Guyana Times - Friday November 20, 2020

200 ICT Hubs for hinterland, riverine communities P17

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

Issue No. 4475

THE BEACON OF TRUTH FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020

Oil & gas sector tops agenda as high-level Royal UAE investment group arrives in Guyana See story on page 3

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Porter nabbed with ganja, cocaine at P8 Itaballi

Suspect in murder of P2 Essequibo teen remains hospitalised

The high-level UAE delegation led by His Highness, Sheikh Ahmad Dalmook Juma Al Maktoum during a meeting with President Irfaan Ali and members of the Guyanese Cabinet

Guyana’s projected 26.2% GDP growth rate still “remarkable” – IDB says in new study “My son had big plans” – mother of dead 15-year-old Page 7

See story on page 15

– mother whisked away shooter from scene, left dying teen on floor

World Bank provides US$26M to strengthen Guyana’s flood risk management project

Page 19

Verdict looms for teen accused of murdering Mahaicony P16 businesswoman Grove, EBD P14 woman is Guyana’s 143rd COVID-19 fatality – 11 incoming passengers test positive at CJIA – 62 new cases recorded in 24h

Issuance of certificates

Students must pay all debts before certificates P18 are issued – UG reiterates

2 NEWS

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Berbice miner arraigned for murder of teenage girl

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hirty-eight-year-old Wickroy Mitchell, also called “Shatta”, of Number 53 Village, Corentyne, Berbice, was on Thursday arraigned for the murder of a teenage girl, whose body was found behind her home at Coanna Backdam, Five Star, North West District (NWD).

Mitchell was not required to plead to the indictable charge which stated that between November 14 and 15, 2020, he murdered the 16-yearold girl of Baramita, NWD. He virtually appeared before Magistrate Sunil Scarce at the Port Kaituma Police Station, Region One (Barima-Waini).

He was remanded to prison until February 2, 2021 when the Preliminary Inquiry is expected to commence. Guyana Times understands that after committing the act, the accused fled the scene and returned to Berbice, where he was arrested.

It was reported that the motionless body of the teen was found on Sunday last behind her dwelling place. It was suspected that she had been raped and strangled to death.

The preliminary Police investigation revealed that the Saturday prior to the discovery, about 12:00h, the now dead teen and her mother turned up at a shop where they purchased alcohol and started to consume it. They were reportedly in the company of several persons.

About 15:00h on the said day, the mother and daughter

Murder accused: Wickroy Mitchell

became heavily intoxicated, but insisted on purchasing more alcohol. They reportedly bought a quarter bottle of alcohol and some rice after which they left in the presence of a male with whom they were imbibing.

According to the owner of the shop, the teen’s mother returned to the shop later in the day and spent some time. On Sunday about 07:30h, the body of the teen was found lying in a motionless state behind the home she shared with her mother. An alarm was raised and ranks from the Matthews Ridge Police Station were contacted.

The body of the dead teen was picked up and escorted to the Port Kaituma Hospital mortuary, where a post-mortem was performed and confirmed that she was manually strangled to death.

Suspect in murder of Essequibo teen remains hospitalised

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he 34-year-old suspect who hacked his ex-girlfriend, Sanesha Subrina Lall to death at her Richmond Housing Scheme, Essequibo Coast home remains a patient at the Suddie Regional Hospital.

The man, who allegedly consumed a poisonous substance after committing the act on November 11, 2020, is reportedly in stable but serious condition. This was confirmed on Thursday by Police sources, who also stated that the patient was under guard.

Once discharged, he will be arraigned for the murder of the teenager.

It was reported that on the day in question about 09:00h, the teen was at home when the jilted man showed up at her home and requested to speak with her. Lall’s sister, upon opening the door, informed him that he was not welcome at the house and as such, could not enter, but he reportedly overpowered the 11-year-old and forced his way into the home.

The suspect then ran into the bedroom where Lall was sleeping, whipped out a ‘Rambo’ knife, and dealt her several stabs about the body. From reports received, the teen was stabbed about 20 times.

At the time of the incident, the now dead teen’s two sisters and another female relative were at home.

Upon realising what was happening, the unnamed female relative ran to get assistance but by that time, the suspect ran out of the house and made good his escape in his minibus.

Lall was picked up and rushed to the Suddie Public Hospital, where she was pro-

Murdered teen: Sanesha Subrina Lall

nounced dead on arrival.

Acting upon information received, Police later found the suspect at the Better Hope Backdam, Essequibo Coast. At the time he was vomiting what appeared to be a green substance. Upon being questioned, he told ranks that he had consumed a poisonous substance.

He was taken to the Suddie Hospital, where he was admitted a patient. A search was also conducted on his minibus, and a bottle and a black Rambo knife were found. The Police investigation continues.

Lall had lost both her parents within the space of several months about two years ago.

Guyana Times was told the teen ended her relationship with the self-employed man of Bounty Hall Village on account of his abusive behaviour.

According to a close relative of Lall, the teen had shared a relationship with her killer since she was 14 years old, but he became very abusive towards her and she recently ended the relationship.

NEWS

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Friday, November 20 – 09:00h-10:30h and Saturday, November 21 – 09:30h-11:00h .

Oil & gas sector tops agenda as high-level Royal UAE investment group arrives in Guyana the two countries.

In addition, Pompeo committed to reviewing the current ban on catfish imports from Guyana which was imposed back in 2017 under the David Granger-led Coalition Administration.

Secretary Pompeo had stated that the two Governments are working to increase trade and foreign direct investments here, and he was positive there would be a good outcome on the ban.

The US Secretary of State, during his two-day

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Friday, November 20 – 08:00h-09:30h and Saturday, November 21 – 09:00h-10:30h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

Light rain showers are expected to prevail throughout the day into the mid-evening hours followed by partly cloudy skies. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Easterly to North North-Easterly between 1.34 metres and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 07:59h and 20:11h reaching maximum heights of 2.27 metres and 2.33 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 13:43h reaching a minimum height of 1.00 metre.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2020

LOTTERY NUMBERS I

01 03 10

12 17 26

FREE TICKET

13 Bonus Ball

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2020 DAILY MILLIONS

03 08 16 17 20 LUCKY 3

2

2

4

0

Afternoon Draw

6

2

Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

02

03

06

13

16 17

PAY DAY

21 SUPER PAY DAY FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2020

04 05 07 12 13

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

COMMODITIES Indicators

US$

Change %

Crude Oil

$44.34/barrel

+1.33

Rough Rice

$223.92/ton

-0.08

London Sugar

$416.90/ton

+0.68

Live Spot Gold

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1863.10

$1864.10

Low/High

$1851.90

$1869.20

Change

-2.90

- 0.16%

The UAE envoy in discussion at the Office of the President

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is Highness, Sheikh Ahmad Dalmook Juma Al Maktoum of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has led a high-level delegation to Guyana on Thursday for a three-day state visit.

The visiting delegation was welcomed at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport at Timehri by Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd, Tourism and Commerce Minister Oneidge Walrond, and Minister within the Public Works Ministry, Deodat Indar, along with several other officials.

Shortly thereafter, the delegation met with President Dr Irfaan Ali and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, with whom they had brief discussions on matters of importance.

The visiting envoy met with members of the cabinet, including Minister Hugh Todd, Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat, Housing and Water Ministers Collin Croal and Susan Rodrigues, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, Public Works Minister Juan Edghill and other Government officials.

The UAE team is expected to stay in Guyana for three days, during which they will engage in high-level talks with Guyanese officials on a number of areas of mutual interest,

including oil and gas.

Over the next few days, His Highness, Sheikh Ahmad Dalmook Juma Al Maktoum, a member of the ruling family in the UAE, and members of his team will meet with several Government officials from various ministries.

The UAE, one of the top oil-producing countries in the world, is expected to lend assistance to Guyana in oil and gas, among other areas.

Already, the UAE has donated 12.5 metric tonnes of medical supplies and 500,000 rapid testing kits to 14 Caribbean states, including Guyana, to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. These were distributed through the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).

This donation would assist approximately 12,500 medical professionals and other individuals as they work to contain the spread of COVID-19.

To date, the UAE has responded to the COVID-19 crisis by providing over 1,132 metric tonnes of aid to 89 countries, supporting more than 1 million medical professionals in the process.

The UAE has also provided an aircraft to the UN World Food Programme, which runs logistics for the UN response to COVID-19, and 10 million

His Highness, Sheikh Ahmad Dalmook Juma Al Maktoum and delegation arriving at the Office of the President on Thursday

of testing kits to the World Health Organisation.

The UAE is also host to the UN’s largest supply and logistics hub, housed in Dubai’s International Humanitarian City.

Meanwhile, this team is the second high-ranking team to have visited Guyana since the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) took office in August 2020. On September 17, 2020, United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Guyana during which a Framework Agreement to strengthen cooperation in various sectors, including energy and infrastructure, under the umbrella of the Growth in the Americas Initiative, was signed between

visit, met with the Head of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Secretariat and officials from American oil giant ExxonMobil.

During the meeting, the US Secretary of State thanked Caricom for its support for democracy in Guyana, which helped ensure a credible outcome of the March 2, 2020 elections.

The US Secretary of State himself played a prominent role in pushing for democracy in Guyana during that tumultuous period. In fact, he had announced visa restrictions back in July against Guyanese officials responsible for undermining democracy here.

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guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020

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

Renewed hope for coconut industry

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griculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha made a welcoming announcement that Guyana would soon join the membership of the International Coconut Community (ICC) as Government advances plans to increase cultivation of this crop countrywide. This revitalised initiative is expected to now receive support from Hope Coconut Estate and the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI). This, too, is welcoming news as the coconut industry has been neglected for years. Over the years, there has been talk of developing new agricultural industries.

The coconut industry is one which could be a moneyspinner for the country. Already, even in its neglected state, coconut is the third major crop cultivated in Guyana, after rice and sugar cane. This industry can be one which could produce scores of by-products, for which there is demand for export as well as local use. The coconut and its by-products are now in growing demand world-wide.

Coconut oil, which once used to be wrongly labelled as high-cholesterol, is now regarded as among the best cooking oils, many consumers preferring it to olive and canola oils.

Most of the old coconut-growing families who had large estates have gone out of business. In the Pomeroon area, for instance, there are only a few producers left. As a matter of fact, one of the largest producers in Laluni, Haresh Tewari, only on Wednesday reminded that the industry can provide employment for the residents in the community. This particular farmer has plans to cultivate one million coconut trees.

The economic advantages of the industry should be widely disseminated, as the numerous profitable byproducts which could easily be produced should be made known to the public, as well as the available markets should also be made known to producers.

It could be recalled that a coconut expert from India, Dr Shivarama Reddy, had come to Guyana some years ago to work with NARI and local farmers to examine ways in which the coconut industry could be revitalised, and to look at possible markets for the product. Also, a position paper by NARI had outlined three main areas of intervention to aid in the coconut industry: increasing the productivity and production potential of the sector; assessing the state of Guyana’s coconut oil industry and its future, and considering possible support mechanisms; and exploring other coconutderived products in terms of their value-added and export potential. Nonetheless, over the years, the industry seemed to have contracted. Coconut oil, to a great extent, has been largely replaced by foreign imports. Dried coconuts are still exported, but in much lesser quantities than formerly.

Today, a great part of coconut production is used to provide coconut water. One local producer exports the commodity to Trinidad for canning. The cans carry no reference to its Guyanese origin. An infrastructure of international packing standards already exists in Guyana. There is, for instance, the Beharry Group, which has put on the local and export markets a number of products with world class packing.

The coconut industry could become highly profitable within the next three or four years. This can be achieved if suitable lands are leased to prospective farmers, intensive agricultural extension services are provided, as well as soft loans and marketing exploration. The Agriculture Ministry and the Lands and Surveys Commission, with the help of experts, should be able to locate good coconut-growing lands and advertise for suitable takers. Unlike in the past, when there were talks of the massive production, giving optimistic hopes propagated to the public but were never materialised, it is time serious effort be expended in reviving the industry.

This industry has very huge potential for expansion and development, especially as it relates to processing and value-added products. Guyana could tremendously increase its earnings from exports in this industry.

Minister within the Public Works Ministry, Deodat Indar greets His Highness, Sheikh Ahmad Dalmook Juma Al Maktoum of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) upon his arrival at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport on Thursday. Also in photo are Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Minister Hugh Todd and Tourism and Commerce Minister Oneidge Walrond, along with several other officials

A comparison of PPP/C’s 100 days with APNU-AFC’s 100 days (Part 2) Dear Editor, Our PPP /C Government has assembled a high-level team of experts to advise our President, Irfaan Ali, and his Government on the formulation of a strong Local Content Policy that will ensure all citizens benefit from the country’s lucrative oil and gas sector.

Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, had outlined clear focus on Guyana’s infrastructure developmental projects, and was able to negotiate and jump-start several projects which were stagnating under the former APNU-AFC Government.

One such project is the Diamond/Ogle bypass road.

Originally, Guyana had signed a US$50 million loan with the Indian Exim Bank in 2016 for the project. By 2019, that price had shot up to US$175 million and the Exim Bank was reluctant to fund it.

Our PPP Government was able to reconfigure the project back into the US$50 million bracket within the first 100 days, and the contract for that project is likely to be awarded by this yearend.

The contract for the new Demerara River Bridge is another project the PPP jump-started. After site visits by the President and a team of officials, the Government settled on plans to construct a four-lane, high-span fixed bridge from Nandy Park, East Bank Demerara to La Grange, West Bank Demerara.

As at October, over 40 companies from around the world have submitted Expressions of Interest to design and construct the bridge. The Government is also aiming at building the bridge by 2024.

It must be sad to know only 2300 house lots were awarded, under the APNUAFC, with no access to necessary infrastructure such as roads. In just a matter of months after taking office, the PPP Government has set out to correct this, awarding 40 contracts to the tune of over $1 billion to 22 companies for infrastructural upgrades to these areas.

These contracts include road upgrades in Eccles, Herstelling, La Parfaite Harmonie, Great Diamond, as well as works on access roads in La Bonne Intention (LBI), Ordnance Fort Lands, Williamsburg and Experiment. Works will also be done on a number of internal roads, including in Mon Repos, Prospect and Providence.

This is part of the $3 billion that has been set aside for the housing sector-Housing and Water Ministers Collin Croal and Susan Rodrigues watch as President Irfaan Ali hands over land title to so many Guyanese Additionally, $2 billion has been set aside for the Guyana Water Incorporated.

Additionally, hundreds of persons have since received their land titles that were languishing under

the previous APNU-AFC Government.

One of the major concerns persons had with the former President David Granger Administration was the increase in the tax burden on the ordinary man. President Ali, in the 2020 Emergency Budget, prepared in a record 29 days, made sure to roll back these measures.

Making good on an issue it campaigned on and criticised the former APNUAFC Government for, the President Dr Irfaan Ali-led Government rolled back the imposition of Value Added Tax (VAT) and duties on mining equipment.

VAT was also removed from exports, cell phones, medical supplies, personal protective equipment (PPE) and building and construction materials, as well as pesticides and agricultural chemicals. VAT was also removed from the importation of stones as the construction sector sets up for a boom.

Our Government also rolled back VAT on electricity and water; a measure that ensured everyone could benefit from VAT reductions.

Corporate tax was also removed from private healthcare and education, thereby clearing the way for foreign and local institutions to invest in Guyana. The Government also rolled back the restriction on the importation of used vehicles older than eight years, a policy expected to open the doors for thousands to own their own vehicles. Likewise, used

tyres can now also be imported, easing the burden on vehicle owners.

Pensioners, school children and COVID-19 frontline workers were also catered for in the budget. Pensioners were provided with free water in addition to an increase in pension; they will receive $25,000 per month. Parents will also receive a $15,000 cash grant for each of their school-aged children, in addition to a $4000 uniform allowance for each child. $800 million has been set aside for the Amerindian Development Fund. This will provide funding to support the socio-economic development of Indigenous communities and villages, through the implementation of Community Development Plans (CDPs) the Indigenous communities themselves picked.

In the field of education, $52 billion has been given to the education sector including $1.7 billion for construction and rehabilitation of schools.

Besides taxes, another chronic complaint against the former APNU-AFC Government was the loss of jobs. This was made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic and the lack of measures from the former APNU-AFC Administration. It’s a situation the PPP/C had immediately set out to address in its emergency budget, with private sector good measures intended to keep businesses afloat and preserve jobs.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020

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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

GEA’s reasons are not convincing that fuel smuggling is still a national threat Dear Editor, The Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) must be commended for its quick-fire review within twenty-four hours on whether fuel smuggling still poses a threat to legitimate dealers. GEA has concluded that fuel smuggling continues to be a threat.

Now, if they had stopped short at that statement, I would have said, “After all, they are the agency in

charge of this thing, hence maybe they have more facts than I do”. They, however, proceeded to give statistics about fuel smuggling that have now left me unconvinced.

GEA’s fact that fuel smuggling is alive and kicking is the alleged report of two captains of vessels purchasing diesel from Venezuela.

Maritime laws allow vessels to purchase fuel at ports where they trade. The real

question is “At what price was it acquired?”. Given the shortages of all fuels in Venezuela, including diesel, and the aggravation in obtaining supplies, I am sure those two captains only bought supplies for them to reach Guyana, where our bunker fuel is cheaper.

GEA goes on to state that the cost of marking fuel is minuscule at $0.60 per litre. Now, that is looking at the picture in cents. Let us

look at the holistic picture in dollars. The three oil majors (Guyoil, Sol, Rubis) imports approximately 60 million litres of all fuel per month.

The GEA charge for marking that monthly volume is close to 36 million dollars. The oil majors can better utilise this money to improve the salary and safety of their workers, rather than spending it on a threat that might be nonexistent.

GEA states that mark-

ing the fuel allows for tax collection. This is purely a function of the Guyana Revenue Authority, and as a matter of fact, the oil majors have to pay their taxes even before their fuel is delivered to their terminals through a system of PreDelivery Inspection done by the Customs Authority.

The 50 employees of GEA used for the marking of the fuels at the oil majors are really guarding against a

dried-up smuggling synonymous with the guard in the House of Commons. They can be better utilised in the wider mandate of GEA. I am still to be convinced that fuel smuggling is a national threat. It seems that the only one smiling going to the bank is the foreign supplier of the biometric marker.

Regards, Reggie Bhagwandin

A comparison of Combating child labour in Guyana PPP/C’s...

FROM PAGE 4

The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and the sugar sector was perhaps the worst-hit industry under the former APNUAFC Government, which closed down the Rose Hall, Skeldon, Wales and Enmore sugar estates and threw thousands of former workers on the breadline.

The PPP/C has since rehired over 200 sugar workers, while committing to rehiring over 400 by yearend. Our Government has also started the process to reopen the closed sugar estates, which it says will be fully functional by 2024.

Other than sugar, the Government recently granted 100 contracts to small and new contractors, who are tasked with work ranging from cleaning the road to sea defence. It is estimated that the spin-off from this initiative will see at least 500 people being hired.

This was all done within 100 days, and the Government is moreover looking at repeating the initiative next year.

On the other hand, the Natural Resources Ministry announced that there are investors who are seeking to develop the Tarakuli bauxite deposit near the Orealla-Siparuta community. This will now pave the way for hundreds of persons living in that community to gain employment.

Other major mining companies – Aurora Gold Mine and Omai – are set to restart operations in Guyana.

Also, the United States is eyeing opportunities in a number of sectors, including energy, agriculture and infrastructure. Just after the PPP/C took office, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Guyana and signed a Framework Agreement to strengthen cooperation in various sectors, including energy and infrastructure, under the umbrella of the Growth in the Americas Initiative.

This agreement will not only pave the way for the US Private Sector to expand its investment port-

folio here, but also partner with the Guyanese Private Sector.

The US will do all it can to help American companies have access to investment opportunities in places such as Guyana. But at the same time, that will be done in a fair and transparent manner, as the US is equally interested in seeing the wealth that is created from these opportunities benefit Guyanese.

One of the major social assistance offered to Guyanese as the world fights the COVID-19 pandemic is the $25,000 cash grant, which was roll out in several regions.

Already, Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat and Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha lead from the front in distributing COVID-19 cash grants at Orealla Village.

Since taking office, the PPP Government has significantly increased COVID-19 testing, imported numerous equipment, made substantial donations and improved the health sector’s ability to combat the virus.

We will all remember that, in 2017, the former APNUAFC Government had increased land rentals for rice farmers from $1000 to $7000 and drainage and irrigation fees from $2500 to $8000. In addition, rent for cattle pastures went from $487 to $2500, and fees for other pastures to $1400.

The situation led rice farmers to protest the increase, and the then PPP/C Opposition had moved a motion calling for the reversal of the fees back in 2017, although it was ultimately defeated.

Our new Government has since reversed these oppressive measures within its first 100 days.

It’s exciting times for Guyana, exciting times for young people, and there is enough here for every Guyanese to be proud of. There is enough worth ahead of us for the future.

Sincerely, David Adams

Dear Editor,

On Combating Child Labour, Guyana is committed to fully honour the two principal International Labour Conventions which Guyana it ratified. These are ILO Convention 138, and Convention 182. A ratified Convention is an International Treaty obligating member states to bring their legislation and practice in conformity with all ratified Conventions.

1. Convention No. 138 – Minimum Age, 1973: This Convention calls: • for the abolition of child labour and emphasizes that school is for children, not work; (normally any child under 15 years of age) • for the minimum age for employment to be not less than the age of completion of compulsory education (normally not under 15

years); • on states to pursue a national policy designed to abolish child labour; on states to progressively raise the minimum age for employment consistent with the full physical and mental development of young persons; • on states to ensure that the minimum age shall not be less than 18 years for any type of work which is likely to jeopardize the health, safety, or morals (or 16 years under certain conditions of protection of health safety or morals, with adequate and specific instructions or vocational training) of young persons, the representative social partners having been consulted.

2. Convention No. 182 – The Worst Forms of Child Labour, 1999: (ratified by all of 187-member State of the

UN International Labour Organization) This Convention is applicable to all persons under 18 years of age, and requires ratifying states to take effective and immediate measures to prohibit and eliminate as a matter of urgency the worst forms of child Labour defined as: - “all forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery, such as the sale and trafficking of children, debt bondage and serfdom and forced or compulsory labour, including forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict”.

- “The use, in procuring or offering of a child for prostitution, for the production of pornography or for pornographic performances”.

- “The use, procuring or offering of a child for illicit activities, in particular for the production and traffick-

ing of drugs”.

- “Work which, by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children” (Article 3).

Convention 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour further calls for: -international cooperation among states in eliminating the worst forms of child labour - effective measures to implement and enforce the provisions of the Convention; - the recognition of the importance of education in eliminating child labour; and - special measures to identify and reach out to children at risk, and to take account of the special situation of girls.

With thanks, Samuel J Goolsarran

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020

Page

Foundation ◄

Y

Æsop’s Fables

Time

ou already know most of the units of time. They are seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years. Sometimes, people also talk about decades and centuries.

1 minute = 60 seconds 1 hour = 60 minutes 1 day = 24 hours 1 week = 7 days 1 month = 28 or 29 or 30 or 31 days. (Months can vary in length. Some have 30 days, while others have 31.

February has only 28 days, except in a leap year when it has 29.)

1 year = 12 months = 52 weeks = 365 days. (A leap year has 366 days. The extra day is added to February.)

A decade = 10 years A century = 100 years Example: How many days are in a three-year span of time that has a leap year?

Add 2 times 365 + 366 = 1096 days

FOR CHILDREN

Exercises: Solve 1) 24 hours = __________ seconds 2) 365 days = __________ minutes 3) 104 weeks = __________ days 4) 26 days = __________ weeks 5) 4000 years = __________ centuries 6) 3 weeks = __________ seconds

Thursday’s answers 1) 7140 cubic metres 2) 13,500 cubic centimetres = 0.0135 cubic metre 3) 3375 cubic centimetres 4) 960 kilograms of candy 5) 8 cubic metres 6) 20,640 cubic centimetres = 0.02064 cubic metre

The Spendthrift & the Swallow

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By Sara Dees

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his American Ninja Warrior style backyard obstacle course has been a huge hit with our boys and with the neighbour kids too! I knew that the boys would like this, but I underestimated just how much they would LOVE it! They have been setting up obstacle courses and then doing them over and over and over. Just the active play outlet that we needed!

Our ninja warrior course has four basic obstacles: PVC pipe hurdles (which can also be used to crawl under), wooden stepping stones, sloped stepping stones, and balance beams. We also added three tree stumps that we happen to have on hand. These were something that we brought home when my parents had a tree professionally removed from their yard.

Safety Note: There is an inherent risk in any activity like this.

This is intended to be a supervised activity, with adults making sure that the elements of the course are in good condition and that the kids are using good judgment.

PVC Hurdles We made the PVC hurdles out of 3/4 inch pipe. Each hurdle needs two T joints and two 90-degree elbows. If you cut some extra pipe sections, the kids can re-build the hurdles at different heights for some variety.

Sloped Pallet Stepping Stones These sloped stepping stones (built out of pallets) are the kids’

favourite element! My husband screwed two 12-inch long 2 x 4 legs on each pallet that was cut to size. He cut a piece of plywood to fit the top of each pallet and attached it with wood screws. This distributes the kids’ weight when they jump on them and keeps the pallet slats from breaking.

Wood Stepping Stones The flat stepping stones are just pressure treated wood, 12 inches wide. We cut the boards into 12 x 12 squares and sanded down the edges. Simple, and yet so fun!

Balance Beams Pressure treated 4 x 4s make great balance beams. Be careful, though – the beam placed directly on the ground is wobbly, especially for younger kids. We put in wood screws at an angle to hold the balance beam together. It’s quite stable.

Tree Trunks These are too wobbly for the younger boys, but the older boys have been loving them!

Surprisingly, this whole set-up breaks down easily for storage.

We are keeping ours on the back porch. The PVC hurdles break down completely, and those pieces along with the wood stepping stones fit in a large plastic container. We stacked the pallets and lined up the balance beams, and the whole thing really does not take up a lot of space.

Have fun building an obstacle course! (frugalfun4boys.com)

young fellow, who was very popular among his boon companions as a good spender, quickly wasted his fortune trying to live up to his reputation. Then one fine day in early spring he found himself with not a penny left, and no property save the clothes he wore.

He was to meet some jolly young men that morning, and he was at his wits’ end how to get enough money to keep up appearances. Just then a swallow flew by, twittering merrily, and the young man, thinking summer had come, hastened off to a clothes dealer, to whom he sold all the clothes he wore down to his very tunic.

A few days later a change in weather brought a severe frost; and the poor swallow and that foolish young man in his light tunic, and with his arms and knees bare, could scarcely keep life in their shivering bodies.

WORD SEARCH

NEWS

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Guyana’s projected 26.2% GDP growth rate still “remarkable” – IDB says in new study A

lthough the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revised Guyana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth estimate downward twice – first from 85.6 per cent to 52.8 per cent and now to 26.2 per cent – it is still considered to be “a remarkable growth figure and the only positive one among the 26 Latin American and Caribbean countries”.

This is according to a new report by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which recently carried out a detailed analysis of the economies of Guyana, Jamaica, Barbados, The Bahamas, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago amid the huge negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The report – “A Pandemic Surge and Evolving Policy Responses” – is part of the Quarterly Bulletin Series put together by the economics team of the Caribbean Department of the IDB. According to the IDB, it comes at a time when COVID-19 cases are rising worldwide and in most Caribbean countries, negatively impacting the tourism industry just as it enters its peak season.

The study highlights that in the medium term, Guyana’s GDP growth is expected to average 14.9 per cent over 2020-2025. While oil production is driving these growth figures, the authorities estimate that nonoil GDP contracted by 4.9 per cent in the first half of

2020 and is projected to fall between 1.4 and 4.3 per cent in the full year.

The report explains that the pandemic has had varied outcomes on different sectors of the non-oil economy.

The largest productive sector of the economy – agriculture – suffered a contraction of 4.1 per cent in the first half of 2020.

However, rice production is expected to expand by around three per cent in 2020, which would contribute to mitigating the contraction in agriculture, the study points out.

Guyana’s second largest sector – the mining industry – with 14.9 per cent of GDP (and which now includes oil production), expanded by 343.7 per cent in the first semester, after oil production began in December 2019.

The report outlines that gold production, representing almost 10 per cent of GDP, grew by 2.1 per cent in the first half of the year, bolstered by historically high prices of gold.

According to the study, the services sector, which makes up 45 per cent of the economy, is potentially the most exposed sector to social distancing policies. This sector declined by 3.8 per cent in the first half of the year, with wholesale and retail trade falling by 14.7 per cent, transportation and storage by 25 per cent, and accommodation and food

services by 32.9 per cent.

The construction sector, which had been growing at relatively high rates prior to the pandemic, fell by 5.6 per cent, the report explains.

The report notes that as GDP per capita is relatively

city of Georgetown, with approximately 26 per cent of the population. The remaining 11 per cent of the population resides in the rural interior, also known as the hinterland. The urban coastal areas have generally had lower levels of poverty ranging between 27 per

low, poverty rates in Guyana are relatively high and suggest important regional disparities.

“Guyana’s GDP per capita increased from approximately US$950 in 1990 to US$6600 in 2019, moving up from 20th to 13th out of 26 countries in the Region.

The poverty rate in Guyana declined from 43.2 per cent in 1992 to 36.1 per cent in 2006, the last year of available data from household surveys,” the report notes.

It further explains that the poverty data captures large disparities within Guyana. It points to the 2012 census, which shows that approximately 89 per cent of the population lives in the administrative regions along the coast, which includes the capital

cent in 1992 and 35 per cent in 2017.

However, the report highlights that while rural coastal areas have levels of poverty similar to the national levels, the rural interior areas recorded poverty rates greater than 70 per cent in 1992 and 2006, and 55 per cent in 2017. “This is indicative of regional disparities, but it also suggests important ethnic disparities, since about 65 per cent of the population in hinterland areas is Indigenous,” the report notes.

“In this context, the Government of Guyana has several social protection programmes to support vulnerable populations, including both contributory and non-contributory social assistance programmes,” the

Large disparities

report states.

In relation to the country’s response to the pandemic, the authorities have introduced additional tax policy measures and extended flexibility in the financial sector, support to the health sector, and relief to vulnerable households.

“With respect to the fiscal response, the new Government introduced a series of tax measures to provide relief and support to the Private Sector. The main policy developments include the removal of the 14 per cent ValueAdded Tax (VAT) on electricity and water, medical supplies, building and construction materials, inputs for the poultry sector, domestic travel, and mobile phones.

“In addition, both the VAT and import duties were removed for machinery and equipment in sectors such as mining, forestry, agriculture, and manufacturing.

The authorities estimate these measures will generate savings of approximately US$96 million (G$20 billion) for the Private Sector.

“Additionally, the Government announced the allocation of US$21.6 million (G$4.5 billion) to support household welfare with cash transfers of US$120 (G$25,000) per household.

Meanwhile, in the face of rising COVID-19 cases, the IDB has suggested that

Caribbean economies will need more aggressive fiscal actions to protect their productive assets and invest in ways that ensure more sustainable growth in the future.

While fiscal space is a constraint, as a nascent economic recovery emerges, additional resources should be channelled to high-productivity infrastructural products to further stimulate growth, the study notes.

“Countries will need to use sophisticated tools that look at closure or reopening of their economies with decisions based on susceptible, infected and recovered models, both at source and destination countries,” said David Rosenblatt, regional country economist for the Caribbean at the IDB. Looking ahead, Caribbean economies face a challenging peak tourist season with double-digit contractions, plus commodity shocks on non-tourist economies of Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana, though Suriname and Guyana will see a boost from high prices for gold. Early tourism booking data suggests sharp declines for Jamaica, The Bahamas, and Barbados.

“A well-designed public investment programme can help stimulate a lasting economic recovery, and several governments are already considering the options,” said Henry Mooney, the Research Economics Advisor for the Caribbean Department.

8 NEWS Porter nabbed with ganja, cocaine at Itaballi A FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

25-year-old truck porter was on Thursday arrested after a quantity of ganja and cocaine were found in a bag belonging to him.

The ganja reportedly weighed 1.877 kilograms and was in four wrapped parcels while the cocaine, which weighed 7.6 grams, was stored in small transparent plastic bags.

Based on reports received, Police intercepted the truck driven by a resident of Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara (EBD) at Itaballi, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni). At the time, there were two por-

The ganja and cocaine that were found in the bag

ters, the 25-year-old of North East La Penitence, Georgetown, and another of Diamond.

However, Police conducted a search on the truck during which they found a bag containing the bulky packages. Upon investigation, the Police were told that the bag belonged to the 25-year-old porter, who subsequently claimed ownership.

As such, he was told of the offence, cautioned, and arrested. The illegal drugs were seized as Police proceed to institute charges.

The porter is expected to make his court appearance today.

One for the…

W

…men? ell, in case you didn’t know, yesterday was “International Men’s Day”. And if you’re now asking, “What’s that?”, you’re in good company, with your Eyewitness! As with these other esoteric “Days” that are sprung on your unwary scribe, he turned to the trusty Wiki for enlightenment. Turns out that it’s pretty recent innovation from the 1960, but which didn’t start to catch on till the 1990s. It doesn’t have the imprimatur of the UN, which is the usual suspect in pushing these “Days”.

What’s interesting is that some fella in TT named Teelucksingh played a big role in getting the day going again. And proved that what Naipaul said, about the WI not being able to produce anything, wasn’t true! And no, dear reader, the Trinis DIDN’T invent Carnival. That was around for centuries in Europe, and was brought to TT by the Frenchies fleeing Dessalines in Haiti. Anyhow this is the scoop, according to Wiki.

Seems there are six “Pillars” on which the Day rests: 1) To promote positive male role models; not just movie stars and sportsmen, but everyday working-class men who are living decent, honest lives; 2) to celebrate men’s positive contributions to society, community, family, marriage, child care, and to the environment 3) to focus on men’s health and wellbeing; social, emotional, physical and spiritual; 4) highlight discrimination against men; in areas of social services, social attitudes and expectations, and law; 5) to improve gender relations and promote gender equality; 6) to create a safer, better world; where people can live free from harm and grow to reach their full potential.

Now Your Eyewitness doesn’t have any problem with these “pillars”, but he just hasn’t seen any of them being erected. And he should know, since he’s a card-carrying member of the male Homo Sapiens. So, let’s take this “role model” business that “working class” men ought to represent - in addition to fellas like Tom Cruise and Virat Kohli. What exactly is being done to have your average cane cutter from the back dam (or your newspaper columnist!) featured on the cover of Time Magazine?

But about their “contributions” to society being recognized, your Eyewitness really believes that in Guyana these are being overshadowed by the “intimate partner” murders men are committing daily. He can remember that one instance where some fella was killed by his wife… but that sticks out because it’s so rare. And on the last one about men “creating a safer, better world”, the Day’s founders are really opening us open to a lot of blows!!

Which war in human history was caused by women??

OK…we know about Elizabeth 1, But isn’t she the exception that proves the rule? …training?

Your Eyewitness is quite pleased President Ali’s arranging with UWI to have some 20,000 persons be credentialised in the next five years. That’s 4000 persons getting degrees annually in addition to the 5000 or so that UG churns out! Roosevelt had raised America’s spirit with the promise of “a chicken in every pot” in the midst of their “Great Depression”, and it looks like President Ali will get us through our COVID-19 Depression with “A Graduate Cap on every head”!

Now this makes sense, doesn’t it? Surely you didn’t think the 50,000 jobs he’d promised in the next five years during the campaign were going to be in the three reopened sugar cane factories?? Nah…we’re going to be the new Singapore and that means jobs that demand skills and education.

The only problem your Eyewitness sees is that we Guyanese have too much of a stick-in-the-mud outlook.

Are we disciplined enough to hunker down in front of those computer screens to be trained? …road This wouldn’t be a Guyanese column if we didn’t end with “one for the road” would it? Now, before you jump up in indignation, remember the problem isn’t the alcohol.

Italians don’t cuss out and chop each other, though they drink so much, do they?

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

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14 NEWS Grove, EBD woman is Guyana’s 143rd COVID-19 fatality FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

– 11 incoming passengers test positive at CJIA – 62 new cases recorded in 24h

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony

A

60-year-old woman of Grove, East Bank Demerara (EBD) is

The booths set up for testing upon arriving at CJIA

Guyana’s latest victim to have succumbed to the novel coronavirus, taking the total to 143.

The Health Ministry indicated that the EBD resident died on November 18 while being treated at one of its medical facilities. It was also confirmed that the woman who is reportedly the sister of a former minister of government suffered from hypertension and diabetes.

Her death follows that of a 66-year-old man of Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara) who succumbed to COVID-19 on Wednesday.

As per protocol, offi-

cials now have the task of contacting all relatives and persons who may have been exposed to the now-deceased person to facilitate contact tracing and rapid assistance to everyone.

Meanwhile, 62 new cases were detected on Thursday, raising the confirmed cases to 4976. Of this number, 2597 are males and 2379 are female.

There are seven persons in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 104 in institutional isolation; 757 in home isolation and 62 in institutional quarantine.

A breakdown shows that 10 new cases were detected in Region One (BarimaWaini); 17 in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); seven in Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara; 13 in Region Four (DemeraraMahaica); one in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) and 14 in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

In Regions Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), the figures remained at 91, 419, 172, and 376 cases respectively.

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony on Thursday said they currently had capacity to process 400 to 600 PCR test samples per day, but efforts were being made to increase this number to 1000 and more.

In addition, the rapid antigen test kits would be utilised.

‘I aim to get that up to maybe 1000 to 1200 tests per day or even more. So, we’re building a lot of capacity to do PCR testing. In addition to what we’re doing, in the Private Sector, you have Eureka Lab that is doing testing. There are some other Private Sector players who are now developing their capacity. Very soon, we’ll have labs coming

on board,” the Minister divulged.

With these added resources, the Minister said testing would not be a problem in the future.

Meanwhile, since reopening of airports, 11 persons have tested positive for the novel coronavirus upon arriving at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).

Persons who were tested beyond 72 hours are required to undergo a PCR test upon arriving in Guyana.

“They would have completed more than 1000 tests and among those persons who have been tested, we have found 11 persons who have been positive. Once we detect a positive person, our staff have an obligation to do several things.”

These include contact tracing, contacting the country of origin, and isolating the patient.

Guyanese are reminded to observe the protocols of the COVID-19 emergency measures (No 10), which are in effect until November 31, 2020. This order emphasises, among other things, the need for correct and consistent use of a face mask when leaving your home; the importance of maintaining six feet of physical distance from others; and the need for good hand hygiene to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

If anyone is displaying any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19, or need any additional information, kindly contact the COVID-19 Hotline on 2311166, 226-7480 or 624-6674 immediately or visit www. health.gov.gy.

This is critical given the fact that the Region of the Americas, which includes Latin America and the Caribbean, has been identified as the region most affected by the virus.

15 “My son had big plans” – mother of dead 15-year-old NEWS

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

– mother whisked away shooter from scene, left dying teen on floor

O

n Wednesday evening, 15-year-old Rockey Sawh was accidentally shot to the head by his best friend resulting in him suffering severe brain damage. He never regained consciousness and died a few hours after the shooting incident.

Amrita Panday, Sawh’s mother, in an interview with Guyana Times on Thursday related that her son had big plans for the future.

He was planning to pursue his studies further and take care of her when he got older. Now, the distraught mother is still trying to come to grips with her loss. Sawh, of Lot 45 David Street, Kitty, Georgetown, was a student of Cummings Lodge Secondary.

“This wasn’t his way. He had plans. My son had big plans. He said when he finished school, he going and study his education further and make me happy,” she cried.

The distraught teen’s mother, Amrita Panday

Initial investigations have revealed that Sawh and his 16-year-old best friend had a meal about 18:00h on Wednesday.

Police said that after eating, the teen suspect breached the lock of a secured wardrobe where a licensed .32 Taurus pistol owned by his father was secured.

Police said that after retrieving the gun, the teen

showed it to Sawh and accidentally pulled the trigger. As a result, Sawh was shot to the right side of his head and fell to the ground. He was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was admitted in serious condition. He died about 17:00h on Wednesday. According to Police, at the time of the incident, the suspect’s parents were not at home.

The grieving mother said on Wednesday, she received a phone call informing her that her son had been shot and she should head to the Georgetown Public Hospital. When she arrived there, she saw her son lying motionless.

“I found him and then the doctor told us that he was shot in the right side of his head. It took so long to take him there, so the brain shut down and then whole body. There was nothing they could’ve done, but his heart was pumping, so I had

Deceased: Rockey Sawh

to wait until his heart give up,” Panday related with tears trickling down her cheeks.

She said her now dead son and his friend were close and would often spend time together, and Sawh

sought permission to sleep over Wednesday night.

She contended that after her son was shot, the suspect’s mother collected him and whisked him away to another location, leaving her dying son on the floor. She stated her disappointment in the manner the shooting incident was dealt with.

After sometime, she said, the Police were informed of the incident and as they turned up at the house, the now dead teen was found lying in a pool of blood.

“They share everything – food, clothes, everything.

This is what he did to my son. I just want justice for my son. I want peace…His mother picked him up and leave my son to bleed. He was at the house for a couple of hours.”

“My son has a mother that loved him so much and that’s what happened. To date, the family did not call to even give their sympathy. My son was a very loving child. He’s not the type to do bad stuff,” Panday lamented.

Grieving family members are not sure how they will live on knowing that “their baby” is no more. He was the last of several siblings and he was indeed the life-wire of the family.

As they prepare for funeral, the family is hoping that justice will be served.

The Police have confiscated the .32 Taurus pistol along with seven live matching rounds, a spent shell and 149 rounds that were at the scene. (Rupa Seenaraine)

16 NEWS

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Verdict looms for teen accused of murdering Mahaicony businesswoman

F

ollowing closing submissions by the defence and prosecution, Justice Navindra Singh will this morning sum up the evidence and put it to the jury for deliberations on a verdict in the trial of a 19-yearold man charged with murder.

For legal reasons, the name and photograph of the murder accused have been withheld from publication since he was charged for the crime when he was just 15 years old. He is accused of murdering Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara (ECD) businesswoman, Bibi Ali between October 15 and October 17, 2016.

The teenager is being represented by Attorneyat-Law Bernard DaSilva while State Counsel Tuanna Hardy is appearing for the prosecution. At the com-

Murdered: Bibi Ali

mencement of his trial earlier this week before Justice Singh and a 12-person jury, the accused pleaded not guilty to the charge.

According to media reports, the elderly woman

was discovered lying face down in her home by her nephew, who went to check on her after she was not seen for some time. Reports are that Ali, a mother of three, was found lying in a pool of blood in the bedroom of her two-storey home.

It was also reported that her hands and feet were bound and her head was bashed in. A hammer was found at the crime scene, and a post-mortem report revealed that she had been sexually assaulted. It was reported that Ali’s neck was broken and there were lacerations about her body.

The woman’s house was also ransacked, leading Police to suspect she might have been robbed and then killed. Ali had operated a business in the area, supplying farmers with pesticides and weedicides.

She also sold phone cards and other items. Several of these items were missing.

During the trial, Rajendra Dindyal of Mahaicony, ECD, had testified that Ali had telephoned him on October 31, 2016, and told him that the murder accused had stolen her coconuts and threatened her. The nature of the threat was not disclosed. As a result, he said he accompanied the mother of three to the Mahaicony Police

Jailed: Davanand Rampersaud

Station where she made a report.

Another witness, who was 14 years old at the time of the killing, told the court that he and the murder accused attended the same primary school. He said that he used to frequent Ali’s home and help her out with chores, and in return, she would give him food.

The young man said that on October 15, 2016, he went to Ali’s home and called out for her, but did not get an answer.

He stated that he assumed Ali was not at home,

since the gate to her yard was locked. He added that two days later, on October 17, 2016, his mother instructed him to check on the elderly woman. He said that his mother told him that if he did not get an answer from Ali, he must jump the gate and go inside the house.

The teenager recounted, “I jumped the gate and walked to the eastern side and the place was smelly. I pushed the door on the lower flat and when I go inside, the place was ransacked.

And when I go in front of her room door, she [Ali] was

lying inside with her hands tied behind her back and her body was swollen. I ran out of the house, and I went home and told my mother what I saw.”

Meanwhile, Police Officers Joel Chisholm and Patrick Benjamin testified to visiting the crime scene where they saw the motionless body of the businesswoman, who was clad in a nightgown. They said that her hands and feet were tied and her head was partially decomposed. They recounted dusting the scene for fingerprints.

Another man, 28-yearold Davanand Rampersaud, was also charged with Ali’s murder. However, last year Rampersaud appeared before the High Court and pleaded not guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter.

As a consequence, he was sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole after serving a minimum of 25 years. In sentencing him, Justice Sandil Kissoon condemned the killing, stating that given the prevalence of the offence, the court had to impose a sentence that would serve as a deterrent.

The 19-year-old murder accused and Rampersaud hailed from the same community as Ali.

NEWS

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

AG to amend libel suit against Jaipaul Sharma to include “gunmen and bulletproof vest” post

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall

A

ttorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall will be amending a lawsuit filed for libel against former APNU/AFC Minister Jaipaul Sharma to include a statement he recently made on social media about him.

In the post, Sharma alleged that the Attorney General sent gunmen to his home. Sharma wrote: “…my worker reported to my wife that the SUV in which the young man came out of had other men inside with black clothes, bulletproof vests and long guns…”

The post appears to be in relation to service of the lawsuit on Sharma. The former Coalition Minister further wrote: “If you (Nandlall) have anything to serve me with, call me on my cell and I will make myself available.” The Attorney General is vehemently denying this

statement, deeming it utterly false and stating that it constitutes another libel against him.

In relation to serving the legal proceedings on Sharma, Nandlall stated, “(On Wednesday) afternoon, my driver again, driving the said Government-owned Land Cruiser PWW 6390, transported a single Marshal of the High Court to serve the legal documents on (Sharma.)

“At about 2:00pm that vehicle with the Marshal visited the residence of Mr. Sharma at Diamond Housing Scheme.

The Marshal, alone, stepped out of the vehicle and called and a male emerged from the house and said no one is home. The Marshal re-entered the vehicle and the vehicle returned to Georgetown.”

He continued, “Needless to say, my driver and the Marshal are obviously available and can be contacted independent of me, for any further assistance on this matter. The proceedings are still to be served on Mr. Sharma. Mr. Sharma’s cell number will be forwarded to the Marshal.”

Nandlall has already filed a lawsuit against Sharma and Peoples National Congress Executive Member and Attorney-at-Law James Bond, in which he is seeking in excess of $25 million in damages for libellous posts

they made about him via their respective Facebook pages.

On November 17, 2020, Sharma, former junior Public Infrastructure Minister, referred to the PPP/C Government as “hypocritical” for going after Bond and others for questionable land deals using the office of the Attorney General.

In the publication, Sharma claimed that Mohabir A. Nandlall & Associates, in which Nandlall was the senior and managing partner before he was appointed Attorney General, was involved in some of these land transactions in which a large plot of land was transferred a few days after David Granger was sworn in as president in 2015.

Nandlall’s lawyers had written to Sharma, informing him that his post was not only libellous, but malicious and completely false, and is causing damage to the standing, integrity, and reputation of the law firm and to Nandlall’s reputation.

Sharma, however, did not even bother to issue the apology. Instead, Nandlall said, Sharma aggravated the libel by publishing another post reciting a conversation he had with him about the source of the information contained in his statement about the land

200 ICT Hubs for hinterland, riverine communities

Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai

T

he reintroduction of the Government’s I n f o r m a t i o n Communications Technology (ICT) programme will see some 200 hinterland and riverine communities benefiting from fully-equipped ICT hubs over the next two years.

The ICT programme will be executed by the Office of the Prime Minister Project Management Unit under the ICT Access and eServices for Hinterland, Poor and Remote Communities Project.

Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai said the Ministry would be providing support to the

Project Management Unit in terms of identifying the areas to be served, among other matters.

“We have already procured computers, the dish, Internet connectivity units.

We have procured the security stations that will be installed for surveillance and so on, for the protection of the various equipment, because they are costly, and we will also procure solar panels to power the facilities,” she said, during a recent community outreach in the Pomeroon River, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).

The programme will start

to rollout in early 2021.

Funds will be provided for villages with existing hubs to refurbish and equip those facilities. Village Councils will be tasked with identifying areas or buildings to establish hubs in villages that do not have those facilities.

Minister Sukhai said 20 Internet-ready computers would be installed in the hubs and be accessible to all residents. “We are training the CSOs (Community Support Officers) so that they can be able to come back and teach persons in the village how to use the computers,” she added.

The Minister said the overall aim of the programme is to accelerate economic and social development across the hinterland. Before 2015, the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government had started a programme aimed at modernising Guyana through ICT which saw ICT labs being constructed and equipped in several communities and schools in the hinterland.

This programme was altered under the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Administration.

PNC Executive Member James Bond

Former APNU/AFC Jaipaul Sharma

Minister

transfer.

On the other hand, Nandlall stated, shortly after Sharma had published the offensive posts, Bond published a post containing libellous remarks about him. According to the court action, Bond referred to the law firm as “Anil Numbskulls Chambers”, and, like Sharma, stated that it was involved in land transfers.

According to court documents seen by this publication, Bond referred to Nandlall by certain derogatory remarks, and said he knows for a fact that clients gave the law firm millions of United States dollars to facilitate the transaction purchase of land and equipment.

Bond even reposted the post made by Sharma.

The PNC Executive mem-

ber then made another post in which he claimed that Nandlall likes to make threats and carry them out.

Bond further went on to say that Nandlall slanders and libels him daily.

Nandlall insists that the law firm played no part or role whatsoever in the manner or form in which Navigant Builders Inc., which has its listed address at South Road, Lacytown, Georgetown, which is the office of the law firm, conducted its affairs or business endeavours, including, but not limited to, its acquisition of lands.

According to the Attorney General, the ordinary meaning of the publications complained of gives the impression that he is dishonest; unprofessional; engaged in corrupt land deals and criminal activi-

ty; is violent; that the law firm engages in dishonourable and unlawful activities; and that he has taken steps to intimidate and threaten Sharma.

As a result of the publications, Nandlall contends that he has suffered public humiliation, ridicule, odium and anguish. He added that the law firm has also suffered irreparable financial loss and damage resulting from the damage to his and its reputation.

The Attorney General argues that he has been working over the past two decades to build his reputation by investing time, energy, and money into his education and career. Apart from being a Senior Counsel, Nandlall pointed out, he has been a Parliamentarian in Guyana since 2006, and previously severed as Attorney General from 2011 to 2015.

He added that he is also a Central and Executive Member of the ruling PPP/C. Having regard to the foregoing, the Attorney General is seeking a court order compelling Sharma and Bond to remove the defamatory post and to issue an apology. He is further asking the court to grant an injunction barring them from publishing any similar libel. He is also asking the court to award costs and such further or other orders it may deem just and proper.

18 NEWS

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Issuance of certificates

Students must pay all debts before certificates are issued – UG reiterates

I

n light of public outrage from students about the delay in issuance of their certificates, the University of Guyana has once again emphasised that all debts must be cleared before this document could be issued.

In a release on Thursday, the tertiary institution reported that if a graduate was not indebted to the institution, then clearance was automated via the Students Records Management System (SMRS). Thereafter, certificates can be generated for release.

“In order for a certificate to be issued, clearance must be made with the Faculty, Bursary and Library; graduation fees must be paid and reading room tickets and graduation gowns returned, if issued,” the release indicated.

According to the statement, there are also other ways for the University

The University of Guyana

to provide graduates with proof of their competed studies – for example through the issuance of Transcripts and Letters of Completion.

“UG in October 2020 broke with its 57-year-old tradition of handing certificates directly to graduates upon clearance and be-

gan mailing certificates by registered mail. However, graduates must request this service and verify their mailing addresses in the SRMS before this can be triggered,” the statement read.

The University is advising all graduates who re-

quire their documents now to use the avenues made available to them and to allow 10 to 15 working days for processing.

“A student who has successfully satisfied the requirements for a programme of study is certified and therefore deemed a graduate of the University of Guyana. Collection of certificates, on the other hand, refers to the issuance of the official document that proves that one is graduate of the University.”

Earlier this week, scores of students of UG took to social media demanding that the University provide them with their academic certificates that they were supposed to receive over a year ago.

In one instance, a student expressed: “After four years of UG, we don’t expect to be running behind UG for what we worked hard for.”

Another said: “I have been calling UG since in

February after I found out certificates For Health Science and Technology were available. They said SEBI and Social Science certificate would be [avail] able in March month, early April and sadly COVID-19 and election happened. We have been reaching out to UoG during the pandemic and they keep telling us it is not available. Some of us requested for our transcripts; some of us received it via email and it was unsigned and some never received it at all.”

According to the students, after graduating in September of the 20192020 academic year, they received an email with the option to have their certificates mailed to them via registered mail. However, since then, they have not received their certification.

On Tuesday, when Guyana Times reached out to UG Vice Chancellor, Dr Paloma Mohamed-Martin,

she said based on the University’s ordinance, the Registry could only send off certificates for graduates who consented to the option of registered mail and were not indebted to the University.

She said based on the Registry’s report, UG’s Berbice Campus (UGBC) graduated 216 students in the class of 2019. At the time, the mailing list was generated, a mere 67 consented to have their certificates mailed to them.

There are more graduates who have not indicated anything, then there are those who declined to use this option. Of that number (67), only 36 were fully cleared. She said that the Registry’s report revealed that this trend continues at the Turkeyen Campus, Greater Georgetown. Of 1903 graduates at that campus, only 173 consented to their certificates being dispatched via registered mail.

A Caribbean-Central America alliance for Climate Justice

By Sir Ronald Sanders

G

overnments in Central America are calling for “Climate Justice” after the devastation of their countries by Eta and Lota as both tropical storms and hurricanes.

The Central American countries are echoing a call previously made by Caribbean governments whose countries are repeatedly ravaged by hurricanes.

The response of the international community to the plight of Central America has, so far, not been different to the way they respond to the Caribbean. Typically, that response is much public handwringing, miniscule immediate contributions, and then tough negotiations over conditions on which any meaningful concessionary loans would be made to help affected countries recover.

If any of the countries are regarded as ‘high-income’ like Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, and St Kitts-Nevis, they will get no concessional financing unless they are already in an IMF balance of payments support programme.

Yet, the situation in Central America and neighboring Colombia is catastrophic. Thousands of people face a lack of drinking water, food and basic supplies after Eta and Iota slammed the region, destroying homes, hospitals and other critical infrastructure and piling one disaster on top of

another. Many have died, many are missing, tens of thousands are homeless. On top of the dreadful human suffering, the infrastructural wreckage runs into hundreds of millions of dollars.

The demand for ‘climate justice’ by Caribbean governments, and now Central American leaders, is for compensation for massive damage caused to their countries by Climate Change in whose creation and ballooning they are least to blame.

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean notes that Central America’s total CO2 emissions represents only 0.2 percent of the global total; the Caribbean’s is even less.

International help, so far, for Central America indicates a slow response. The US Agency for International Development announced $120,000 each to Honduras and Guatemala, and $100,000 to Nicaragua. The European Union (EU) did better, pledging $1.83 million to all Central American countries. But the sums are small given that the US and EU countries are amongst the largest contributors to Climate Change. The silence of other big polluting nations is also alarming.

The Central American Bank for Economic Integration authorized $1 milllion in non-reimbursable funds for Honduras and Nicaragua, but its resources are relatively small. It is

to International Financial Institutions (IFIs), such as the IMF, World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, that these countries will look for significant resources.

Like the Caribbean, the Central American countries are facing extraordinary costs to fight the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in circumstances where their revenues are dwindling. The havoc wreaked by Eta and Lota adds to their burden of human suffering.

This is why 13 CARICOM countries, (Haiti was the exception) joined the nations of Central America, Mexico and Colombia in sponsoring a Declaration at the Organization of American States (OAS), on November 18, calling for urgent support to the affected countries, “through hemispheric and global cooperation to address the most pressing needs for recovery and reconstruction”.

The sponsoring countries sought a ‘declaration’ rather than a ‘resolution’ which would have been a much stronger instrument, binding on the organization. But Central American and Caribbean countries knew well that some powerful states in the OAS would have pushed against such a binding resolution.

The governments of these same powerful countries are among those who make policies for the IFIs that disqualify small and vulnera-

ble states, such as Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados and St KittsNevis, from access to concessional financing because of the false criterion of ‘high per capita income’.

Making my contribution to the OAS’ meeting, I said the following: “Those who make policy for the international financial institutions and multilateral development banks have to stop pretending that the economic and financial circumstances that existed in January 2020 are still the same in November 2020.

They are not. The world has altered, and significantly.

The reality is that while many countries – including my own – are denied access to concessional financing and debt relief on the basis of the wrongful measurement of high per capita income, that per capita income has been reduced by as much as 40 percent because unemployment has more than tripled. The time has long come for policymakers to admit the reality of the changed situation and to amend the policies of financial institutions to address it.

Similarly, while Paris Club members continue to demand debt repayment without debt restructuring, they too should face the reality that countries cannot pay what they do not have.

Debt default is what will occur with little prospect of repayment unless a balance is struck now.

Sir Ronald Sanders

If these circumstances continue to be ignored, or the usual placebos are administered rather than the financing vaccines that exist and can be applied, this pandemic of economic disaster and human suffering will plague our hemisphere irreparably and irreversibly for decades to come”.

Given the Caribbean’s increasing exposure to external shocks (hurricanes, pandemics and recession in North America and Europe) the region must increase the volume and heighten the intensity of its advocacy on debt which is a tightening noose around its neck.

In the present circumstances, the nations of Central America are the Caribbean’s natural allies to make common cause on this issue in the international community. CARICOM

countries should initiate a strong diplomatic effort with Central America to build such an alliance.

As a first step, Central American and Caribbean countries should agree to follow the pattern of Barbados and Grenada to include a “hurricane clause” in their bonds, stipulating an immediate, if temporary, debt moratorium if the country is struck by another natural disaster. Such a clause should also be part of all external debt. If Central American and Caribbean counties insist on it collectively and strongly, they have a chance to succeed.

The two sub-regions, representing 20 nations, can turn the crises of this season of hurricanes, tropical storms, and COVID-19 to advantage. But they must act together.

NEWS

19

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

AG asks High Court to strike out APNU/AFC election petition due to late service on Granger A

ttorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall has filed an application asking the High Court to strike out an election petition filed by Monica Thomas and Brennan Nurse which seeks to challenge the validity of the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections. The petition is requesting that the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) be declared winners of those elections.

In his application, Nandlall has taken issue with how the petition, filed on September 15, 2020, was purportedly served on former President David Granger, the second-named respondent. The Attorney General contends that the petition was served late, which is contrary to Section 8 of the National Assembly (Validity of Elections) Act and Rule 9 of the National Assembly (Validity of Elections) Rules.

He submitted that there was no evidence in respect of the time at which this petition was served upon the respondent. According to Nandlall, Section 8 of the National Assembly (Validity of Elections) Act

Attorney General Anil Nandlall

stipulates that the respondent is to be served with the notice of the presentation of the petition, and of the nature of the security or proposed security, and a copy of the petition with supporting affidavit.

It states therein that within the prescribed time, not exceeding five days after the presentation of an election petition, the petitioner shall in the prescribed manner serve on the respondent a notice of the presentation of the petition, and the nature of the security or proposed security, and a copy of the petition unless the court otherwise directs on the application of the petitioner.

The manner of service

Chief Justice George

(ag)

Roxane

is prescribed in Rule 9 (1) of the National Assembly (Validity of Elections) Rules which imposes on the petitioners the statutory obligation to effect service within five days after the presentation of the petition.

Nandlall pointed out that the petition having been filed on September 15, 2020, should have been served on the former President five days thereafter which would have been September 21, 2020, since the fifth day – September 20, 2020 – was a Sunday.

However, in the Affidavit of Service of Nurse, he noted that it was stated that service was effected on Granger on September 25,

2020, which is four days outside of the statutorily prescribed period. In light of the foregoing, the Attorney General submitted that Thomas and Nurse failed to personally serve Granger in compliance with the relevant laws. As a consequence of this non-compliance, Nandlall argues that the petition ought to be dismissed.

Concerning service on Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, the first-named respondent, Nandlall said it was void and, therefore, ineffective since it is not in compliance with Rule 9 of the National Assembly (Validity of Elections) Rule.

According to him, Lowenfield was only served with one of the three required documents. He said that the Chief Elections Officer was only served with a copy of the election petition, instead of a copy of the petition, Notice of Presentation of the Petition, and Notice of Security of Costs.

“When the manner of service is ineffective and not effected as prescribed

Former Granger

President

David

by the Act and the Rules, then the petition must be dismissed,” the Attorney General argued as he urged the court to dismiss the petition.

“The court cannot embark upon an inquiry to determine whether Trevor Chan or the petitioner effected service of the petition and it is contended that this, therefore, amounts to non-service of the petition.

The court's jurisdiction is not inherent or at large and whatever latitude the court enjoys is specifically circumscribed by legislation.”

Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield

The APNU/AFC has another election petition before the court. The petitioners in this case are Claudette Thorne and Heston Bostwick. Both petitions are being heard before acting Chief Justice Roxane George at the High Court in Demerara.

Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the proceedings are being held virtually and are live-streamed via the Supreme Court of Judicature Guyana Facebook and YouTube pages.

PM discusses development of Linden with Virginia town Mayor World Bank provides US$26M to strengthen Guyana’s flood risk management project

T

The East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC)

he World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved on Thursday US$26 million in additional financing for Guyana to support the ongoing Guyana Flood Risk Management Project.

These funds will help to improve Guyana's climate resilience, protect economic activity, and reduce the impact of natural disasters.

"Ninety per cent of Guyana’s inhabitants live on the narrow coastal plain, much of which lies below sea level. Flooding poses a serious and recurrent risk to both the lives of people and to livelihoods in the agricultural sector. These additional resources will help protect some of the country’s most populous areas and build greater resilience," World Bank Resident

Representative for Jamaica and Guyana, Ozan Sevimli stated.

The project aims to significantly increase flood resilience in the low-lying coastal lands of the East Demerara area, which includes the country's capital, Georgetown, where much of the population as well as administrative and commercial activities are concentrated. The additional financing will include extensive work to improve the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC), one of Guyana's major water storage and flood control facilities.

The project will improve the drainage systems that ensure the integrity of the EDWC dams. Water stored in the EDWC is used to irrigate agricultural lands, pro-

vide water for use in homes, and reduce the risk of flooding.

The project will include an update of the Emergency Preparedness Plan, flood modelling, the rehabilitation of small existing irrigation structures, capacity building, communication, and outreach activities to better inform the public.

These activities are expected to contribute to reducing the outbreaks of infectious illnesses resulting from flooding, alleviating the burden on the health-care system that is currently managing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Guyana receives interest-free financing from the International Development Association (IDA) with a maturity of 40 years, including a grace period of 10 years.

Prime Minister, Retired Brigadier Mark Phillips on Thursday met Purcellville, Virginia Mayor Kwasi Fraser

P

rime Minister, Retired Brigadier Mark Phillips on Thursday met Purcellville, Virginia, USA Mayor Kwasi Fraser, who is Guyanese by birth.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Phillips and Mayor Fraser discussed areas of cooperation, including developing a closer relationship between the town of Linden and Purcellville.

The Prime Minister said that he was happy with the discussions, which he saw as positive to aid in the development of the country.

“Here, we have a perfect example of a Guyanese in the Diaspora working tirelessly to improve life, to

bring investment and to develop Guyana,” he said.

The Prime Minister said also that as a Lindener, he was particularly humbled by the interest which the Mayor has shown in the mining town.

“It’s heartening to hear of the prospects of improving the lives of the people in Linden.”

Mayor Fraser said he believed that with the right infrastructure in place, Linden has the potential to develop several data centres, much like Purcellville.

“In Louden County, we’re known as the data centre of the world and as I took a visit to Linden yesterday, I see immense potential for data

centres… that would attract companies as long as you have good power, which the Prime Minister has committed to. You must also have water for the cooling of the electronics and high-speed Internet…What I submitted to the Prime Minister is our assistance as members of the Diaspora,” he said.

Mayor Fraser added that he has “access to a lot of resources that can assist Guyana from a perspective of wealth building”.

The meeting also discussed the energy and telecommunications sectors.

Mayor Fraser migrated to the USA at the age of 11 after living in several regions of Guyana.

20

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020

guyanatimesgy.com

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

Expect inconsistency from others. An energetic, positive approach will help you outmaneuver any competition you encounter. Get the facts and avoid uncertainty.

Emotions will interTAURUS fere with your ability to get (April 20things done quickly. Face May 20) sensitive issues head-on and get on with your day. A change will lead to greater freedom and peace of mind.

DILBERT

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

PEANUTS LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

CALVIN AND HOBBES

SUDOKU

Take care of your responsibilities without making a fuss. A romantic gesture will cause confusion or uncertainty. Verify the information that people are giving you.

Talk personal matters through before you make a move. Having the approval of a loved one will affect how you move forward.

Shared finances could be a problem.

Go on a journey that will lead to information, new possibilities and choices.

Don’t feel obligated to follow in someone’s footsteps. Do your own thing, while letting others do theirs.

Set the stage for success. The adjustments you make will teach you that you can do anything you set out to achieve. Pay attention to detail and work hard.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

An emotional plea will help you uncover a sensitive issue. Be wise to manipulative tactics used to make you feel guilty. It’s time to make clear what you can and cannot do.

SCORPIO

If you share your opinions or plans, it will affect the way someone feels about you. Give others the same respect and freedom you want in return. A unique lifestyle change looks inviting.

(Oct. 24Nov. 22)

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

If you don’t like something, make a change. Stop letting others put demands on you and start focusing on your needs and wants.

Love and romance are in the stars.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

Be careful how you handle emotional matters. Go about your business and take care of your responsibilities. An unusual offer can change your direction. Take better care of your health.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

Concentrate on what you have to do to remain current. Don’t let important documents or contracts lapse. Stay on top of your responsibilities, and don’t take on more than you can handle.

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Don’t share information regarding your finances, health or intentions. Listen more and reveal less, and you’ll have the upper hand when it comes to competitive situations.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020

21

Big Man Cricket tourney rescheduled to January/February 2021 A

fter a painful period of deliberation, BIG MAN CRICKET-GUYANA (BMC-G) has made a full assessment of the current situation and has decided to postpone its highly popular and exciting BMC T25 tournament, which was scheduled to start on Sunday, November 22nd, 2020.

The BMC-G deeply regrets having to make such an unpopular decision, “but rather than have a disjointed tournament, we made the bold decision to host the tournament when the weather is expected to be better and the environment healthier”.

BMC-G had already obtained approval for this tournament from the Ministry of Health, the COVID-19 Task Force, and the Minister responsible for Sport. The Guyana Cricket Board had declined approval for this

tournament, since it clashed with the GCB’s Over-40 tournament.

COVID protocols for these matches had already been put in place. Most of the plans for this tournament had already been completed, but will now be shelved until the New Year.

Twelve teams had indicated their interest in participating in this tournament, namely: Upper Corentyne, Jai Hind, The Godfathers, East Coast Strikers, Georgetown Royal Rangers, Sarjoo Tigers, Regal Masters, Everest Masters, West Bank Warriors, West Demerara Vipers, Essequibo Eagles and Ras Tafar Eye Patriarchs.

BMC-G will have to decide on whether to stick with the participation of the original 10 teams planned, or to allow participation of the 12 teams named above. Sponsors have also started to come on board,

and more will be publicised close to the launch of the tournament in January/February 2021.

This signature competition, a 25-over affair, is for players who are over 45 years old as at January 2021. It will be conducted on a round- robin basis, with 2 semifinals and a final, and will feature matches being held at grounds in all the counties - Essequibo, Demerara & Berbice. The final and the semifinals will be live streamed and will have live commentary.

During the preliminary matches, the Committee will commit to doing live streaming and commentary at other venues that have adequate internet services. All matches will be played with pink balls.

Since this local tournament will now be pushed back to January/February 2021, the Regional T25 BMC Over-

50 Tournament will now be held in April/May of 2021. The venue for this regional tournament is presently being decided by the Cricket West Indies Masters Association Steering Committee. Several

Several attractive prizes will be up for grabs in accordance with the incentive programme outlined hereunder: WINNER-------------------------------------------------------- Winner’s Trophy and a cash prize RUNNER-UP-------------------------------------------------Runner up Trophy and a cash prize MAN OF THE SERIES---------------------------------------------------------------One Motorcycle MAN OF THE MATCH- FINALS-------------------------------------Trophy and a cash prize MAN OF THE MATCH- SEMIFINALS-----------------------------Trophy and a cash prize MAN OF THE MATCH- Preliminary Rounds---------------------------------------------Trophy MOST 6s in Tournament-------------------------------------------------Trophy and a cash prize MOST 4s in the Tournament--------------------------------------------Trophy and a cash prize MOST CATCHES by a fielder-------------------------------------------Trophy and a cash prize MOST STUMPINGS/CATCHES by wicketkeeper---------------Trophy and a cash prize BEST UMPIRE (Voted by all the captains) -----------------------Trophy and a cash prize

teams from the Caribbean and North America have already indicated their interest in this tournament - Guyana, Trinidad, Barbados, Jamaica, Windwards, Leewards, USA & Canada.

The Domestic BMC T25 will be used as a yardstick to select the Guyana team. For the

Manager Pep Guardiola signs new 2-year deal with Manchester City

P

ep Guardiola has signed a two-year deal that will see him remain as Manchester City manager until the summer of 2023. The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager’s previous deal was set to expire at the end of this season.

The 49-year-old has won two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, and three League Cups since joining Manchester City in 2016. In total, City have won 181 of the 245 matches under Guardiola, a win rate of 73.87%.

Guardiola told City’s website: “We have achieved a great deal together, scored goals, won games and trophies, and we are all very proud of that success. Having that kind of support is the best thing any manager can have.”

Guardiola’s current fiveyear stay is already the longest commitment he has made to a team since becoming a manager in 2008. If he sees out the contract, the Spaniard will overtake Joe Mercer and go second on the club’s list of longest-serving postwar managers; behind Les McDowall, who took charge of 592 games between 1950 and 1963.

Guardiola said: “We have had long talks this week together, we put [forward] both sides - to continue or not - and in the end we decided that the best for all of us is to continue, because still we have the feeling that there is unfinished business and still there is something to do: continue what we have done in the last [few] years.

Regional T25 BMC Tournament, players will be eligible for participation based on their being 50 years and over as at March 8th, 2022.

At a later date in 2021, the BMC-G will be holding trials or a tournament for the F45 overs format of the Regional Over-50 tournament to select the Guyana team. The same teams above will participate in that tournament, which

will b e used to select the West Indies Over-50 World Cup team to represent us at the Over 50 World Cup in South Africa in March 2022.

Further practice matches will follow in TT or Barbados in the leadup to South Africa.

Exciting and purposeful times lie ahead for the development of our Masters’ cricket throughout the region. In this regard, a representative of the West Indies Masters team will be selected to tour Canada in August 2021 for a 3-match bilateral series against the Canadian World Cup team.

This series will have 2 other F45 overs warm up matches against other local Canadian teams as warm up for the bilateral series.

Klay Thompson to miss NBA season with Achilles injury – report

Pep Guardiola signs his new contract, seated between Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano (left) and director of football Txiki Begiristain (right)

“I have the desire to help with all the fantastic players we have for the next years, especially for the fans - and we will feel proud of the way we play and the way we win.

“I would say that, at this time, the reason I signed the contract is for our chairman, especially for the conversations that we had. He convinced me that still we have to move forward, to try to do it, to continue what we have done in these incredible last four years together.”

Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak added: “Pep’s contract extension is the natural next step in a journey which has evolved over many years. It is a product of the mutual trust and respect that exists between him and the entire club. It also goes to the stability and creativity at the heart of our football operations.

“Importantly, it is a validation of the football structure and

philosophy that has been built over more than a decade, and to which he has contributed so much.”

Analysis BBC Sport’s Simon Stone: Guardiola had previously indicated he was open to remaining with the Blues, although he would only do so if it was what the club wanted.

The current upheaval at Barcelona led to suggestions Guardiola might return to the club he won the Champions League with as a player and a manager.

However, he has rejected that notion, and it is thought he spoke to City officials during the international break and told them of his desire to stay.

City will be delighted at the news. Guardiola has won two Premier League titles and, in 2019, completed an unprecedented clean sweep of domestic trophies. He remains

determined to secure the club’s first Champions League title, though having not got further than the quarter-finals in his time at the club.

City will back their manager in the transfer market as they have always done, and now the big question is: Will today’s news lead to the arrival of Lionel Messi?

Reuniting the brilliant Argentine with the manager he won so much under at Barcelona has always been a dream for the City hierarchy, which has a heavy Catalan presence in the form of chief executive Ferran Soriano and sporting director Txiki Begiristain.

Messi would have joined this year, if he had not been blocked from leaving the Nou Camp.

But his contract expires in the summer. The prospect of him moving to (join) Manchester is an enticing one indeed. (BBC Sport)

K

GSW’s Klay Thompson

lay Thompson has suffered a right Achilles tear, and will miss the entire 2020-21 NBA season, according to reports.

The Golden State Warriors confirmed on Wednesday that Thompson had sustained an unspecified leg injury during a workout in California.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the five-time All-Star player has a torn Achilles that will force him to sit out a second straight season.

Thompson missed the entire 2019-20 campaign after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Game 6 of the prior season’s NBA Finals.

The 30-year-old guard took part in his first full Warriors practice since that

injury only in September, 470 days after leaving the decisive defeat in the series against the Toronto Raptors.

Stephen Curry also missed significant time last season as Golden State, who were also without Kevin Durant, after he left for the Brooklyn Nets, finished with an NBA-worst 15-50 record.

News of Thompson’s injury will be a bitter blow for head coach Steve Kerr, as he looks to steer the Warriors back to the postseason, with the new campaign scheduled to begin on December 22.

Thompson has won three NBA championships and averages 19.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists during his eight-year career, while averaging 41.9 per cent from three-point range.

(Sportsmax)

22

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020

BCB to restart cricket season on November 28

– with approval of COVID-19 Task Force

B

erbice Cricket Board (BCB) President Hilbert Foster was on Wednesday informed by the COVID-19 Task Force that the BCB can resume its cricket season.

The good news was received by phone on Wednesday at about 14:30h, and the BCB would now recommence its season from next Saturday (November 28) with an Under 15 semifinal match between Port Mourant and Tucber Park cricket clubs.

The Mike’s

Elizabeth Styles Under-21 (final), and Let’s Bet Sports 20/20 (overall finals).

BCB Public Relations Officer Simon Naidu is requesting teams involved to get themselves in order for the restart of the cricket season.

FIFA lifts ban on TTFA Pharmacy Under 15 finals would be played next Sunday between Albion and Port Mourant.

The BCB hereby extends gratitude to Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony, Prime Minister Mark Phillips, and Government Advisor Dr Leslie Ramsammy. The list of COVID-19 Guidelines would be published shortly.

All cricket clubs and cricket officials, especially executives of the BCB, are invited to a meeting on the restart of the Berbice cricket sea-

son. The meeting is slated for Saturday November 21 at the Albion Community Centre Ground, and proceedings begin at 13:00h.

High on the meeting’s agenda is a discussion on the COVID- 19 Guidelines for Cricket, but there would also be an update on the progress of Berbice cricket and discussion on the future plans of the BCB. Each club is asked to send one representative to the meeting. Attendees are strictly required to wear a mask, and social distancing would be in effect.

CWI does not endorse local tournaments that fail to be approved by territorial board - Grave

By Brandon Corlette

O

n Wednesday, November 18, Cricket West Indies (CWI) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Johnny Grave made it crystal clear, in an email, that CWI does not endorse or promote local tournaments of any age group that do not meet the approval of the relevant local territorial board.

In case you are at a loss, this relates to the Big Man Cricket failing to get approval from the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), a territorial board. Although CWI has no serious or vested interest in Over 50s cricket, CWI continues to advocate for, and theoretically support, all organised cricket in the region.

In a Big Man Cricket release issued yesterday (Thursday November 20), there was the disclosure that the Big Man Cricket tournament would not bowl off as planned in November 2020, but at a later date in January/February 2021.

In Grave’s email, he noted that in order for the Big Man Cricket tourney to be hosted in Guyana, it is advisable that GCB approve of same, or have no objection to same.

The Big Man Cricket T25 tournament was scheduled to start on Sunday, November 22, 2020, but the release mentioned above disclosed that the committee deeply regretted having to make the unpopular decision of postponing same to 2021, “but rather than have a disjointed tournament, we made the bold decision to host the tournament when the weather is

FOR SALE In addition to the BCB Under-15 matches, the following tournaments have to be completed: Banks Beer two-day cricket (semi-finals), NBS 40 overs (quarter-finals), Premium Asphalt/TR Construction tourney (semi-finals/final),

Some Berbice cricketers training in small groups and adhering to COVID-19 protocols (Brandon Corlette photo)

CWI CEO Johnny Grave

expected to be better and the environment healthier.”

CWI wrote to Big Man Cricket on November 8, noting the positive intention Big Man Cricket has: to put together an Over-50 cricket team to represent the West Indies at the Over-50 World Cup in South Africa in 2022, as well as the initiatives to promote Over-50 cricket by establishing “Big Man Cricket throughout the region at both Over-45 and Over-50 levels”.

Additionally, CWI applauded the efforts to promote Over- 50 cricket and to maintain the visibility of the West Indies in the global cricketing arena.

CWI had supported this same body last year in the lead-up to putting together a quality West Indies Over50 team for the March 2020 Over-50 World Cup held in South Africa.

However, in the same email written on November 8, it stated CWI was not aware that this tournament had been officially sanctioned either by the International

Cricket Council (ICC) or Cricket South Africa (CSA).

“We are not able to provide you with our official endorsement or approval. It should be made clear that the team has no official affiliation with Cricket West Indies,” Grave said in a CWI email.

CWI added, “With respect to you and your members’ promoting Over 45s and Over 50s games within the region, we have no objection at this time to such matches taking place on the basis of our understanding that none of the teams involved in these matches will feature any currently selected or active West Indies cricketers at either international or domestic level”.

Additionally, CWI made it pellucid that any such regional matches or tournaments are not being held under the auspices of CWI, and that neither the players not the members of any local organizing committee have any authority to speak on behalf of, or claim association with, CWI.

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F

IFA has lifted its suspension of the Trinidad and Tobago F o o t b a l l Association (TTFA), thus clearing the way for that country to participate in international competitions and in the draw for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. In a letter dated November 19, signed by FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura and addressed to Robert Hadad, Chairman of the Normalisation Committee appointed in March, FIFA informed that the suspension imposed in September had been lifted.

“We write to inform you that the situation of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) has been referred to the Bureau of the Council on 17 November 2020,” said the letter.

The letter went on to rehash the situation that had unfolded over the last eight months, which concluded with the Court of Appeal in Trinidad and Tobago ruling in favour of football’s world governing body.

In addition, the Court of Appeal stressed that in accordance with art. 57 par.

1 of the FIFA Statutes and art. 67 of the TTFA Statutes, CAS was the only recognised path to resolve such dispute.

Additionally, the Bureau was informed that on 26 October 2020, the FIFA administration received the minutes of the TTFA members’ meeting.

At that meeting, members of the TTFA voted overwhelmingly to fully comply with their obligations as a member of FIFA, recognise the legitimacy of the FIFAappointed Normalisation Committee, bring their own statutes in line with the FIFA statutes, and to fully cooperate with the

Normalisation Committee in the fulfilment of its mandate as stated in FIFA’s letter of March 17th, 2020.

“Be it further resolved,” they said, “that all court matters existing between the TTFA and FIFA shall be immediately brought to a stop”.

The move ultimately ended the dispute and cleared the way for a return to normalcy.

“Under these circumstances, the Bureau decided on 19 November 2020 to lift the suspension of the TTFA with immediate effect.

This means that all of the TTFA’s membership rights have been reinstated, as defined in art. 13 of the FIFA Statutes, with immediate effect,” the FIFA letter said.

“Consequently, TTFA’s representative and club teams are again entitled to take part in international competitions. This also means that the TTFA may benefit from development programmes, courses and training provided by FIFA and/or the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football.

“Moreover, FIFA member associations may again enter into sporting contact with the TTFA and/or its teams.”

In March, the ousted William Wallace administration had taken FIFA to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over the decision to dissolve the administration, which had been in charge for only four months.

They subsequently withdrew the dispute from CAS and placed it before the TT High Court of Justice, which ruled that FIFA’s decision was illegal and therefore null and void.

However, the Court of Appeal overturned the ruling. (Sportsmax)

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CPL sees massive increase in viewership T

he Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) saw an incredible 67% increase in television, streaming and digital viewership in 2020, reaching 523.5 million viewers, and passing half a billion for the first time in the tournament’s history.

Research was independently compiled b y

nament to take place since the lockdown and travel restrictions resulting from COVID-19, with all 33 matches played in a secure bubble at two venues in Trinidad & Tobago.

Since the tournament’s inception, the Hero CPL has long been regarded as one of the premier events in world cricket, and this leap in viewe r ship shows how pop-

YouGov Sport, a division of SMGInsight, one of the world’s largest and most respected research firms.

The 2020 Hero CPL was the first franchise T20 tour-

ular the tournament has become in all corners of the globe.

Key drivers include a big linear viewership increase in India of 81% to over 74.9m, growth of 62% in the UK, as

well as significant increases across the Caribbean, South Africa, and in other key markets in Asia.

As well as the major broadcast deals in key cricketing markets, games were also shown live on Facebook and YouTube, meaning no matter where you were in the world, you could follow the Hero CPL. The innovative Hero CPL social media channels also helped drive this year’s audience growth with engaging content being produced both during and outside of the tournament, with all the major social media platforms showing significant advances in audience engagement levels.

Hero CPL’s COO, Pete Russell, has said: “We are delighted to have seen such a massive jump in viewership

for 2020, and passing that 500-million figure is a huge landmark for us as a tournament. The interest in Hero CPL has never been higher, and that puts us in a fantastic position moving into 2021

and beyond. The tournament has grown in stature and reputation every year, and we are certain that will continue to be the case. We are delighted with the linear television and streaming numbers as

well as the fantastic growth we are seeing across our digital channels, and are excited about our upcoming plans for this year to make our content even more accessible and engaging.”

Gokarn Ramdhani appointed Head Coach of Olds College Badminton Team in Canada

G

uyanese national and international badminton coach and President of the Guyana Badminton Association (GBA), Gokarn Ramdhani, has assumed the prestigious position of Head Coach of the Olds College Broncos Badminton Team in Alberta, Canada.

Ramdhani’s appointment comes after he had done a stint with the team last year at Broncos. During that time, the Broncos team excelled in the sport, picking up 1 silver and 5 bronze medals at the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference Provincial Championships, and placing 4th at the Nationals in Mississauga, Canada.

“Gokarn brings so much experience and passion for the game of badminton. It was a natural fit for him to move into the Head Coach role, after being the Lead Technical Coach last year under Mary Smith. The student-athletes will have the opportunity to learn from one of the best,” Trina Radcliffe, the College’s Athletics Manager, stated.

Ramdhani has expressed his elation at the appointment by stating, “I am happy to have gotten this position, as it gives me greater chances for becoming a better coach and it’s always a pleasurable priority to be around badminton and getting players to the highest level possible. This position also gives me a chance to draft international players.

“I started in 1983 playing when I attend Queen’s College, and made it into the National Team in 1985.

It was such a memorable time playing with then top players, and many times I use to ride from Republic Park to Queen’s College

Guyana’s Gokarn Ramdhani

so that I can play with the top players from Linden (Nathan Montague, Billy Holder, Elroy Glasgow Mike Brummell). In those days training and keeping fit was needed, and you had to keep up if you wanted to get selected,” the accomplished player and coach said, reflecting on his earlier days in the sport.

“My training was waking up in the morning at 5am and running over Guybridge and back, weights training three times a week, and practice 5 times in a week. It was rewarding as My Doubles partner Sean Barnwell & I held the most titles during the 80s and 90s. Special mention to the Late Ms Ismay Holder, who taught me lots in becoming a Sports Administrator by putting me on the executive of The Guyana Badminton

Association, which I continue to run to this day. I am also at the moment the longest serving Council Member on the Guyana Olympic Association, from 1988 to date.

I kept Yonex Badminton Club running from 1985 when I took it over from late national player Philip Small, and continue to do so to date. We played at QC three times a week all year round, and produced 95% of all national players.

I remember taking our Club players to Barbados 10 years in a row to play the Shuttlers Badminton Club and attend Crop Over Carnival after the tournament. Our Club also helped players to get jobs through our recommendations, and some attended international institutions.

My pet project was coaching and running the programme for the Marian Academy Badminton Team for over 10 years.

Here I was able to produce players who made it on the national team.

I am hoping we can get through this pandemic soon, as we need to get the players back on court and our programs restarted, and especially as they were doing so well, both locally and internationally.

We medaled at Carebaco, Suriname International, and Pan Am tournaments many times. We were also the CAREBACO Junior Champions for the last two years, and medaled in the Seniors.

I am proud of all my players that I coached, and even more so my own two children (Narayan & Priyanna) who have reached so far in badminton, winning so many national tournaments and medaling at so many

and activities planned, like Shuttle Time for the schools and the launching of the New Outdoor Air Badminton for the parks and rural areas,” he revealed.

“We also hope to hold our AGM in December.” He added.

Qualifications

Trina Radcliffe

international that they are now both on badminton scholarships as student athletes in Canada.

My wife Emily also played a leading role as my right hand in the running of badminton in Guyana.

Once you are in admin in sports, it’s my belief, if your family is not part of it, (it) shows how far you can take a sport. How can you get the interest of others if you can’t do it with your immediate ones?

It’s a lot of sacrifice, but it’s for a good cause.

All depends on what’s your goal. Mine is to reach the Olympics,” Ramdhani wrote in a missive on Thursday.

“My best moments, other than producing players and medaling at tournaments, was receiving the Guyana Olympic Association Sports Award in 2015 and Marian Academy High School Sports Awards,” he continued.

With an eye on the future of badminton, the GBA President shared that he is looking forward to engageing the subject Minister for Sport, Charles Ramson Jr, on activities that the Association has planned.

“We plan to meet with the new Minister of Sport to outline our programs

Certificate in Badminton Olympic Solidarity (Guyana) 1997 Diploma in Badminton Hungary 1999 Certificate in Sports Administration IOC (Guyana) 1999 Certificate in Badminton Olympic Solidarity (Guyana) 2000 Certificate in Planning Sports Success- (Guyana) 2001 Certificate in Badminton -Level 1 Coach (Colorado USA) 2003 Diploma in Badminton - Level 11 Coach (Lima, Peru) 2005 Diploma in Badminton - Level 111 Coach (Lima, Peru) 2006 Diploma in Badminton - Continental (Veracruz Mexico) 2009 Diploma in Badminton - Modern Training (Hunan, China) 2011 Certificate in Badminton -Regional Coaching (Barbados) 2016 Certificate in Badminton - BWF Shuttle Time Tutor (Guy) 2017 Certificate in Badminton -Coaches Conference (Trinidad 2018 Certificate in Badminton - BWF Coach Level 1 (Jamaica) 2019 Certificate in Sports Psychology - Paso/Pan Am (Canada) 2020

Current Sports Portfolios:

President/National Coach - Guyana Badminton Association Owner/Head Coach - Yonex Badminton Club (Guyana) Head Coach -Olds College Broncos (Canada) Council Member Guyana Olympic Association Council Member - Caribbean Regional Badminton Confederation Voluntary Head Coach - Marian Academy High School Guyana’s Delegate - Badminton World Federation Chair of Communications - Badminton Pan American Confederation 2nd Vice President - Central America & Caribbean Badminton Associations Guyana National B a d m i n t o n Player:1985-1997 (played in Carebaco and Canadian International) Last Career Tournament-Curacao International Open Doubles Champion 1997

Team Coach/Manager for the

Caribbean Games, South American Games, Commonwealth Games, CAC Games, Pan Am Games, World Juniors, Suriname International, Pan American & Caribbean Championships.

REPRESENTED GUYANA AS: Chef de Mission South American Games (Colombia) 2010 Chef De Mission Commonwealth Youth Games (Isle of Man) 2011 Chef De Mission - South American Games (Chile) 2014

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020

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

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Gokarn Ramdhani appointed Head Coach CPL sees massive of Olds College Badminton increase in viewership Team in Canada Pg 23

See story on page 23

BCB to restart cricket season on November 28 – with approval of COVID-19 Task Force

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