Guyana Times - Monday, July 8, 2019

India-funded hospital upgrades

P11

Govt to start works on Bartica hospital Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 3978

guyanatimesgy.com

MONday, july 8, 2019

Opposition submits list of nominees for post of GECOM Chairman See story on page 9

...culled from first 3 lists

Annette Arjoon-Martins

Krishnadatt Persaud

BS Roy

Lawrence Latchmansingh

Gerry Gouveia

Norman McLean

Onesi La Fleur

Joseph Singh

Ramesh Dookhoo

Kashir Khan

William Ramlall

Eric Phillips and Charles Page Ceres applied for ultra- 3 deep-sea oil drilling licence ...with absolutely no experience in such drilling

...Phillips should recuse self from SARA's investigation of other oil blocks – former AG

2 killed in separate accidents

See stories on pages 12 & 13

Kaneville youth Page stabbed to 10 death during row over money

PRICE

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Berbice P12 welder mysteriously dies in interior – PME to be conducted today

Fire ravages ornament P10 maker’s home

P14 Mother blames public health sector for death of 5-year-old son Over 120 P12 rice farmers' crops ruined due to breach at Mahaicony – Govt commences corrective work, will take time to fix

Drivers P8 operating vehicles with “coloured” lights will face prosecution – Traffic Chief

2

monday, JUly 8, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

news

3

monday, JUly 8, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

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

Monday, July 8 – 09:00h-10:30h and Tuesday, July 9 – 10:00h-11:30h.

Eric Phillips and Charles Ceres applied for ultra-deep-sea oil drilling licence

...with absolutely no experience in such drilling ...Phillips should recuse self from SARA’s investigation of other oil blocks – former AG

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Monday, July 8 – 08:25h-09:55h and Tuesday, July 9 – 09:15h-10:45h.

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

WEATHER TODAY Sunny conditions will prevail throughout the day, with clear to partly cloudy skies expected in the evening. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds: South South-easterly to North-easterly between 2.23 metres and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 08:55h and 21:29h reaching maximum heights of 2.51 metres and 2.44 metres.

Low Tide: 14:57h reaching a minimum height of 0.72 metre.

saturday, JULY 6, 2019

LOTTERY NUMBERS E

01 04 08

12 20 21

FREE TICKET

06 Bonus Ball

DAILY MILLIONS

07 12 15 16 17 LUCKY 3

2

2

6

8

Afternoon Draw

9

1

Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

04

11

13

14

PAY DAY

01 04 05 06 14

16 17

20 SUPER PAY DAY

03 04 17 19 20

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

SARA Executive Eric Phillips

R

ecent revelations that in addition to questionable land deals State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA) Executive Eric Phillips has a stake and beneficial interests in an oil company angling to get its hands on oil blocks in Guyana are a cause for serious concern.

This is according to former Attorney General Anil Nandlall, who, in a recent interview with Guyana Times, pointed out that not only did Phillips have clear political affiliations while operating as an investigator at SARA, but it has now been revealed that he had financial interests in the oil and gas sector, at a time when oil block allocations were being investigated.

“I have written articles contending that Eric Phillips (and) Clive Thomas should not be investigators at SARA. They should not hold executives’ positions in SARA, because of the functions of SARA, due to their political affiliations. These are politicians, they cannot be holding positions in law enforcement,” Nandlall said.

“Now you have another disclosure that this gentleman has a personal interest in the oil blocks. How can he be an objective investigator, (with) a personal pecuniary interest that obviously contaminates his objectivity?”

SARA has of recent turned its attention to investigating the award of various oil blocks to companies such as Ratio Guyana and Mid Atlantic Oil and Gas, on the basis that these companies allegedly have no track record in independently exploring for oil and developing oil blocks.

This is despite the fact that ABR Oil and Gas – a company with a given address of 9 Thomas Lands, Georgetown in which

Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall

Phillips has a 15 per cent stake, along with Charles Ceres (25%); Violet Smith (25%), and Osafo George (15%) – has even less experience in drilling for oil.

In their application, there was mention that one of the principals had experience with a company that had drilled a single well on land in the Takutu Basin.

This means that no one had experience drilling for undersea oil much less in ultra-deep waters which less than a handful of companies in the entire world has.

Despite its newcomer status, it was recently revealed in sections of the media that it has a pending application to explore a Block C offshore concession in an area adjoining the Kaieteur and Canje blocks. In the application, it was stated that the company was seeking the licence for a duration of 10 years. They claimed to be in possession of US$5 million to spend and sources contend the source of the funds should be checked for possible Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism

(AML/CFT) violations.

According to sources, however, the principals involved could stand to make billions of dollars in profits if they acquired the concession and then sold their stakes in it to more qualified companies. This is a possibility as a number of big names like ExxonMobil and Total have a working interest in the nearby Canje Block. “(Phillips) should, therefore, not be in charge of any investigation in relation to oil blocks,” Nandlall stressed. “You cannot be in charge in an investigative arm of the State if you are politically tainted or if you have vested financial interests. And he has both!”

Get rich

Last month, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo had dropped a bombshell revelation that Government has been quietly distributing massive tracts of prime State lands to employees of the Ministry of the Presidency as well as to cronies in the People’s National Congress (PNC)-led A Partnership

for National Unity (APNU) faction of the coalition Government and officials of SARA, which was formed to recover State assets.

The lands were all strategically located to massively benefit the beneficiaries from the coming oil boom. Jagdeo had revealed that most of the leases for these plots of prime real estate were issued by the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GL&SC) after the December passage of the Opposition-sponsored No-Confidence Motion that caused the Government to fall. And of all the names to surface, Phillips had been one of the most prominently featured.

Phillips had vehemently denied back in February that he ever applied for, or received 3000 acres of lands as was then being claimed.

But the Opposition Leader had pointed to GL&SC File No. 321132/1604 which showed 1000 acres in the Essequibo River was issued to Phillips in April 2019 and File No. 3312317 for another 1000 acres in the Demerara River.

4

guyanatimesgy.com

MONday, JUly 8, 2019

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

Guyana’s

fractured polity

W

ith the approach of elections -- especially with the PNC-led Government trying desperately to push the date backwards -- many of the deeply embedded fears in our society and polity are rising to the fore, especially the “race” questions; but we should not be surprised.

Guyanese politics, like all politics, is rooted in the structure of the society and the rules of the political game.

By the time of Independence, Guyana was almost the paradigmatic, structural, hierarchical plural society, with the ethnic groups differentially integrated into the power structure. This differential integration provided dynamism for change, as each group tried to improve their position. It was not difficult to foresee that “culture” would become a stalking horse for “power”.

The nature of the cleavages influences the political culture, political competition, and any political conflict.

Unfortunately, the nature of the salient cleavage is a contested topic in Guyana even today, and some refuse to discuss this threshold issue, which must be crossed before we can craft a stable democracy in Guyana.

An appreciation of the nature of the social groups in Guyana’s groups is essential to evaluate the claims of our politicians as to the nature of the social changes that are most pertinent in positively structuring our political competition and participation. If the competitors for political power do not share a common framework for conceptualising their struggle, they would simply be talking past each other in any attempt at reconciliation.

As we asserted above, political mobilisation is always done along some actual or potential fault-line, which creates political factions in every society. In Guyana, the cultural differences and origins (ethnicity), co-joined with “race”, evolved as the most pertinent marker for political mobilisation. In his seminal work, the scholar Barth argued that the defining feature of an ethnic group is not the particular elements of culture or kinship that differentiate it from other groups, but the mere fact that boundaries are perceived and persist.

The membership criteria and the membership itself tends to change over time, as people come and go and invent and develop new traditions and ways of life, but the group itself nevertheless endures as a way of structuring social life. This is a very important point in Guyana, where some observers insist that all the groups here share so many cultural features in common -- especially language -- we should not speak of Guyana as “multicultural”.

The dominant politicians of the modern era, however, insist that class was more “fundamental”, and worked to ensure “class consciousness”. In this way, they avoided dealing with the central reality of political action – ethnicity.

While most countries are multicultural, and the cultural differences may be the most common axis of differentiation and even political cleavage between the groups, the societies do not all inevitably become as divided as Guyana and a number of other countries have become.

In fact, they have earned themselves a special name in political science: deeply divided societies. The major variables in determining the difference in the intensity of the politics and whether the conflict may become undemocratic in multiethnic societies have been the rules of political competition, the relative sizes of the groups, the resources at their disposal, and the strategies of their leaders.

In a world of scarce resources and all-pervasive governments, ethnic political entrepreneurs do not find it difficult to persuade fellow group members that their social, economic and identity interests are better served if their group controls the state; that is, if they unite their political interests.

The affirmation of themselves as a people, and the economic interest served mutually reinforce each other. In our political culture, ethnicity has proven to be the most fertile ground for political mobilization.

The task in front of us today is not to succumb to the siren songs of the ethnic entrepreneurs, but to appreciate that if there is one lesson our history has taught us – especially between 1968 and 1990 – it is that this is the path to perdition.

People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Presidential Candidate Irfaan Ali on Sunday met with the widow and daughter of slain businessman Aaron Latchman. The businessman and his daughter Ariana Latchman were killed during a robbery on Thursday last

Malaria surges back in crisis-hit Venezuela

T

he sweltering heat of the Venezuelan forest makes no difference to Jose Gregorio, who trembles with a cold chill. "I have pain everywhere, fever," he stammers.

Gregorio has the classic symptoms of malaria, a disease eradicated years ago among his Yukpa Indigenous people, but it's back with a vengeance all across crisis-struck Venezuela.

"He had sore joints and then started vomiting, and it's been four or five days since he's eaten anything," says his worried wife Marisol.

Their four-month-old baby babbles beside his father on the bed.

"The baby and I also had malaria," says Marisol.

"Before, that was not the case here, there was only chikungunya and dengue, malaria came back here last year."

She doesn't bat an eyelid at the mention of either of the other mosquito-borne viruses, whose spread has been fuelled by the collapse of Venezuela's health system.

"Here" is El Tucuco, a small village at the foot of the mountains that form the border with Colombia, a three-hour drive from Maracaibo in Venezuela's western Zulia state.

With 3700 people, El Tucuco is the Yukpas' "capital" and malaria is rapidly making its presence felt here as in the rest of Venezuela – a country that could once boast of being the first to have eradicated the disease in 1961.

“Pandemic”

There are no official statistics on malaria's reach into El Tucuco, nor on the number of deaths it causes.

But from his consulting room at the Catholic Mission, Dr Carlos Polanco is seeing a developing crisis.

A Yukpa woman suffering from malaria sits on the floor of her house on June 11, 2019 [AFP]

"Out of 10 people who are tested for malaria in the village laboratory, four to five come out with a positive test. This is an alarming figure."

Brother Nelson Sandoval, a Capuchin friar who presides over the mission, adds: "Before entering the order, I already knew this community and I had never seen a case of malaria.

Today we are in the middle of a pandemic."

El Tucuco is affected by Plasmodium vivax, the most geographically widespread malarial species. The more lethal Plasmodium falciparum strain is prevalent in the Amazonian regions of south-eastern Venezuela.

According to Sandoval and Polanco, the reason for malaria's sudden virulence in El Tucuco is simple: once-regular fumigation missions by the Venezuelan Government stopped.

"And as the population of mosquitos increased, cases exploded," said Polanco.

Added to this is the malnutrition that weakens resistance to the disease, a new phenomenon since the economic crisis took hold at the end of 2015.

"Before, it was possible to vary one's diet, but with inflation the Yukpa cannot afford it," instead making

do with what they can grow, like cassava and plantain, according to Polanco.

Rosa, 67, knows all about malnutrition. Lying on the floor of her house, she is battling malaria for the third time. "The doctor weighed me yesterday – 37 kilograms. I was 83 kilos before."

A report published in British medical journal The Lancet in February warned of an epidemic of malaria and dengue fever as a result of the continuing crisis in Venezuela.

Between 2016 and 2017 alone, the number of malaria cases in the nation jumped 70 per cent.

"The situation is catastrophic," said Dr Huniades Urbina, secretary of the national Academy of Medicine.

In 2018, "there were 600,000 cases of malaria and we, the scientific organisations, estimate that in 2019 we could reach a million cases" – one in every 30 people.

But these figures are only estimates, "because the Government conceals the statistics".

“Nobody answers us”

The malaria explosion has gone hand in hand with the worsening economic crisis. According to Nicolás Maduro's Government, in-

flation reached a staggering 130,000 per cent in 2018 and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) halved between 2013 and 2018.

In the oil-rich state of Zulia, service stations have been dry for more than a month. Electricity blackouts are commonplace and residents flee abroad in their thousands.

Despite a poster of late President Hugo Chávez at the entry to the clinic, there is little sign of Government presence in El Tucuco. Dr Luisana Hernandez despairs of ever seeing any State help.

"Every day, everything is deteriorating a bit more," she says, exasperated. Refrigerators intended to keep vaccines cold do not work, "because we have no gasoline to run the generator" and both the clinic's broken-down ambulances are gathering rust in the garden.

"We've knocked on every door. But nobody answers us," said Hernandez.

Without fuel to bring drugs from the city, without resources to prevent illnesses, eradicating malaria is an almost impossible task.

Brother Nelson does what he can, with help from the Catholic charity Caritas and the Pan American Health Organisation. His mission distributes the antimalarial drugs chloroquine and primaquine to sick Yukpa people.

Maria Jose Romero, 22, was able to benefit from treatment. "Repeated seizures are due to the fact that many people cannot follow the treatment," for lack of drugs, she said.

Romero now lives across the border in Colombia, having fled Venezuela. She is visiting El Tucuco to see her family. Soon she will return to the other side of the mountain, on foot.

"It's three days' walk," she says. (France24)

guyanatimesgy.com

MONday, JUly 8, 2019

5

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

A Minister flirting with gaol Dear Editor, Guyana’s Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, is currently before the Judiciary for Contempt of Court. Thus far, the Judges have fearlessly rejected the contention that Executive Officers of the State are immune from “contemptus curial”, in the discharge of their official functions. A Stay of Execution sought by the contemner against the subject order was refused by an appellate court. The Attorney General has signalled an intention to appeal, rather than comply with the Order of Court. In my respectful view, the Attorney General is leading his Executive colleague willingly to the slaughterhouse.

The principle involved is much larger than the case. In essence, the Attorney General is using the Minister of Finance to put the Judiciary itself upon trial. They say, “Fools usually rush in, where wise men dare not enter”.

Perhaps, we are witnessing the application of this axiom.

The jurisprudential nature, purport and rationale of contempt and the Court’s jurisdiction in this regard were eruditely expressed by that legend in legal literature, in the Union of India, VG Ramachandran, in his classic, “Contempt of Court”, (2002) at page 3, where the learned

Professor states: “The foundation of the Judiciary is the trust and the confidence of the people in its ability to deliver fearless and impartial justice and as such no action can be permitted which may shake the very foundation itself. The purpose of contempt jurisdiction is to uphold the majesty and dignity of the courts of law.

It is an unusual type of jurisdiction combining “the jury, the Judge and the hangman” and it is so because the Court is not adjudicating upon any claim between the litigating parties. This jurisdiction is not exercised to protect the dignity of an individual Judge but to protect the administration of justice from being maligned. Power to punish for contempt is for maintenance of [an] effective legal system.”

It should be clear, therefore, that every law-abiding citizen and those who believe in the rule of law must have more than a passing interest in the ongoing legal imbroglio. I certainly do. There is no swifter way of haemorrhaging public confidence from any judicial system than by its incapacity or inability to enforce its own edicts. When this occurs, the courts of law lose both their majesty and dignity and the law is easily made an “ass”.

Several of my clients

are the victims of the willful neglect by this Minister of Finance to obey Orders of the Court. He does so contumaciously, upon the counsel of the Attorney General, who, so frequently, misconceives his role in the legal process. I have written numerous letters to, attempted to serve multiple Court Orders upon, and had countless conversations with the Minister of Finance on his neglect to obey Orders of Court. At the risk of being audacious, I informed him that in the end, the Attorney General would not accompany him to the gaol.

The only reason I did not file proceedings similar to those that are pending, is because the Minister of Finance intentionally eludes personal service of the Court Orders by a Marshal of the High Court, which is a mandatory legal requirement, prior to the launch of such proceedings. I salute my colleague, Timothy Jonas, for his sheer tenacity. In consequence, several of my clients are, perversely, denied the fruits of their judgement, while powerful political officer holders flex their egotistical muscles. In the meanwhile, interests continue to accumulate upon these judgements at taxpayers’ expenses.

My grandmother used to say, “Moon a run till day ketch am”.

Dear Editor, With amusement, I watched on as this Administration once again started making empty promises and building voters’ hopes up in an attempt to win back the voters that they greatly disappointed.

What is ironic is that they failed to address the empty promises they made before the last general election and interestingly, they are making new promises. The President tries to portray the image of a no-nonsense person but immediately after awarding himself and Ministers a huge salary increase, my confidence for them diminished.

After that, he attempted to fool the people once again by disbanding Ministries, and amazingly, there are more Ministers than the previous Administration had. Many come to realise their ministerial position was created just to give them a portfolio and we all see that they have so much time and taxpayers’ money to waste that they could have gone to the CCJ just to attempt to get support.

Meanwhile, all Ministries are still fumbling to perform their duties properly, whilst the country is crying out for help. Editor, since the NoConfidence Motion, under the shelter of ‘Ministerial Outreach’, the Ministers and party supporters have been running all over the country trying to bribe voters by making promises.

What I find comical is that these Ministers and supporters know the conditions and issues affecting places and they never attempt to address any. Now that their fun is about to be cut, they are run-

ning around asking people of issues affecting them when they fully well know of the issues. At the Tuschen New Scheme, for instance, all the streets are in deplorable conditions, the main access road is the only one that is in a decent condition for vehicles to traverse.

As a result of the condition of the streets, motorists find themselves spending a huge amount of money to repair their vehicles constantly and they are forced to overcharge passengers traversing the area. Now this is a scheme that developed under the PPP/C’s tenure and because the area was developing, heavy-duty vehicles were constantly using the streets, thus, after time, they started to deteriorate.

Now this Administration, under the guise of ‘Ministerial Outreach’, is going around campaigning and pretending to listen to people’s cries.

They fully well know the conditions of these areas and know that almost everywhere they go, residents will be asking for better roads, telephone lines, proper security, street lights, etc, but because their intentions are not what residents expect, the residents are being misled.

What I am saying is that it makes no sense for you to be wasting hours going somewhere under the guise of going to help when you already know the situation of the place. Added to that, you have the NDC and the Regional Council that would be au fait with the conditions of these places and I am quite sure that this information would reach each Minister for their attention, which in most cas-

es are being ignored, so instead of being in their office trying to do a proper job, they are wasting time and taxpayers’ money distracting people.

Yes, taxpayers’ money is being squandered meaninglessly.

So, they are piggybacking on the works of the PPP/C, riddled with more accusations of corruption and incompetence than the PPP/C and they have nothing tangible to show for the time they have been in office but they are wasting time going around the country in a feeble attempt to buy Guyanese votes. They should understand by now that Guyanese are not stupid and are fully well aware of their incompetence!

Against such reality, it is difficult to empathise with the Minister of Finance or the Attorney General. Readers will recall that the legal proceedings, which eventually led to the judgement against the State obtained by Dipcon Engineering Limited, is a sordid narrative of the incompetence of the Attorney General.

He failed to appeal the High Court judgement within the prescribed time, and then filed an application, several months late, for an extension of time, to file an appeal out of time. The Guyana Court of Appeal roundly rejected the reasons which he proffered for his tardiness. He sought to blame yours truly and the staff at the Ministry.

The Court simply refused to believe such manifest falsehoods. In his attempt to appeal the Court of Appeal’s decision to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), he committed the elementary error of filing the wrong process.

Notwithstanding, the CCJ examined the reasons advanced for his tardiness. In dismissing the appeal, the Court expressed the following caustic remarks: “In her oral submissions, counsel for the State laboured

the point that a lot of money was at stake and the case was of great public importance.

These very factors highlight how unacceptable are the reasons for the State’s failure to be aware of this pending litigation and the award of judgment, and its failure to apply urgently for an extension of time within which to appeal.

To say, regardless of who was in Government, that the State failed to satisfy the most basic standard of care is an understatement.”

It is because of this history that I verily believe that the State’s refusal to satisfy the judgement is devoid of bona fides and is inspired by spite, ego and vendetta. The public is aware of the State’s scandalous payments of millions of dollars in settlements, both in litigation and without litigation, in various instances. One readily recalls the US$6.5 million, paid to BK International Inc on a mere pre-action letter, in relation to Haags Bosch dumpsite, whereas in fact, the State should have sued that company for breach of its obligations under the contract.

The judgements I have obtained against the State, which are intentionally being ignored, include millions of

dollars in compensation and costs, awarded to the poor rice farmers of West Coast Berbice and several public servants, who were wrongfully dismissed by the Government since 2015. These poor and ordinary Guyanese journey to my office, weekly, enquiring about payments on their judgements. I am forced to disappoint them on each occasion.

Additionally, I have sued Dipcon Engineering Limited and obtained judgements against them for and on behalf of twenty ex-employees, who are owed severance pay remuneration under the Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act. I have already obtained requisite Orders of Court directing Dipcon to satisfy these twenty judgements when the State honours its judgement.

So, twenty poor Guyanese families are being denied millions of dollars owed to them because of the Minister of Finance’s refusal to obey the judgement obtained by Dipcon.

Sincerely, Mohabir Anil Nandlall, MP Attorney-at-Law

APNU/AFC “good life” is the These empty promises reason to disregard democracy

Regards, Sahadeo Bates

Dear Editor, The plight of Guyanese continues to escalate to a level that is quite unbearable, while this APNU/AFC coalition Government refuses to resolve these issues. Most persons who voted for this coalition Government are awaiting the “good life”, promised by this Government, and it must be noted that only the ‘cabal’ of the APNU/AFC is enjoying the ‘good life’ in Guyana.

The ‘good life’ that is being created for the APNU/AFC cabal and the fright of losing it is the sole reason why David Granger refuses to announce a date for the Regional and General Elections that has been constitutionally due since March 21, 2019, while the farce of House-to-House Registration is being used to delay the elections. David Granger should be held re-

sponsible for the disrespect of the Constitution and stifling of democracy.

The situation in Region Five where an elected tier of Government is being allowed to be trampled upon by David Granger and his APNU/AFC coalition since its formation in 2015 can be considered an ideal example to convince Guyanese that David Granger is not a ‘Church Boy’, for democracy but an individual

who joined with the forces to ensure that democracy continues to be disregarded.

As Guyanese, we must not allow David Granger and his cabal to derail democracy in Guyana but ensure that we stand up against any individual or forces that would try to trample upon democracy.

Regards, Zamal Hussain

6

MONday, JUly 8, 2019

Page

O

Time to change K, so it’s a funny word – but what is puberty, anyway?

Puberty (say: PYOO-bertee) is the name for the time when your body begins to develop and change as you move from kid to adult. We’re talking about stuff like girls developing breasts and boys starting to look more like men.

During puberty, your body will grow faster than at any other time in your life, except for when you were a baby.

It helps to know about the changes that puberty causes before they happen. That way, you know what to expect. It’s also important to remember that everybody goes through these changes. No matter where you live, whether you’re a boy or a girl, whether you like vanilla or double-fudge-chunk ice cream, you will experience them. No two people are exactly alike, but one thing everyone has in common is that we all go through puberty.

Usually, puberty starts between ages 8 and 13 in girls and ages 9 and 15 in boys.

This wide range in ages may help explain why some of your friends still look like young kids whereas others look more like adults.

When your body is ready to begin puberty, your pituitary (say: pih-TOO-uh-ter-ee) gland (a pea-shaped gland located at the bottom of your brain) releases special hormones.

Depending on whether you’re a boy or a girl, these hormones go to work on different parts of the body.

Foundation

Changes for boys and girls For boys, the hormones travel through the blood and tell the testes (say: TES-teez), the two egg-shaped glands in the scrotum (the sac that hangs under the penis), to begin making testosterone (say: tess-TAHS-tuh-rone) and sperm. Testosterone is the hormone that causes most of the changes in a boy’s body during puberty, and men need sperm to be able to reproduce (be the father of a baby).

In girls, these hormones target the two ovaries (say: OH-vuh-reez), which contain eggs that have been in the girl’s body since she was born. The hormones cause the ovaries to start making another hormone, called estrogen.

Together, these hormones prepare a girl’s body to start her periods and be able to become pregnant someday.

Boys and girls both begin to grow hair under their arms and their pubic areas (on and around the genitals). It starts out looking light and thin. Then, as kids go through puberty, it becomes longer, thicker, heavier, curlier, and darker. Eventually, boys also start to grow hair on their faces.

It’s just a growth spurt A spurt is a short burst of activity or something that happens in a hurry. And a growth spurt is just that: Your body is growing and it’s happening really fast!

When you go through puberty, it might seem like your sleeves are always getting shorter and your pants are

creeping up your legs. That’s because you’re having a growth spurt that lasts for about two to three years.

When that growth spurt is at its peak, some kids grow four or more inches (10 or more centimetres) in a year! At the end of your growth spurt, you’ll have reached your adult height – or just about.

But your height isn’t the only thing that changes during puberty.

With all this quick growth, it can seem like one part of your body – your feet, for instance – are growing faster than everything else. This can make you feel clumsy or awkward.

This is normal, too! The rest of your body will eventually fill out and shape up, and you’ll feel less klutzy.

Taking shape Your body also fills out and changes shape during puberty. A boy’s shoulders will grow wider and his body will become more muscular.

He may notice a bit of breast growth on his chest. Don’t worry, this is normal – and it goes away for most boys by the end of puberty.

In addition, boys’ voices crack and eventually become deeper, their genitals grow longer and wider, and their testes get bigger. All of these changes mean that their bodies are developing as they should during puberty.

Girls’ bodies usually become curvier. Their hips get wider and their breasts develop, starting with just a little swelling under the nipples. Sometimes one breast

grows more quickly than the other, but most of the time they even out. Girls may start wearing bras around this time, especially if they are involved in sports or exercise classes.

With all this growing and developing going on, some girls may be uncomfortable with how their bodies are changing, but it’s unhealthy for girls to diet to try to stop any normal weight gain. If you have any questions about puberty or are worried about your weight, talk to your parent or doctor.

One question a girl will have is: When will I get my first period? This usually happens about two years after her breasts start to develop. The menstrual (say: MEN-strul) period, or monthly cycle, is when blood is released out of the body. That may sound alarming, but it’s normal and it signals that a girl is growing up and her body is preparing so that she can have a baby someday.

Here’s what’s going on: Each of a girl’s two ovaries holds thousands of eggs.

During the menstrual cycle, an egg is released from one of the ovaries and begins a trip down the fallopian (say: fuhlo-pee-un) tube to the uterus, also called the womb. A girl has two fallopian tubes, one connecting each ovary to the uterus.

Before the egg even leaves the ovary, though, hormones stimulate the uterus to build up its inner lining with extra blood and tissue. If the egg gets to the uterus and is fertilised by a sperm cell, it may plant itself in that lining and grow into

a baby. The extra blood and tissue nourishes and protects the baby as it develops.

But most of the time the egg is only passing through.

When the egg doesn’t get fertilised, or if the fertilised egg doesn’t become planted in the lining, the uterus no longer

needs the extra blood and tissue, so the blood leaves the body. This blood is known as a girl’s period. A period usually lasts from two to seven days.

About two weeks after the last period, a new egg is released as the cycle repeats itself. (Excerpt

from kidshealth.org)

To be continued

How to make sidewalk chalk

F

rom hopscotch to street art, sidewalk chalk opens up a world of ways to play! It will take three days for the sidewalk chalk to become hard enough to use.

So, kids, you need to be patient!

Materials Toilet paper tubes, or paper towel tubes cut in half Scissors Duct tape Small bucket or disposable container to make the recipe Wax paper ¾ cup warm water 1½ cups plaster of paris 2-3 tablespoons tempera paint Paper bag or a “mess mat” This recipe makes about three tubes of sidewalk chalk.

Directions Cover one end of each tube with duct tape.

For each tube, cut a piece of wax paper into a 6” X 6” piece. Roll each piece of wax paper loosely and insert it into a tube so as to effectively line the tubes. The top of the paper will be higher than the end of the tube. The liner will keep the chalk mixture from sticking to the cardboard.

Eventually the liner will be peeled off.

Plaster of paris is a white powder that, when mixed with water, forms a paste that gets very hard once dry.

Pour the warm water into your bucket. Sprinkle the plaster of paris over the water and ask your child to carefully stir the mixture with a plastic spoon. After about 20-30 minutes, the plaster of paris will start to harden, so she’ll need to work quickly.

Next, pour the tempera paint into the plaster of paris mixture and stir until it is mixed thoroughly. More paint will make the colour brighter. If you want to make a variety of colours of chalk, spoon about ½ to ¾ cup of plaster of paris into separate containers and mixed different tempera paint colours into each.

Stand each tube with the tape side down on a cookie sheet, flat baking dish, or box lid to make the project easier to transport to a drying location. Pour or spoon the coloured plaster of paris mixture into the wax paper-lined tubes. Lightly tap the sides of the tubes to release the air bubbles. This will prevent holes from forming in your chalk.

After pouring all of one colour into the tubes, start another colour. When done, trim the excess wax paper so that it is closer to the cardboard tube. Transport all tubes to a room where they can remain undisturbed.

On the third day, peel off the duct tape, so that the underside can dry. When the chalk is all dry, peel off the paper tubes and wax paper. The chalk is ready! (pbs.org)

news

7

MONday, JUly 8, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

2019 standards

EITI stipulates full transparency over cash payouts – State spending on social services, subsidies must be tracked, disclosed

W

hen it comes to spending the millions of US dollars that the oil and gas sector brings, the Extractive Industry Transparency Index (EITI) has retained a number of measures for member countries to increase transparency and accountability.

These measures are contained in the EITI’s 2019 standards, which were recently released by the global watchdog, and member states are expected to fully comply. According to the standards, the Government should ensure full disclosure of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) payouts.

According to the EITI standards, SOE payouts or quasi-fiscal expenditures include instances where Government spends oil and gas revenues on social services, public infrastructure, fuel subsidies, and national debt servicing. EITI designates these expenses as anything outside of the national budgetary process.

“Where State participation in the extractive industries gives rise to material revenue payments, implementing countries must include disclosures from SOEs on their quasi-fiscal expenditures,” the standards stated.

“The multi-stakeholder group is required to develop a reporting process with a view

to achieving a level of transparency commensurate with other payments and revenue streams, and should include SOE subsidiaries and joint ventures.”

Meanwhile, the standards also stipulated the disclosure of details regarding beneficial owners of oil blocks. This includes the percentage of ownership. It also stipulates the filing of ownership information with regulators.

This comes even as revelations have emerged that State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA) executive member Eric Phillips having financial interests in an oil company vying for oil blocks in local waters.

fers means people might not spend it on consumption or wastage, but I am saying they would better conserve it than any other outside agencies – whether you call it local or central government,” Dr Thomas had said last year during a public forum in Buxton.

Working People’s Alliance (WPA) executive Dr David Hinds has said that his party would be pushing for cash transfers. But, Government has been lukewarm to this idea. President David Granger, when asked about this proposal last year, had said there was “no evidential basis” for cash payouts.

Cash payouts

Government has, however, signed the Natural Resources Fund Bill into law.

The Bill sets out, among other things, a 22-member Public Accountability and Oversight Committee that will oversee the Fund. The Committee is supposed to include representatives from the media, Private Sector and the Bar Association.

Following its 10th discovery of oil in the Stabroek Block, ExxonMobil had estimated the recoverable resource in the Block to be five billion oil-equivalent barrels. With oil at US$50 a barrel, that equates to well over US$200 billion.

Exxon has since re-

Since ExxonMobil discovered oil and estimates have put the amount of money Guyana will earn in the range of billions of US dollars, there have been questions over how this money will be spent.

One proposal has been that the Government spend a percentage of the oil revenue on direct cash transfers to the people, whether conditional or not. One proponent of this has been economist Dr Clive Thomas, who has called for some of the oil wealth to go to households in Guyana.

Dr Thomas has noted that citizens were better in tune with their needs and what they were lacking in their

Money

The EITI 2019 standard

personal lives. He has noted that his experience as an economist as well as research have shown that citizens given cash payouts were more likely to use them to improve their lives than squander the money.

“People heard of stories of boxers who made a lot of money in fights, but then end up being poor. They know stories of people who won the lotteries and ended up being

poor and they try to generalise from that, that this is the experience of every oil and gas economy. If we look at the facts, while that can and does happen, in most cases people who win lotteries end up by being in the situation where their status has improved their lives and chances.

“It is not as if there are no risks … I am not claiming that calling for cash trans-

vised this figure upwards after three more discoveries, the last one being at the Yellowtail-1 well in April.

More drilling is also scheduled for this year and it was only days ago that its first Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel for Guyana, the Liza Destiny, was commissioned.

In addition, an independent assessment, or competent persons’ report, had found that 2.9 billion barrels of oil existed in the Orinduik Block. All of this will represent a monetary windfall for Guyana, which will be saved and invested through the Natural Resources Fund.

Previously, a green paper on the Fund was laid in the National Assembly.

Then, there is the issue of the Fund Managers.

Investment firm Merrill Lynch has previously expressed an interest in being involved in managing Guyana’s oil finances. In fact, representatives from the firm had reportedly met with Central Bank Governor, Dr Gobind Ganga.

The Opposition has urged that the vetting process for the Fund Manager be a rigorous one. Touching on this subject, too, on Tuesday, US Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch recommended that should Guyana go this route, credible and efficient Fund Managers be chosen.

8 News

MONday, JUly 8, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Drivers operating vehicles with “coloured” lights will face prosecution – Traffic Chief

D

rivers who would have installed coloured lights on their vehicles or any other light that is not catered for in the country’s traffic laws will be charged and prosecuted.

This is according to Deputy Police Commissioner and Traffic Chief, Linden Isles, who told Guyana Times that in many cases, traffic ranks would not be aware that certain vehicles have illegal lights unless it is during extreme darkness.

“We have been successful in prosecutions in this regard. But I can say to you most persons will tend to take off the lights although in my mind some persons would normally replace those lights because many times you find that during the hours of darkness, some of these persons have these lights, but they don’t put them on all the time. Persons really just use them, at certain times they use these lights, not all the time.”

He reiterated that in some cases, if a driver were to use such lights, it could affect other drivers utilising the roadways and that

Traffic Chief Linden Isles

could result in serious, if not fatal, accidents.

According to Isles, the traffic department will continue to intensify its efforts in curbing this growing trend that appears to take place country-wide.

“We have ongoing enforcement against persons who would want to break the law and continue to break the law using these coloured lights. We know

that the law clearly states that motor vehicles should have two white lights to the front visible from a reasonable distance. Once they are caught, they will be prosecuted.”

Meanwhile, in relation to traffic offences being committed on the major roadways, such as the East Bank Demerara main highway (EBD), where there is usually a heavy

buildup of traffic at certain hours, resulting in many drivers forming their own vehicle lanes, which is illegal, he explained that patrol ranks are on the lookout and will take action against those lawbreakers.

“We have motorcyclists patrol along the roadway for those persons. Many times, you find persons because of a little hold-up, they would try to come out of the line to bore to secure a space. But we have motorcyclists and presently we have a reduction in that type of activity.”

Additionally, the Traffic Chief noted that heavy-duty truck drivers still need to respect the timeframe that they are allotted to frequent the EBD roadway.

“Between 07:00h and 09:00h in the morning they are not supposed to be on the East Bank. Any time after 09:00h, any time before 07:00h but not between that two-hour period. But most times, once we find that a truck being driven on the roadway within that time, most times the police would ask them to come off, pull off the road, pull them off the road until 09:00h.”

Over 800 teen mothers reintegrated into school system – Henry

S

ome 800 teenage mothers have been given the opportunity to reintegrate into the school system or further develop themselves through technical and vocational education.

This is according to Education Minister Nicolette Henry. Speaking at a press conference of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) – the largest party in the APNU/AFC coalition – on Friday, Minister Henry said that prior to this initiative undertaken by her Administration, the reintegration of teenage mothers into the school system was a distanced dream for many.

Henry noted that her Administration is now pro-

Education Minister Nicolette Henry

viding these young adolescences with not only a second opportunity to complete their schooling but also allowing them to get back on the path of development.

This, she noted, in many instances, is breaking the chain cycle of poverty.

“We believe that every Guyanese, irrespective of their circumstances, must have an opportunity to reach their full potential and this initiative is an opportunity to achieve that,” she stated.

According to the Education Minister, these more than 800 teen mothers are from all 10 administrative regions across the country. Of those, she explained that some 500 of them were placed into technical and vocational education.

“In the case of technical and vocational education, where we have trained or reintegrated the teenage mothers, we’ve also provided amenities such as care facilities for those mothers,” she stated.

Minister Henry further explained that a lot of them were placed at Carnegie

School of Home Economics while others would have exercised the option of going back to secondary schools.

“In some instances, they went back to secondary schools where they would have started, in other instances they opted not to go to that same school,” the Minister said.

The reintegration programme is funded by Government and is being facilitated by the Health and Family Life Education Unit within the Education Ministry.

This was part of a policy initiative launched back in June 2018 to ensure that teenage mothers have the opportunity to go back to school. The policy was a collaboration between the Education Ministry and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) with the input of other important stakeholders such as the Public Security Ministry, Public Health Ministry, Social Protection Ministry and faith-based organisations along with other agencies.

The policy, which took about one year to create, sets out clear guidelines to ensure that mothers are not denied the opportunity to re-enter the formal school system to continue their education. It further aims at not only managing the reintegration of the adolescent mothers but it is to also advance the prevention of adolescent pregnancy.

No vacuum…

T

…in self-interest he plot thickens – even as it expands! – in the ongoing saga of the hustle of a few who’ve been hypocritically posing as fighting for the economically “marginalised” African Guyanese community, even as they’ve been single-mindedly and voraciously seeking via their connections with the PNC-led Government, to fill their own pockets. And as usual, Eric Phillips of SARA and ACDA is in the thick of the thickening plot!!

The first episode exposed Phillips and cohorts while loudly proclaiming their struggle to recover “ancestral lands” for African Guyanese, had used their positions to lease thousands of acres of strategically-located lands that would make them billionaires in the new oil-based economy – while their “constituency” waited for manana.

But now an even bigger scam was revealed, the irony of which is just mind-boggling!!

SARA and Phillips claimed the Ramotar Administration made a crooked deal in the closing days of his administration in 2015 when he leased two oil blocks – the Kaieteur and Canje to two foreign companies, because they had no experience in deep-sea drilling. OK…Well, someone from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) leaked an application for a licence to drill in a block – referred to as Block C – adjoining those two blocks, but which is located in ULTRA deep water!! (Will the Police be called in??)

And guess who’re the principals in the company – ABR Oil and Gas Exploration – which applied in Oct 2016? No other than Eric Phillips, Charles Ceres and several others from ACDA – Violet Baptiste-Smith et al. “ABR” stands for “African Business Roundtable” which the same parties launched a MONTH AFTER THEIR APPLICATION FOR THE OIL BLOCK!! Their experience in drilling in ULTRA DEEP WATER? They claimed one of them worked with a company which drilled ONE WELL ON LAND!!

This scam is probably another reason why the election’s being dragged out since Granger’s hand-picked Director of Energy said he’ll be allocating new blocks in first-quarter 2020. Imagine the billions in US greenbacks these scamps would’ve made – while ordinary Guyanese of all stripes and persuasions “suck salt”!!

But contacted for a reaction on the contradiction, Phillips claimed not to be a member of the ABR any longer – as did Ceres, who said as far as he knew Phillips was still an Executive, but the ABR has been involved every year after its formation in discussions with the Ministry of Finance Budget preparations. And as late as Sept 13, 2018, he was described as representing them as Executive Director Dr Eric Phillips.

But don’t expect SARA to investigate even the US$5 million the ABR crew claimed they had as working capital!!

Money laundering?? …in Government Ramjattan, the man who figures he’ll be the coalition candidate for Prime Minister in the coming election because his dead meat AFC says so, is battling Nagamootoo who’s the incumbent and not letting go. After all, Harmon had later called the latter “royalty”!! So Ramjattan gotta find some way to break out of the pack. Seems he’s settled on becoming a cheerleader for the Govt remaining in office, even though as a lawyer, he knows they haven’t a leg to stand on.

He just came up with a principle of the “impossibility of a vacuum government”! What’s that? you ask, Dear Reader? You only heard about “vacuum cleaners”?? Well, Ramjattan has always been up on the law and its language.

Remember that famous Latin phrase, meaning “see you later”, which became his trademark…haul yuh ass!??

But “vacuum government” can only mean one where Ministers can’t be found who actually do the jobs they’re supposed to do!

Doesn’t this describe Ramjattan Public Security Ministry and the PNC-led Government?? …in population An economist from the CDB projects our population being reduced by 25 per cent by 2100. This just means he’s suffering from the fallacy of “presentism” and extrapolating from the present trends under this PNC-led coalition.

He should take another gander after 2020, when they’d have been booted out!!

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

news

9

MONday, JUly 8, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Opposition submits list of nominees for post of GECOM Chairman

...culled from first 3 lists

O

pposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo over the weekend submitted a list of 11 nominees to the post of Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission.

This came a mere two

days after the meeting between himself and President David Granger where both agreed that the process of selecting a chairman of GECOM was vital and would be done within days.

The names were submitted by the Opposition Leader via a letter from former People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Chief Whip Gail Teixeira to Director

General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon.

The nominees include Annette Arjoon-Martins; BS Roy (Retired Justice of Appeal); Gerry Gouveia (Captain); Joseph Singh

(Retired Major General); Kashir Khan (Attorney-atLaw); Krishnadatt Persaud (former Senior Magistrate); Lawrence Latchmansingh; Norman McLean (Retired Major General); Onesi La Fleur; Ramesh Dookhoo and William Ramlall (Retired Puisne Judge).

The names submitted by the Opposition Leader were pulled from the initial

three lists that were submitted in 2017 and rejected

by President Granger, who went on to unilaterally appoint Retired Justice James Patterson.

Businesswoman and author Rhyaan Shah,

Oneidge Walrond-Allicock, Christopher Ram, Prof.

James Rose, Attorney-atlaw, Nadia Sagar, Attorneyat-Law, Teni Housty and Attorney-at-Law Sanjeev Datadin whose names were on the previous lists have indicated that they were not willing for their names to be resubmitted for consideration for the post.

The letter to Harmon

also stated that the Ministry of the Presidency would already have the Curriculum Vitae (CVs) for each nominee on record.

The Opposition Leader has also indicated that Teixeira and Anil Nandlall would represent him in the upcoming discussions on the proposed list of nominees.

In addition, Jagdeo stated that he looked forward to the submission of the President’s selection of representatives as soon as possible.

“Further, the Leader of the Opposition wishes to reiterate to the President his availability to meet at any time, and, is prepared to join the smaller group meetings, if required,” the latter stated.

The Opposition is hopeful the consultations between the Government and its representatives would commence today (Monday).

In 2017, the criteria set out by the President for someone to take up the position of GECOM Chair were as follows: the candidate should be a person who is qualified to be a judge of the High Court under Article 129 of the Constitution and under Section 5 of the High Court Act, Cap 3:02; that person should have been an Attorney-at-Law for a mini-

mum of seven years; in the absence of 1 and 2 above, ‘any other fit and proper person’ should be appointed according to Article 161 (2) of the Constitution.

The categories of persons specified above are necessary because such persons should have the following characteristics: wide electoral knowledge, capable of handling electoral matters because he or she is qualified to exercise unlimited jurisdiction in civil matters; will discharge his or her functions without fear or favour, that is, he or she will not allow any person or organisation to influence him or her to compromise his or her neutrality; will discharge his or her functions neutrally, between the two opposing parties, as he or she would have done in court between two opposing litigants; will not be an activist in any form (gender, racial, religious, etc), and should also have a general character of honesty, integrity, faithfulness and diligence in the discharge of his or her duty as Chairman.

James Patterson appointed GECOM Chairman

However, the President defied all the criteria and unilaterally appointed Retired Justice James Patterson as the Chairman.

This did not sit well with the PPP and as such, its Executive Secretary, Zulfikar Mustapha, challenged the appointment.

At the time, President Granger had already rejected three lists submitted by Opposition Leader Jagdeo.

These lists comprised a total of 18 names of former Judges, persons eligible to be judges, and prominent members of civil society.

CCJ ruling

The case was sent to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) to be heard and it was on May 8, 2019. On June 18, 2019, the CCJ ruled that the appointment of Patterson as GECOM Chairman was flawed and unconstitutional.

CCJ President, Justice Adrian Saunders, in the ruling, declared that before President Granger rejected persons nominated by Opposition Leader Jagdeo, reasons should have been given for the rejections in the interest of transparency.

According to Justice Saunders, the President gave no specific reason for refusing to appoint a Chairman from the lists submitted by the Opposition Leader. Saunders noted that the President disapproved a third list, without giving a specific reason.

10 news

MONday, JUly 8, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Kaneville youth stabbed to death during row over money and once to his left side rib cage.

His mother, Molika Fernandes, a teacher, told Guyana Times that she was at church when she received the tragic news.

She explained that her son and the suspect had been friends, and usually sat at the corner and chatted on a regular basis.

“They were good friends.

They would usually hang out and lime and so on the corner. They would be there gaffing and so on,” she said.

The distraught woman added that Sunday morn-

Family members gathered to get a glimpse of Squires’ body at the Diamond Hospital

A

fight between two young friends on Sunday ended in the death of one when the other whipped out a knife and an ice pick and stabbed him twice to his chest.

Dead is Mervin Squires, 21, of Kaneville, East Bank Demerara.

Reports are that a group of men were gambling at 3rd Street Grove, EBD at about 11:30h when the deceased and one of the young men had an argument over money. This turned into an alternation that led to the stabbing.

Squires reportedly died while being taken to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre.

When Guyana Times visited the area, a passerby

related that he had noticed the scuffle from a far distance; but when he arrived closer, he realised that Squires had been stabbed.

“From a distance walking coming, I see the fight, right.

But I say is young men, man, they may be joking around; until I reach close and see the blood and people running with him to a car then I realise it was serious and they were taking him to the hospital. It’s so sad. It’s like life means nothing to this young generation,” the man said.

At the Diamond Hospital, Squires’ inconsolable family members gathered to get a glimpse of his body, which was lying on a stretcher. Hospital officials confirmed that he was stabbed once to his chest

ing was no different, as they were at the said corner. However, she was told that the duo had an altercation over $500, and a fight ensued.

“He got two stab wounds.

The guy stabbed him once with the ice pick and once with the knife. I’m still shocked and in disbelief,” she stated.

Squires leaves to mourn his parents, with whom he resided, and two sisters.

The suspect has been arrested and is in Police custody assisting with investigations.

Mervin Squires lies dead at the Diamond Hospital after being stabbed twice by his friend

on Saturday.

House owner Rudy Morgan said he was awakened by a crackling sound and intense heat on his body, and upon checking, saw that his Lot 47 Hadfield Street Lodge home was on fire.

The man, who makes ornaments along Main Street Georgetown, was the lone occupant of the one-flat wooden house. He recalled that, before going to bed, he had lit a mosquito coil, which he surmised might have been the cause of the fire.

“I was sleeping, I was on my bed…to tell you the truth, I got lil water under my house, so the mosquitoes were a lot. So I light two coils, and then I went to bed,

went under my netting and went to sleep. When I sleeping, I feel the heat on my skin, so I jump up,” Morgan relayed.

The man recounted that he quickly hopped out of bed and made attempts to douse the flames before the fire spread further, but this proved futile.

“I run and I used some bottled water that I had to try and out the fire, but before I know it, the fire ran through half of my house,” he explained.

Fearing for his safety, Morgan said, he exited the house and began calling on neighbours to alert them.

The Fire Service was also called to the scene; how-

Fire ravages ornament maker’s home

Rudy Morgan

A

Hadfield Street, Georgetown man is now left without a roof over his head after a fire completely ravaged his home just before midnight

ever, by the time they arrived, the entire house was already burnt to the ground.

The ornament-maker estimates his losses to be in excess of $1 million. He told this publication that all his craft items have been destroyed in the fire.

“I had all of my ornaments that I does sell in here and outside, and everything burned. I lost my livelihood, because all the materials that I does use and so gone,” Morgan cried.

Now homeless, the man is calling on the public to lend him assistance in rebuilding. He revealed that all the cash he had in his home has been lost in the fire.

NEWS

11

MONday, JUly 8, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

India-funded hospital upgrades

Govt to start works on Bartica hospital – awaiting arrival of Indian consultants

A

s it awaits the arrival of the Indian consultants to oversee the multimillion-dollar upgrade of three primary healthcare facilities here, the Guyana Government will be going ahead to commence work on the Bartica Hospital which is one of the primary healthcare facilities to benefit from the India-funded project.

Public Health Minister, Volda Lawrence recently told Guyana Times that the consultancy firm was selected by the National Procurement Tender and Administration Board (NPTAB) and that they are now awaiting the arrival of the consultants.

“We have no knowledge of when the consultant is going to be here. We were given a date for late last year – in December – but then we got an excuse that

the consultant could not arrive on that date and we will be told when the consultant will be coming but we have not heard [back anything],” she explained.

Nevertheless, Lawrence noted that following discussion with Finance Minister Winston Jordan, a decision was taken to go ahead with some of the works at the Bartica Hospital, which is in dire need of attention.

“So we will not continue to wait. We will begin to do some work in the Bartica Hospital from 2020… What we are going to start doing is nothing outside of what they would’ve done. So the intent is that we will be able to negotiate an extension in another area. So if we do the theatre, then we will be able to ask them to add something else, like a step-down clinic or so, in place of that,”

Bartica Hospital

the Public Health Minister noted.

Back in July 2017, Finance Minister Winston Jordan signed the US$17.5 million line of credit (LOC) with the Export-Import (EXIM) Bank of India to refurbish existing facilities and construct new buildings at the Suddie Hospital in Region Two, the West Demerara Regional Hospital in Region Three and the Bartica District Hospital in Region Seven. The line of credit will also be used to procure medical equipment to furnish the new and renovated facilities.

Since the Indian Government is funding the project, it is required that the contracts be awarded to companies from that country.

This project is an initiative of the coalition Government, which wanted to use funds set aside for the controversial Specialty Hospital Project for the modernisation of the three primary healthcare institutions.

However, the Indian Government had committed to providing a separate loan to makeover the three hospitals in exchange for the Specialty Hospital Project to continue. But the Specialty Hospital project fell through.

Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence

In a recent interview with Guyana Times, former Indian High Commissioner, V e n e k a t a c h a l a m Mahalingam, who recently ended his five-year tour in Guyana, expressed his disappointment that the project never took off. However, he noted that such a facility is much needed in Guyana, especially with the upcoming economic development the country is about to experience as a result of the oil boom when production commences early next year.

“With the oil coming in and with Guyana’s economy going to develop far better than anyone can imagine, a speciality hospital is required… There will be good demand for such services, and not just for Guyanese,”

Mahalingam posited.

With a US$18 million line of credit (LOC) from the Indian Exim bank, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration was hoping to create a thriving health tourism industry with the construction of a Specialty Hospital by pulling foreigners and overseas-based Guyanese here.

However, the project quickly found itself in a series of controversy, causing the then Government to end a contract with the Indiabased contractor, Surendra Engineering, in 2014, citing instances of alleged fraud and delays. The Donald Ramotar-led regime subsequently filed a billion dollar lawsuit against the firm for

failing to honour its obligations. Guyana is yet to recover close to $1 billion from that company.

While in Opposition, both the APNU and AFC had strongly opposed the Specialty Hospital project and upon its assumption to office in 2015, the coalition had decided to scrap the project, which had already expended some US$4.2 million on certain preliminary works, and use the remaining funds to upgrade several public hospitals.

However, after some convincing by the Indian Government, the coalition hesitantly proceeded with the project, handing it over to another India-based contractor, Fedders Lloyd, to complete using the remaining US$13.8 million. But a few months later, that company was blacklisted by the World Bank until 2020, forcing the project to a standstill once again.

Following this, Government got the US$18 million LOC written off, with the Indian Government taking back the remaining funds and an agreement was signed for Guyana to only pay back the money that was already spent.

This paved the way for the new LOC for the upgrade of the primary healthcare system.

Govt questions CCJ jurisdiction despite court rejecting similar arguments previously – wants regional court to keep President, Ministers in office despite constitutional provisions

T

he Government has submitted proposals for consequential orders to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), in which it once again raises questions about the Court’s jurisdiction by claiming that the CCJ cannot set an election date.

place) that are contrary to legal principles.

The Government side claimed that the CCJ “has no jurisdiction to set the date for elections nor dissolve Parliament”. This is even though President David Granger has failed to

The Caribbean Court of Justice

According to the consequential order proposals, which were released by the Attorney General’s chambers, the opposing parties are seeking consequential orders (like compelling the Government to hold elections in three months like it should have done in the first

do either, in keeping with the constitutional provisions.

The Government also claimed in its proposals that “there is no evidence that the President has failed to comply with his duties.

Consequentially, there is no basis to order that the

President act on his constitutional duty to set a date for elections or to dissolve Parliament.”

Thus, the Government is seeking an order that al-

lows the President, Prime Minister, Ministers and Cabinet to remain in office until a President is sworn in after elections are held.

The Attorney General cited

Article 106 (7) to defend this position.

However, Article 106 (6 and 7) says “The Cabinet including the President shall resign if the Government

is defeated by the vote of a majority of all the elected members of the National Assembly on a vote of confidence”. turn to page 13

12 NEWS

MONday, JUly 8, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

1 dead, 1 injured after allegedly drunken driver crashes car into tree

O

ne man was killed and at least two others have been hospitalised after the driver of the car in which they were travelling lost control of the vehicle and it crashed into a tree on the Cullen Public Road, Essequibo Coast.

Dead is Premnarine Rampersaud of Lot 90 Second Avenue, Bartica, Region Seven. The accident is said to have occurred around 07:00h on Sunday.

“G” Division Commander, Khali Pareshram, told Guyana Times that the other individual who was in the car at the time of the incident sustained a broken leg, but is said to be in stable condition.

The driver of motor car HB 6973 has been arrested, and is expected to face several charges, including driving under the influence of alcohol.

“The driver of the motor car had his breath tested for the presence of alcohol. The results revealed that the alcohol level was above the legal limit,” Commander

Commander of G Division, Khali Pareshram

Pareshram said.

Meanwhile, Traffic Chief, Superintendent Linden Isles, also told this publication on Sunday afternoon that speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol (DUA) combined is the leading cause of fatal accidents in Guyana, and that another life has been lost when such an incident could have been prevented.

“We also have to look at passengers that are sitting in those vehicles when

people are speeding. When you check, it is not the driver that suffers much, you know. The passengers are the ones who usually lose lives, and yet folks continue to sit by idly while in the motor vehicle while the driver is speeding.”

He added that passengers have a right to object to the behavior of any driver who is speeding along the roadways, or driving in a dangerous manner.

“And if the drivers create a scene or refuse to stop doing such, the passenger(s) can make a report at any station, and the driver will suffer the brunt of the law. This is because the report is being made against the conduct of that driver.”

Just a few days ago, the Traffic Department released data showing that there has been a slight increase in fatal accidents recorded in the country for the first half of 2019, in comparison with the same period for last year. A combination of speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol accounted for a

Over 120 rice farmers’ crops

ruined due to breach at Mahaicony

– Govt commences corrective work, will take time to fix

O

Up to late Sunday evening, farmers were assessing their losses

ver 120 rice farmers in several villages in Mahaicony are beginning to count their losses as a result of Saturday’s breach of the sea defence in that area. Up to late Sunday evening, farmers were assessing their losses and have blatantly blamed the Government for not addressing the erosion crisis in the area which was brought to their attention a few months ago.

The farmers have related that they would have invested their money in the present rice cultivation and due to the salt water, hundreds of acres of rice will be destroyed. Some farmers who rear cattle and poultry are also fuming since their lands are under salt water.

In addition, cash crop farmers have vented their frustration with the slothfulness of the Government to address the situation when it was first brought to

their attention.

Speaking with Guyana Times on Sunday, Regional Chairman Vickchand Ramphal explained that the situation remains the same since the breach on Saturday. He noted that although Central Government has responded in a timely manner, the salt water has already caused millions of dollars in damages.

In addition, he noted that close to 120 farmers will be affected while recalling that the Minister turned a blind eye on the situation when the matter of erosion was first highlighted. Ramphal noted that it is not only one area that has been affected but highlighted that along the coast, between Unity Village to Mahaica River, there have been several breaches.

The breaches, he noted, is as a result of high tides and heavy downpours.

Nevertheless, he did recall

Central Government pumping $100 million to fix one of the breaches. Although those farmers on the north of the public road, in the direction of the seawalls, have been severely affected, those on the other side are not yet heavily affected.

Areas such as De Hoop, Cottage and Mahaica Creek will eventually be affected if the rains continue since the main drainage to those areas is breached. Speaking with one of the affected farmers on Sunday, Chatram told Guyana Times that half of his 30 acres of rice has been under salt water.

He stated that other farmers would have lost acres of rice and the possibility exists that they might lose more if the salt water continues to pour into the farmlands. He is optimistic that they will have some relief soon but has already started to count his losses.

Continued on page 13

large percentage of these accidents.

The Traffic Chief has said that, in total, there have been 49 accidents recorded throughout Guyana since 2019 commenced, and these accidents resulted in the deaths of 52 individuals.

In “A” Division, there were 13 accidents that

claimed the lives of 14 individuals; “B” Division, 14 accidents with 14 deaths; “C” Division recorded five accidents that resulted in six persons losing their lives, and “D” Division had 11 accidents with 11 deaths, the Traffic Chief detailed.

In “E” Division, there were three lives lost as a result of two accidents; while

“F” Division recorded one accident that took one life, and “G” Division had three accidents which resulted in three individuals losing their lives.

“That will give you 49 accidents with 52 deaths overall, which is a slight increase. We had 51 deaths last year from 44 accidents. Over 75 percent of these fatal accidents were caused by driving under the influence of alcohol and speeding, a combination of these two (factors),” he declared.

Guyana Times understands that, in 2018, of the 51 deaths recorded as a result of fatal accidents, 41 were males while 10 were females. Of this total, two were children.

Meanwhile, statistics have revealed that of the 52 deaths for 2019 so far, 42 were males while 10 were females; moreover, four of these fatalities were children.

Berbice welder mysteriously dies in interior – PME to be conducted today

T

he decomposed body believed to be that of 34-year-old Yogindra “Steve” Ramkarran of Number 72 Village, Berbice, was discovered lying near an old truck in Mahdia, Region Eight, on Thursday.

Ever since the discovery, his relatives have reportedly been unclear as to what led to his demise and are yet to see his remains.

The now dead man’s sister, Somwattie, told Guyana Times on Sunday afternoon that although over three days have passed since receiving news of her brother’s death, she along with her other siblings are clueless about the circumstances surrounding his death.

“I did not know anything wrong but one of my sisters called me on Thursday and said that she heard that Steve died. My husband called the sawmill where Steve was working and the owner told him that Steve died and that they are making preparation to bring out his body from the river. On Friday my husband called back and was told the same thing and we have not heard back anything until now.”

However, the distraught woman stated that three of her brother’s colleagues visited her home on Friday and informed her family that Steve’s body was in a state of decomposition and could not be removed from the location where it was found.

“They say that the body had to burn right there or bury right there but we

34-year-old Yogindra “Steve” Ramkarran

did not see a picture with him to know if it is Steve. I don’t know what happened with Steve. The first call my sister gave me she told me Steve was in an accident with a truck but when my husband called the boss man he said like Steve had fight or maybe he had a few drinks since July 1st was holiday…I don’t know if he fight with anyone but I don’t know nothing.”

The distraught sister lamented that the police ranks who are investigating the matter have not made contact with them.

“My brother lived with both of us because he does not come out really for long maybe two or three weeks.

My small sister is calling me from Cayenne. I cannot give her an answer because nobody is giving me an an-

swer.”

However, Commander of F Division (Interior locations), Kevin Adonis when contacted on the matter, explained that the body that had been discovered was already brought out of Mahdia and is awaiting a post-mortem.

“The police cannot burn anybody or send ashes to any family. The owner of the camp assisted in bringing the man’s body out because he is also a relative.

So the body supposed to already be at Lyken for PME tomorrow (Monday).”

Meanwhile, according to a police source close to the investigation, the decomposed body was in a “terrible” state and it is believed that Ramkarran might have been ill, thus leading to his death.

news

13

MONday, JUly 8, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Berbice accident leaves 1 dead, 1 injured A

young man who assisted his mother with her beverage business was on Sunday killed after the car in which he was travelling slammed into a utility pole at Golden Grove, West Coast Berbice.

Dead is 22-year-old Lincoln Carmichael of Seafield Village, WCB, while his childhood friend, Shemar Hercules, was admitted a patient at the Fort Wellington Hospital. Based on information received, the two friends were heading home after a night out when the driver, Hercules, lost control of the car and crashed into a utility pole.

Upon impact, the car reportedly wrapped around the pole, thus causing severe injuries to Carmichael, who was the front seat passenger.

Guyana Times understands that the driver might have been under the influence of alcohol and more so, he was speeding.

Lincoln Carmichael

However, Carmichael was reportedly pinned in the mangled vehicle and it took some time to pull him out but it was too late. He reportedly died on the spot.

Hercules was neverthe-

The mangled car after the accident

Over 120 rice..

Regional Chairman noted that it will take a few weeks to fix the breach since the materials to do so will have to be transported by sea. “Materials cannot be transported by land…the only way this could be done [is] if there are several days of sun”, he added.

Meanwhile, the

less pulled from the wreckage by public-sprinted persons and rushed to the Fort Wellington Hospital where he remains hospitalised.

At the home of the dead man, his mother, Samantha Carmichael, was still in a state of shock and disbelief that her son was no more.

She explained that she was awakened by a phone call from a friend of her now dead son enquiring about his whereabouts.

“He ask me if my son reach home as yet and I say no, and then he seh is truth Lincoln reach up with an accident…so I got up right away and put on some clothes and then my brother-in-law confirm that he was indeed in an accident but he was unconscious but while going in the bus, the

from page 12

rains and the Bellamy Canal being at full capacity. Nevertheless, water is receding into both Bellamy and connecting canals.

Corrective measures that have been implemented include the full operation of the Bellamy sluice to drain water into the Mahaica River. This system is most

farmers, a long boom excavator was mobilised to assist rice farmers to reinforce dams around their rice fields to prevent intrusion. On Tuesday, a second excavator is expected to be dispatched to the affected areas to bring relief to the farmers.

For 2019, the Ministry awarded a contract to con-

news come back that he died” the woman cried.

According to the woman, her son left home at about 17:30h on Saturday, claiming that he was going with Hercules to a bar-b-que but she did not hear back from him until she received the news of the accident on Sunday morning.

She further stated that the now dead man was supposed to return to Barbados but his father asked him to hold on a little while longer. “So that is [what] was keep him here all now”, the mother stated.

The young man, his mother stated, only recently completed a course at MACORP but was yet to gain employment. “This is why we say let him go to Barbados with his father and see what he can do over there”, she stated.

His intention, however, was to open a business but he was encouraged by his friends to apply for a US Visa since there are endless opportunities there.

Government stated that affected residents between Broomhall and Danzigt can breathe a sigh of relief.

Sea and River Defence Officer within the Public Infrastructure Ministry, Kevin Samad in a release revealed that the dam spanning close to 125 metres at Danzigt has been breached.

He admitted that erosion has led to the flooding of some of the rice and pasture lands. This, he added, has attributed to heavy

functional at the low tide periods to ensure maximum efficiency.

Additionally, the Public Infrastructure Ministry has mobilised 2000 tons of boulders to areas most affected along the sea dam between Prospect and Broomhall.

On Sunday, an additional 1000 tons was dispatched to Danzigt and on Wednesday, another 1000 tons will be delivered to the affected area.

With respect to the direct assistance given to rice

struct a permanent rip rap defence for the Prospect area. It is from this project that some boulders will be diverted to Danzigt to fully seal the breached section.

Nevertheless, a tender will be opened at NPTAB on Tuesday to construct 350 metres of rip rap structure between Prospect and Broomhall.

Meanwhile, corrective works have been affected by heavy rains over the past few of days.

The plan, she added, was for them to complete their home and the business would have been opened in the lower flat.

The mother, neverthe-

The dead man’s mother, Samantha Carmichael

less, stated that her son was a jovial person, one who was very outgoing and friendly.

“Everybody does say is a good boy because in the afternoon, he normally go out on the road to help me sell and he friends them use to say that he mother got he doing something good” Carmichael relayed.

The dead man’s uncle said that he will miss Carmichael since the two shared a close relationship.

“I will miss him because I used to spend a lot of time with him in Barbados. He was very loving but this is life budday, I will miss he a very lot” the man cried. An investigation into the accident is in progress.

Govt questions CCJ...

Meanwhile, Article 106 (7) states that “Notwithstanding its defeat, the Government shall remain in office and shall hold an election within three months, or such longer period as the National Assembly shall by resolution supported by not less than two-thirds of the votes of all the elected members of the National Assembly determine, and shall resign after the President takes the oath of office following the election”.

Jurisdiction

The salt water still making its way into farmlands through other breaches

Injured: Shemar Hercules

It would not be the first time that the Government has brought up the issue of jurisdiction. In its submissions, it had argued that the court does not have jurisdiction to inquire into former Alliance For Change (AFC) Parliamentarian Charrandas Persaud’s disqualification as a member of the National Assembly. This argument was rejected by the CCJ in its rulings.

The Caribbean Court of Justice has two jurisdictions: an original jurisdiction and an appellate jurisdiction. In its original jurisdiction, the CCJ interprets and applies the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (which established the Caribbean Community), and is an international court with compulsory and exclusive ju-

risdiction in respect to the interpretation of the treaty.

In its appellate jurisdiction, the CCJ, as the court of last resort, hears appeals in both civil and criminal matters from those member states which have ceased to allow appeals to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC). As of March 2015, Barbados, Belize, Dominica and Guyana have replaced the JCPC’s appellate jurisdiction with that of the CCJ. The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) is the Caribbean’s regional judicial tribunal. It was established on February 14, 2001, by the Agreement establishing the Caribbean Court of Justice. That Agreement was signed on that date by the Caricom states of Antigua and Barbuda;

from page 11

Barbados; Belize; Grenada; Guyana; Jamaica; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Suriname; and Trinidad and Tobago. Two further states, Dominica and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, signed the agreement on February 15, 2003, bringing the total number of signatories to 12.

The Bahamas and Haiti, although full members of Caricom, are not yet signatories; and because of Montserrat’s status as a British territory, that country must await Instruments of Entrustment from the UK before it can ratify the treaty.

The Agreement establishing the Caribbean Court of Justice came into force on July 23, 2003, and the CCJ was inaugurated on April 16, 2005, in Port of Spain, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the seat of the Court.

14 News

MONday, JUly 8, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

CJIA moves to tackle sexual harassment in workplace

D

espite being mum on the allegations of sexual harassment by one of its staff members, the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) has moved to tackle the issue of sexual harassment and assault in the workplace.

In a statement to the media on Tuesday, the CJIA said the exercise, which commenced on Friday last, is in keeping with the commitment made by its board

with the employees.

The CJIA board has retained the services of Social Work Educator and Behaviour Change Consultant Paulette Henry, and Human Resource Management Specialist Donna Tucker, the statement said.

“The board remains committed to making all necessary and recommended changes, to ensure that the workplace at CJIA is trans-

view of all policies, protocols, regulations, and practices that govern conduct and engagements in the workplace, and has taken steps to hire external consultants and specialists to conduct the reviews.

In addition, training will be provided for all persons who work at the Airport, including staff at all levels and persons working at the Airport on behalf of other agencies and companies.

A section of the CJIA management team at the consultation session

while the duty-free staff was in a meeting with him.

The victim claimed that she was hugged inappropriately, and kissed on her lips by the senior official.

In her complaint letter tendered the day after the in-

The Cheddi Jagan International Airport

of directors.

At Friday’s meeting, the administration of the CJIA said its board of directors took steps to immediately tackle the workplace culture, to ensure that the CJIA, as a workplace, is safe for all, especially for women and other vulnerable social groups.

This decision came in the wake of public allegations of sexual misconduct taking place at the airport.

The management team of the CJIA participated in the first consultation session with the two consultants who have been contracted to review all policies, protocols, regulations, and practices that govern conduct and engagements in the workplace, and to conduct workshops

formed, both for the safety of all employees and to reflect contemporary best,” the statement added.

The CJIA Board has said the interventions reflected its deep concern about the allegations of sexual misconduct recently published in the news media.

“The CJIA Board condemns any behaviour which creates an unsafe environment for staff, concessionaires, contractors, suppliers, and passengers using CJIA. The Board is fully committed to ensuring that the CJIA is a safe workplace for all, especially (for) women and other vulnerable social groups,” the board said in a statement last week.

As such, the Board has called for an immediate re-

“The Board wishes to assure the public that all allegations of improper conduct will be taken seriously, and there will be prompt investigation. The Board will ensure that there is follow-through on any investigations that are conducted, and any allegation that is found to be credible will result in the immediate appropriate action (being taken),” the entity noted.

Meanwhile, the CJIA Board expects to have the external human resources management and gender affairs consultants in place by month end.

It was reported that the sexual assault incident occurred in the office of the Deputy Chief Executive Officer on July 30, 2018

Mother blames public health sector for death of 5-year-old son

A

Berbice mother is blaming the public health sector for the death of her five-yearold son, who took his last breath on Monday after suffering from an undiagnosed illness.

Reports are that the toddler died at the New Amsterdam Hospital hours after he was transferred there from the Skeldon Hospital.

Davitry Seepaul, called ‘Renita,’ of Number 47 Village Corentyne, told this publication that her son, Marlon Chappelle, who celebrated his fifth birthday last Tuesday, fell ill moments after his graduation two Fridays ago, and was taken to the Skeldon Hospital for treatment.

There, Seepaul said, he was given an injection and some medication; but she was forced to take her son back to the Skeldon Hospital on Saturday evening, after he continued to have a high fever and complained of feeling unwell.

“Last week Sunday, when we go back to the hospital, they gave him two injections, saline, oxygen,

and they had him throughout the night, till around 2 O’clock in the morning,” she explained.

He was subsequently transferred to the New Amsterdam Hospital, and after being medically examined there, arrangements were made to transfer him to the Georgetown Public Hospital.

At the time, she said, he was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and she gave the go-ahead for the transfer to take place.

“At the New Amsterdam Hospital, they told me that the baby have to go to Georgetown, and asked me if I would sign up for him to go. I said, ‘Yes’, because I am the mother and I will do anything to make him feel better. I asked them if anybody else could go with me, and they said, ‘No, only the mother’. I was ready to go, and waited until night, and then realised that they weren’t going anymore…. My cousin’s wife was with me, and they called her inside, when she come out back, I asked her what happened, and she just kept staring at me”, the dis-

traught woman explained.

It was after then that the woman was told her son was dead. The doctors at the medical facility told her that her son had died at home, and that they were not going ahead with the post-mortem. The frustrated mother appeals for answers, and more so, wants to know what illness her son had.

“That is what she trying to tell me, that baby dead at home. If baby die at home, how baby get oxygen, saline, and take the injection and get transferred from Skeldon with the ambulance?” she questioned.

Director of Regional Health Services, Jevaughn Stephens, when contacted, related that the mother had made a report to the Police, accusing the hospital for her son’s death. In light of this development, he explained, the pathologist cannot perform the autopsy. He added that since the matter is now in the hands of the Police, only an authorised pathologist can perform the post-mortem examination.

Arrangements are being made to have the autopsy done on Wednesday.

cident, which was seen by this newspaper, the woman explained that she went to the Deputy Chief Executive Officer to have an issue with her boss’s vehicle resolved.

Following the accusation, the Deputy Chief

Executive Officer was sent on one week’s leave to facilitate an investigation.

A Police source confirmed that the official has been placed on $20,000 station bail as they continue to investigate the matter.

the (operators of the) buses know that it’s not just about them, the consumer also has a responsibility,” the Union President stated.

The Road Safety Council of Guyana is also expected to participate in the training session. This arm of the Public Security Ministry will lecture the operators on what they can do to ensure passengers reach their destinations safely.

Andrews pointed out that he is aware of some complaints that passengers are being robbed in buses, something he feels should never happen. In fact, the head of the UMU pointed out that such service providers should be incarcerated for failing to take proper measures to ensure passengers are safe.

On this note, he pointed to the importance of the orientation exercise, since many operators are still uncertain of what is expected of them in the Code of Conduct. Andrews said he realises that some persons may even have a difficulty in interpreting what the document says, hence the need for this training.

He spoke specifically on the occurrence of accidents, and said most times drivers and conductors panic when an accident occurs, instead of trying to assist passengers. Hopefully, he said, the training will help to address this.

Among the areas which will be addressed under the Code of Conduct are the op-

erators’ mode of dress, language and behaviour. This means that operators will not be allowed to wear inappropriate clothing, exposing themselves, use indecent language, and treat passengers in a hostile manner.

In fact, operators will now be mandated to wear a uniform, along with an identification badge which should include the name of the organisation of association.

They will also be expected to help the elderly, if needed, and not force them to hurry and be seated, while at the same time treat foreigners who speak different languages in a respectable and hospitable manner.

The code of conduct also states that persons belonging to vulnerable groups, such as children and the differently-able, be treated with care.

The new document will also prohibit minibus drivers from making stops, except at bus stops. They will also be expected to play their music at comfortable levels for their passengers, and not have derogatory images or words on the interior or exterior of the buses.

The code of conduct also reinforces other laws with regard to overloading, among other things. The fare structure, according to the code of conduct, must be visible to passengers.

Passengers are now being asked to contact the Guyana Police Force should the code of conduct be violated by these operators.

Minibus operators to be trained to deal with emergencies

O

n Wednesday, minibus operators across the various routes will be involved in a training session aimed at preparing them to respond to emergencies, especially in cases of accidents.

This is according to President of the United Minibus Union (UMU), Eon Andrews, who explained that the training would be conducted by the Guyana Red Cross Society as part of implementing the Code of Conduct for Bus Drivers and Conductors.

“We’re starting this orientation seminar next week Wednesday, and a Police consultation at Eve Leary.

We’re supposed to be having at least about 30 operatives from six different routes to start the orientation. We are doing it in Georgetown and in the Regions”, Andrews stated.

The training, which will be conducted twice a month, will cater for five operators from each route during every session. In addition to the Red Cross Society, the Guyana Police Force will also lecture the minibus operators on safe and defensive driving.

Moreover, the Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission (CCAC) will play a part in implementing this Code of Conduct, according to Andrews.

“Consumer Affairs Department will obviously talk about Consumerrelated things also, to let

news

15

monday, JUly 8, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

VOX POPULI

What the people say about

I SAY...

The recently announced National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) results showed that private schools dominated the top 1%. What are your thoughts on the decline in performance of public schools?

Shaundell Fresco “Private schools groom learners especially for NGSA... (how many of those same names listed are heard of at CSEC?!) So when results like these are heard of, it serves as an advertisement to get more persons to enrol...after all, every parent wants to know their child gets QC. Ask me, I can tell you. I am one who visits trainees at many private schools and their main focus is past papers...this makes me ask the question, “Are we nurturing well-rounded individuals or are we building robots?!

Now I am not taking credit from our babies who have performed excellently...but I’m saying that most parents are taking their children that are already “A” students out of the Government schools and will pay huge sums of money to a private school in order to achieve the same result the child may get in public schools...But in most private schools, they trash the learners and the same hypocritical parents say it’s ok, it will make them learn. Government schools all the way!”

Judy Halley “To me, the public schools did poorly because MOE asks for too much from us. Unnecessary records to be completed. If they visit your school three times per academic year, it’s all three times they’re coming with something new. Teachers got so many records to complete. It’s ridiculous.

They’re asking for 1000 records and how much “child-friendly” classrooms.

What does a child-friendly classroom have to do with how and what you as a teacher teaches the children?! Have you ever seen a private school classroom? If not, let me tell you, it’s simple. No big fancy learning aids and them nonsense that the teachers have to spend a large amount of time and money on in the public schools. It’s upsetting. MOE asks for too much of nonsense from public schools.”

Caesar McAlmont “I think a comprehensive study should be done to see what are the weak areas and methods implemented to bring the students up to speed”.

Sheryl Johnson “I think that both private and public schools did their best at the exams, but the fact that the public schools have declined in performance doesn’t mean that efforts and hard work isn’t being put into the system. Private schools dominated according to the results and that too isn’t such a bad thing but improvement will come eventually.”

Tanisha Petty “This is not to discredit public school teachers because they have a lot on their plates when it comes to overcrowded classrooms, being overworked etc, but they are trying. Comparing them to private schools, I think, is a bit unfair because the stacks are all different.”

Emily Hendricks “First of all, these children did well at their exams and for that, we should be proud. The decline in the public schools isn’t going to kill anymore tomorrow but it shows the need for improvement. Both private and public schools are moulding future leaders and that’s the main thing our country is focusing on.”

Petal Cort “The decline in performance can be due to the students themselves not paying attention or studying enough. However, teachers could also be the reason as some of them tend to not give the work their all. Overall, I think the students did good though. They tried their best and that’s what matters.”

Denisia Chapman “If it is possible, maybe there can be a collaboration between the private and public schools to see how they can maybe work together. Also, I think they should examine the weak subject areas to see why the students are not coping.”

Nothing “unusual” found in inspected EBD Chinese restaurant

F

ollowing complaints that insect legs had been discovered in Chinese food purchased at a popular restaurant located at Providence, East Bank Demerara, the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department (GAFDD) has completed its investigations which found that nothing unusual was found.

A senior source at the Department in a recent interview with Guyana Times said that food samples were

taken from the restaurant to the laboratory, which confirmed that the food was safe.

According to the officer, “When we take food samples or so to the lab it does not necessarily produce those types of results [discovery of insect legs], it’s mostly for bacterial and chemical analysis. In relation to that, everything was okay but they had some [concerns] in terms of the conditions of the place and so”.

When questioned further about the restaurant’s environs, the senior source explained that “The environment is in a reasonably good sanitary condition but when it comes to insects and so they come looking for food”.

In this regard, he noted that the customer’s complaint could have been legit whereas insects may not live in the building but come there to look for food.

In such an instance, the insect may end up in a cus-

tomer’s box while hunting for a meal for himself.

“In such a situation even though you went and investigate, unless the person who has complained actually brought the evidence in terms of the insect parts or so, it’s kind of a difficult situation to trace because even if you go on the said day and inspect and you may not observe anything that day,” he posited.

The restaurant was exposed by an angry custom-

er back in May, who vented his frustration on social media following several discoveries of what appeared to be cockroach legs in his food.

The customer explained to Guyana Times in an exclusive interview that he purchased food once and took it home to his wife, who was sharing the meal among family members when they discovered the legs that resembled those of a cockroach’s.

Following this incident,

he detailed that his friend made a purchase only recently at the said restaurant and he found something similar in his food.

The angry man also told this publication that he previously visited the restaurant several times and he observed that the chefs were operating in what appeared to be floodwaters, as the kitchen is lower than the rest of the building.

The man had called for a thorough investigation into the restaurant’s activities.

16

guyanatimesgy.com

monday, JUly 8, 2019

Regional

Man, 24, killed; girl, 15, Honduran women demand protocol for survivors of sex abuse injured in T&T shooting

S

I

n Honduras, it is "dangerous to just be a woman", says Jinna Rosales, a feminist activist and director of human rights organisation Accion Joven Honduras (Youth Action Honduras).

Honduras has one of the highest rates of sexual violence in Latin America.

A woman in the country is raped every three hours.

And for those who report the assault, they're only "revictimised", advocates say.

"Rapes in Honduras are systematic," says Julissa Rivas, a member of feminist organisation Yo No Quiero Ser Violada (I Don't Want to Be Raped). "Every time a woman is raped, they say, 'Where was she? How was she dressed? What time was it? What was she doing?'

They revictimise her."

Yo Querio Ser Violada's founding followed the 2018 brutal murder of a 27-yearold medical student who was shot dead when she refused to cooperate with armed as-

Activists from the group Yo No Quiero Ser Violada (I Don't Want to be Raped) hold one of their banners in Tegucigalpa, Honduras [Cristina Baussan/Al Jazeera]

sailants who boarded a bus and tried to sexually abuse her and a friend.

Since then, the group and other advocates have worked to raise awareness about the high rates of sexual violence in Honduras, and call for the adoption of a national protocol for victims and survivors of sexual violence.

The country does not currently have a protocol for healthcare professionals who attend to survivors

of sexual assault, leading to incomplete care and confusion over what services doctors can legally provide.

Some doctors may only run tests for sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy without providing preventive medication. In other cases, doctors refuse to treat patients because they incorrectly believe that the woman must file a police report against her aggressor before they can offer her medical care. (Reuters)

of Jamaica heading toward the coast of Mexico.

Such a threat heading into the Caribbean Sea, she warned, would require an unprecedented level of cooperation among CARICOM states.

“There is speculation as to whether this Sargassum is purely as a result of . . . a number of activities taking place in the region of the Amazon and coming up ….

“But there is . . . also some scientific discussion linking it to the extent of the run-off and nitrates coming from the United States of America . . . and other factors that have led to the perfect mix, creating these Sargassum waves . . . that are potentially devastating for those communities and

countries that rely on tourism,” Mottley said.

The Prime Minister noted that Barbados had started in a relatively small way testing “how best we can harvest the Sargassum and use it for productive purposes, but the scale at which it is coming is truly mammoth, and I believe that its impact will be as devastating as . . . a strong tropical storm or a Category 1 hurricane”.

Mottley also noted that while the threat to tourism was clearly evident, in some islands, the livelihood of fishing communities was being literally wiped out by the Sargassum seaweed, blocking ports and confining boats. (nationnews)

Sargassum a big threat to Caribbean economies

T

he waves of Sargassum seaweed heading toward Barbados and its neighbours could be as devastating to national economies as a strong tropical storm or a Category 1 hurricane.

That was the warning from Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley as she explained the position she shared with her Caricom colleagues at the 40th Heads of Government Conference in Gros Islet, St Lucia, after the meeting was addressed by Prime Minister of Norway, Erna Solberg.

Mottley referred to an article in the Financial Times newspaper this week, which reported experts as saying there was a body of Sargassum seaweed the size

Investigators recover helicopter that crashed in Bahamas

A

ccident investigators in The Bahamas say they' have recovered the helicopter that crashed after taking off from a remote private island on July 4, killing coal billionaire Chris Cline and six other Americans, as well as a British citizen, according to the Associated Press.

The news agency reported that the Bahamas Air Accident Investigation Department said on its website that a Florida-based contractor pulled the Agusta AW139 helicopter from the ocean late Saturday night.

The helicopter was expected to be taken to Fort Lauderdale and then to an

In this handout photo released by the Bahamas ZNS Network, employees oversee the arrival of the bodies of four women and three men, including billionaire coal entrepreneur Chris Cline and his daughter, at the airport in Nassau, Bahamas, Friday, July 5, 2019 (Photo: AP)

accident investigation facility in Fort Pierce, Florida.

Authorities have said it is

too early to draw conclusions about the cause of the crash.

unday morning’s trip to the market took a scary turn for Princes Town residents in Trinidad when they were greeted by the gory sight of bloodstains and the body of Kyrel Braxton lying on the roadside.

Luckily for 15-year-old Reanna Layne and Joshua Millington, 33, they escaped with non-fatal injuries following the morning’s shootout along Cacique Street.

A report stated that around 05:00h, Braxton, 24, of St Croix Road, Princes Town, had left a party at Crimson Heights Billiards

and Sports Bar and was liming on the roadside when a white Nissan Sunny B-14 pulled up alongside him.

Witnesses told Police that gunmen got out and opened fire on Braxton, shooting him several times before he could draw his firearm. He fell at the entrance of Khan’s Plaza where he died.

The murder took place approximately 100 metres from the Princes Town Police Station. Bystanders scattered during the shooting and Layne, who lives in Moruga, was shot in her left leg. Millington of Railway Road, was struck in the ear.

They were taken to the Princes Town District Health Facility where they were treated and later transferred to the San Fernando General Hospital.

A search was launched for the suspects and getaway car, but neither were found.

Braxton’s relatives, including his girlfriend and child, were at the scene but said they were not “in the frame of mind” to speak about his murder.

Investigators said that he was known to be involved in illegal activities and was associated with major crime figures. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Ja's former Ambassador to Cuba dies

F

ormer Director of Protocol in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Elinor Felix has died.

Felix reportedly passed away Sunday morning.

She formerly served as Jamaica's Ambassador to Cuba and also worked in Jamaica's Foreign Affairs Ministry for several years.

Felix was employed at The Caribbean Maritime University up to the time of her passing.(Jamaica Observer) Former Jamaican Ambassador to Cuba, Elinor Felix

Trinidad Attorney charged with failing to do breathalyser test

A

31-year-old defence attorney is expected to appear before a Chaguanas magistrate today charged with failing to supply a breath sample during a breathalyser test.

The Attorney was grant-

ed TTT$500 station bail after her arrest by officers of the Central Division DUI task force. She was one of 14 people charged with offences relating to drunk driving and one of 96 tested for driving while being over

the prescribed alcohol limit.

The Attorney, who practises in Chaguanas, was charged on Friday night.

The arrest came on the first of a three-day exercise in the division. (Excerpt from Trinidad Newsday)

Venezuelan Opposition says it will meet Maduro envoys in Norway-mediated talks

V

enezuela’s Opposition will meet with representatives of President Nicolás Maduro’s Government in Barbados for talks mediated by Norway as part of efforts to resolve an ongoing political crisis in the economically devastated nation.

Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó, who has been recognised as Venezuela’s rightful leader by more than 50 Governments, has said any talks must lead to a sustained solution to the crisis and cannot be used by the Socialist Party to buy time.

“The Venezuelan people, our allies and the world’s democracies recognise the need for a truly free and transparent electoral process that will allow us to surpass the crisis and built a productive future,” Guaidó’s office said in a statement, which did

Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó

not include the date of the meeting.

Venezuela’s Information Ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Guaidó in January invoked the Constitution to declare himself president after dismissing Maduro’s 2018 re-election as a fraud.

He does not control State institutions, largely because the country’s military continues to back Maduro.

As a stalemate was setting in by May, Guaidó’s allies reluctantly agreed to hold talks in Oslo.

Many in the Opposition mistrust dialogue proceedings given that previous efforts ended without agreement and Maduro’s critics broadly saw them as a stalling tactic.

Sources in June had told Reuters that Opposition representatives were preparing another round of talks.

Maduro on Friday defended the Norway-backed dialogue process, while Guaidó the same day said there would never be a good moment to mediate “with kidnappers, human rights violators, and a dictatorship”. (Reuters)

guyanatimesgy.com

MONday, JUly 8, 2019

17

Around the World

Hong Kong protesters march again, Iran nuclear deal: Government announces reaching out to Chinese visitors enrichment breach

T

ens of thousands of protesters marched through one of Hong Kong’s most popular tourist areas on Sunday, trying to gain support from mainland Chinese visitors for the city’s opposition to an extradition bill which has caused political turmoil.

Protests against the now-suspended bill have drawn millions of people to the streets in the former British colony in recent weeks, posing the biggest challenge Beijing has faced to its rule in the territory since Hong Kong returned to Chinese control in 1997.

The protests have received little coverage in mainland China, however, with censors blocking news of the largest demonstrations on Chinese soil since the bloody suppression of pro-democracy protests centred on Beijing’s Tiananmen Square in 1989.

The bill, which would allow people to be sent to mainland China for trial in courts controlled by the Communist Party, has triggered outrage across broad sections of Hong Kong soci-

I

Anti-extradition bill protesters march to West Kowloon Express Rail Link Station in Hong Kong, China July 7, 2019

ety amid concerns it threatens the much-cherished rule of law that underpins the city’s international financial status.

Hong Kong has been governed under a “one country, two systems” formula since its return to Chinese rule, allowing freedoms not enjoyed in mainland China, including the right to pro-

test and an independent judiciary.

China and Britain have engaged in a public spat over the bill but Chinese ambassador Liu Xiaoming told BBC TV on Sunday that China was “not interested in diplomatic war with the UK” and he had full confidence in Hong Kong’s ability to resolve the situation without China’s intervention. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Strong earthquake hits Indonesia’s Maluku Islands

A

strong earthquake struck off Indonesia’s Maluku Islands on Sunday, prompting a tsunami warning, which was later lifted.

The US Geological Survey said the magnitude 6.9 earthquake was centred 185km southeast of Manado at a depth of 24km.

“The tsunami early warning has ended,” Indonesia’s Meteorological, Geophysical

and Climatological Agency (BMKG) said in a statement.

The quake caused panic in the city of Ternate in the Maluku islands chain, where people ran to higher ground.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Indonesia is one of the most disaster-hit nations due to its position straddling the so-called Pacific Ring of

Fire, where tectonic plates collide.

It has been hit by a string of deadly earthquakes, including a devastating one in 2004 measuring 9.1 that struck off the coast of Sumatra and triggered a tsunami that killed 220,000 throughout the region, including 168,000 in Indonesia alone.

The Boxing Day disaster was the world’s third-big-

gest earthquake since 1900, and lifted the ocean floor in some places by 15 metres.

Indonesia’s Aceh province is the hardest hit area, but the tsunami affects coastal areas as far away as Africa.

Last year, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake and a subsequent tsunami in Palu on Sulawesi Island killed more than 2200 with about 1000 others declared missing.

ran has announced it will break a limit set on uranium enrichment, in breach of the landmark 2015 deal designed to curb its nuclear ambitions.

Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Iran still wanted to salvage the deal but blamed European countries for failing to live up to their own commitments.

The US unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018.

It has since reimposed tight sanctions affecting the Iranian economy.

The Iranian announcement marks the latest breach of the accord.

In May, Iran announced it would step up its production of enriched uranium, which can be used to make fuel for reactors but also for nuclear weapons.

The country has already stockpiled more enriched uranium than permitted un-

der the terms of the deal.

Iran has strongly denied that it has any intention of building nuclear weapons.

On the anniversary of the US withdrawal, Iran gave a 60-day deadline to the remaining signatories of the deal - China, France, Germany, Russia and the UK - to protect it from US sanctions.

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday at the end of that deadline, Araqchi said Iran would start enriching uranium above a concentration of 3.67 per cent within a few hours.

The ramped-up enrichment programme may be designed to exert pressure on the diplomatic negotiations, as Araqchi said Iran would keep reducing its commitment to the 2015 deal every 60 days.

Araqchi stressed that diplomacy was still an option, provided the sanctions are lifted. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Malta to relocate migrants on German rescue ship

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Greek elections: PM concedes defeat as New Democracy near win

G

reece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has conceded defeat in the country’s snap general election.

Centre-right Opposition party New Democracy, led

by Kyriakos Mitsotakis, is closing in on a dramatic win.

They have 39.7 per cent of the vote so far, with Tsipras’s leftist Syriza party in second place with 31.5 per cent The current projections would give New Democracy an outright majority, as the winner receives 50 extra seats in Parliament.

So far about 60 per cent districts have returned their results.

Speaking as the results became clear, Tsipras

New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis was greeted warmly at party headquarters

confirmed he had called Mitsotakis to offer him his congratulations.

Polls closed at 19:00 local time (16:00 GMT) and turnout was about 57 per cent.

Voting is technically

compulsory in Greece, but is not enforced. Many residents flocked to the beaches or sheltered at home as temperatures exceeded 35C in places.

Prime Minister Tsipras,

who swept to power in 2015, called the elections after suffering defeat in the local and European votes in May. He had toppled New Democracy from power by campaigning against the austerity policies that had affected Greeks for years.

Yet within months, he was forced to accept tough conditions in return for Greece’s third international bailout.

Tsipras faced a revolt from within his party as a result - but he responded by calling fresh elections, which he won.

However, his party’s popularity was dented as unemployment increased, and Greece’s economy shrank.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Afghanistan: Several killed in Taliban car bomb attack in Ghazni

T

aliban fighters killed at least eight security personnel and six civilians in a car bomb attack in central Afghanistan that also wounded nearly 200 people - including dozens of children at a nearby school.

The suicide attack in Ghazni province on Sunday came as an all-Afghan peace conference, which includes the Taliban, began in Qatar in an effort to end years of violence and build trust between Afghan civilians and the armed

group.

Afghan officials said the bomb targeted the country’s main intelligence unit, National Directorate of Security (NDS).

Health officials in Ghazni said 13 adults, including eight NDS members, and a child were killed. At least 60 children attending classes in a private school near the blast site were among the 180 people wounded.

“The casualty figures may rise as this is not the last report of those injured in

the powerful blast,” said Zaher Shah Nekmal, a health director in Ghazni province.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. The blast in a crowded area of Ghazni city was the latest in a wave of near-daily attacks by the Taliban that now holds sway over about half of Afghanistan and continues to intensify attacks on Afghan forces despite increased US efforts towards a peace agreement to end the 18year war. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Migrants rest onboard of the NGO Sea-Eye’s vessel “Alan Kurdi”, July 7, 2019

M

igrants on board a German rescue ship refused entry into Italy will be taken to a Maltese port before being relocated to other European states, Malta’s Prime Minister said on Sunday.

The German-flagged Alan Kurdi, which has 65 migrants on board, decided on Saturday to change course for Malta after a standoff with the Italian Government.

It is the latest of several vessels carrying migrants that have faced problems trying to dock in an Italian port in the past couple of weeks.

Italy’s migration policy has led to clashes between NGOs and Italian authorities over rules that effectively close off the country’s ports to their boats.

In a tweet on Sunday, Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said follow-

ing talks with the European Commission and Germany the 65 migrants on the ship would be transferred to one of its boats and brought to a Maltese port.

German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer welcomed the development in a statement, saying 94 of 123 migrants from ships that were allowed to land in Malta would be shared among EU member states.

“In the spirit of European solidarity, we will take up to 40 of them.”

Italy’s coalition Government, which includes the right-wing League, has been blaming European partners for leaving it to deal with sea arrivals alone.

New rules were adopted last month threatening NGO ships entering Italian waters without permission with a fine of up to 50,000 euros and the impounding of their vessels. (Excerpt from Reuters)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

monday, JUly 8, 2019

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

Expand your mind, learn something new and look for opportunities that allow you to use your many skills.

Opportunity is within reach if you follow your heart.

A physical or personal TAURUS change will lift your spirits.

(April 20Stop talking about what you May 20) want to do and start doing it.

You are the master of your happiness.

dilbert

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

You’ll get a quick education regarding partnerships if you are too trusting. Don’t make a change just because someone else does. Think and do for yourself, and avoid being manipulated.

CANCER

Don’t dwell on the negative. Concentrate on doing what makes you happy and helps you feel healthy.

Added discipline will help you reach your goal.

(June 21July 22)

Peanuts

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Calvin and Hobbes

SUDOKU

SATURDAY’S WORD

If you share your thoughts, the results could be unexpected. Choose your words wisely and show compassion and understanding toward others. Practice what you preach.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Pay less attention to what others do and more attention to what you can achieve. A lifestyle change will be rejuvenating and will spark ideas that bring you closer to a loved one.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Let your intelligence shine through. Put your emotions aside and do what’s right and best for everyone. If someone is challenging you, know enough to walk away. Surround yourself with positive people.

SCORPIO

A new change will require a learning curve, but it will ultimately be beneficial.

Taking on a new challenge will bring you in contact with someone who shares your interests. Romance is on the rise.

(Oct. 24Nov. 22)

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

Use your imagination, but also rely on practicality and common sense if you want to get ahead. Don’t make hasty decisions without enough information.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

If you play with someone’s emotional vulnerabilities, you will end up dealing with the backlash. Show compassion and understanding if you want to come out on top.

solution for LAST PUBLISHED puzzle AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Share what you have to offer, what you would like to pursue and where you think you should begin.

Once you have a plan in place, everything else will flow naturally.

Help yourself before you move on to helping others.

You have to be on stable ground mentally, emotionally and physically to give your all.

MONday, JUly 8, 2019

19

Rapinoe on the spot as USA beat Netherlands to win Women’s World Cup

W

ith boos for Gianni Infantino, the Fifa president, echoing around the ground at the trophy presentation and chants of “equal pay” ringing loudest, the impact off the pitch after 52 games from the reigning champions was as big as the impact on it.

A coolly taken Rapinoe penalty and beautifully worked goal from Rose Lavelle was all that was needed to fire USA to their fourth Women’s World Cup against a resilient Netherlands side held together by the outstanding, yet currently unsigned, Sari van Veenendaal in goal.

Rapinoe tied up the Golden Boot ahead of her teammate Alex Morgan, having matched her for goals and assists but in fewer minutes on the pitch. USA’s co-captain slotted home the spot-kick on the hour, after Morgan had been fouled by Stefanie van der Gragt. Eight minutes later, Lavelle sealed victory with a fine solo effort.

With USA having overcome the hosts, France, and England, there was less a feeling this would be Le Grande Finale and more of a hope that it would not be a whitewash. But the Dutch enjoy being underdogs, having won a maiden major trophy on home soil at Euro 2017. This was old money against new, the world champions against the European champions,

who launched a professional domestic league only in 2007.

The Netherlands raised eyebrows by moving Dominique Bloodworth from centre-back to left-back but the experiment was shortlived. Midway through the first half the former Arsenal player, who has joined Wolfsburg this summer, was pulled out of her battle with Tobin Heath and switched with Desiree van Lunteren to try to cut off American advances on the right wing.

That worked. The Netherlands looked more organised than they had been all tournament and for the first time USA failed to score in the opening 12 minutes. It took until the 31st minute before they had a shot on target, the first of the match. A Rapinoe corner flicked on by the heel of Julie Ertz, was blocked and fell kindly for Ertz, who swung in a testing volley that Van Veenendaal saved well.

The goalkeeper, wearing boots a size too small o u t of

superstition, pulled of a string of heroic saves to keep the Netherlands level. First blocking another Ertz volley, then getting down low to stop Morgan at the near post, and minutes later turning a Morgan rocket from the edge of the area round the post.

A clash of heads between the underwhelming Lieke Martens, who had been an injury doubt, and Kelley O’Hara saw the latter unable to return after the interval, with Ali Krieger coming in. The fiery encounter

restarted where it left off, this time Becky Sauerbrunn left with blood pouring from above her eye after going head to head with Daniëlle van de Donk.

If it felt as if USA would need a stroke of luck or mistake from their opponents, as they did against Spain, France and England, and Van der Gragt handed it to them close to the hour mark. With Heath’s cross headed on by Sherida Spitse, Morgan was on hand to collect but a high Van der Gragt leg caught Morgan’s arm and missed the ball. There was a VAR intervention before the inevitable penalty was given.

Up stepped Rapinoe to coolly sweep it down the middle. She had replaced Christen Press, scorer of the opening goal against England, after shaking off a hamstring injury and her performance was an emphatic reply to Donald Trump, who had t o l d her to “WIN first

before she TALKS!” in a series of bizarre tweets aimed at the American forward. It was also a hammer blow to the Dutch, who had seemed increasingly threatening.

With so much of their success this tournament having come from the wings, USA sealed the title by cutting through the middle. The midfielder Lavelle, kept quiet for much of the game, cut in between Van der Gragt and Anouk Dekker and fired low past Van Veenendaal. It was her third goal in six World Cup games.

With a chance to cut the deficit, Vivianne Miedema danced into the box from the left, turned left past one defender and right past another, but looked hesitant and failed to pull the trigger before the team in white could bundle the ball off her. This was not the final many predicted, and the Netherlands kept pushing for a way through the now familiar fivestrong backline that USA had again converted to.

In the end though, the tactical nous, confidence, and winning mentality saw USA retain their title in front of 57,900 fans. They showed their dominance is far from waning but the gap is closing.

It may not have been the desired result for the neutral, a sense of a sea change, but there can be little doubt the USA’s fight for more from the United States players table for all deserves a celebrate winning the fourth star. (The Guardian) Women’s World Cup (Reuters)

Tour de France 2019: Thomas puts time into rivals as Teunissen retains yellow

G

eraint Thomas’ Ineos were riding in their first Tour team time trial - they failed to win one as Team Sky Geraint Thomas gained time on his rivals for the overall Tour de France victory by finishing second on stage two’s team time trial with Team Ineos.

The British-based team were first out and completed the 27.6km race around Brussels in 29 minutes 18 seconds.

Jumbo-Visma won the stage by 20 seconds, so surprise stage one winner Mike Teunissen extends his race lead.

But defending champion Thomas’ team was quicker than Adam Yates, Jakob Fuglsang and Thibaut Pinot.

Yates, who rides for Mitchelton-Scott, and Astana’s Fuglsang, both finished 21 seconds slower than Ineos, who also have Egan Bernal - joint team leader with Thomas - chasing the overall win, while Pinot’s Groupama FDJ lost 12 seconds.

Ineos who never won a team time trial stage at the Tour in their former guise as Team Sky tweeted: “It wasn’t to be for the stage victory but this has to go down as a great day at the Tour de France 2019.

“We finish second in the TTT [team time trial], taking time out of a number of GC [general classification] rivals in Brussels.”

Thomas, a time trial specialist, led the eightman Ineos team down the start ramp and they set what proved to be a hugely competitive time to propel their Colombian rider Bernal up to seventh in the general classification (GC), on the same time as the Welshman who climbed 103 places to

eighth.

“I lost 20 seconds to [Steven] Kruijswijk, who’s a threat as well, but with all the rest of the GC contenders we gained time, which is good,” Thomas said.

“As a team, it shows we’re in a really good place. It was just a shame to be hanging around all day to be beaten by the last team, but we joked this morning that might happen.”

It was also a good day for Britain’s Alex Dowsett, who won a record-equalling sixth national time trial title in May. The 30-year-old helped the unfancied Swiss team Katusha-Alpecin finish fifth as he moved up to 23rd in the GC standings.

Vincenzo Nibali, the most successful Grand Tour rider in this year’s race, having won the 2014 Tour, two Giro d’Italia titles and one Vuelta a Espana, lost 16 seconds on Thomas and Bernal after his Bahrain-Merida team finished ninth.

The 34-year-old Italian, who finished second in the Giro d’Italia in June, could yet challenge in his favoured terrain when the race hits the Pyrenees and Alps in the second and third weeks.

It was also a disappointing day for Australia’s Richie Porte as his TrekSegafredo team finished 18th of the 22 teams, one minute and 18 seconds behind Jumbo-Visma, leaving him almost a minute behind his main rivals for the yellow jersey. (BBC Sport)

Stage two result 1. Jumbo-Visma 28mins 57secs 2. Ineos +20secs 3. Deceuninck-Quick Step +21secs 4. Sunweb +26secs 5. Katusha-Alpecin Same time 6. EF Education First +28secs 7. CCC +31secs 8. Groupama-FDJ +32secs 9. Bahrain-Merida +36secs 10. Astana +41secs

General classification after stage two 1. Michael Teunissen (Ned/JumboVisma) 4hrs 51mins 34secs 2. Wout van Aert (Bel/Jumbo-Visma) +10secs 3. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned/Jumbo-Visma) Same time 4. Tony Martin (Ger/Jumbo-Visma) 5. George Bennett (NZ/Jumbo-Visma) 6. Gianni Moscon (Ita/Ineos) +30secs 7. Egan Bernal (Col/Ineos) Same time 8. Geraint Thomas (GB/Ineos) 9. Dylan van Baarle (Ned/Ineos) 10. Elia Viviani (Ita/Deceuninck-Quick Step) +31secs

Mike Teunissen leads his Jumbo-Visma team

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

MONday, JUly 8, 2019

Brazil beat Peru to win 1st Copa America title in 12 years

G

abriel Jesus scored one goal and assisted another before being sent off as Brazil won a first Copa America title in 12 years, beating Peru 3-1.

Manchester City forward Jesus set up Everton to volley in the opener before scoring the decisive second.

Paolo Guerrero had briefly given Peru hope when he equalised from the penalty spot minutes before Jesus struck.

Jesus was shown a second yellow with 20 minutes left but Richarlison’s late penalty sealed the win.

It is the ninth time Brazil have won the Copa America and is their first tournament success since winning a gold medal at the 2016 Olympics.

The victory also maintained their record of winning the Copa America every time they have hosted it.

There will have been few

Brazilians celebrating as wildly at the final whistle as Jesus, who went through the rollercoaster of emotions during the match.

The striker has, at times, struggled to deliver on the international stage - he failed to score a goal in five games at the 2018 World Cup - but was the standout performer in the first half of Sunday’s final.

His cross for Brazil’s first was excellent, holding the ball up on the right before spotting an unmarked Everton at the back post, then picking out the striker with a pinpoint delivery.

Peru, who had upset the defending champions Chile in the semi-finals, were back on level terms just before the break when their all-time top scorer Guerrero converted a penalty, awarded by VAR for a handball by Thiago Silva.

But Jesus took centre

stage once again, tucking a neat finish in at the near post deep into first-half stoppage time.

Brazil looked in control from then on, but the game took another twist midway through the second half when Jesus jumped into the back of Carlos Zambrano.

Referee Roberto Tobar had no hesitation in producing the second yellow.

The 22-year-old was in tears as he left the field and sat on the steps inside the tunnel, fearful that his dismissal would aid a Peru comeback.

But he was able to celebrate when Brazil were awarded a penalty four minutes from the end after Everton was fouled

by Zambrano. Substitute Richarlison kept his cool to convert from the spot and end Brazil’s Copa America trophy drought. (BBC Sport)

Richarlison celebrates scoring Brazil’s third goal from the penalty spot (Reuters)

Los Angeles emerges as NBA Wimbledon 2019: Gauff back epicentre as Leonard joins Clips in action as Konta takes on W Kvitova on ‘Manic Monday’

C

oco Gauff will face the toughest challenge of her Wimbledon campaign when she takes on Simona Halep on ‘Manic Monday’, with British number one Johanna Konta also in action.

After a day off on Sunday, play will resume as Konta plays Petra Kvitova.

Elsewhere in the women’s singles, world number one Ashleigh Barty - who is yet to drop a set - plays Alison Riske.

Defending champion Novak Djokovic and former winners Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal also return in the fourth round.

Djokovic will take on Frenchman Ugo Humbert on Court One, while on Centre Court, eight-time champion Federer faces Italian Matteo Berrettini and Nadal plays Portugal’s Joao Sousa.

Seven-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams plays Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro and Karolina Pliskova faces fellow Czech Karolina Muchova.

’It’s cool that Michelle Obama knows I exist’

Watch the best of the action as Gauff completes a remarkable turnaround to beat Hercog Week one of the Championships was a whirlwind for 15-year-old American qualifier Gauff, beat-

ing one of her “idols” Venus Williams before victories over Magdalena Rybarikova and Polona Hercog followed.

Twelve months ago, she was knocked out in the quarter-finals of the juniors competition at SW19 but has now become a household name around the globe, the world mesmerised by her journey.

Yet for this teenager, who can only enter 10 professional tournaments between her 15th and 16th birthdays, it’s the social media messages from Michelle Obama and Jaden Smith that have given her the biggest smile.

On the tweet by Obama, Gauff - who describes herself as “weird” and “goofy” - said: “I was super excited. She’s one of my role models, so it was just cool to see that she knows I exist.

“We don’t talk personally. I don’t have her number or anything. I would like that.”

In former world number one Halep, Gauff faces a player who, like herself, has dropped just one set in the tournament so far. Halep, though, has experience of the latter stages at Wimbledon, reaching the semi-finals in 2014 and two quarter-finals since then. (BBC

ith Kawhi Leonard and Paul George agreeing to join the Clippers on Friday and the Lakers signing power forward Anthony Davis on Saturday, Los Angeles has emerged as the biggest winner in one of the wildest free agency seasons in recent memory.

Leonard shook up the basketball world hours after a powerful earthquake rocked the region when news broke that the Los Angeles native was homeward bound.

The decision came just weeks after Leonard led the Toronto Raptors to the franchise’s first title.

Leonard agreed a four-year, $142 million maximum contract with the Clippers even though the Finals MVP could have made more money by staying in Canada.

He was, by all accounts, also able to convince the Clippers to sign fellow Southern California native George to the team, instantly making the Clippers, who have long played second fiddle to the glamorous Lakers, early title favorites.

Six-time All Star Davis officially became a Laker the same day the team announced it had signed his former New Orleans Pelicans teammates DeMarcus Cousins and Rajon Rondo.

The three will join forces with LeBron James on a Lakers team that will barely re-

semble last season’s squad, who failed to meet expectations in the three-time NBA champion’s first season in the purple and gold.

The Lakers have 16 championships to their name, the most recent coming in 2010, while the Clippers are seeking their first NBA title.

The two teams share the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles and their meetings next season will be among the most hotly anticipated games on the NBA calendar, Magic Johnson said on Saturday.

“LA has just become the king of basketball,” the Lakers great said in a tweet.

“It’s going to be awesome to watch NBA basketball in LA this season!”

Los Angeles gain was the San Francisco Bay Area’s loss as the Golden State Warriors, winners of three of the last five NBA titles, will take a heavy hit after the departure of Kevin Durant this offseason and a Finals injury to Klay Thompson.

The New York Knicks were perhaps the biggest losers in free agency, though, after the team’s management, who had said to expect big moves, whiffed on signing Durant and he instead went to the Brooklyn Nets along with Kylie Irving.

Due to a torn Achilles, the Nets are expected to be without Durant next season.

In the meantime, the spotlight will be firmly aimed at Hollywood when the NBA’s 20192020 season tips off on Oct. 22. (Reuters)

Sport)

Simona Halep

Kawhi Leonard, right, dribbles the ball while being guarded by Milwaukee Bucks’ Malcolm Brogdon

MONday, JUly 8, 2019

CLASSIFIED ADS FOR SALE

1 SAFARI BUILT AND TESTED TOYOTA TACOMA. CALL 624-5141 / 444-2910 (WEEKEND AND NIGHT CALLS ONLY)

property for sale HOUSE FOR SALE: Unfurnished Executive 2 flat concrete Blg, 5 Bedrooms. Gated Community/ Versailles WBD. Land- 10,285 sq ft (123x84). 4,764 sq ft living space/ fully grilled. Bedrooms self contained (Hot & Cold with AC & Fans).

Open concept Kitchen/dining & living space, water purification system & solar water heater. Priced to sell (G$70M). For further details: Email casii@networksgy.com or call 6234383/624-8704.

ROOMS AND SHOPPING ROOMS AND SHOPPING IN CENTRAL GEORGETOWN FOR MORE INFORMATION: EMAIL: caribamercare@gmail.com TELEPHONES #: 2262409/223-4159/644-2388/687-5448

spirituality & ASTROLOGY OM SHAKTI ASTROLOGY. MEET PANDIT ONCE AND GET PERMANENT SOLUTIONS FOR ALL YOUR PROBLEMS, PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE. JOB, LOVE, HEALTH AND DOMESTIC PROBLEMS 100%. CALL OR WHATSAPP 692-9449. LOCATED – ECCLES EAST BANK DEMERARA.

TO LET & FOR SALE Single & Double Rooms apartment for rent. Triumph, East Coast Demerara, Atlantic Side. Land for sale at Triumph, East Coast Demerara, Atlantic view next to Republic Bank. Double house lot for sale 16 rooms. Tel: 624-7111, 6382268, 220-2254.

wanted Waitress for bar, Age 18-28. #6122522 • EXPERIENCED RESEARCH ASSISTANT/OFFICE SECRETARY • OFFICE CLERK WITH FLAIR FOR VIDEO EDITING AND RECORDINGS •IT TECHNICIAN FOR TRAINING OR GPS TRACKING. CONTACT SULEKHA AT RK’s GUYANA SECURITY SERVICES #227-5089 / 227-6593 / 227-5072/ rksecure55@yahoo.com

NOT

RECEIVING YOUR

DAILY & SUNDAY COPIES OF THE

GUYANA TIMES

in your area?

Contact our

Circulation Department on Phone: 223-7230 EXT: 55

Record-breaking Perry stars in emphatic victory

A

nother insipid batting display from the England Women meant that Australia finished the ODI leg of the Ashes series with a 3-0 victory, with the Meg Lanning-led side registering an emphatic 194-run victory in the third ODI at St. Lawrence Ground in Canterbury on Sunday (July 7). Riding on Lanning’s 69 and Alyssa Healy’s 68, Australia posted a total of 269. Ellyse Perry then made light work of England’s reply, picking up a career-best haul of 7 for 22 - the best by figures for Australia - to bowl out the hosts for 75.

Asked to bat first, Australia lost Nicole Bolton early as she was trapped in front by Anya Shrubsole.

But Lanning and Healy got together and put on a 109-run stand to set a good platform. Natalie Sciver led England’s comeback by dismissing the set pair and also accounting for Perry to leave Australia in a spot.

However, a positive scoring rate during the second wicket association meant that the lower order had sufficient overs to settle in and make useful contributions. Ashleigh Gardner came up with a handy 29 batting at No. 7 while Jess Jonassen and Delissa Kimmince put on an undefeated 37-run stand for the eighth wicket to help Australia finish with a good total.

England’s chase was in shambles very early as Perry accounted for five of the top six batters to reduce the hosts to 21 for 6 in the ninth over. Fran Wilson and Anya Shrubsole kept the bowlers at

guyanatimesgy.com

21

bay for a while, giving England a ray of hope which was all washed away when Perry and Schutt got into the act again. Perry ended her 10-over spell with a seven-wicket haul for only 22 runs to register the best individual bowling figures for Australia - pushing Shelley Nitschke’s 7 for 24 against England in August 2005 to the second spot of best bowling performances for Australia.

England, though, managed to delay the defeat for a while thanks to Laura Marsh and Kate Cross’s defiant partnership for the final wicket. They lasted for more than 10 overs in which they added 18 runs before Ellyse Perry Jess Jonassen bagged 7 for 22 dismissed Marsh – the best figures leg-before to end the for Australia (Getty Images) innings in the 33rd over as Australia registered their second biggest win over England in terms of runs.

England and Australia next face off in Taunton for a one-off Test from July 18-21 followed by three T20Is. (Cricbuzz)

Guyana lose Plate final to end RANS 7s’ campaign T

he Guyana Men’s National Rugby Team had a tough campaign in the Rugby North Americas (RANS) Sevens Tournament, which took place over the weekend at the Truman Bodden National Sports Complex in George Town, Cayman Islands.

That 2-day tournament had seen the Guyanese going winless, until they recorded their only win in six matches on Sunday, when they recorded a narrow win against Trinidad and Tobago in a match that ended 17–12 in their favour.

They had earlier faced a mighty Canadian unit to kick off proceedings on the second and final day of their campaign, and had lost 47–5 in their only match of the day.

They also lost to Cayman Islands 21–10 in the Plate Final.

Day one of the tournament kicked off under sun-drenched skies on Saturday with a total of 21 matches being played through-

out the day. With an abundance of highlight-reel tries, big tackles and upsets on showcase, local and international rugby fans were given their money’s worth.

In Pool A, Canada had convinc-

ing wins over all of their opponents, outscoring the competition 151-5, and showing themselves to be the favourites to book a spot at Tokyo 2020. A surging Mexico took second place in the pool.

In Pool B, an athletic Jamaica took top honours, outscoring their opponents 111-12. The Crocs brought an energetic offensive style and a stingy defense that opponents were challenged to wrestle with.

Trinidad & Tobago came second in the pool with solid wins over Guyana and the hometown Cayman Islands.

Guyana lost to T&T on day one 19–7; to Cayman Islands 14–12, and to Jamaica 42–7.

MotoGP: Cal Crutchlow 3rd in Germany 4 days after breaking leg

B

ritain’s Cal Crutchlow finished third at the German Grand Prix, just four days after breaking his leg while out cycling.

Honda rider Crutchlow, 33, fractured his tibia and damaged knee ligaments in the incident on Wednesday.

He finished 7.741 seconds behind MotoGP champion Marc Marquez, who won his fifth race of the season, while fellow Spaniard Maverick Vinales was

second.

Marquez has stretched his lead at the top of the championship to 58 points.

He is on 185 points after nine of the season’s 19 races with Italian Andrea Dovizioso his closest rival on 127 points after finishing fifth in Germany.

I t was also Marquez’s 10th win at the Sachsenring circuit across all classes. (BBC Sport)

Cal Crutchlow (left) is ninth in the world standings

German Grand Prix results

1. Marc Marquez (Spa/Honda) 41 mins 8.276 secs 2. Maverick Vinales (Spa/Yamaha) +4.587secs 3. Cal Crutchlow (GB/Honda) +7.741 4, Danilo Petrucci (Ita/Ducati) +16.577 5. Andrea Dovizioso (Ita/Ducati) +16.669

Overall standings (after round nine of 19)

1. Marc Marquez (Spa/Honda) 185 points 2. Andrea Dovizioso (Ita/Ducati) 127 3. Danilo Petrucci (Ita/Ducati) 121 4. Alex Rins (Spa/Suzuki) 101 5. Maverick Vinales (Spa/Yamaha) 85

22

MONday, JUly 8, 2019

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

KFC Independence Cup…

Santos are champions! …Fruta Conquerors bag 3rd place Story and Photos by Jemima Holmes

I

A snippet of the action in the inaugural KFC Under-20 final

t was neither a high-scoring thriller nor was it a close encounter, but the 90 minutes of play in the KFC Under 20 ‘Independence Cup’ final was just what Santos FC needed to be able to say they are the best Under 20 team in the country.

This tournament began back in April, 2019 with more than 80 clubs from 9 Regional Member Associations participating, but it boiled down to a highly anticipated contest between newcomers Dynamic FC and the experienced Santos FC played in blistering sunshine on a Sunday afternoon at the National Training Centre at Providence, EBD. After inclement weather had ruled out any play on the first date that was set for the final (July 1), the players were more than eager to finally get it done, and when the first whistle was sounded, it seemed as though a ‘tit-for-tat’ game was in the offing, with Dynamic FC already charging to the goal and Santos having similar plans.

The first player to be rewarded was Dynamic’s Julius Hamilton, whose shot found the back of the net in the 12th minute. However, Dynamic did not remain in control for too long, as Santos’s Orin Moore equalised in the 18th.

Santos’s lead was later extend-

Dynamic FC controlled the encounter for only a few minutes

ed just before the half by Ronaldo Rodrigues, and the eventual Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament, Stephen Reynolds, came back from the break blazing, and netted a goal of his own in the 46th. After this, Santos remained in cruise control, much to Dynamic’s frustration.

Try as they may, no attempt at the goal could get past the capable hands of Joel Yhap, the Santos goalkeeper. Eventually, the final whistle sounded, signalling a 3-1 win for Santos.

As champions of the inaugural tournament, Santos FC walked away with $500,000, while Dynamic FC pocketed $300,000. Each prize was inclusive of trophies and medals.

Meanwhile in the third place playoff, Fruta Conquerors got back to their winning ways by taking away the $200,000 prize after a riveting 5-3 encounter with Botofago FC of Linden.

The scores were locked for much of the

first half, until Botofago’s Tyrell Lewis broke the shackles in the 30th. Eight minutes later, Fruta Conquerors’ Ravon Bayley levelled the scores with a goal of his own. As play continued, Negral Mc Bean found the back of the wrong net just before halftime to set the score at 2-1 in Botofago’s favour.

However, Fruta Conquerors were determined to make the best of the second half; and they did just that when Ryan Hackett levelled the scores in the 57th with a goal of his own. The celebrations were unfortunately short-lived, because Shane Haynes scored for Botofago a minute later.

Nevertheless, Nicholas Mc Arthur (84) Leon Richardson (86) and Wayne Baker (88) each found the back of the net to ensure Fruta Conquerors a win and the national third place title.

13th edition of Guyana Cup on the horizon

Young cyclists will benefit from this “Teach Them Young” programme

“Teach Them Young” cycle programme pedals off today Vera’s Finally was the centre of attention at the 12th edition of the Guyana Cup

T

he 13th annual staging of the Guyana Cup is pitted for August 18th at the Rising Sun Turf Club at Plantation Rising Sun on the West Coast of Berbice, and according to the organisers, Jumbo Jet Thoroughbred Racing Committee (JJTRC), this edition will be the biggest ever in the much subscribed event.

Anticipated to register for the meet, which is one of the marquee events for horse racing in the region, are some 80 animals from Guyana, the Caribbean Region and North America, and there are over $20 million in cash and prizes up for grabs.

According to Chairman of the JJTRC, Nasrudeen Mohamed Jr., the event usually sees as many as between 9,000 and 10,000 fans, and extra entertainment will this year be provided with the inclusion of four international artistes who are slated to perform.

Although Mohamed Jr. didn’t disclose the names of these performing artistes, he

hinted that they are the two most trending artistes of Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago (T&T) respectively.

Some of the top animals expected to be on show come race day will include Just Call Me Bass, Crown the King (Jamaica), Doublin Fashion (USA), Chameli (Jamaica), Safara (Jamaica), Southern Express (T&T), Silver & Things (T&T), Sitarr (T&T), Kentucky Woman (T&T), Super Easy (T&T) and She’s a Princess.

Apart from the foreign contingent of horses being on show, several leading jockeys from overseas are also expected to participate, which will add that international flavour to the day’s events.

The top five finishers in all 10 races would receive cash incentives, and the total prize purse has been increased from $15 million to $20 million. The details of the races and individual prizes will be released by the organisers during the week.

V

ibrant cycling organiser and coach Hassan Mohammed, who continues to invest in cycling in Guyana, told this publication after the race on Saturday last that the 43rd edition of the “Teach Them Young” camp will cater for young cyclists, and is expected to expose them to the basics in cycling.

This cycling programme will commence today, Monday July 8, and will run until August 30th at the National Park. Sessions from Monday to Friday would last from 9:00h to 11:00h.

This eight-week programme has, over the years, produced cycling champions. Jamaul John, the 2019 champion, is also a product of this programme. The “Teach Them Young” cycle

Hassan Mohammed

programme is free of cost, and cyclists require (only) a protective gear and a bicycle to participate.

Cyclists from age five and onwards will be allowed to participate in this programme. These cyclists will be able to compete in competitions weekly

or fortnightly. These programmes will be organised by the proverbial “Father of Cycling in Guyana’, Hassan Mohammed.

Additionally, Mohammed said, it is fitting for these cyclists to ride at the National Park, since it is the Mecca of cycling in the country. The young cyclists will learn how to pedal, set, and other basics in cycling.

“Competition is the main reason for this cycling initiative”, Mohammed explained. Since 1977, this “Teach them young” programme has been a success, and parents who send their children to compete have been pleased with the development shown. The senior cyclists have also been assisting the youths in past editions of this programme.

(Brandon Corlette)

guyanatimesgy.com

MONday, JUly 8, 2019

23

Narine wins battle of the Berbicians in Beyoncé Ross Memorial Cycling event

By Brandon Corlette

A

proud product of the Randolph Robertsled Flying Ace Cycle Club, Balram Narine has won the battle of the Berbicians in the Beyoncé Ross Memorial Cycling event held on Sunday July 7.

The 40-mile road race pedalled off from Rose Hall Town to Number 51 Village and back for the finish at ‘Sha Veh’ at Port Mourant, and Narine completed the race in one hour, 58 minutes and 58 seconds.

The Corentyne roadways became the cyclists’ playfield as they battled with intensity throughout the race.

Prior to the commencement of the race, all observed a moment of silence for the late 15-year-old Beyoncé Ross, a former national female junior cycling champion who hailed from Rose Hall Town. Ross, who won

three gold medals at the National Schools’ Cycling Championships, died a year ago from a brain tumor.

It was the most exciting of finishes a race could produce. The packed Berbice roadways witnessed Narine outsprinting one of the best cyclists in the country, Romello Crawford, who finished the race in second position, but was disqualified from the official placings after he made physical contact with a moving vehicle when he suffered a flat tyre.

However, he won two sprint prizes, as did Narine and 2019 National Junior Cycling Champion Ajay Gopilall. The 2018 Road Race champion Curtis ‘Chappy’ Dey finished in second after Crawford’s disqualification, while Andrew Hicks came in third position.

Gopilall rode in fourth position, and Andre ‘Padlock’ Green, who came in fifth, completed the top five riders

Randolph Roberts and his champion cyclist Balram Narine

The outstanding cyclists at the presentation ceremony (Brandon Corlette photos)

in the Open category.

In the other class, Flying Ace’s Jeremiah Joseph won the Juveniles’ category, while 2019 Juvenile champion Mario Washington came in second position. The highly talented Steve Bhimsen rode in third position.

In the Veterans category, the lone entrant, senior statesman Syborne Fernandes, won his category of race.

Narine won the first place cash prize that

was proudly sponsored by A Ally and Sons. All other outstanding cyclists received cash prizes sponsored by the business community in Berbice.

After the exciting race, which had kept everyone buzzing, champion rider Narine addressed this daily publication, and said, “For me, the race was a very hard race. It was a cat-and-mouse race, but the race turned out in my favour”, Narine disclosed.

The Flying Ace rider said that, five miles into the turning point, he was confident of his sprinting abilities.

With all the best Berbice riders on show, Narine was not tipped as favourite, but he showed his class over the likes of Crawford, Dey and Green.

“I was a bit intimidated by these guys, but I kept my cool,” Narine explained.

The presentation ceremony was held at the Area ‘H’ Ground in Rose Hall Town, where the Ross family had organised a day of sports. The Ross family is in the pro-

cess of setting up a foundation to assist others who would have fallen on difficult times.

This sporting event that was held was also used to gain funds to take the foundation forward.

Bishoo provides sponsorship to Albion cricket academy W

est Indies leg-spinner Devandra Bishoo has provided full sponsorship for his home club, Albion Community Centre, to host a cricket academy.

The academy, which will commence today, Monday July 8, and conclude on Saturday July 13, will be held at the historic Albion Community Centre, which hosted international cricket in times past.

Each day’s session will run from 9:00h, and the main objective is to expose young cricketers to the basic fundamentals of the game. Participants will gain knowledge in both practical and theoretical aspects of the game during this six-day

academy.

Applicants desirous of attending the academy were required to fill an online application form, or visit the Albion Cricket Club’s office to enroll.

The registration process is free of cost, and daily refreshments will be provided each participant.

The opening ceremony of the academy will commence at 8:00h, and participants are asked to be seated before then.

This cricket academy, being proudly sponsored by West Indian cricketer Devandra Bishoo, is considered the opening for future Albion starts who will further represent Guyana and the West Indies. Albion CC

has continued to produce national and international cricketers, West Indies U-19 selectee Kelvin Umroa being the latest.

In addition to Bishoo, Albion CC has produced such Test players as Veerasammy Permaul, Narasingh Deonarine and Sewnarine Chatergoon. This cricket club has also produced Guyana Amazon Warriors and Guyana Jaguars wicket-keeper/batsman Anthony Bramble.

Left-arm spinner, Gudakesh Motie who is also a former West Indies U-19 player, is a current Guyana Jaguars player who has been a proud product of Albion.

The likes of Jonathan Foo and Sudesh Dhaniram, among

others, are household names who played cricket at the national level.

Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) President, Hilbert Foster, is expected to grace the occasion with his presence at Albion for the opening ceremony. Foster is urging all cricketers from the Albion area to attend this academy.

Albion CC’s latest Cricket Club of the Year achievement came in the year 2017, when they were awarded Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Club of the year. (Brandon Corlette)

Devandra Bishoo

MONday, JUly 8, 2019

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

guyanatimesgy.com

KFC Independence Cup…

Santos are champions!

…Fruta Conquerors bag 3rd place

Santos FC celebrate their championship status after receiving their spoils

Rapinoe on the spot as USA beat Netherlands to win Women’s World Cup

Page 23

Page 19

Narine wins battle of the Berbicians in Beyoncé Ross Memorial Cycling event

All eyes were on Balram Narine as he completed the race ahead of Romello Crawford (Brandon Corlette photo)

GUYANA TIMES - www.guyanatimesgy.com, email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, NEWS HOTLINE: 231-8063 EDITORIAL: 223-7230, 223-7231, 231-0544, 225-7761 SPORT: sport@guyanatimesgy.com SALES AND MARKETING: 231-8064 - marketing@guyanatimesgy.com - PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY GUYANA TIMES INC.