highest level of rainfall across the country in the last 40 years. All 10 administrative regions in Guyana experienced varied levels of flooding, prompting Government to roll out immediate responses such as the evacuation of those most at risk, and flood assistance.

Following intense fieldwork, President Irfaan Ali told the nation that 52,000 households were affected by the torrential rains and flooding that beset Guyana earlier this year, and announced several billion dollars in relief assistance for citizens and farmers who were affected in all 10 administration regions.

In these categories, the Head of State noted that farmers within the context of a homestead would receive $100,000 each, those with kitchen gardens would receive $50,000 each, and households excluding homestead and kitchen gardens would receive 50,000 each.

The President explained that the combined assistance to homestead farmers, kitchen garden owners and households for these categories will be in excess of $3.5 billion. He acknowledged that whilst some large-scale farmers were severely affected, especially in the rice and poultry sectors, the ceiling of assistance would not exceed $10 million for individual farmers.

In regard to the rice sector, where 50,000 acres of farmlands and 2000 farmers were directly affected, Ali announced that farmers with harvest-ready rice that was destroyed would receive $80,000 per acre, and farmers who had sown and lost rice in the autumn crop would receive $65,000 per acre.

For land that was completely prepared but not sown, $45,000 per acre would be given to these farmers. In addition, to this support, 60,000 bags of seed paddy were to be made available.

Director-General of the CDC, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig, reminded that with the recent unprecedented rainfall and flooding, planning for the immediate and distant future of disaster risk management

Flooding in Kwakwani a few months ago

in Guyana is of paramount importance. He pleaded for other relevant agencies to utilise the information formulated in the session to

better inform their stakeholders of the climate expectations.

“We must adopt a proactive approach, both from the

Hydromet perspective and from the Disaster Response and Preparedness perspective said, Colonel Craig.

14 FEATURE

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2021|| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

T

wenty-five-year-old Suveer Umesh Ramsook is a Trinbagonian who was born in St. Joseph, Trinidad, part of the twin-island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. He grew up in central Trinidad, where he spent all of his childhood.

He attended school at Couva East Government for O' Levels, and Presentation College, Chaguanas, for A' levels. He studied Sciences while there.

This talented young man, who is about to present Trinidad and Tobago on the international stage, grew up playing sports such as cricket, football, cycling, and swimming. After graduating from college in 2015, he studied PADI (Professional Association of Diving) open water and advanced diving, then ADCI (The Association of Diving Contractors) Commercial Diving Course at Underwater Works, Trinidad and Tobago.

In 2016, he graduated as an Entry/Level 1 Commercial Diver.

He worked for OTSL (Offshore Technologies and Solutions Limited) in Sea Lots, Port-ofSpain, Trinidad but presently he is a creative director of a production company, and he also creates content for a number of brands in his country.

H o w e v e r , Ramsook describes himself as a new generation of dream achievers who was born with the enthusiasm to achieve anything he sets his mind to. He also calls himself a typical island boy who loves anything to do with nature and the outdoors.

With his good looks and charm, while as a teenager, his aunt convinced him to do a photoshoot and to create a portfolio, which he sent to advertising agencies. He also posted same on social media, and it was then that his full potential was discovered.

Since then, he has worked with photographers in the Caribbean, USA and Europe.

He was featured on billboards and commercials in Trinidad and Tobago. He walked in fashion runways in Trinidad, Tobago, Guyana and New York.

In 2018, he was featured as a model for NBA superstar and USA's professional basketball player Carmelo Anthony's 'MELO-MADE', the athlete's fashion clothing launch at NEW YORK FASHION WEEK summer collection.

In fact, in December 2018, the young man became the first male representative of Trinidad and Tobago from Trinidad at Mister

Supranational's Competition in Poland.

As a model, it has been extremely tough, but he has a management team and it helps him schedule his day, which makes it easier for him.

Although a busy schedule, he enjoys acting, which allows him to “let my creativity run wild”. Apart from the fashion and film industry, his interests lie in sports and health and fitness, namely cricket and football.

He hopes one day to break into the film industry in Hollywood as an Indian-Caribbean actor. But while that is in the making, he intends to travel the world and be able to “con-

tinue what I am doing on a much larger scale”.

In addition, he foresees himself being an entrepreneur primarily

Umesh Ramsook along with franchise holders of the Miss India/Guyana brand, Hashim and Mel Alli

around the film and fashion industry, to create a platform for others in Trinidad to thrive. Starting a family within the next five years is also on the cards.

Only recently, the young man co-hosted the Miss, Mr and Mrs India/Guyana Pageant that was held at the Ramada Princess Hotel.

A closer look at this budding Hollywood actor, his greatest weakness is procrastination, and since he works well under pressure, he took up the challenge to complete all the tasks thrown at him in a timely manner.

His strengths would obviously be his confidence, competitiveness, and his ability to adapt to any sit-

uation. He also has the ability to form conversation on any given topic. This young man is passionate about success, love, happiness and his family.

With the pageant Mister Grand International a few weeks away, he is preparing himself mentally and physically, which means hitting the gym twice daily, dieting, practising his runway walk and taking care of his skin.

With respect to mental, preparations, he is putting himself in the right frame of mind for the pageant, and also adopting an alter ego to bring out the best in himself and represent his country to the best of his ability.

B y doing this, it means he has to represent himself wholesomely: by showing his true personality, being comfortable in his own skin, and being able to open to the other competitors.

During the competition, he intends to represent other men by trying to break the stigmas and stereotypes about men in pageantry, and hopes that by representing his country, he would be able to do so.

There are no expectations. The Trinidadian with class and brain believes that expectations lead to disappointment, and he prefers to be open-minded and open-hearted.

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2021| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

16 NEWS

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Guyanese shot dead during US’ CDC leads HIV testing training initiative argument with wife’s cousin in Suriname R

A

Guyanese man was on Tuesday evening shot dead in Bilawatra, near Nieuw Jacobkondre in the administrative district of Upper Saramacca in Suriname, during an altercation.

The dead man has been identified as 54-year-old Elan Zore of Bilawatra, Upper Saramacca.

Based on reports coming out of the country, the man was shot by his wife’s cousin during an argument that escalated into a scuffle.

It was reported that the victim returned home and was engaged in woodworking. He reportedly spoke to the suspect about something he did wrong.

In retaliation, the suspect, who fled the scene, armed himself with a shotgun and fired two shots at the victim. Zore ran away, but after a while, the suspect returned and again fired at him. He died on the spot.

“He lived in the village for years, and had become part of us,” A middle-aged woman related. She still can’t comprehend that ‘Big Man’ is no more, a news entity reported.

According to Police information, the perpetrator has barely returned to the village for a few days to settle in.

District Commissioner (DC) of Sipaliwini, Walter

Bonjaski, confirmed the incident to Suriname Herald.

He said the villagers no longer have any respect for the traditional authority.

This behaviour, he said, is a cause for concern, because the villagers also have no fear of the Police.

Bonjaski further said that many cases of murder have been reported in the recent period. Another man, better known as “Barba”, was previously found lifeless in the water. The regional Police Commander, Ruben Kensen of Brokopondo, reported that the case is still under investigation.

The case has been handed over to the Capital Crimes Department.

epresentatives from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently conducted a training on index testing for HIV programme coordinators and frontline workers.

The initiative involved 22 participants from the Ministry of Health, National AIDS Program Secretariat, and the NGO Positively United to Support Humanity, which represented eight of Guyana’s regions.

Index testing service is a highly effective approach to reach and test persons who may have been exposed to HIV through sexual exposure, needle sharing, or as biological children of females living with HIV. As Guyana has achieved 94% of the first UNAIDS targets, identifying the new cases becomes more difficult. Therefore, improving case-finding strategies and shifting resources from community testing to focused testing is required. Index testing is a focused testing

CDC and NAPS representatives

strategy that is a proven and effective approach.

This training serves to train and equip healthcare workers involved in HIV testing and counselling to be able to implement index testing, and to assist others to use this high-yield mo-

dality in a safe and ethical manner.

The training was part of the US$1.5 million funding increase announced earlier in 2021 through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) programme.

NEWS

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Kamarang gets first-time access to potable water

– 700 residents to benefit

Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal sampling the water from the Kamarang well

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he number of hinterland communities gaining access to potable water continues to climb, with Kamarang in Region Seven (Cuyuni Mazaruni) being the most recent addition to the list.

Close to 700 persons are now benefiting from a new water supply system which was commissioned on Wednesday by Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal.

Minister Croal told residents that, prior to the commissioning ceremony, he made a visit to Jawalla, where a team has already mobilised to commence the drilling of a new well. He explained that the completion of that system, as well as the one in Kamarang, would result in a seventy percent potable water coverage for Region Seven.

Meanwhile, plans are in the pipeline for a new well to be in Warawatta in 2022.

These villages can also expect a GWI Sub-Regional Manager to overlook the systems within the Region in the New Year, the Minister announced.

Prior to the establishment of the water system in Kamarang, villagers depended on water from the Kamarang River and the rain. The Housing and Water Minister noted that, over time, the river has become an unreliable source of water for domestic purposes, since it is constantly being contaminated due to mining activities.

He pointed out that this well was only made possible through the investment in new technology, thus allowing the GWI Hinterland Team to accurately identify a suitable location for drilling through resistivity logging to ensure a successful well.

He reiterated Government’s commitment to providing every community in Guyana with access to potable water, while pointing out that Government’s aim is to achieve this within its first term in office.

Minister Croal charged the residents to practise water conservation, noting that the responsibility on residents in the hinter-

land is greater than those on the coast, since much investment is made to execute works and supply these com-

munities.

In this regard, he thanked the Guyana Defence Force Air Corps for their assistance in significantly reducing the cost to transport materials into far-flung areas.

Meanwhile, GWI Hinterland Services Manager Ramchand Jailal noted that the realisation of this well is groundbreak-

FROM PAGE 12

One of the camps set on fire

One of the camps found on the 40-acre farm

with a street value of $115 million, were found. That camp, dried ganja, and those

Minister Croal delivering remarks at the commissioning ceremony

access for more than two decades.

Thomas therefore posited that the commissioning of this well will go down as history created under the PPP/C administration.

Minister Croal, other officials, and residents display sports gear donated by R Kissoon Contracting Service

Over $2B worth of...

Just a few days ago, Police unearthed 450lbs of dried ganja and 120,000 cannabis plants, valued at $115 million, at Fort Nassau on the west bank of the Berbice River, approximately 88 kilometres upstream from New Amsterdam.

It was reported that four farms were discovered with approximately 120,000 marijuana plants ranging in height from one foot to six feet. A drying area and a camp were also discovered.

In the drying area, 450lbs of dried cannabis,

ing, since there were multiple failed attempts to drill in Kamarang over the past years. This, he said, was mainly due to rock formation underground, preventing drilling rigs from accessing water.

Jailal told residents that the water supply system is now the property of the community, and therefore it is their duty to take good care of it.

Additionally, he explained that GWI has trained Community Service Officers to operate and maintain the system, as well as provide weekly reports to the utility.

Toshao of Kamarang/ Warwatta, Lemmel Thomas,

marijuana plants were destroyed by fire.

praised the Minister, GWI, and the Government by extension, for realising the water supply system within such a short span of time after taking office. He stated that following the collapse of a well, the community has been without potable water

Also present at the ceremony was the Managing Director of R. Kissoon Contracting Service, Rudranauth Roopdeo, who thanked the community members for their support during the execution of works. He also provided

a quantity of sports gear to the Community Sports Club, which the Minister also assisted in handing over.

Apart from the drilling of the potable water well to the depth of 150 metres, the project also entailed the installation of over 3000 metres of 50mm pipelines for the distribution network, and more than 2,400 metres of 19mm lines for service connections - including 25 individual connections to public buildings and to 35 standpipes.

The system also included a well pump, photovoltaic system, construction of elevated storage, and installation of four 450-gallon storage tanks.

The water system was constructed at a total cost of Gy$45M and funded by the Government of Guyana under its 2021 budget.

The new water supply system will provide firsttime access to potable water for 95 percent of the community, including the hospital, schools, RDC Office, other public buildings, and residents.

18

guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2021

News

Minister Mustapha elected as Chair of 61st Session of Caribbean Meteorological Council

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha

A

griculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha was on Thursday elected to serve as the Chairman of the 61st Session of the Caribbean Meteorological Council for the next year.

The Caribbean Meteorological Council is the governing body of the Caribbean Meteorological Organization (CMO), a specialised agency of the Caribbean Community (Caricom).

While delivering the feature address, Minister Mustapha said that, given the importance of having access to accurate and up-todate weather information, the Government, since tak-

ing office, has made several investments to improve the public weather service in Guyana.

“It is in this context that the development of a National Flood Early Warning System became extremely relevant, and in June of this year, Guyana launched its first National Flood Early Warning System. While the system is still in its pilot phase, its development is critical to protecting lives, livelihoods, and property.

“Critical to our medium-term development agenda, the Government of Guyana recently developed a roadmap for the development of a National Multi-

Hazard Early Warning System. Additionally, to further enhance the public weather service, investments have also been made to repair the radar and to facilitate the maintenance of Automatic Weather Stations,” Minister Mustapha said.

The Caribbean Meteorological Council is the supreme organ of the Organisation, and comprises Ministers responsible for meteorology. While acting as Chair, Minister Mustapha will be tasked with guiding issue directions of a general or special character as to the policy to be pursued by the Organization and its many organs.

Outlining Guyana’s current efforts towards building resilience and attaining sustainable development, Minister Mustapha noted that a major component to achieving those goals would involve the integration of water, weather and climate services and solutions.

This recognition, he said, is underscored in the recently revised National Development Strategy: The Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), which has been expanded to include biodiversity and ecosystem services, the maritime envi-

ronment, and water resources’ management.

The Minister also went on to say that Guyana, through the Hydrometeorological Service and other governmental and non-governmental agencies, is committed to accomplishing the integration of weather, climate, and water agendas through national adaptation and resilience policies.

“In the specific case of the Hydrometeorological Service, and in its role of national regulator, a strategic plan was recently developed with support under the Climate Resilience and Early Warning Systems (CREWS) Project and the Caribbean Meteorological Organization. This strategic plan has allowed Guyana to

align the national priorities on weather, water and climate with the ambitions of the international community, as led regionally by the Caribbean Meteorological Organization (CMO) and internationally by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO),” the Minister added.

Further, Minister Mustapha told the Council that Guyana, with support from its regional and international partners, has been working to strategically improve and expand its observational and monitoring infrastructure with investments in state-of-the-art technologies.

“In the last two years alone, we have been able to upgrade the country’s cli-

mate data management system to international standards, inclusive of the training of local staff, which is currently ongoing. We also invested in the procurement of computing power to facilitate climate modeling which will, over the next few years, allow our staff to work with international partners to enhance Guyana’s climate modeling capacity.

“There were also investments made to procure a Direct Readout Ground Station (DRGS) which is scheduled to be installed shortly.

This will improve the management of national hydrometeorological data, allowing the Hydrometeorological Service to have complete control over its data flows, and would also improve the efficiency in which we manage and maintain our observational network,” he explained.

Minister Mustapha succeeds Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves, who served as Chair of the 60th CMC. The CMC was established by its Member States in 1962 to further the regionalisation of meteorology in the Anglophone Caribbean.

Flights resume between Guyana and Brazil A

ll ports of entry are now open to facilitate travel into and out of Guyana, inclusive of flights between neighbouring Brazil.

This was announced by Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony on Thursday, when asked about flights between the two countries. The Government had tightened security at the border regions in January after COVID-19 variants were detected in Brazil, and this had also extended to flights.

Now flights are to resume, with passengers required to show documentation of full vaccination and a negative

PCR or antigen test.

“Right now, we’re following our protocol for international travel, and that is: once people can produce a document to say they’re fully vaccinated, along with either a PCR or antigen test, they will be allowed in to Guyana.

We have reopened all of our ports of entry following these guidelines, and Brazil is no exception,” Dr Anthony said.

This week, National Emergency COVID-19 measures have allowed for the Lethem Crossing to be open from Monday to Friday to facilitate the movement of people. Initially, the crossing

The Cheddi Jagan International Airport

was opened only for goods on Thursdays. However, in September, blockades and protest action by Brazilians over the closure of the border sparked discussions between authorities of both countries to enable arrangements for the movement of people and goods. In October, commute was facilitated on Fridays.

A release from the Task Force gave the green light for the extension.

Even with the borders being closed, a 24-hour joint security with the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) on the Takutu Bridge had been put in place to combat the illegal entry and departure of persons. There are areas that are prone to illegal entry and exit between Guyana and Brazil, the most popular of which is the village of Saint

Ignatius, which is located in the Rupununi Savannahs of Guyana. Persons are known to be smuggled across the river to enter or leave Guyana.

Before any person is allowed to enter Guyana, whether by land or sea, that person is required by law to present to the relevant authorities a negative Molecular PCR test taken within 72 hours of their arrival, along with proof of vaccination.

The World Health Organization has reported that, as at Thursday, there have been 21,965,684 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 611,478 deaths in Brazil. As at November 12, a total of 272,232,365 vaccine doses have been administered.

Since the virus was first detected in the Wuhan province of China, there have been several mutations. From the first-discovered Alpha strain in the United Kingdom last year, authorities have moved to trace the Beta and Gamma variants. However, the Delta variant has been dominant in many countries, including the US and UK. It has caused a resurgence of the infections in Portugal and current spikes in Russia.

The Delta variant, which was first detected in India, is said to be the most contagious yet. In fact, the transmissibility is said to be twice higher than the UK’s Alpha variant.

guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2021

19

News Legal challenge against COVID-19 measures…

Chief Justice to hear arguments on January 20 W

ith lawyers given deadlines to file submissions, Chief Justice Roxane GeorgeWiltshire has fixed January 20, 2022 to hear arguments in the case filed by three of the country’s major public service unions, challenging the Government’s COVID-19 Emergency Measures as being unconstitutional.

The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU), the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU), and the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) – which represent thousands of public servants – have listed Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC as the only respondent in the legal proceedings.

High Court Judge Fidela Corbin-Lincoln had, in September, denied a request by the Unions to bar the COVID-19 vaccination and testing policy instituted by the Government. Through Attorney-at-Law Darren Wade, the Unions were seeking several injunctive reliefs against the State; but none of them was granted.

The Unions had asked the court to grant an inter-

Chief Justice George, SC

(ag)

Roxane

im injunction preventing the State from implementing the requirement that public sector workers show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or produce a negative PCR test result at their own expense.

The Unions also sought an interim injunction requiring the State to bear the cost of regular testing for Public Servants until the determination of the substantive matter - the application challenging the constitutionality of COVID-19

Emergency Measure published on March 16, 2020 in the Official Gazette.

The Unions contended that former President David Granger exceeded his authority when he issued those COVID-19 measures purportedly in accordance with Section 21 of the Public Health Ordinance. They contended that the former President’s act amounts to an unconstitutional delegation of his powers and an infringement of Article 111 of the Constitution of Guyana.

Ultimately, the Unions are seeking an order of certiorari quashing the COVID-19 Emergency Measures dated March 16, 2020, as it relies on an unconstitutional grant of authority to Granger, which they argued renders it invalid and void of effect.

While she said the court is empowered to grant interlocutory injunctions against the State, Justice CorbinLincoln held that the Unions failed to provide prima facie evidence which is required from a party seeking to restrain the enforcement of a law.

According to her, the sub-

1 to face Judge, jury for child rape; another released on bail

A

21-year-old man who is accused of raping an underage girl was on Wednesday committed to stand trial at the Berbice High Court.

It has been alleged that, between November 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019, at Ithaca Village, West Bank Berbice, Jason Matteson engaged in sexual penetration of a 10-year-old girl.

Following a Preliminary Inquiry (PI) at the Blairmont Magistrate’s Court, Magistrate Peter Hugh informed the rape accused that a prima facie case has been made out against him to put him on trial for the offence. Accordingly, Matteson was committed to stand trial at the next practicable session of the Berbice

Rape accused Kataka Kellman

Criminal Assizes.

It was reported that the girl’s parents had left her in the care of Matteson when he raped her. A report was made to the Police, and following investigations, he

was arrested and charged with the offence. The rape accused remains on $50,000 bail pending the hearing and determination of his trial.

In a similar case, a 33-year-old man of Kwakwani, Upper Berbice River has been charged with the offence of rape contrary to Section 3 (3) of the Sexual Offences Act. Kataka Kellman appeared at the Linden Magistrate’s Court, and was not required to plead to the indictable charge. It is alleged that he committed the offence between May 13 and May 14, 2021.

Magistrate Wanda Fortune granted him bail in the sum of $100,000. His next court date is December 28 for statements.

Farmer slapped with fraud charge

A

59-year-old farmer, Lindon Fraser, was granted $40,000 bail on Wednesday when he appeared before Magistrate Wanda Fortune at the Linden Magistrate’s Court charged with fraudulent conversion.

Fraser, of 1KM Rockstone Road, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), allegedly committed the offence on June 1. The charge was laid pursuant to section 197 (1)(a) of the Criminal Law (Offences) Act. The accused, who was arrested on November 14, was not required to plead to the indictable charge. His next court date is January 14, for reports.

Lindon Fraser

Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC

stantive matter raises serious issues to be tried.

Among them is whether Granger acted outside of the powers conferred on him under Section 21 of the Public Health Ordinance, under which he purportedly issued the measures.

She said there is the question of whether COVID-19 is a disease specified under Section 21 of the Public Health Ordinance, of which the Board of Health, and by extension Granger, using delegated powers, could exercise the powers conferred by that section.

The Judge said there is also the issue of whether Granger, using that power, could further delegate it.

The former Head of State, in issuing the measure, had declared that COVID-19 is an infection, and had directed the Health Minister to take all the necessary measures to control the spread of the disease.

Pursuant to the Presidential Directive, the Health Minister has issued numerous COVID-19 Emergency Measures, among them be-

ing COVID-19 Emergency Measure (No. 22) which requires persons entering a public building to show proof of vaccination or a recent negative PCR test result.

The measure specifies that a public building refers to a building to which the public has lawful access, and includes both privately and publicly-owned buildings. Justice Corbin-Lincoln reasoned that, in considering the grant of the injunctions, the court must consider all the circumstances, including the interest of the public.

“To make an interim order directing the State to pay for PCR test pending the hearing and determination of this matter will do no more than bring confusion to what the [Unions] already contend is already a confusing situation,” the Justice noted.

The High Court Judge pointed out that the world has been severely impacted by the effects of the pandemic. This, she added, has led governments throughout the world to employ various measures to contain and reduce the spread of the virus.

Those measures, according to her, include mandatory lockdowns, quarantine, curfews, and mask-wearing, she further added.

She said, “The introduction of vaccines is the most recent effort to address the pandemic. The court is not deaf to the debate raging around the world [concerning] the efficacy or effectiveness of the vaccines, the legality of mandatory vaccination requirements, and whether the implementation of mandatory vaccination is

Attorney-at-Law Darren Wade

a reasonable infringement on constitutional rights.”

But these matters, she said, are still to be tested in the court. Justice CorbinLincoln further related that reports suggest vaccine hesitancy is a live issue in Guyana for various reasons.

Reminding that the Government has already implemented a vaccine and PCR test requirement for entry into public buildings, Justice Corbin-Lincoln held, “The State has a duty to take measures to [stop] the spread of the disease.”

While the Unions have given evidence of the challenges suffered as a result of the implementation of the policy, the Judge found that there was no evidence of irreparable harm being suffered to warrant the grant of the interim injunctions.

“It would not be in the stability of the public to grant an interim injunction restraining the Government from implementing any future or even the existing vaccination measures when it is yet to determine whether or not [Granger] acted ultra vires,” she added.

20

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2021

guyanatimesgy.com

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS

DILBERT

(April 20May 20)

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

PEANUTS

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

CALVIN AND HOBBES

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SUDOKU

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Budget for something that will make your life easier. Refuse to let anyone talk you into a shared expense that will add to your debt and cause worry. Take good care of your health.

Concentrate on achieving your goal, and don't stop until you get satisfactory results.

Refuse to give in to someone's manipulative rhetoric. Put your responsibilities first, then enjoy your downtime.

Set up a plan and follow it through to completion.

How you do things will provide a lesson to onlookers.

Refuse to let anyone interfere or take charge. Embrace life wholeheartedly.

A creative outlet will attract attention. Take a step in a direction that allows you to express yourself openly and offers you a chance to explore possibilities. Romance is favored.

Reach out to someone who understands you.

Having supportive people around will encourage you to deal with situations that are dragging you down. Finish what you start, and move on.

Accept a leadership position, and you'll get things done. Your ability to take on opposition using common-sense integrity will raise your profile. Make plans with a loved one.

Pay attention to what things cost before spending money on something you don't need. Focus more on personal improvement, health and fitness. Enjoy the company of someone sensible.

Look at the possibilities and do something that excites you. It's your responsibility to make things happen, so stop waiting and start doing. Reach out to a friend or colleague and share your thoughts.

Keep your emotions hidSAGITTARIUS den. Be secretive about your (Nov. 23plans until you have everyDec. 21) thing in place. Don't let anyone use emotional manipulation to throw you off track.

Trust your instincts.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

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

Spend time fixing up your space. Feeling comfortable in your environment will ease stress and help you make better decisions regarding personal and professional matters.

Follow through with your plans, and don't argue a moot point. Don't get involved in joint ventures or shared expenses. Focus on what you know and do best, and keep your life simple.

Chat all you like, but stick to the truth. If you exaggerate (Feb. 20or embellish, someone will March 20) speak up and make you look bad. Focus more on what you can do for others instead of trying to outmaneuver them.

PISCES

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2021

21

‘Time commitment’ stops Ricky Ponting from coaching India and Australia

…Former Australia captain reveals he was approached by BCCI to coach India before Dravid was appointed

F

ormer Australia captain Ricky Ponting is not able to take up coaching roles with the Australian and Indian teams, because of “time commitments”. Ponting said, “Giving up 300 days a year is not something I would do”, with a young family by his side.

He also revealed that he was approached to be India’s head coach before Rahul Dravid took over the role earlier this month, following Ravi Shastri’s exit after the T20 World Cup. “Time is the only thing that’s stopping me [from taking the job], to be honest,” Ponting told The Grade Cricketer podcast. “I’d love to coach the Australian team, but what I have done with my playing career was being away from family as much. I have a young family now, a seven-year-old boy, and to give up 300 days a year is not what I would do.

That’s where the IPL works so well for me.

“To be able to coach 8-10 weeks in winter months, and to be able to come back and do the Channel 7 stuff in the summer, I have got enough work to keep me happy and to keep me around the game, but also be able to spend time with the family.

“Let’s see what they [CA] do, if they ever split the coaches among say, whiteball and red-ball teams.

I think everyone loves to coach the Australian team.

I actually think, from my view, it’s almost an older man’s job, and not for someone who has got a young family, or for a person like Justin [Langer], where he is on the other end now where his family is all grown up and moved away. You are not giving up that side of your life. It’s over 300 days a year, a pretty hard job.

Justin’s been under pressure since he took over the job, more so, the last few months. That’s the only thing that would stop me the time commitment.”

Ricky Ponting

Ponting also said he had a “couple of conversations” about the India coach offer during the IPL, but he had to decline it for the “exact same reason”. He was also “surprised” that Dravid took up the job, given that he has a young family to take care of.

“The people that I spoke to were pretty hell-bent on finding a way to make it work, because, first up, I can’t give up that time, that means I can’t coach in the IPL,” Ponting said of his conversations about the

India coach job.

“There was a lot of chat about how happy he (Dravid) was [with] his academy role… I am not sure about his family life…

I think he has got young kids… Anyway, so I am surprised that he took it. The people that I spoke to were sure they got the right person, so they were probably able to get Dravid to do it.

It’s almost an older man’s job, and not for someone who has got a young family.”

Ponting also confirmed

he will continue to be with Delhi Capitals next IPL, though he hasn’t extended his contract with them officially yet. Having worked as the head coach of Capitals for the last four seasons, he said he wants to focus on developing the fringe players.

“Some of the young players I have had the chance to work with are exceptional and really good people,” he said. “That’s what I want to be able to do - the Prithvi Shaws, the Shreyas Iyers, the Avesh Khans, these guys, we had them in the system for three-four years.

(They) have really turned into exceptionally good IPL players, and some of them have also turned into international players.

“For me, it is not even about those big-name players. If I can keep a few of these guys, great. But it’s more about the guys on the fringe - a lot of them haven’t played a game. When you see them in the team, at the training, how hard they

train and how much they enjoy the game, that’s what I want to recreate, if that’s possible.”

With the IPL retention deadline set as November 30 for the existing franchises - teams can retain only four players - he added that Capitals would try to keep the core players, though that would be a challenge, given that two more teams are added to the next IPL, and there will be a big auction soon.

“With the retention stuff, you can keep only four players, and we had 24 players in the squad last year. So, to try and bring the majority of the players would be ideal, but it will be a challenge as well. With the two new teams, you can guarantee that they are talking to Pant, Iyer - they are trying to secure these guys as they are generational franchise players. It’s up to me at Delhi to make sure they don’t get their hands on them.” (ESPNcricinfo)

Serena Williams says Peng Shuai Two-time Olympic 400 champion Miller-Uibo sets sights on breaking case ‘must be investigated’

Peng Shuai is a former world number one doubles player, and reached 14th in the singles rankings in 2011

A

merican great Serena Williams says the case of Chinese player Peng Shuai “must be investigated”, and urged people “not to stay silent” about her welfare.

Peng, 35, has not been heard from since she made sexual assault allegations against a leading Chinese Government official two weeks ago.

Chinese state media has released an email attributed to Peng, but doubt has been cast about its authenticity.

“I hope she is safe, and found as soon as possible,” said Williams.

Concern for Peng’s welfare has continued to grow since she said she was “forced” into a sexual relationship with former China VicePremier Zhang Gaoli.

The allegations were made in a post on Chinese social media site Weibo on 3

November, and soon deleted from China’s internet.

It is the first time such a claim has been made against one of China’s senior political leaders.

Steve Simon, Chairman of the Women’s Tennis Association, said Peng deserved “to be heard, not censored” on the allegations. On Wednesday, he cast doubt on the email released by Chinese state media, saying it “only raises” concerns about Peng’s safety.

Williams is one of many leading players to speak out about Peng’s welfare, following men’s world number one Novak Djokovic and Japan’s four-time major winner Naomi Osaka.

“I am devastated and shocked to hear about the news,” said Williams, who is a 23time Grand Slam singles champion.

“This must be investigated, and we must not stay silent.

Sending love to her and her family during this incredibly difficult time.”

Peng is a former world number one doubles player who has won two Grand Slam titles - at Wimbledon in 2013 and the 2014 French Open, both alongside Chinese Taipei’s Hsieh Su-wei.

She also achieved a career-high singles rankings of 14 in 2011, and reached the US Open singles semi-finals in 2014.

Zhang, 75, has not responded to her claims. He served as China’s Vice-Premier between 2013 and 2018, and was a close ally of President Xi Jinping.

Peng acknowledged that she would not be able to provide proof to back up her claims.

(BBC Sport)

36-year-old world record

B

Shaunae Miller-Uibo

ahamian superstar sprinter Shaunae Miller-Uibo has her sights set on establishing a new world record in the women’s 400 metres.

The reigning two-time Olympic 400 metres champion has a personal best of 48.36, which makes her the sixth fastest woman of all time. She achieved the time in a dominant display in the 400 final on her way to defending her title in Tokyo.

Speaking with Sportsmax TV’s Leighton Levy in an On Point to air on Sportsmax TV’s YouTube Channel and app this Friday, (November 19) MillerUibo expressed that even the thought of challenging the world record is new territory for women’s 400 metres sprinters.

Marita Koch’s world record of 47.60 has been standing since 1985.

“Yeah, definitely, I think there was a time (when) it was almost like people

weren’t looking at the record but just seeing how far you can go in the 400,” the statuesque Bahamian said.

The multiple world championship medallist credits her years of experience competing at the highest level as being among the reasons she now has her sights set on Koch’s 36-year-old mark, while also noting there’s still more work to be done.

“I’ve put in a lot of work over these past seasons, and I’ve learned a lot about the event, and as my times continue to drop, I think we still have a long way to go,” she said.

Miller-Uibo also takes confidence from the fact that she was able to produce 48.36 during a season that was interrupted by injuries.

“Just being able to run 48.36 off of the season that I had, I think there’s so much more in store,” she said.

Even if she does not achieve the world record, the Bahamian says, her main goal is to dip below the 48-second barrier for the first time.

“The main goal is definitely going to be to try and drop below the 48-second barrier. The world record is in sight, and we’re definitely going to go out and try to go after it very hard, and see where we fall with it,” she said.

If she does manage to break 48 seconds, Miller-Uibo would become only the third woman in history to do so, after the 47.99 done in 1983 by Jarmila Kratochvilova and Marita Koch’s world record of 47.60. (Sportsmax)

22

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2021

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

More youngsters should have been selected for WI at T20 World Cup ...says Sir Clive Lloyd

F

ormer West Indies captain Sir Clive Lloyd strongly believes that the West Indies missed a trick when they selected more experience players in contrast to more youngsters for the recently concluded T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates

(UAE).

West Indies suffered four defeats and recorded one win in a poor T20 World Cup campaign. Before the tournament bowled off, many had expressed dissatisfaction with the squad selected, and some had opined that the likes of CPL breakout

stars Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Sherfane Rutherford and Dominic Drakes should have been selected.

Sir Clive has a similar opinion, especially since the 2022 T20 World Cup looms in Australia. Sir Clive would have liked to

Sir Clive Lloyd

see these youngsters gain experience at the 2021 T20 World Cup, and for the 2022 edition, they would have been better players, equipped with more knowledge.

“In a year’s time, we have to play this cricket again. So, we should have to teach these youngsters, who would have gathered a lot from watching the oppo-

sition. Now we will have to take a new set of players” (to the next T20 World Cup).

“We missed a trick in not sending out some of those youngsters. Even if they failed, at least you know for sure that they tried their best, and at the end of it, there would have been a better set of players in a year’s time,” Sir Clive said on the recent Mason and Guest

programme.

Rutherford, who continues to perform around T20 leagues globally, finished the 2021 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) with 262 runs at an average of 37.42. However, Cricket West Indies Lead Selector Roger Harper noted that Rutherford failed to meet fitness requirements, hence his non-selection at the T20 World Cup. Shepherd finished as the joint highest leading wicket-taker with 19 wickets (including super-over) and scored useful runs with the bat, but he “just missed out on a spot” selection, according to the Lead Selector.

Odean Smith, who was the fastest bowler in the recent CPL and finished with 18 wickets, missed selection owing to fitness issues, according to CWI. (Brandon Corlette)

Reggae Boyz head coach Whitmore expects to be sacked coaching unit. The Jamaica team will resume its World Cup qualification with a home fixture against Mexico in January. (Sportsmax)

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ESCL Over-40 final set for Sunday

I

nvaders Masters and Caribbean Cricket Club are set to clash in the inaugural Over-40, 20 overs Essequibo Softball Cricket League (ESCL) final on Sunday at Reliance ground, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam). The six-team competition began two months ago. Several trophies and cash prizes are up for grabs.

ESCL Chairman Wakeel Layne has said the stage is set for what is promising to be an exciting contest. “We [are] definitely anticipating a good match on Sunday. Both teams played well in the preliminary round, and no doubt, they are anxious to finish off things nicely,” Layne predicted.

During the preliminary and semi-final rounds,

Ramesh Narine

Layne informed, there were exciting matches and that demonstrated the players’ willingness to do well in this championship encounter.

Several top softball players are expected to be on show as well, and that should make for a great game, according to

Layne. Among them are Ramesh Narine, a softball stalwart; Beehsam Seepersaud, Latchmikant Narine, Patrick Rooplall, Naresh Narine, Eshwar Singh and Ekie Baksh.

Caribbean Cricket Club team reads: Naresh Narine (Captain), Rajesh Gopal, Wakeel Layne, Nazir Rasool, Eshwar Singh, Kumar Boodram, Richard Patterson, Ekie Baksh, Yasir Mohamed, Selwin Green, Gary Ragnauth and Jamuna Persaud.

Invaders Masters team reads: Linden Daniels (Captain), Devo Madho, Roy Rampersaud, Beesham Persaud, Ramesh Narine, Patrick Rooplall, Latchmikant Narine, Ritche Bishop, Mohammed Alli, Raj Rambarack, Manoj Lall, Dharsan Lall and Fazeer Khan.

FOR SALE Theodore Whitmore

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amaica’s Reggae Boyz Head Coach Theodore Whitmore is expected to be replaced as head coach of the country’s national team with the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) Technical Committee on Wednesday expected to meet and make the recommendation.

Whitmore, a former national player who was part of the country’s historic 1998 World Cup team, was in his third stint in charge of the Jamaica squad. The Reggae Boyz have, however, struggled in the ongoing World Cup qualifiers, despite being one of the pre-tournament favourites to do well.

After eight games, the team is in 6th spot, sev-

en places off the automatic qualification and play-off spots. During the difficult run, which included a 3-0 home loss to Panama, the coach’s line-up choices and tactics have come into question.

Whitmore, however, has one of the best win percentages as a Jamaica coach, and is only one of two to take the team to the final of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. According to yetto-be-confirmed reports, Whitmore is expected to be replaced by former England player Ricky Hill, a coach formerly at American USL Championship club Tampa Bay Rowdies.

Whitmore’s assistant, Paul Hall will reportedly stay on as a part of the

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GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Windies v Sri Lanka Tests...

23

Surfaces don’t really matter, West Indies here to win

...says Vice-Captain Jermaine Blackwood

By Brandon Corlette

W

est Indies Test Vice-Captain Jermaine Blackwood is prepared to face a load of spin when the first Test match in Sri Lanka bowls off on Sunday, November 21.

Speaking to the media in a virtual press briefing on Thursday, the Jamaican said that, despite the surfaces, West Indies are in Sri Lanka to win.

Winning has not been straightforward for the West Indies in spin-friendly conditions in Sri Lanka. Since 1993, West Indies have not won a single Test match in Sri Lanka. In their last visit to Sri Lanka in 2015, West Indies suffered a 2-0 defeat, and in 2010-11, the series ended in a 0-0 draw.

Sri Lanka, a team that is rebuilding, would want to continue this form, while the West Indies would feel the need to rewrite history.

“We came here to win, that is our motto, that is our goal. We don’t care where the cricket play, we just here to win.

“As I said, the guys are hungry, and we are ready to play. It does not really matter the surface; any surface we get, or who is going to play, we are ready to play good cricket,” Blackwood told the media.

The right-hander who was the best West Indies batsman in Test series in England and New Zealand has since had patchy performances, but is aiming to redefine his form, and bat longer and not be too attacking.

Sri Lanka have never lost to West Indies in a Test match in Sri Lanka since 1993

Jermaine Blackwood

“Right now, my cricket is in a very good place.

My head is in a very good place right now batting-wise, I am ready. I am batting very good, I am focused right now, so just time to go out and play cricket and execute. I am fully focused for these two Test matches,” Blackwood explained.

West Indies have suffered a T20 World Cup heartbreak, but Blackwood noted that this group is not feeling added pressure after that

World Cup debacle. “This group is relaxed. We are just eager to go out there and play some good cricket, so the fans can have something to cheer about.”

When asked about the difference in environment in the Test team as opposed to the whiteball teams, Blackwood said the Test boys are willing to play cricket together, for each other, hence the steady progression of the team, which is playing a lot of cricket together.

Both Test matches will be played at the Galle International Stadium. A four-day warmup match was scheduled in Colombo from November 14 to 17, but no play was possible due

to heavy rainfall.

The two Tests would be played from November 21 to 25 and November 29 to December 3 respectively. The series is the second of six series, three at home and three away, that West Indies will play in the 2021-2023 ICC World Test Championship.

FULL SQUAD: Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain), Jermaine Blackwood (Vice Captain), Nkrumah Bonner, Roston Chase, Rahkeem Cornwall, Joshua Da Silva, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Kyle Mayers, Veerasammy Permaul, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Jeremy Solozano and Jomel Warrican.

Ince-Carvalhal looking to rally with Baksh applauds host Governments’ older opposition at Pan Am Games

Samuel Ince-Carvalhal

F

or Samuel Ince-Carvalhal, readjusting to the sport has been tough owing to the layoff caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Nevertheless, the teenager is eager to represent Guyana at the Junior Pan Am Games.

The 17-year-old makes up one-third of a three-member boys’ junior squash team that will represent Guyana at the first-ever Junior Pan American Games next week.

Ince-Carvalhal was one of two successful players to qualify through the Guyana Squash Association’s (GSA) playoff tournament weeks ago. Michael Alphonso was the other player to secure a spot in the squash team through the playoffs, while Shomari Wiltshire earned his spot through stellar performances over the year.

Since the coronavirus pandemic has hindered sports considerably, Ince-Carvalhal explained that there was a lot of readjusting for the players to do to attain fitness.

“It was quite difficult; the level of play-

ing was very low, because we hadn’t any match practice or training. So, a lot of the shots were loose; we weren’t getting the ball where we wanted the ball to go. Fitness as well, we had to get fitter than we were before because we lost some of that fitness,” the squash player shared.

Referring to his personal struggles, he said, “I think it’s quite good now. I’m definitely a lot fitter. These matches are giving me more experience, I don’t panic as much going on to the court and I think we’re playing very tactical squash now.”

Thus far, Ince-Carvalhal says their preparations have been going well, in spite of the limitations from the pandemic.

The teenager explained, “Due to COVID, we’ve only really started back intense training about three months ago, but during that time there’s been a lot of improvements from all of the players. So, we’ve been playing a lot better than pre-COVID now.”

The 17-year-old also shared on his playoff experience, stating, “The playoffs were good, some good intense matches. I had some tough matches. I went to five with one of the players and I barely scraped the win, so it’s good to have that intensity, to make us prepared to go to Colombia, because, of course, the level of play over there is going to be high as well.”

When it comes to the Junior Pan Am Games, Ince-Carvalhal is cognisant that his opponents may be much older, but hopes to do well for the team.

“I’d like to try my best. Due to it being an Under 23 tournament, the likelihood is that they’re going to be players playing a higher level than we are, so my aim is to try my best, rally with top players, and get as many points as possible,” Ince-Carvalhal said.

“No, I’m not very nervous; I’m just going to try my best.”

The Junior Pan Am Games are scheduled for November 25 to December 5, with Guyana’s team consisting of junior athletes from the disciplines of squash, badminton, boxing, table tennis and swimming.

backing of ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2022

T

ournament Director Fawwaz Baksh has thanked the Governments of Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana, St Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago for strongly supporting Cricket West Indies (CWI) in hosting its fourth global tournament.

Speaking in the aftermath of the International Cricket Council’s announcement of the host venues and match schedule for the ICC Under 19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2022, he noted it would not have been possible for the Caribbean to hold the event without important Government guarantees.

Citing tax waivers, upgraded cricket infrastructure, and collaboration with hotels to ensure accommodation for all 16 teams, match officials and support staff, Baksh revealed regional Governments are investing substantial efforts and resources in the tournament, which will leave a major cricketing legacy while boosting host economies.

“A number of community clubs and grounds will benefit from enhanced cricketing infrastructure after this event. Of course, there will also be a welcome financial impact in host territories, in terms of hotel bookings, transportation, catering, and the hiring of temporary

staff,” he added.

Baksh also lauded the visionary enthusiasm with which host venues readily embraced the U19 event which will be held in the West Indies in JanuaryFebruary 2022.

“When Cricket West Indies voiced its aspirations of hosting the Under 19 Cricket World Cup, regional Governments were immediately receptive to the idea, especially from a developmental perspective.

“This is an opportunity for our youth – and fans in general – to see young men engaged in positive, healthy competition; many of them en route to becoming future stars in international cricket. It’s a great way to inspire boys and also girls across the West Indies, showing what is possible with discipline and dedication,” he said.

The U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup, the Tournament Director pointed out, will continue the West Indies’ stellar tradition of staging the sport’s premier events.

“Since 2007, when the West Indies historically hosted the Men’s Cricket World Cup in nine countries, we have distinguished ourselves in rolling out the red carpet for world-class cricket events. We held the Men’s and Women’s T20 World

Tournament Director Fawwaz Baksh

Cups jointly in 2010 and, most recently, the women’s T20 World Cup in 2018,” he said.

“We are proud of these achievements, and the cadre of home-grown professionals which we now have in sport events management.”

The ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2022 takes place in Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana, St Kitts and Nevis, and Trinidad and Tobago, from January 14 to February 5, 2022, featuring 16 participating nations in 48 matches. Host team West Indies start their title quest on January 14 against Australia at the Guyana National Stadium while reigning champions, Bangladesh, begin their defence versus England on January 16 at Warner Park, St Kitts.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2021

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

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Pg 22

Pg 23

Ince-Carvalhal looking to rally with older opposition at Pan Am Games

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