Guyana Times - Monday July 19, 2021

"Because We Care" cash grant P12

10,324 students to benefit as initiative moves to Region 5 Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 4713

MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021

Risks, sacrifices of Police ranks taken for granted, underestimated – Top Cop Page 3

PRICE

$80 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Teacher killed in Berbice accident P16

3 more COVID-19 deaths, 91 new 10P cases recorded NAACIE Executive removes General Secretary over misconduct, P7 abuse of powers

…honours GPF’s "Fallen Heroes"

Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn and Police Commissioner (ag) Nigel Hoppie laying wreaths at the Fallen Heroes monument, Officers’ Mess Annex, Eve Leary, Georgetown on Sunday

No-Confidence Motion brought against Granger by PNC members Page 9

…as week of divisions culminates in mutiny in Georgetown district

2 killed, 2 injured Govt will soon roll out in Essequibo Coast, financial assistance for flood-affected persons Linden shootings …30,000 households, farmers, agencies to benefit from aid Page 2

Pages 13 & 15

GPL planning massive upgrade of distribution system Page 7

…seeking funding for US$293M investment in infrastructure – CEO

Decade-long dispute between Region 5 P11 farmers settled 200 Lindeners to be employed at refurbished $142M call P11 centre Peter Headley murder

Police Complaints P8 Authority reviewing report – Top Cop Rockstone robbery

3 nabbed with P5 businesswoman’s jewellery, phones

2 NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Govt will soon roll out financial assistance for flood-affected persons …30,000 households, farmers, agencies to benefit from aid

F

ollowing an extensive field assessment conducted by several governmental agencies, the Government of Guyana is currently fine-tuning the data it collected that will be necessary to begin distributing assistance to flood hit households and farmers.

This was confirmed by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo during a recent interview with a social media commentator. The vice president confirmed that

President Dr Irfaan Ali will soon be making an announcement regarding the financial assistance that will be rolled out. Based on the data collected, approximately 30,000 households will be eligible for Government assistance.

“And then a number of the bigger farmers that lost rice, mature rice. Seedling rice. Livestock. We have this database now and we’re now working out how much and what grants we will

President Dr Irfaan Ali

give to families and those who suffered losses. We’re in the middle of that,” the VP said while speaking on the topic.

Assistance also likely for agencies

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh, who was responding to questions from this publication about the $10 billion in supplementary funding

that the Government received approval for from the National Assembly in June 2021, explained that the collected data is being finetuned.

“We’re currently examining that data; I think they’re fine-tuning and filling in a few gaps. We’ve already had a few meetings on that data. We’re going to be taking a look at that data to determine how best we can provide a response to those who have been affected,” he also said, expressing optimism that this can be completed shortly.

According to Dr Singh, this field assessment was spearheaded by Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha and various agencies under the Ministry, including the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) and Guyana

June 6, 2021: Cash crop farmers in Abary trying to salvage some tomatoes

Livestock Development Authority (GLDA).

He explained that the team spent the time “looking at losses to rice farmers, acreages that have been lost, crops, losses to livestock, heads of cattle, chicken, ducks, small ruminants.

Goat, sheep and so on. So, the Ministry of Agriculture has been spear-heading Government efforts to take stock of the damages and

plenishes the hole left in the budgets of such agencies.

“For example, a lot of the NDIA budget has had to be consumed for movement of heavy equipment and mobile pumps, because we needed to get that equipment in place to clear channels where they were blocked, reinforce dams and use the mobile pumps to get the water off the land.”

“Quite a lot of those

Flooding in Mahaicony Creek

losses to both farmers and other households, because they’re doing this as one exercise.”

According to the Finance Minister, the Government’s initial priority was to keep people safe, alleviating flooding, delivering food and medical supplies. As part of the Government’s efforts to return the country to normalcy, Dr Singh noted that the Government wants to get farmers back into productive activity. As such, they will have to determine the optimal level of assistance provided to both farmers and households.

But according to Minister Singh, another dimension is the various agencies such as the National Drainage and Irrigation Agency (NDIA), which has had to use its capital budget to combat the unforeseen floods. According to the Minister, it is important that the government re-

agencies used their existing funds, redeployed resources… we’re going to have to do some replenishing of their budgets to ensure they’re able to execute their originally planned programmes. Because that money was budgeted to execute their own programmes which are still needed or perhaps even more needed,” he explained.

Guyana has been inundated by heavy rains since May, which has caused widespread flooding. The devastation includes submerged buildings and vehicles with adverse effects on crops, livestock and health.

It has been noted that the rainfall experienced in May alone was recorded as the second highest level of rainfall across the country in the last 40 years.

The flooding resulted in President Dr Irfaan Ali formally declaring the flooding a national disaster. (G3)

NEWS

3

MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

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

Monday, July 19 – 01:00h – 02:30h and 12:00h – 13:30h and Tuesday, July 20 – 01:30h – 03:00h and 13:30h – 15:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Risks, sacrifices of Police ranks taken for granted, underestimated – Top Cop …honours GPF’s “Fallen Heroes”

Monday, July 19 – 11:35h – 13:05h and Tuesday, July 20 – 12:55h – 14:25h.

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

WEATHER TODAY There will be thundery showers and sunshine during the day. Expect partly cloudy skies at night.

Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East South-Easterly to North-Westerly between 1.78 metres and 3.57 metres.

High Tide: 12:16h reaching a maximum height of 2.34 metres.

Low Tide: 18:08h reaching a minimum height of 0.89 metre.

SATURDAY, JULY 17, 2021

LOTTERY NUMBERS N

01 02 04 19 21 27

FREE TICKET

03 Bonus Ball

DAILY MILLIONS

01 13 21 24 26 LUCKY 3

9

7

1

9

Afternoon Draw

0

9

Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

01 10 14 16 17 18 19 SUPER

PAY DAY

PAY DAY

FRIDAY, JULY 16, 2021

01 02 06 09 16 13

02 04 09 11 19

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

COMMODITIES Indicators

US$

Change %

Crude Oil

$73.59/barrel

+0.16

Rough Rice

$238.23 /ton

+0.09

London Sugar

$443.70/ton

+1.77

Live Spot Gold

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1813.70

$1814.70

Low/High Change

$1810.60 +1.50

$1818.70 +0.08%

Police Commissioner (ag) Nigel Hoppie

P

olice Commissioner (ag) Nigel Hoppie on Sunday said that the risks and sacrifices of law enforcement officers are often taken for grant and underestimated.

His comment comes as the Guyana Police Force on Sunday morning commemorated the death of the 65 ranks who died while on duty over the years. The annual wreath-laying ceremony was held at the Officers’ Mess Annex, Eve Leary, where the Fallen Heroes monument is located.

Delivering remarks, the Top Cop noted that everyday Police ranks wear their uniforms and leave their homes to fulfil their oath and maintain the Force’s mandate of public safety and security as well as its motto “Service and Protection”, without knowing what the challenges or dangers would be.

“Often, in times of crisis, the first call is made to the Police who is in the midst of all the dangers and must face them with incredible courage and ensure that their presence is felt, and law and order is maintained. I’ve often wondered if there are people who don’t see Police men and women as being human because so much is expected of us. The risks law enforcement officers take is often taken for granted and the role and responsibility and sacrifices of the Police are often underestimated,” Hoppie stated.

Nevertheless, the Police Commissioner noted that Sunday’s ceremony was to honour and salute the Force’s “Fallen Heroes”, who are remembered not only for the way they died but for the way they lived – selflessly and unselfishly serving, day in and day out in the various regions across the country.

“They will always be our heroes and we will always be grateful because they give all they could have given in that time. Today, we commemorate the death of each of these 65 policemen who answered the call and made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation,” he said.

According to the Top Cop, the Police Force and its members have a solemn duty to ensure that the memories and heroism of these officers are eternally honoured and not forgotten. He added that while the COVID-19 restrictions have resulted in a scale-down of this year’s ceremony, it does not take away from the significance of the event and the importance of standing with

their families.

Further, Commissioner Hoppie posited that the sacrifices of these “Fallen Heroes” must be an example worthy of emulation by ranks who are now standing on their shoulders in effective execution of their duties.

“It is pain staking at this time to evoke such memories but while we owe a debt to our fallen heroes that we can never fully repay, we can honour their sacrifice… I want the family, friends and other relatives of these members of the Force who have paid the ultimate price in the line duty to know that the Police Force will continue to share your grief and give support. Our fallen heroes did not die in vain.

Each of their stories serve as a testament to the heroism that is part of the everyday life of those who answer the call and put on their uniform. Their lives continue to inspire serving members of the Force and they will continue to live on in our hearts and minds,” the Top Cop said.

Meanwhile, Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn also attended the wreath-laying ceremony and in his address, expressed gratitude to the families of these 65 Police ranks for also making a sacrifice.

“We, at the Ministry of Home Affairs, commit to providing support to their widows, orphans and families,” the Minister stated, further telling the Commissioner, Police ranks and citizens that “…we commit to improving on and providing the requisite, succinct support and direction to help reduce the service risk,

Families of slain Police Officers at Sunday’s wreath-laying ceremony

the incidence of loss of life and injury and the shared grief we experience on the death of our policemen in service of our country.”

Minister Benn further committed to ensuring that the Police Force work assiduously so that the sacrifices of these Fallen Heroes would not be in vain.

There are currently seven surviving families and 27 dependents of Police ranks who would have died while on duty.

As such, Chairman of the Guyana Police Force Fallen Heroes Foundation, Rev Raphael Massiah, on Sunday reiterated the Police Force’s commitment to continue supporting these dependents of slain Police offers through the Fallen Heroes Fund, which provides financial aids through donations. “[It] is the commitment of the Guyana Police Force Fallen Heroes Foundation to invest and to come alongside the dependents of the Fallen Heroes in terms of helping them fulfil their education goals and aspirations and dreams. We will

continue to work assiduously to [help] them fulfil their educational pursuits…their welfare goals also,” Massiah said.

This Fund contributes to the children of the deceased for their education and welfare.

During the ceremony, words of comfort were also offered to the relatives and friends of the ranks killed in the line of duty by the Police Force Chaplain, Pastor Patrick Doolichand.

Also attending the ceremony were Heads of the Joint Services, former Police Commissioner Leroy Brummel, Georgetown Mayor Ubraj Narine and other senior officers of the Guyana Police Force including retired ranks.

The Fallen Heroes Foundation is the brainchild of former Commissioner of Police, Seelall Persaud. It was launched by the Police Force in collaboration with the Cops and Faith Community Network in November of 2015 to benefit the families of ranks who would have died in the line of duty. (G8)

4

guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021

Views Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544, 223-7230, 223-7231, 225-7761 Marketing: 231-8064 Accounts: 225-6707 Mailing address: Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, marketing@guyanatimesgy.com

The PNC’s antidemocratic imperative

T

he People’s National Congress (PNC) has reached another inflection point in its 65-year history. Ironically, while the elements of this particular contradiction had been rumbling around the party for months, they coalesced and burst into public consciousness on the day the PNC was supposed to be commemorating the 10th anniversary of APNU, the cover it had created to contest elections. A release, purporting to be issued by the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the party, declared: “DAVID GRANGER WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO TURN THE PNCR INTO A “ONE MAN SHOW”.

“This statement serves to inform members of PNCR that Mr David Granger and Miss Amna Ally continue to disregard the decisions of the Central Executive Committee, which the Leader and the General Secretary are part of and subjected to, since the CEC is the highest decision forum in the absence of Congress and General Council. The most recent disregard is the “one man” decision by Mr David Granger to go ahead and commit the PNCR to continue its involvement and accept two recently formed parties as part of the APNU. The actions of Mr David Granger are without any doubt unconstitutional and an affront to the membership of our Party. He will not be allowed to reduce the PNCR into a “One Man Show”.

Surely, the irony of its accusation – that David Granger was violating the party’s constitution – could not have been lost on his accusers who had unanimously supported his serial violations of the Constitution of Guyana with arrogant impunity between 2018 and 2020. The specific charge was that “the PNCR never agreed to accept the recently formed Equal Rights and Justice Party or the Guyana National Builders Movement into the APNU”. But Granger had unilaterally decided to accept what they described as “shell” parties to form the APNU umbrella. But here again, the irony – or perhaps, more accurately, the hypocrisy, was palpable. Was not the National Front Alliance (NFA) of Keith Scott – which was accepted as one of the five foundational constituent members of APNU, ever anything but a “shell”?

But all this is mere camouflage for the raw ambitions of the growing, growling motley crew who would be the heir of Forbes Burnham. At this point, we have three front runners – all of whom have endorsed the charges of the above release: Volda Lawrence, the Chair of the PNCR; Aubrey Norton, past General Secretary of the PNCR, and Richard Van West-Charles, son-in-law of Burnham and past PNC Minister of Government courtesy of that qualification.

None of them, however, have had the courage to declare their real objection to Granger’s continued leadership of the PNC. In addition to the unilateralism – which, as a matter of fact was a distinguishing feature of Burnham’s presumably paradigmatic leadership model – there have also been accusations of Granger’s “aloofness”. The latter accusation, it should be pointed out, was also hurled at Burnham’s chosen successor, Hugh Desmond Hoyte.

Granger’s great failure, to those who would evict him, was that he “gave up” office. They have condemned him for both calling for the recount of the votes after Mingo’s outrageous corruption of the Region 4 SoPs with a soiled bedsheet and for eventually accepting (under protest) the unanimous verdict of the world, including Caricom, that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) had won the elections. And it is this central fact we must keep in mind as the struggle to oust Granger continues. Each of his erstwhile successors are telling the PNC base that if it were up to them, they would have stood down the world on the election rigging.

We should know, therefore, that none of these aspiring leaders of Guyana would observe the central norm of a democratic order: that it is only the free and unfettered consent of the governed that can create legitimate governments. And if they would play fast and loose with this foundational value, one can only shudder to think what other rights they would not violate.

Ranks of the Guyana Police Force marching along Younge Street, Georgetown as the GPF remembers its fallen heroes. The 182nd Wreath Laying Ceremony For Fallen Heroes was hosted on Sunday (GPF photo)

Why people are so awful online

By Roxane Gay

W

hen I joined Twitter 14 years ago, I was living in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, attending graduate school. I lived in a town of around 4000 people, with few Black people or other people of colour, not many queer people and not many writers. Online is where I found a community beyond my graduate school peers. I followed and met other emerging writers, many of whom remain my truest friends. I got to share opinions, join in on memes, celebrate people’s personal joys, process the news with others and partake in the collective effervescence of watching awards shows with thousands of strangers.

Something fundamental has changed since then. I don’t enjoy most social media anymore. I’ve felt this way for a while, but I’m loath to admit it.

Increasingly, I’ve felt that online engagement is fuelled by the hopelessness many people feel when we consider the state of the world and the challenges we deal with in our day-to-day lives. Online spaces offer the hopeful fiction of a tangible cause and effect — an injustice answered by an immediate consequence. On Twitter, we can wield a small measure of power, avenge wrongs, punish villains, exalt the pure of heart.

In our quest for this simulacrum of justice, however, we have lost all sense of proportion and scale. We hold in equal contempt a war criminal and a fiction writer who too transparently borrows details from someone else’s life.

It’s hard to calibrate how we engage or argue.

In real life, we are fearful Davids staring down seemingly omnipotent Goliaths: a Supreme Court poised to undermine abortion and civil rights; a patch of sea on fire from a gas leak; an incoher-

ent but surprisingly effective attack on teaching children America’s real history; the dismantling of the Voting Rights Act; a man whom dozens of women have accused of sexual assault walking free on a technicality. At least online, we can tell ourselves that the power imbalances between us flatten. Suddenly, we are all Goliaths in the Valley of Elah.

It makes me uncomfortable to admit that I have some influence and power online, because it feels so foreign or, maybe, unlikely. My online following came slowly, and then all at once. For years, I had a couple hundred followers. Those numbers slowly inched up to a couple thousand. Then I wrote a couple of books, and blinked, and suddenly hundreds of thousands of people were seeing my tweets. Most of them appreciate my work, though they may disagree with my opinions. Some just hate me, as is their right, and they follow me to scavenge for evidence to support or intensify their enmity. Then there are those who harass me for all kinds of reasons — some aspect of my identity or my work or my presence in the world troubles their emotional waters.

After a while, the lines blur, and it’s not at all clear what friend or foe look like, or how we as humans should interact in this place. After being on the receiving end of enough aggression, everything starts to feel like an attack. Your skin thins until you have no defences left.

It becomes harder and harder to distinguish good-faith criticism from pettiness or cruelty. It becomes harder to disinvest from pointless arguments that have nothing at all to do with you. An experience that was once charming and fun becomes stressful and largely unpleasant. I don’t think I’m alone in feeling this way. We have all be-

come hammers in search of nails.

One person makes a statement. Others take issue with some aspect of that statement. Or they make note of every circumstance the original statement did not account for. Or they misrepresent the original statement and extrapolate it to a broader issue in which they are deeply invested. Or they take a singular instance of something and conflate it with a massive cultural trend. Or they bring up something ridiculous that someone said more than a decade ago as confirmation of … who knows?

Or someone popular gets too close to the sun and suddenly can do nothing right.

“Likes” are analysed obsessively, as if clicking a button on social media is representative of an entire ideology. If a mistake is made, it becomes immediate proof of being beyond redemption. Or, if the person is held mildly accountable for a mistake, a chorus rends her or his garments in distress, decrying the inhumanity of “cancel culture.”

Every harm is treated as trauma. Vulnerability and difference are weaponised.

People assume the worst intentions. Bad-faith arguments abound, presented with righteous bluster.

And these are the more reasonable online arguments.

There is another category entirely of racists, homophobes, transphobes, xenophobes and other bigots who target the subjects of their ire relentlessly and are largely unchecked by the platforms enabling them. And then, of course, there are the straight-up trolls, gleefully wreaking havoc.

As someone who has been online for a long time, I have seen all kinds of ridiculous arguments and conversations. I have participated in all kinds of ridiculous arguments and conversations.

Lately, I’ve been thinking

that what drives so much of the anger and antagonism online is our helplessness offline. Online we want to be good, to do good, but despite these lofty moral aspirations, there is little generosity or patience, let alone human kindness. There is a desperate yearning for emotional safety. There is a desperate hope that if we all become perfect enough and demand the same perfection from others, there will be no more harm or suffering.

It is infuriating. It is also entirely understandable.

Some days, as I am reading the news, I feel as if I am drowning. I think most of us do. At least online, we can use our voices and know they can be heard by someone.

It’s no wonder that we seek control and justice online. It’s no wonder that the tenor of online engagement has devolved so precipitously. It’s no wonder that some of us have grown weary of it.

I don’t regret the time I’ve spent on social media. I’ve met interesting people. I’ve had real-life adventures instigated by virtual relationships. I’ve been emboldened to challenge myself and grow as a person and, yes, clap back if you clap first.

But I have more of a life than I once did. I have a wife, a busy career, aging parents and a large family. I have more physical mobility and, in turn, more interest in being active and out in the world. I now spend most of my time with people who are not Very Online. When I talk to them about some weird or frustrating internet conflagration, they tend to look at me as if I am speaking a foreign language from a distant land. And I suppose, I am.

Roxane Gay (@RGay) is a contributing Opinion writer. She was the editor, most recently, of “The Selected Works of Audre Lorde.” She is the author of the memoir “Hunger”. (New York Times)

MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021

guyanatimesgy.com

5

News Rockstone robbery

3 nabbed with businesswoman’s jewellery, phones

A

29-year-old man of Georgetown and two 25-year-old males of Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), are now in custody for robbing a 57-year-old businesswoman.

The trio invaded the woman’s Rockstone Junction, Mabura Access Road, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) grocery store on Friday.

The suspects reportedly approached her shop on two XR motorcycles without number plates, and one of the suspects went into the shop and purchased a few items then re-joined his accomplices.

After some time, they left the store but were lingering in the area smoking “weed”.

The men then rode off in the direction of Mabura,

The motorcycles that were used by the bandits to escape

The businesswoman’s phones and jewellery that were found on the suspects

and shortly afterwards, the businesswoman said she retired to her room.

Some 20 minutes lat-

Pleased with Govt’s action towards children Dear Editor, Everyone seems very happy to receive the education cash grant currently being distributed in Guyana, and the announcement by Vice President Dr Jagdeo that the Government is also considering private schools surely shows that in keeping with the slogan “no one should be left out”, this Administration is not causing separation. Despite wicked elements lurking and spreading the seeds of hatred, without a doubt, everyone is quite pleased with the Government’s action towards school children and assisting parents.

Editor, when the COVID-19 relief money started distributing throughout Guyana, there was lots of confusion, re-

ed by one of the suspects, who is known to the family from Kuru Kuru, SoesdykeLinden Highway. Police said that the suspect choked the businesswoman’s grandson, pointed a handgun to his head and instructed him to be quiet as his accomplices, whose faces were tied with black jerseys, barged in and confronted his grandmother.

The bandits then relieved the woman of her jewellery valued $240,000 and went to the shop, where they took her “bowl” along with five cellular phones valued at $164,000. The men then escaped and the victims raised an alarm and alerted a car driver who made efforts to apprehend the men, but this proved futile.

sulting in many not being recipients of the relief money, and some remain unfortunate. Notably, many immigrants seeking refuge in Guyana were under the impression that they would have also been receiving the relief money, but that wasn’t the case.

Many of these immigrants managed to get their children enrolled in Government schools using their country’s papers and I am wondering if they would be fortunate to receive the cash grant too. I personally think that they are entitled to it also because their parents are working in Guyana and contributing to the economy too.

Sincerely, Sahadeo Bates

er, her dogs began barking continuously, causing her grandson to become suspicions. The young lad armed

himself with a cutlass and went outside to make checks.

He was then confront-

Following the robbery, Police in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) and 10 collaborated and intercepted the three suspects at Konawaruk Junction, Potaro Road.

The trio was at the time riding two XR 150 motorcycles. A search was conducted on them, where the stolen items were found.

Police also found in a haversack belonging to one of the suspects, three bulky scotch-taped plastic parcels containing a quantity of leaves, seeds and stems suspected to be cannabis.

They were all arrested and escorted to the Mahdia Police Station. The suspected cannabis was weighed and amounted to 1243 grams.

6

MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021

Page

Foundation ◄

Question 1

Friday’s answers

By Robert Southey

A Well there is in the west country, And a clearer one never was seen; There is not a wife in the west country But has heard of the Well of St Keyne.

An oak and an elm-tree stand beside, And behind doth an ash-tree grow, And a willow from the bank above Droops to the water below.

A traveller came to the Well of St Keyne; Joyfully he drew nigh, For from the cock-crow he had been travelling, And there was not a cloud in the sky.

He drank of the water so cool and clear, For thirsty and hot was he, And he sat down upon the bank Under the willow-tree.

There came a man from the house hard by At the Well to fill his pail; On the Well-side he rested it, And he bade the Stranger hail.

"Now art thou a bachelor, Stranger?" quoth he, "For an if thou hast a wife, The happiest draught thou hast drank this day That ever thou didst in thy life.

"Or has thy good woman, if one thou hast, Ever here in Cornwall been?

For an if she have, I'll venture my life She has drank of the Well of St Keyne."

"I have left a good woman who never was here."

The Stranger he made reply, "But that my draught should be the better for that, I pray you answer me why?"

"St Keyne," quoth the Cornish-man, "many a time Drank of this crystal Well, And before the Angel summon'd her, She laid on the water a spell.

I

dentifying trees makes us look closer at the elements that make each one unique — from the shape of its leaves to the texture of its bark.

Draw sketches of the bark and leaves of different types of trees. What’s the texture of the bark? Is it ridged, smooth, or something else? What about the leaves — are they flat, smooth or do they have jagged edges?

An easy way to distinguish between trees is by looking at the branching.

Try the Internet and/or the library to help you identify the trees.

"If the Husband of this gifted Well Shall drink before his Wife, A happy man thenceforth is he, For he shall be Master for life.

"But if the Wife should drink of it first,— God help the Husband then!"

The Stranger stoopt to the Well of St Keyne, And drank of the water again.

"You drank of the Well I warrant betimes?"

He to the Cornish-man said: But the Cornish-man smiled as the Stranger spake, And sheepishly shook his head.

"I hasten'd as soon as the wedding was done, And left my Wife in the porch; But i' faith she had been wiser than me, For she took a bottle to Church."

WORD SEARCH

NEWS

7

MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

GPL planning massive overhaul to upgrade system

…seeking funding for US$293M investment in infrastructure – CEO

T

he Guyana Power and Light (GPL) plans to invest US$293 million to improve its transmission and distribution infrastructure, a project that will see the utility company juggle rebuilding the entire network while maintaining service as much as possible.

This was revealed by GPL Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bharrat Dindyal, who made an appearance on a virtual forum hosted by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) recently. According to Dindyal, Guyanese can expect massive investments and improvements in the quality of electricity service over the next few years.

He explained that

should mention, this calls for a complete rebuild of the existing network. And while we’re rebuilding the existing network, we have to continue providing services,” he said.

“We’re looking at sourcing financing for it right now.

As you know, this is quite a big investment… we have to look at a combination of grants and loan sources. As you know, where loan sources are concerned, we tend to look for concessional financing,” Dindyal explained.

Dindyal noted that the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has historically been GPL’s go-to source for financing.

He said that while other financial institutions have ex-

GPL CEO Bharrat Dindyal

Dindyal said, adding that consultants who have examined loss reduction strategies for GPL have commented that they have never encountered persons so deter-

ability to meet current and incremental demands for the next 15 years. We’re looking at an optimal mix of power generation starting with gas and including subsequently renewable energy, like hydro and solar farms.”

“The Government’s stated intention is that the current tariff should be reduced by at least 50 per cent. We look forward to ensuring that our industries are competitive and that our residential consumers are able to afford the service we provide,” the CEO said.

The gas-to-shore project is a transformative project that will see gas from the Liza Field offshore Guyana being pumped onshore to

generate power. The main objective of the initiative is to transport sufficient gas from the Stabroek Block’s petroleum operations to supply some 200-250 megawatts of energy to the national grid, leading to a significant reduction in electricity costs.

Soon after the Government issued permit licences to oil giant ExxonMobil for the Payara Development Project last year, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo had announced that the Government would turn its attention to negotiating the gas-to-energy project.

A number of factors including geotechnical, geophysical and environmental were examined before

Jagdeo announced recently that the Government had settled on Wales to land the pipelines for the project.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mark Phillips, who has responsibility for the energy sector, has previously said that the Government is looking to produce 200 megawatts of power from the gasto-shore project by 2024.

Exxon has said that around 30 to 35 million cubic feet of natural gas would be required for the gas-toshore project. Data from Norwegian research company Rystad Energy had indicated that less than 20 per cent of the 1.8 billion Barrels of Oil Equivalent (BOE) discovered last year was gas.

NAACIE Executive removes General Secretary over misconduct, abuse of powers

T

GPL is planning a massive project to overhaul and upgrade its infrastructure

GPL is planning to overhaul its systems, presumably the Demerara Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS). It is a project that will end up costing approximately US$293 million, for which they are currently seeking financing, but which will ultimately benefit consumers.

“We have developed a masterplan for transmission and distribution. It’s about US$293 million. We’re thinking that this can be implemented over a fiveto-eight-year period. But I

pressed an interest in funding the project, GPL will be looking at the terms being offered and choosing the most sustainable option.

Electricity theft

Loss reduction will also be uppermost in GPL’s mind, as according to Dindyal, electricity theft continues to plague the utility company.

“Investing in technology, in terms of network design, I don’t think will solve the problem. I think we have to win hearts and minds through social outreach,”

mined to steal electricity as Guyanese.

Mixed energy sources

The CEO also spoke of the US$900 million gas-to-shore project and how important it is for reducing GPL’s costs.

According to him, the utility company wants to implement a mix of energy sources to generate power, including the gas from offshore Guyana.

“With the advent of gas, we expect that a lot of changes will occur, first in our ability to reduce tariffs. In our

he General Secretary of the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE), Dawchan Nagasar, has been removed from the post by the Union’s Executive Council after he was found unfit to hold the position.

In a statement issued on Sunday, NAACIE said that a specially convened emergency Executive Council Meeting was held at the Union’s Headquarters, High Street, Kingston, on Thursday last during which several allegations of serious misconduct were brought to the forefront against Nagasar. These included the dereliction of duties and blatant disregard for the Council’s instructions.

As such, a No-Confidence Motion was filed to have the General Secretary removed from the post.

“These infractions

amounted to gross misconduct and abuse of official powers and members of the Executive Council agreed after informed advice and by way of unanimous votes that Mr Dawchan Nagasar can no longer be considered a fit and proper individual to continue holding the office of General Secretary of NAACIE and consequently, a motion of no confidence was carried for his immediate removal from office,” the missive detailed.

Nagasar also served as General Secretary of the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG). It is unclear whether he was also removed from FITUG as well.

As General Secretary of NAACIE, Nagasar had represented the Union during negotiations with the Guyana Power and Light Incorporated (GPL) during which a five per cent increase in wages and sala-

Removed: NAACIE General Secretary Dawchan Nagasar

ries for the year 2020 was secured for employees of the power company. That agreement was signed in May this year. He was also part of similar negotiations with GPL in the past, as well as for sugar workers.

TURN TO PAGE 8

8 NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Peter Headley murder

Police Complaints Authority reviewing report – Top Cop

S

Dead: Peter Headley

ome two months after 45-year-old Peter Headley, a taxi driver of Dowding Street, Kitty, Georgetown, was fatally shot by Police while in custody, the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) is currently reviewing the case report.

This is after the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) had completed its investigation into the

shooting, according to Commissioner of Police Nigel Hoppie.

“The OPR, the department that was tasked with initiating the investigation [into the Police shooting], would have completed their work and made submission to the Chairman of the Police Complaints Authority, who is designated to review the work. And as we speak, he is currently reviewing the report,” the Top Cop told media operatives on the side lines of a wreath-laying ceremony held on Sunday morning for Police ranks who were killed while on duty.

M e a n w h i l e , Commissioner Hoppie noted that the two Police officers involved in the shooting are on open arrest.

Headley was shot and killed on May 15, 2021, at Nandy Park, East Bank Demerara, after he and another man were arrested by Police.

Police had said in a release that at about 20:45h,

ranks intercepted a motor car with Headley and the other man. Headley was at the time, the driver of the vehicle.

However, a search was conducted in the vehicle during which a television set suspected to have been stolen during an armed robbery at Herstelling, EBD, on May 11, 2021, was found. As such, the two men were arrested.

It was reported that Headley was placed in the front passenger seat of the civilian vehicle which was being driven by a Policeman along with another armed Police rank in the back seat.

The other suspect was placed in the Police vehicle with the other ranks.

But on their way to the Providence Police Station, Headley allegedly reached under the seat and pulled out an object, which the Police said “appeared to be a firearm.”

Upon seeing this, the armed rank who was sit-

ting at the back seat discharged a round, hitting Headley to his body.

He was taken to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre where he succumbed to his injuries while receiving treatment. A post-mortem examination had revealed that Headley died of a single gunshot wound that perforated his lungs.

The two ranks who were in the vehicle at the time of the shooting were initially placed on close arrest as the matter was reported to the OPR for an investigation to be launched.

However about one week after his death, Headley’s relatives picketed the Home Affairs Ministry calling for justice. The family is contending that the man was not a bandit.

Nevertheless, Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn had met with them and assured that the matter will be thoroughly probed by the OPR and the Police Complaints Authority. (G8)

NAACIE Executive removes General...

Nevertheless, at Thursday’s meeting, the Executive Council appointed Senior Vice President, Bernard Crawford, to act as General President, followed by Assistant General Secretary, Karren Mapp, to act as General Secretary in accordance with the Rules of NAACIE. Further, Honorary member of the Union, Bhagmat Hochand, was

also appointed to act as Treasurer for the purpose of bringing the Union’s accounts up to date for auditing.

These appointments will expire at the Triennial Delegates’ Conference – the highest decision-making body of NAACIE, slated for May 2022.

Additionally, NAACIE’s Executive Council further approved new signatories

news@guyanatimesgy.com

to its funds, that is, acting General President, acting General Secretary and acting Treasurer of which was named compulsory signatory.

Efforts by this publication to contact Nagasar for a comment on the issue proved futile.

Audit funds

The Executive Council at Thursday’s meeting decided, in addition, that the new officers should immediately request the Auditor General to conduct an audit of the funds of NAACIE. Only earlier this year, Government had announced plans to carry out a series of integrity audits on all co-operatives and credit unions to root out any corruption and misuse of funds in a bid to ensure transparency and accountability.

The Labour Ministry had invited Expressions of Interest (EoIs) from auditing firms back in March

FROM PAGE 7

to conduct the audits into co-operatives, friendly societies and credit unions in all 10 administrative regions.

This audit involves a probe into their operations, procedures and the very viability of these organisations, which run on contributions from the workers they represent. According to the tender, the audits will be validating how financially responsible the management of these societies is.

Additionally, it will be validating the financial integrity of their funded and non-funded programmes. The audits will also be shining a spotlight on non-compliance issues hindering these societies, while coming up with recommendations to strengthen their ability to secure funds in the future.

Lastly, the audits will serve the purpose of compiling a database of viable and active co-operatives and credit unions, as well as determining their assets, ownership and the beneficiaries they serve.

When the PPP Government got into office, the issue of mismanaged credit unions had almost immediately reared its head. In fact, the notice had revealed that over 50 trade unions have outstanding returns.

It was reported at the time that NAACIE, whose constituency caters largely to sugar workers, was also featured on the list, having outstanding returns from 1947 to 1969 and then from 1978 to 2018.

Opening up…

W

…on COVID-19 hen we opened up our airports last October, many persons were up in arms even though the Government had instituted a welter of measures within an overarching regime to reduce the importation of the COVID-19 virus and its ever-mutating variants. Of course, the Government was taking a risk – but that’s the case with all initiatives. The point is to weigh those risks, minimise them to the best of one’s ability and proceed once it is decided that not to do so would redound to the greater detriment of the greater good.

At the time we opened up our airports, Trinidad made the contra decision –- even in the face of thousands of their citizens being left stranded in foreign lands –- including Guyana. Many locals pointed to PM Keith Rowley of Trinidad as a more “responsible” leader. Well, Trinidad has finally opened up its airport and accepted a number of stranded Trinis from Guyana via CARIBBEAN Airways. So maybe we can compare and contrast the two decisions – even though we have to accept there were a host of other variables in play.

But some of those variables should’ve been in Trinidad’s favour – like they’re an island and as such, their borders could’ve been more tightly controlled. Ours, on the other hand – especially from our south (Brazil) and east (Suriname) – are pretty porous. But yet we see that overall – factoring in their greater population – Trinidad has suffered greater damage from the ravages of the disease. They’ve suffered 990 deaths compared to our 509 as of two days ago. On a per capita basis this gives TT a higher rate of fatalities.

Now this isn’t wallowing in schadenfreude…far from it. What it reminds us about this COVID-19 pandemic is there are no easy answers. The only route to stopping it is using vaccines until herd immunity is achieved and even then, keep on observing the basic rules of wearing masks, no touching and sanitising hands. And with the variants coming fast and furious, we’re quite a ways from herd immunity in any country.

Most troubling – especially for us in Guyana – are the large numbers of “vaccine sceptics” – folks who reject being vaccinated for one reason or another. Mostly, this is due to ignorance so the public health authorities will have to keep up with the education programmes on the pandemic. At this stage more affirmation is needed from those now dubbed “influencers” – folks whose opinions others respect. Sadly, in a country where politics dictates every move that people make, the PNC Opposition has been quite equivocal on the vaccination drive.

This is even more callous than them throwing cold water on the “Because We Care” school grants.

COVID kills. …and passing gas for power You’d think that by now we’d have settled down on the pros and cons of the gas-to-shore project. Such projects have been implemented across the globe starting exactly half a century ago…it isn’t rocket science any longer. Right next door in Trinidad they’ve been using the undersea natural gas to fuel most of their power-generating systems – and in fact one of their plants is being mothballed right now because they’re running out of gas fields. Let’s invite some Trinis over to deal with the concerns.

But from where your Eyewitness sits, the matter has gone beyond rational discussion after most of the naysayers have adopted ideologically-driven positions.

How do you have a discussion with someone who won’t even listen to alternative views with an open mind?

All your Eyewitness knows is that if the project’s being funded upfront by Exxon – and later expensed – this works like an off-the-book loan.

And doesn’t add to our debt profile! What’s to lose? …to a wet reality GuySuCo has downgraded their projection on sugar production for the “second crop”. The continued inundation of industry-leader Albion is cited as the reason.

The water-logged fields in the other estates will push that target even further south.

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

NEWS

9

MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

No-Confidence Motion brought against Granger by PNC members …as week of divisions culminates in mutiny in Georgetown district

PNCR Leader David Granger

D

ivision continues within the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), with statement after statement either condemning or supporting party leader David Granger, culminating in a No-Confidence Motion being brought against the former President by the party’s Georgetown district.

According to information reaching this publication, the motion was put during a recent meeting of the Georgetown district of the party and it received the support of the members who were present.

Tabitha Sarabo-Halley and the Equal Rights and Justice Party (ERJP), which was founded by former junior Finance Minister Jaipaul Sharma.

According to the CEC members, Granger was previously commanded by the committee to put PNCR’s involvement with APNU on hold until further notice.

“Notwithstanding the Party’s decision, Granger went ahead and publicly advertised that the PNCR has accepted these two shell parties as part of the APNU… we are now witnessing this latest disregard of the Party’s decision, compounded by Granger affixing the symbols of these two non-approved parties onto a programme purported to be that of the APNU for its 10th Anniversary Celebrations. That is a one man show which the Party will not allow Granger to get away with,” the Committee said.

Days after this statement was released, several PNCR CEC members released a joint statement in which they lambasted these anonymous CEC members as “cowards.” But despite the CEC being a 15-member

Congress Place

Division within the party, simmering over the past few months, spiked last week when unidentified members of the PNCR Central Executive Committee (CEC) penned a missive denouncing Granger’s leadership style and his recent unilateral approval of two parties, which they called “shell parties” into the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).

“The most recent disregard is the one-man decision by David Granger to go ahead and commit the PNCR to continue its involvement and accept two recently formed parties as part of the APNU. The actions of David Granger are without any doubt unconstitutional and an affront to the membership of our Party. He will not be allowed to reduce the PNCR into a One Man Show,” the statement from the CEC members said.

This is a reference to the Guyana Nation Builders Movement (GNBM), which was founded by former Public Service Minister

Committee, only four members - Ganesh Mahipaul, Annette Ferguson, Jennifer Ferreira-Dougal and Shurwayne Holder - affixed their names to this statement in support of their leader.

This follows protests outside Congress Place earlier this year, by members of Granger’s own party.

The protesters demanded that he hold the congress so that the party can choose a leader. One placard, aimed at Granger and Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon, had read “David and Joe, stop denying democracy in the PNC. Time for congress”.

PNC’s last biennial congress was in 2018, where Granger was returned unopposed as leader of the party. This time around, Granger has cited the COVID-19 pandemic for the delay in holding the congress.

He had said that the party is trying to work out the logistics of holding the congress, while at the same time ensuring social dis-

tancing. However, many other organisations have held virtual meetings using Zoom, which allows hundreds of participants.

Granger, who left office in August 2020, after a fivemonth battle in Guyana for democracy to prevail, has been facing pressure from within the party and has suffered a sharp drop in popularity, over the loss of the 2020 General and Regional Elections after just one term in office.

These divisions were exacerbated by the list of parliamentarians he

picked to send to the 12th Parliament, after party stalwarts like Chairperson Volda Lawrence were excluded and the WPA was not consulted to name their candidate. WPA subsequently withdrew from the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition, on the heels of the Justice For All Party (JFAP).

Granger has also been denounced by individual members of the party, like one-time PNC parliamentarian James Bond.

Bond has, in fact, labelled

Granger’s leadership as “ineffective” and “mediocre”.

Granger has also been criticised by the PNCR diaspora group, who added their voices to calls for the former President to step down from leading the party. In a letter signed by Connie McGuire, Michael Bramford, George E, Lewis and the PNCR New York Diaspora group, they appealed to all PNC Executives, members and supporters to demand the resignations of Granger and other party leaders.

Unlike in 2018 when he was returned as leader uncontested, Granger now faces at least two challengers for the post of leader. CEC member Richard Van WestCharles recently threw his hat in the ring, joining party stalwart Aubrey Norton as two executive members of the party who have indicated their interest in the top job.

Reports have meanwhile indicated that the PNCR is looking to hold its congress in October 2021, but with a much-trimmed list of attendees. (G3)

10 NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

3 more COVID-19 deaths, 91 new cases recorded T

wo more males and a female who tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have died.

According to the Health Ministry on Sunday, this now takes the total number of deaths from the pandemic in Guyana to 512.

These latest fatalities are a 41-year-old female from Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), who died on July 16; a 65-year-old male from Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), who died on July 15, and an 82-year-old male from Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne), who died on July 17.

The Ministry said these patients were admitted with COVID-19 like symptoms but died while receiving care at medical institutions across the country.

It was noted that samples were taken at the time of

admission, which subsequently returned positive tests.

With these fatalities, the COVID-19 death toll for the month of July has gone up to 42. May is the deadliest month since the outbreak of the virus in Guyana with 99 fatalities, followed by 78 deaths recorded in June.

New cases

Meanwhile, 91 persons have tested positive for COVID-19 from some 1227 tests conducted over the last 24 hours.

The total number of confirmed cases in Guyana is now 21,562, according to the Ministry’s updated COVID-19 dashboard on Sunday.

Of these, however, only 1216 cases are currently active including 13 patients in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the remaining 1203

persons in isolation, that is, 98 in institutional isolation and the other 1105 in home isolation.

There is also one other person in institutional quarantine.

On the other hand, some 19,834 persons have recovered from the life-threatening disease – 29 more recoveries than the figure reported the day before.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic in Guyana last year, 209,894 persons have been tested for the novel coronavirus of which 11,033 females and 10,529 males were positive cases.

A breakdown of 91 new cases detected on Sunday showed that three were from the Essequibo Islands-West Demerara region, 29 cases in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), seven from Region Five, 19 more from the EastBerbice Corentyne region, a whopping 31 cases

GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD JULY 18 UPDATE

NUMBER OF NEW CASES

91

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL ISOLATION

98

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN HOME ISOLATION

1105

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN COVID-19 ICU

13

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE

1

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (FEMALES)

11,033

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (MALES)

10,529

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES IN GUYANA SINCE 2020

21,562

NUMBER OF RECOVERED CASES

19,834

TOTAL 1st DOSE VACCINATED

241,680

FULLY IMMUNISED

126,620

TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

512

DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES SINCE MARCH 2020 REGION 1

1291

REGION 2

595

REGION 3

2444

REGION 4

9746

REGION 5

719

REGION 6

1760

REGION 7

1274

REGION 8

380

REGION 9

1850

REGION 10

1503

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

Keep a physical distance of at least 6 feet.

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

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

from Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) and the other two cases from Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

There were no new cases recorded in Regions One (Barima-Waini), Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and Eight (PotaroSiparuni) in the last 24 hours, according to Sunday’s COVID-19 dashboard.

In order to curb the spread of the deadly virus

in the country, the Guyana Government launched its COVID-19 vaccination exercise back in February and is aggressively rolling it out in the various regions in order to achieve heard immunity.

Recent figures show that over 241,000 persons have received their first dose of the vaccine, representing some 49.6 per cent of the adult population. Meanwhile, fully immunised persons in the country stand at more

than 126,000, that is, approximately 26 per cent of persons 18 years and older.

Persons are encouraged to get immunised since the COVID-19 vaccine gives full protection against death. In fact, health authorities have disclosed that no one who is fully vaccinated with both doses of the COVID-19 vaccines have been hospitalised or died from the virus.

TURN TO PAGE 13

NEWS

11

MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Decade-long dispute between Region 5 farmers settled

Attorney General Anil Nandlall and Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha meeting with cattle and rice/cash crop farmers in Region Five

A

ttorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall and Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha met with cattle and rice/ cash crop farmers in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) to resolve a long-standing land dispute.

The farmers are cattle farmers as well as rice and cash crop farmers, who have a decade-old dispute in relation to the occupation and use of certain lands located at the back of the RampoorShieldstown area.

The disputed land in the Rampoor-Shieldstown area and is solely occupied by cattle farmers.

For years, consecutive Governments have been trying to have the farmers arrive at a compromise to bring an end to the animosity and controversy.

The A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government had made at-

tempts to give the disputed land to persons who are not farmers and those in the area took the matter to court.

On Saturday, the two Ministers met with the competing group of farmers.

During the meeting, both sides provided information on how they intend to use and occupy the land.

They have agreed to organise themselves into co-op societies so that whatever compromise is arrived at, will be with the co-op society of which the farmers will be members.

The Attorney General told the group of farmers that it is Government’s intention to divide the land in an acceptable way based on the agreement between the two parties.

Speaking with the media following the meeting on Saturday, Nandlall said the Agriculture Ministry will regularise the occupation of the land so that li-

cence or lease for the land can become available for those farmers.

“That is a part of the Government’s programme, going onto the ground right across the country to meet with every sector of our country and to address all of the needs of our people.

We do not believe in a style of Government where we sit in our air-conditioned offices in Georgetown and govern,” Nandlall said.

Meanwhile, the Agriculture Minister told reporters that both groups have agreed to work with the Ministry in an effort to have the dispute resolved as quickly as possible.

“They have already formed one co-op and the cattle farmers have formed themselves into another group. Hopefully, within two months we can have this matter resolved,” he revealed.

He added that the land will be zoned to prevent the current cattle/rice conflict.

Meanwhile, the MMA has since been advised to conduct occupational survey for the division of the land having been given the mandate to commence the needed infrastructural work.

“We will try to expedite this matter,” Mustapha added.

There are many such conflicts within farming communities around the country, the Minister said, adding that some of these are in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) and the Corentyne Coast

and Black Bush Polder in Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) also have similar ongoing conflicts.

According to the Agriculture Minister, the goal is to ensure that land

becomes available for cattle and rice farmers as well as cash crop farmers.

He said it is very important for these conflicts be resolved as early as possible if Guyana is to advance its ag-

ricultural food programme in Caricom.

According to Mustapha, it is hoped that more than a hundred will be benefiting from the land when it is divided. (G4)

200 Lindeners to be employed at refurbished $142M call centre

S

A section of the refurbished call centre

ome 200 residents of Linden, Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice), will be employed once the refurbished call centre is fully operationalised.

This is according to Prime Minister Ret’d Brigadier Mark Phillips, who toured the refurbished Toucan Call Centre building, located at Kara Kara, Linden, on Saturday.

The call centre was refurbished at a total cost of $142 million.

Speaking on the issue of development, the Prime Minister said that Linden will not be left out of his Government’s development plans.

“It is our intention, as part of the overriding principle, to create employment for the people of Linden…So Linden will not be left out of the plans

for Guyana. The focus now is on the development of all Guyana and all Guyanese,” he is quoted as saying in a release from the Office of the Prime Minister.

Phillips added that “we will put out Expressions of Interest for investors to come to inspect and to set up their businesses here—by doing that, they will create employment.”

He said the aim is to ensure that Lindeners benefit from the project, adding that the refurbishing of the call centre is in keeping with the Government’s plan of furthering social and economic development within the region while providing a conducive environment for investment.

Such initiatives, he noted, will be accepted and committed to not only in Region 10

but throughout the length and breadth of the county.

Meanwhile, Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton, who was present at the facility, said that the Ministry through its the Board of Industrial Training, is currently exploring having training programmes and other opportunities available to residents in the region.

“We have a responsibility as the Ministry of Labour to create conditions regarding stabilised employment, so we have an interest in this matter [Toucan Call Centre], and so I am here to lend support to the Prime Minister.”

Additionally, Regional Executive Officer for Region 10, Dwight John, who also toured the facility, lauded the initiative and posited that it would bring much-needed economic development to the region.

“I am thankful to the Prime Minister’s office and the Government of Guyana for the fast rehabilitation of the call centre after being in disrepair for a while. It is a wonderful initiative by the Government, and I am thankful that the Prime Minister has stated that other such developmental activities will be coming to the region,” the REO said.

12 NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

“Because We Care” cash grant

10,324 students to benefit as initiative moves to Region 5

A Region Five parent counting the money she received for her child

O

ver the next three days $196 million is scheduled to be distributed to 10,324 students in the Mahaica-Berbice region through the “Because We Care” cash grant initiative, which was launched in Region Five on Sunday at the Karamat Primary School located along the Mahaicony Creek.

This follows distributions in Regions Two (PomeroonSupenaam) and the islands in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara).

At the launching of the

distribution in Region Five, Education Minister Priya Manickchand explained to parents that the grant is meant for each public school child and that the Government is exploring the possibility of having the programme extended to private schools.

The grant is valued at $19,000 which includes $15,000 from the “Because We Care” cash grant and $4000 from the uniform and school supplies grant.

She encouraged parents to use the money for the ben-

efit of their children. She said that parents know best what the money can be used to purchase to benefit their children which is the reason why the Government chose not to limit parents on where they can spend the grant.

The Minister added that the grant is meant to give parents a helping hand to enhance the lives of their children and the home as most parents want to ensure their children can grow up under better conditions than they did and have more opportunities and achieving more in life.

According to Manickchand, the programme is one that shows the Government understands how difficult raising a family is and as such, wishes to support that process.

She noted that any good parent will ensure that the money is used effectively and can serve their children. Manickchand encouraged parents to continue working with their children so that they all can excel and do better.

“All your time has to be with them. If they need to study and to stay up the whole night, you must keep them company. We need you

Education Minister Priya Manickchand chats with parents at Mahaicony on Sunday

to support your children,” the Education Minister stated.

Regional Vice Chairman, Rion Peters said that he was happy to be a part of such an important and significant occasion. He commended the Government of Guyana and in particular the Minister of Education for ensuring that another promise is fulfilled. He said that the programme is a commitment by the Government to invest in the country and more so the people in Region Five.

Also spearheading the distribution in the region on Sunday was the Attorney General, Anil Nandlall.

Students from 18 nursery, primary and secondary schools received their grants on Sunday in the region.

Region 3 islands

On Saturday, the Education Ministry said that $27.5 million in “Because we care” cash grant was dis-

tributed in the Essequibo Islands. More than 97 per cent of the grants for students were uplifted, the Ministry noted.

Manickchand told parents that the island of Leguan is on the rise and while Guyana will develop exponentially, the Government wants to ensure that citizens can benefit from the development.

She listed several projects that have occurred, are in progress and will be implemented on the island to improve the lives of residents. She said that currently there is an excavator on the island from the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) that is working to prevent flooding and damage to livestock and crops.

She said that washroom facilities have been installed at the post office particularly to benefit pensioners.

Moreover, she said that the

island has seen an investment of over $700 million in sea defence work. The Education Minister said that repairs have also been done to the doctors’ quarters to ensure healthcare professionals can be accommodated comfortably on the island.

In the area of agriculture, she said that the opening of the coconut nursery seeks to provide a means for residents to be self-sufficient and produce enough to even export.

While the Education Minister was at Leguan; Minister within the Public Works Ministry Deodat Indar was spearheading the distribution on the island of Wakenaam. Regional Chairman Ishan Ayube was visiting locations along the right bank of the Essequibo River and Member of Parliament, Dr Tandika Smith was doing likewise on the left bank of the said river.

NEWS

13

MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

1 killed, 1 injured in Linden drive-by shooting Economic development and the role of the education sector

T

he development of the economy is driven by investments which in turn create jobs and other opportunities for growth and development. The skills, knowledge and competence that one has to provide goods or services to meet demands locally or internationally are what constitutes job creation.

Intellectual minds are therefore crucial for developing countries like Guyana. While Guyana is known for its immeasurable natural resources, properly educated human resources are needed for sustainable utilisation and cultivation of these resources. Proper management of these resources is pertinent not only for sustainability, but also for long term economic benefits.

Therefore, young professionals need to escape the idea of receiving a better life abroad, and remain in Guyana to contribute their skills in enhancing economic development.

The young minds need to contribute to Guyana’s history in developing the country’s resources in innovative ways, and assist Guyana in adapting to the changes of the future.

The Diaspora also needs to return to contribute its skills and expertise in developing the country, as opportunities are being created for its members in all sectors in which they may have an interest.

The competitive nature of business would continue increasing as innovative minds would generate ideas that would make life easier in ways for all, which will be costly. As such, these innovative minds are needed to implement ideas that sync with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which means that our traditional operation mechanisms would eventually come to an end, as the cost of maintenance would not be economically viable.

Therefore, it is critical that everyone prepares themselves now to adapt to those changes that would be unfolding in the future, or we will not be able to move farther up the chain in becoming a developed country. Guyana has to be able to become self-sustainable, and provide a better future for tomorrow’s leaders.

Bearing this in mind, Guyanese need to take steps to equip themselves with the relevant skills and resources to take advantage of the opportunities that would unfold, and assist in developing the country.

Guyana’s education system has, over the years, been lapsing to improve the quality of output and to expand the scope of reaching every populated area within the country. However, with the $60.7 billion budgeted for 2021 (representing a 175.9% increase from 2019), many initiatives have been introduced to not only improve the quality and access of education, but also to expand the curriculum and make education more affordable for all, inclusive of the tertiary level. In spite of the numerous challenges faced as a result of the pandemic, persons are still being afforded the opportunity to continue their studies online. This initiative, though, has its hiccups for some, creates an opportunity to adapt to a new forum of education where they would be able to learn more in a convenient way.

One initiative implemented thus far is introduction of smart classrooms. As the world becomes technologically advanced and focused, it is about time the younger generation be a part of this opportunity, so that they can cultivate and generate the necessary skills and knowledge in this arena.

The Guyana Leaning Channel is also being upgraded, so as to improve the quality of education it offers. Additionally, more channels and programmes are expected to be implemented alone, with a radio station that would also assist in covering a wider scope of the country, especially the hinterland regions.

Scholarships are also being offered by the Government to persons to pursue diplomas, degrees and masters in their specialised field of interest.

It can be seen that the Government is creating opportunities to provide youths with the ability to improve their academic careers, along with improving their knowledge of managing resources, making them better equipped to contribute to the development of the country.

These innovative minds being a part of the development process of Guyana are bound to boost growth in Guyana’s economy, as businesses would be opened to provide high quality goods and services locally and internationally.

About the Author: JC. Bhagwandin is a financial and economic analyst, and an Adjunct Instructor at Texila American University, Business College. The views expressed are exclusively his own, and do not necessarily represent those of this newspaper and the institutions he represents. For comments, send to jbbankingadvice@gmail.com.

A

23-year-old man who left his Roxanne Burnham, East La Penitence, Georgetown home to visit a female friend at Mackenzie, Linden, Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice), lost his life during a drive-by shooting at Sunflower Street, Wismar, Linden. His friend was also shot and injured.

Dead is Delron McKenzie and injured is Calvin Daly.

Both men were shot at about 21:50h on Saturday evening. The injured man told Police that he and his now dead friend arrived in Linden at about 21:00h via public transportation and went to a popular fast-food place to make a purchase.

While at the location,

Daly said he was given directions from his female friend via telephone to join a boat at the Mackenzie shore.

On arrival at the Wismar shore, the man called the female and was given further directions but a short while after she called him back and told him to turn around since

3 more COVID-19...

Nevertheless, as more people continue to get vaccinated, authorities are urging the public to continue observing all COVID-19 preventative measures, particularly masking in public, social distancing and frequent hand washing and sanitising. The measures also include a 22:30h (10:30 pm) to 04:00h (4 am) national curfew that is in effect until July 31, 2021.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), as of Sunday, some 188,655,968 confirmed cases were reported globally along with 4,067,517 deaths.

The WHO also reported on Sunday that in the Region of the Americas, that is, Latin America and the Caribbean, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has increased to

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

FROM PAGE 10

74,411,952 while the death toll in the region has gone up to 1,953,492. (G8)

she would be sending a car to pick them up.

The injured man told Police that they then walked out of Sunflower Street, where they saw a silver wagon car turned around and as Delron McKenzie approached the car to open the back door, a man opened the door first and started to shoot at him and another male came out of the front passenger seat and opened fire too.

Daly said he ran for cover. He told Police that the car had three male occupants at

the time but he did not recognise any of them. He said that following the shooting, the men re-joined the car and drove in a southern direction towards Silver City Street.

The injured man told Police that he did not know the female that McKenzie was going to meet.

Police have since said that Daly received two gunshot wounds on the left and right lower arm with abrasions to both of his arms. He was escorted to the Linden Hospital Complex where he was admitted a patient and scheduled to be transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation for surgery.

McKenzie was also taken to the Linden Hospital Complex where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The body was then escorted to the GJetso Funeral Home awaiting post-mortem. An investigation has been launched.

14 NEWS

MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

The science of COVID-19

Coronavirus: Vaccines have stood the test of time; here’s proof

By Dr Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, Vanderbilt Medical Center

V

accines have been around for more than a century and have proven their worth time and time again. Numerous diseases have been eradicated or controlled by vaccines.

Without vaccines, millions of lives would have been lost and humans would not have been progressive as we have been especially in the 20th and 21st century.

We are in a pandemic with no effective way of treating the COVID-19 infection as it continues to wreak havoc worldwide. However, modern science has finally derived a way for us to control this threat in the form of vaccines. All of a sudden, persons are scared of vaccines and are spreading so many myths about them while the virus continues to take too many lives daily. Today, I will discuss vaccines and how they work and hopefully, put some ease to the confusion that’s being peddled about them.

How vaccines came about

During a smallpox epidemic in the west of England in 1774,a farmer by the name of Benjamin Jesty decided to try something.

He scratched some pus from smallpox lesions on the udders of a cow onto the skin of his wife and sons. None of them contracted small-

pox. A man by the name of Edward Jenner first started to add science to this theory of vaccines back in 1796. He took material from a blister of someone infected with cowpox and inoculated it into another person’s skin; this was called arm-to-arm inoculation. It was successful and by the late 1940s, scientific knowledge had developed enough, so that large-scale vaccine production was possible and disease control efforts could begin in earnest. Vaccines that protect against pertussis (1914), diphtheria (1926), and tetanus (1938) were subsequently developed and these three vaccines were combined in 1948 and given as the DTP vaccine. As time progressed, new vaccines were made to protect against diseases that were taking many lives. The world was able to eradicate smallpox because of successful vaccination efforts in the 1970s.

How safe have vaccines been so far

There have been accusations of vaccines causing diseases such as autism and different autoimmune diseases and that they can even weaken your immune system. Most of these accusations come from anti-vaxxers who believe vaccines were created to control the human population. After all of these years of vaccine use, there hasn’t been any credible evidence to suggest that any of these

accusations are true. The evidence that has been very clear is the fact that vaccines have prevented many outbreaks and controlled many diseases that they were created to combat. In Guyana, we vaccinate children every day and almost everyone was vaccinated during their childhood. A child gets about 20 vaccines before they reach school age and yet, we have not seen any major issues related to vaccines after so many years of Guyana’s successful vaccination campaign.

which could have even threatened the existence of the humans altogether.

What have vaccines helped us to do so far?

Are COVID-19 vaccines different?

So far, vaccines have helped us to either eradicate or control the following diseases: * Mumps * Measles * Tetanus * Rubella * Hepatitis A and B * Diphtheria * Tetanus * Polio * Smallpox * Cowpox * Influenza * Varicella (chicken pox) * Hemophilus Influenza * Pertussis * Rotavirus Can you imagine how it would have been if we had to live with all of these diseases freely circulating?

Human evolution would not have been the same and many deaths and complications would have occurred

Most of the vaccines developed to combat COVID-19 were developed using the same technology as previous vaccines; an inactivated virus or part of a virus is used to mimic the virus in our bodies and hence, stimulate us to create an immune response. However, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were developed using a new technology and are called mRNA vaccines. This technology

basically allows the vaccine to teach our cells to create a structure similar to the part of the virus that binds onto our cells. This then triggers our immune system to make antibodies against it and hence, we develop immunity against the virus.

This mRNA technology has been around for decades but there was never a concerted push for vaccines to be made using its technology until the pandemic started. This pandemic triggered a worldwide response where scientists cooperated like never before and it helped to eliminate bureaucratic steps in

vaccine creation. These vaccines had to undergo numerous safety tests and scrutiny from medical professionals and organisations all over the world. There have been safety issues identified, but these are expected when vaccines or any other medications are administered on such large scale. However, there have not been any widespread deaths or major morbidities from any of the COVID-19 vaccines.

The data has shown that they are effective against COVID-19 and persons that are properly and fully vaccinated are not the ones that are dying from COVID-19.

You would have most likely taken over 20 vaccines already in your lifetime and you are still alive and well after so many years. If you are doubting vaccines, my question to you is why was it OK for you to be vaccinated and get protection during childhood and it is not OK to do so now when you are faced with a virus that can wipe you out of existence?

Haslington hit-and-run

Family members hoping for breakthrough in Police probe ern side of the Haslington Public Road, ECD, and went to the scene.

Upon their arrival, they observed the injured man lying on the parapet with injuries to his head. He was picked up and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was treated and admitted. He later suc-

was on his way home from Enmore, ECD, by a “pit bull” bus.

Liverpool’s sister also voiced disappointment with the Police, claiming that the minibus registration number was provided to the Police but the family is yet to hear if the driver was arrested.

cumbed to his injuries.

Meanwhile, the dead man’s sister told this publication on Sunday that her brother was a father of one, who did not work due to medical complications.

As a result, she along with her other siblings who live overseas have been taking care of him.

She said the family was informed that Liverpool was struck down while he

The woman said the death of her brother “is driving everyone crazy”, because only in January they buried their mother.

Nevertheless, a post-mortem examination that was performed on Liverpool’s body by Government Pathologist Dr Nehaul Singh, gave the cause of the death as multiple injuries consistent with a vehicular accident. (G9)

D

Dead: Amrow Liverpool

ays after the lifeless body of a Haslington, East Coast Demerara (ECD) man was found lying on the Haslington Public Road, in a hit-and-run accident, his family is hoping for the arrest of the driver.

Dead is 48-year-old Amrow Liverpool called “Row” of Lot 206, North Haslington, ECD. His body was found on Thursday morning and it is suspected that he was involved in the accident sometime on Wednesday.

Police reported that ranks of the Cove and John Police Station received an anonymous call that a man was seen lying on the south-

NEWS

15

MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Work to commence soon on multimillion-dollar pasteurising plant in Reg 5 – Agri Minister cording to a DPI report.

Work on the project should begin over the next two months, Minister Mustapha added. He said agriculture is once again being prioritised in Guyana’s development.

“Last year people were talking about waiting until the oil sector comes on

and gas must all contribute to Guyana’s development.

He said when a country depends on one sector and that sector fails, it can have devastating effects on the economy.

Further, Minister Mustapha stressed that agriculture creates jobs, wealth and food secu-

in Caricom,” he stated.

According to reports earlier this year, Amaya Milk Company has already secured agreements with five large-scale cattle farmers in the Mahaica-Berbice region to deliver approximately 100 gallons of fresh cow’s milk every day to the plant when it is operationalised.

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha meeting residents and farmers at Number 9 Village, Region Five

M

inister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha has disclosed that a new multimillion-dollar pasteurising plant will soon be established in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) by a private investor, creating employment opportunities for residents.

Canada-based Amaya Milk Company signed a Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) with the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest) and the Ministry of Agriculture in March 2021 for the establishment of a $75 million milk plant to process, bottle and sell high quality pasteurised cow’s milk in the local market. The facility will be set up at Onverwagt, in Region Five.

As such, during a meeting with farmers from

the region on Saturday, Minister Mustapha indicated that the Government is seeking out a portion of land for the project.

“The investor has already brought in all his equipment into the country, the General Manager and the Board of MMA-ADA are now looking to see a proper piece of land so that the investor can set up his milk plant,” the Minister said, ac-

Essequibo Coast man killed, 1 injured in shooting

Dead: Keon McLennon

P

olice in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) are hunting a male suspect who shot and killed one person and injured another at Queenstown, Essequibo Coast.

Dead is Keon McLennon also known as "Bamzey", 22, of Queenstown. The injured man has been identified only as “Fronto”.

Reports are that the shooting occurred at about 19:30h at a bus shed in Queenstown. The men were allegedly shot by an ex-convict known as "Bad Boy".

McLennon’s father, Donald McLennon, told this publication on Sunday that his son and “Bad Boy” had an altercation some time ago and it seems as if the

Keon McLennon lying in the bus shed after he was shot

shooting was an act of revenge.

The dead man’s father said his son, who is a farmer, had left home at around 18:00h on Saturday and shortly after they receive the news that he was killed.

The senior McLennon said he was told that his son was seated under the bus shed when “Bad Boy” approached him and said “me story don’t done suh”, and subsequently whipped out a gun and opened fire.

The man said that “Fronto” was across the road

and since he saw what occurred, “Bad Boy” shot him too and emptied his pockets of cash and other items.

He then made good his escape.

The tearful man, who is still in disbelief of his son’s death, said he is hoping that his family gets justice. The two men were rushed to the Suddie Hospital where McLennon was pronounced dead. A post-mortem examination will be conducted soon. Up to press time, the Police were silent on the incident.

Region Five farmers listen to the Agriculture Minister as he outlines development plans for the region

stream; all the revenue from the oil and gas we will have to develop our country. Now people are not only talking about the oil and gas sector.

As a Government, we also want to develop all the sectors of our country. We want a resilient country, not one that depends on only one sector,” he posited.

The Minister went on to reiterate that agriculture, mining, construction, oil

rity, and he noted that Guyana is leading the agriculture agenda across the Caribbean.

“In the last two years we have seen our country surrender its position to St Vincent and the Grenadines, they were talking about agriculture. Comrades, I am very proud today, that our very young vibrant President is now the leading spokesperson on agriculture

It was reported that the project will be rolled out in two phases. In the first phase, focus will be on the production of milk, starting with whole milk and two per cent milk before expanding the line to flavoured milk later on.

The second phase will see the expansion of the milk plant in about two years with a larger-scale production.

16 NEWS Teacher killed in UWI seeks to address financial woes Berbice accident 2 MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

…as Jeep U-turns on public road

Nathanael Ledra’s motorcycle under the vehicle which ran over him on the Corentyne highway

A

school teacher was on Sunday killed when the motorcycle he was riding collided with a vehicle belonging to the Finance Ministry.

Dead is 20-year-old Nathanael Ledra called “Nato” of Lot 195 Mibicuri North Black Bush Polder, Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

Reports are that the accident occurred on the Number Three Public Road, West Coast Berbice, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice).

This newspaper was told at 15:45h the Jeep bearing registration number PTT 5255, and Ledra were heading towards Number Five Village but at Number Three Village, the Jeep stopped on the southern drive lane and allegedly made a sudden U-turn from the southern to the northern side. This resulted in the motorcyclist swerving north and colliding with the front right side of the Jeep.

Dead: 20-year-old Nathanael Ledra called “Nato”

Ledra fell and the Jeep ran over the motorcycle, crushing the teacher in the process.

The injured motorcyclist was taken to the Fort Wellington Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Meanwhile, the Jeep was being driven by a 68-yearold man of Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara.

The driver is currently assisting with the investigations and remains in custody.

020 was expected to be a year of celebration for the University of the West Indies St Augustine.

It was the year the campus commemorated its 60th anniversary of operation.

As has been the case for many since the COVID-19, any such celebration was greatly muffled in comparison to what may have been previously arranged.

Sharon Christopher, chair of the Campus Council for the St Augustine campus in its annual said, “Under normal circumstances, this report would be a golden (actually diamond) opportunity to look back at the 60-year history of this campus, to bask in its achievements and to peer tentatively into some hazy future. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has delivered that far-flung future to our doorstep with warp speed—the ultimate in overnight delivery! And as the events of the past year have proven to the world, time is a luxury none of us should take for granted.”

The pandemic forced the campus to do some financial pivoting, with a significant amount of give and take as a result.

According to the St Augustine campus’ annual report total funding for the financial year ended July 2020 stood at TT$1,026.9 million.

The report noted this figure reflected a decrease

of TT$13.5 million or 1.3 per cent below the previous year.

The report said that while government subventions stayed basically flat for the past four years at TT$535.6 million, the university listed three items which they were monitoring going forward for their impact on funding, these are Tuition Fees, Special Projects and Commercial Operations.

The report stated, “Tuition and other student fees showed a 2.5 per cent decline when compared to the year ended July 31, 2019. Population demographics shows a declining number for students in the age cohort to enter university. This trend is expected to continue for the next five years.”

But the St Augustine campus noted that based on the economic environment brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, “even more has to be done to maximise efficiency.”

In this case it meant that some cuts had to be made.

To achieve this the report noted several strate-

gies to reduce costs were adopted. They included Freezing unfilled positions; Staff reductions due to attrition; Service contracts to part-time teaching staff reduced from one year to nine months; Renegotiating service agreement contracts with vendors to reflect a 15 per cent reduction in cost; Reorganisation of workflow to reduce overtime Impact; 15 per cent reduction in costs over time.

The report also noted that the Campus Grants Committee Budget was decreased by $100M over the past four years.

In spite of this, funding for operations, which is being increasingly paid for from the self-financing efforts of Campus, UWI still recorded a deficit of TT$30.5 million for the year ended July 2020.

The report said, “The surplus recorded before provisions for depreciation, employee benefit obligations was TT$81.7 million, however operations are not generating sufficient funding to replace its plant, as reflected in the charge for depreciation, or fund the growing pension liability,

as evidenced in the charge for employee benefit obligations, hence the deficit recorded for the year.”

The pandemic essentially crippled student and as a result commercial activity at the campus. This translated to bad news for properties owned, operated and tied to student activity on or around campus as that ultimately led to jobs being cut.

“The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic hampered the operations of University Inn and Conference Centre managed by the St. Augustine Campus Enterprises Co. Ltd. (SACEL). In April 2020 the SACEL Board took the decision to close the operations of the Inn and Conference Centre and retrench the affected staff,” the report said.

Other Commercial Operations tied to the Bookshop, Central Stores, Multi-media Centre and Student Halls of Residence and the rental of commercial spaces on Campus also took a hit.

The report noted that “Revenue of TT$24.3 million represents a 26.8 per cent decline over the previous year with the immediate closure of the Campus and its halls of residence on the onset of the pandemic.”

With the pandemic still massively affecting the campus, the university is expecting a similar decline for 2021. (Excerpted from T&T Guardian)

NEWS

17

MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

“It’s terrifying”: Merkel shaken as flood deaths rise to 188 in Europe

A satellite view shows the city of Liers affected by floods caused by heavy rainfall, Germany, July 18, 2021

G

erman Chancellor Angela Merkel described the flooding that has devastated parts of Europe as “terrifying” on Sunday after the death toll across the region rose to 188 and a district of Bavaria was battered by the extreme weather.

Merkel promised swift financial aid after visiting one of the areas worst affected by the record rainfall and floods that have killed at least 157 in Germany alone in recent days, in the country’s worst natural disaster in almost six decades.

She also said govern-

ments would have to get better and faster in their efforts to tackle the impact of climate change only days after Europe outlined a package of steps towards “net zero” emissions by the middle of the century.

“It is terrifying,” she told residents of the small town of Adenau in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. “The German language can barely describe the devastation that’s taken place.” As efforts continued to track down missing people, the devastation continued on Sunday when a district of Bavaria, southern Germany, was hit

A person wades through water during a flood in Guelle, Netherlands

by flash floods that killed at least one person.

Roads were turned into rivers, some vehicles were swept away and swathes of land buried under thick mud in Berchtesgadener Land.

Hundreds of rescue workers were searching for survivors in the district, which borders Austria.

“We were not prepared for this,” said Berchtesgadener Land district administra-

South Africa looting: Clean-up to mark Nelson Mandela Day

A

s South Africans mark Nelson Mandela Day, the president has urged people to honour the legacy of the anti-apartheid hero by helping to rebuild the country after days of riots that left 212 dead.

“The one positive thing I can say is that this incident has united us as never before,” Cyril Ramaphosa said.

People have been posting photos of themselves distributing food to areas most affected by the unrest.

The violence was sparked by the jailing of ex-President Jacob Zuma.

He handed himself in to police on 7 July to serve a 15-month sentence for contempt of court.

The 79-year-old was found guilty for failing to appear before an inquiry to answer questions about corruption during his presidency.

On Monday, Mr Zuma is due to attend - via video link - another corruption trial in relation to a $5bn (£3bn) arms deal from the 1990s.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and his lawyers are now calling for a postponement because of the violence.

Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first democratical-

tor Bernhard Kern, adding that the situation had deteriorated “drastically” late on Saturday, leaving little time for emergency services to act.

About 110 people have been killed in the worst-hit Ahrweiler district south of Cologne. More bodies are expected to be found there as the flood waters recede, police say. The European floods, which began on Wednesday, have mainly hit the German states of Rhineland Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia as well as parts of Belgium. Entire communities have been cut off, without power or communications.

In North RhineWestphalia at least 46 people have died. The death toll in Belgium climbed to 31 on Sunday.

Aid up, power down

The scale of the floods mean they could shake up Germany’s general election in September next year.

Volunteers have been organising clean-up operations in KwaZuluNatal and Gauteng provinces

ly elected president, died at the age of 95 in 2013, when Zuma was president.

Each year on what would be Mandela’s birthday - 18 July - people are urged to spend 67 minutes helping others, to mark his 67 years of public service.

Mr Ramaphosa has spent the day in Gauteng province touring Soweto, South Africa’s largest township and once home to Mr Mandela.

He has been taking part in the clean-up after mayhem which saw thousands of people ransacking malls.

Small businesses, warehouses, factories, clinics and schools in the two provinces of Kwazulu-Natal and Gauteng were also targeted - a level of violence unprecedented in post-apartheid South Africa.

Debris was strewn all over the streets and some

communities have had to travel long distances to buy basics.

In Durban, the main city of KwaZulu-Natal, the authorities are also investigating a chemical spill possibly linked to a warehouse fire after dead fish were spotting washing ashore.

The unrest has now largely subsided and the deployment of 25,000 soldiers is expected to be completed by the end of the weekend.

Mr Ramaphosa, who says the violence was orchestrated, has faced criticism for acting too late.

Amid the chaos people armed themselves and formed defence units to protect their property.

But during his tour of Soweto, the president said he was impressed by South Africans’ resilience - reflecting Mr Mandela’s spirit.

(BBC)

Fast-flowing floodwater runs through the streets amid heavy rainfall in Bad Schandau, Saxon Switzerland, Saxony, Germany, July 17, 2021

North Rhine-Westphalia state premier Armin Laschet, the CDU party’s candidate to replace Merkel, apologised for laughing in the background while German President FrankWalter Steinmeier spoke to media after visiting the devastated town of Erftstadt.

The German government will be readying more than 300 million euros ($354 million) in immediate relief and billions of euros to fix collapsed houses, streets and bridges, Finance Minister Olaf Scholz told weekly newspaper Bild am Sonntag.

“There is huge damage and that much is clear: those who lost their businesses, their houses, cannot stem the losses alone.”

There could also be a 10,000 euro short-term payment for businesses affected by the impact of the floods as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier told the pa-

per.

Scientists, who have long said that climate change will lead to heavier downpours, said it would still take several weeks to determine its role in these relentless rainfalls.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said the link with climate change was clear.

In Belgium, which will hold a national day of mourning on Tuesday, 163 people are still missing or unreachable. The crisis centre said water levels were falling and a huge clean-up operation was underway. The military was sent in to the eastern town of Pepinster, where a dozen buildings have collapsed, to search for any further victims.

About 37,0000 households were without electricity and Belgian authorities said the supply of clean drinking water was also a major concern. (Reuters)

Daughter of Afghan envoy kidnapped and injured in Pakistan

T

he daughter of Afghanistan’s ambassador to Pakistan was briefly kidnapped and injured by unknown assailants, officials say.

Silsila Alikhil was seized on her way home in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Friday and held for several hours.

Afghanistan’s foreign ministry said she was “severely tortured”. Later it said senior diplomats including the ambassador had been recalled.

Relations between the two neighbours have long been strained.

Pakistani officials said Silsila Alikhil, who is in her 20s, was assaulted by assailants who got into a car she was travelling in and beat her up.

After her release she

was treated in hospital.

Condemning the “inhuman attack”, the ambassador, Najib Alikhil, said his daughter “feels better now” .

On Saturday the Afghan foreign ministry expressed its “deep concern” and said it was lodging a complaint over the incident.

In another statement on Sunday it said it was recalling the ambassador and other senior diplomats “until all the security threats are removed”.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said Prime Minister Imran Khan wanted the culprits caught rapidly.

In recent weeks, ties between the two countries have been deteriorating amid rising violence in Afghanistan.

The Afghan government accuses Pakistan of providing safe haven for Taliban militants waging an insurgency across the country.

Taliban militants have made advances across the country, seizing a series of border posts from Afghan forces.

The Taliban have moved swiftly as the US steps up the withdrawal of its forces from the country ahead of an 11 September deadline set by President Joe Biden.

Other allied countries, including the UK, have withdrawn nearly all military forces ahead of Mr Biden’s deadline.

Pakistan, for its part, accuses Afghanistan of allowing militants to launch attacks from its soil. (BBC)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021

Regional

Brazil’s Bolsonaro leaves hospital, PM issues warning after Trinidad reopens borders says will be working today

B

razilian President Jair Bolsonaro has left the São Paulo hospital where he was being treated for an intestinal blockage since last week, saying he would be back at his desk today and was looking forward to eating barbecued ribs.

The far-right leader was admitted on Wednesday to the Vila Nova Star hospital because of abdominal pain and several days of constant hiccups.

He has said the problem relates to a 2018 stabbing he suffered on the presidential campaign trail. Since then, Bolsonaro has undergone six operations, five of which were on his digestive system.

On Saturday, the Vila Nova Star had said the President was being put on a diet of soups and purees and could be discharged in the coming days.

“I’ll be back in the presi-

dency tomorrow,” Bolsonaro told reporters as he left the hospital on Sunday.

“I had to undergo a diet, I did what had to be done …

I wanted to leave from day one, but they didn’t let me. I hope in 10 days I’ll be eating barbecued ribs, eating anything,” he said.

“It seems that my stomach was on fire. The cause was an intestinal obstruction, which is common in those like me that have undergone surgery, after the stabbing.”

There had been fears Bolsonaro, 66, might need surgery to clear the obstruction, although that was quickly ruled out.

The hospital said in a statement that Bolsonaro will remain under observation from an assisting medical team as an outpatient.

His medical team also advised him to go on a diet, but Bolsonaro said he may not comply.

T

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro speaks to the media as he leaves Vila Nova Star hospital, where he was treated due to an obstructed intestine, in São Paulo, Brazil on Sunday, July 18 [Amanda Perobelli/ Reuters]

“I’ll try to follow, but I’m not an example to anyone when it comes to diet,” he said. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

rinidad and Tobago Saturday reopened its borders after a 16-month closure due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, with authorities reiterating that stringent measures and fines would be applied to people seeking to beat the system put in place to curb the spread of the virus.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, speaking at the weekly news conference, said that he had received reports that on the very first flight to have arrived here, some passengers were seeking to beat the system.

“This is a huge step we are taking, but we are taking it knowing that we are still under threat, but we are also operating with significant cautions and you were told before what are the conditions for entry.

“Unfortunately, I can tell you that in the first shipment of people into the country, the very first one, we had an instance of people not wanting to cooperate with restrictions.

I want to make it clear again that we are not giving any passes to people who believe that they are smarter than the rest of us,” Dr Rowley

“So happy to have him with me,” says mom of Honduran toddler who was found alone in Mexico

UK reaffirms backing for Guaidó as Venezuelan President ahead of US$1B gold case

T

he British Government reiterated today that it recognised Opposition figure Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s President, a move aimed at quashing a bid by the Nicolás Maduro-backed Venezuelan central bank to repatriate nearly US$1 billion of its gold stored in London.

Legal teams representing Maduro and Guaidó will be at the UK Supreme Court today in the latest stage of a long-running tug-of-war over what amounts to about 15 per cent of Venezuela’s foreign currency reserves.

Lawyers representing the central bank say selling the gold would fund the response

to the coronavirus pandemic and bolster a health system gutted by more than six years of economic crisis.

The Bank of England, whose vaults house the gold, has refused to release it, however, after the British Government in early 2019 joined dozens of others countries in backing Guaidó on the basis that Maduro’s presidential election victory the previous year was rigged.

“The UK Government is clear that Juan Guaidó has been recognised by Her Majesty’s Government since February 2019 as the only legitimate President of Venezuela,” the British

Foreign Office said in a statement, having been invited by the Supreme Court to clarify its position ahead of today’s case.

“He (Guaidó) is the only individual recognised to have the authority to act on behalf of Venezuela as its Head of State,” a Foreign Office spokesperson added, saying the South American country needed “a peaceful transition to democracy”.

The dispute over the gold began in May 2018 when Maduro secured re-election in a vote that the main Opposition coalition boycotted and called a sham. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Martine Moise returns to Haiti

Wearing a bulletproof vest, Martine Moïse arrived by plane 10 days after surviving the attack (Reuters)

T

he widow of Haiti’s assassinated President returned to the Caribbean nation after being treated in Florida for wounds suffered in the attack.

Martine Moïse was seen wearing an arm sling and a bulletproof vest after ar-

riving by plane at Port-auPrince airport on Saturday.

Her husband Jovenel Moïse was killed by assassins in their home on July 7.

She was injured in the attack, and was flown to a hospital in Miami, Florida for treatment. In a tweet, a Haitian official said Martine

returned to the country to prepare for her husband’s funeral next week.

Flanked by security agents, she was pictured being greeted by Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph and other officials on the tarmac.

Martine has made few comments since the attack, for which Police have blamed a group of foreign mercenaries, most of them Colombians.

From her hospital bed, she recorded an audio message in which she described the moment assassins “riddled” her husband with bullets after bursting into their home in the middle of the night. She said the attack happened so quickly that her husband was unable to “say a single word”. Earlier this week, she tweeted: “This pain will never pass.”

(Excerpt from Nation News)

said.

He told reporters he would not elaborate on the incident on the first flight that had arrived from Guyana, “because it might become a legal matter for some individuals”.

“There are some people who believe all of us are stupid. We have regulations and rules and we are going to enforce them rigorously to protect the population of Trinidad and Tobago,” Dr Rowley said, adding that decisions made for the protection of the population “are not open for second guessing by others”. (Excerpt from Nation News)

Doris Audeli Leon embraces her nephew Wilder, who was found alone in June near a cargo truck that carried dozens of migrants making their way through Veracruz state to the US border

W

ilder, the two-year-old Honduran boy found abandoned and half-naked on a secluded Mexican highway near a truck carrying migrants, was welcomed home with cake and fireworks by relatives in the poor rural town of Cabañas in western Honduras.

The toddler made international headlines when

Mexican security agents found him crying alone in southern Mexico in June near the cargo truck that contained dozens of people trying to make their way to the US border.

The boy, who is in good condition, was flown on Friday to the northern Honduran city of San Pedro Sula where he was reunited with his mother after nearly 20 days in the custo-

dy of Mexican authorities.

“Never again will I let my child go. I’m so happy to have him with me,” Lorena Garcia, 23, told Reuters by phone. “Eating beans and corn, we’ll get by,” said Garcia, a farmer, who lives in a modest home with dirt floors.

Grandparents, uncles and cousins greeted the boy on Saturday with fireworks and a sign reading: “Welcome back Wilder.”

Garcia said her husband, Noel Ladino, left with Wilder in a bid to migrate to the United States with a human smuggler. It was unclear why the father and son became separated before the boy was found by Mexican authorities.

Elated to have her son back in her arms, Garcia lamented not being able to reunite as well with her husband, who she said is detained in Mexico. “I hope he comes back to help us too,” Garcia said. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Jamaica: Golding mum on potential challenge

P

eople’s National Party President Mark Golding is keeping quiet, publicly, about the situation that has left the 83-year-old party struggling to fend off further criticism about its quest to achieve unity, following the resignation of its four Vice Presidents and its Chairman on Friday.

Golding, who was elected President of the party last November, after he defeated Lisa Hanna for the organisation’s most senior position, told the Jamaica Observer on Saturday that he has opted not to comment on the

situation that has again unsettled Jamaica’s oldest relevant political party.

“I think it best that I refrain from making a comment at this time,” Golding said in a message sent via WhatsApp to the Sunday Observer.

The lawyer and businessman by profession also scoffed at a suggestion by the Sunday Observer that there could be a potential challenge to his position as leader of the Opposition. Asked to comment on whether or not he was aware of a plot to replace him as Opposition leader, Golding responded:

“Not aware of any such plot.”

But all day Saturday, social media buffs argued that a group of PNP Members of Parliament (MPs) were contemplating writing to Governor General Patrick Allen to inform him that they, by majority, wished to usher in MP for St Andrew South Eastern, and former Party General Secretary, Julian Robinson as the new Leader of the Opposition.

The Sunday Observer understands that Robinson has dismissed the possibility of anything like that happening. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021

19

Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS OPEC+ agrees oil supply boost after UAE, Saudi reach compromise

O

PEC+ Ministers agreed on Sunday to boost oil supply from August to cool prices which have climbed to 2-1/2 year highs as the global economy recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.

The group, which includes OPEC countries and allies like Russia, crucially agreed new production allocations from May 2022 after Saudi Arabia and others agreed to a request from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that had threatened the plan.

"We are happy with the deal," UAE's Energy Minister Suhail bin Mohammed al-Mazroui told a news conference.

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman declined to answer questions on how the compromise was reached.

OPEC+ last year cut production by a record 10 million barrels per day (bpd) amid a pandemic-induced slump in demand and collapsing prices. It has gradually reinstated some supply to leave it with a reduction of about 5.8 million bpd.

From August until December 2021 the group will increase supply by a further 2 million bpd or 0.4 million bpd a month, OPEC said in a statement. It aims to fully phase out cuts by around September 2022.

The group had agreed to extend their overall pact until the end of 2022 from an earlier planned date of April 2022, to leave more room for manoeuvre in case global recovery stalls due to new virus variants.

Whilst both Riyadh and the UAE had been supportive of an immediate output boost, the UAE had objected to the Saudi idea to extend the pact to December 2022 without getting a higher production quota.

To overcome the disagreement, OPEC+ agreed new output quotas for several members from May 2022, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Kuwait and Iraq.

The UAE will see its baseline production, from which cuts are being calculated, increase to 3.5 million bpd from May 2022 from today's 3.168 million.

Saudi and Russia will see their baselines rise to 11.5 million bpd each from the current 11 million. Iraq and Kuwait will see their baselines rise by 150,000 bpd each.

Prince Abdulaziz said Nigeria and Algeria could also see their baselines revised.

He said OPEC+ would adjust its policy if and when Iranian oil returned to the market if the country reached a deal with world powers over its nuclear programme.

Iran is estimated to be able to add some 1.5 million bpd to global supply once the deal is reached and Western sanctions are lifted. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Landslides kill several in India’s Mumbai after monsoon rains A

t least 20 people have been killed in landslides and a wall collapse as monsoon rains continue to pour down on Mumbai, India’s most populous city.

At least fourteen people were killed in the coastal Mahul area when a landslide caused a wall to collapse on several homes, India’s National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said on Sunday as rescuers were continuing to search the rubble.

Meanwhile, at least six people were killed when landslides collapsed homes in the northeast suburb of Vikhroli.

Mumbai and its surrounding suburbs, home

Rescuers perform search operation after a wall collapsed on several houses amid heavy monsoon rains in the Mahul area of Mumbai

to some 20 million people, have been pounded by monsoon rains since Saturday.

The Indian Meteorological Department said early on

Sunday that “moderate to heavy rain or thunder showers” were forecast for the next two days.

Authorities have report-

ed 11 incidents of houses or walls collapsing in the Mumbai area, officials told Reuters news agency.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that he was “saddened by the loss of lives” while promising financial compensation for the victims’ families.

Deadly building collapses are common, particularly in dense areas of poorly constructed homes, during the seasonal rains in Mumbai.

In June, 12 people were killed in a building collapse in Mumbai’s Malad suburb.

In September, 39 people died when a three-storey apartment block collapsed in Bhiwandi near Mumbai.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Kenya fuel tanker explosion kills 13 in Siaya County

A

t least 13 people have died after a petrol tanker overturned and caught fire in western Kenya on Sunday night.

The crash reportedly happened as the driver tried to avoid a head on collision with another lorry on the busy road between Kisumu and Busia.

People rushed to the scene with jerrycans to siphon off the fuel from the overturned tanker when it exploded.

Around 11 people, including children, are in hospital in a critical condition after suffering severe burns.

It took two hours for firefighters to reach the scene, near the town of Malanga in Siaya County - about

315km (195 miles) northwest of the capital, Nairobi.

"We could not get a fire engine from Siaya County since it is in Nairobi," local Police Chief Moreso Chacha said.

Fire crews came from a neighbouring county to help, he said.

A lorry carrying milk was travelling from Busia, near the Ugandan border, to Kisumu when it collided with the petrol tanker going in the opposite direction, the police commander explained.

Road accidents are not unusual in the East Africa

nation, where lorries and other vehicles often speed along single carriage highways - some unlit at night, says the BBC's Mercy Juma in Nairobi.

About 3000 people die in road collisions in Kenya each year. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Palestinians condemn “raiding” of Al-Aqsa by Israeli forces

North Korea warns young people against using slang from the South

No South Korean hairstyles wanted here, said Kim Jong-un

N

orth Korean state media has urged its young people against using slang from South Korea and told them to speak North Korea's

standard language.

There were also fresh warnings in North Korea's official newspaper against adopting the fashions, hairstyles and music of South Korea.

It is part of a sweeping new law which seeks to stamp out any kind of foreign influence, with harsh penalties.

Those found in breach of the law can face jail or even execution.

Rodong Sinmun newspaper warned millennials of the dangers of following South Korean pop culture.

"The ideological and cultural penetration under the colourful coloured signboard of the bourgeoisie is even more dangerous than enemies who are taking guns," the article read.

It stressed that Korean based on the Pyongyang dialect is superior, and that

young people should use it correctly.

The North has recently sought to stamp out South Korean slang, for example a woman calling her husband "oppa" - which means "older brother" but is often used to refer to a boyfriend.

Foreign influence is seen as a threat to North Korea's communist regime, and its Supreme Leader, Kim Jong-un's grip on power.

He recently labelled K-pop a "vicious cancer" that corrupts the youth of North Korea, according to the New York Times.

Anyone caught with large amounts of media from South Korea, the United States or Japan now faces the death penalty. Those caught watching it face prison camp for 15 years. (Excerpt from BBC News)

The incident took place two days ahead of Eid al-Adha celebrated by Muslims, and on the eve of their annual Hajj pilgrimage [Reuters]

P

alestinians have condemned the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Sunday by Israeli Police, which then launched tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets at worshippers at Islam’s third holiest site in occupied East Jerusalem, according to Palestinian media.

Israeli Police forcefully evacuated Muslim worshippers to clear the way for the Jewish visitors in one of the most sensitive venues in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, said Palestinian officials.

The Palestinian Authority (PA), which governs parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, in a statement said

it held “the Israeli occupation government fully responsible for the escalation resulting from the Israeli incursion in the Al-Aqsa mosque complex in occupied Jerusalem”.

The PA called the Jewish visits provocative and a “serious threat to “security and stability”.

But the Israeli Police said that in the early hours of the morning Palestinian “youths began throwing stones at the Temple Mount esplanade towards Police forces, who dispersed them”.

Israeli Police monitor and regulate Jewish visits to the compound, which houses AlAqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock shrine – Islam’s

holiest site after Mecca and Medina.

The site of the AlAqsa Mosque is known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary, while Jews refer to the place of worship as the Temple Mount.

The incident took place two days ahead of Eid al-Adha celebrated by Muslims, and on the eve of their annual Hajj pilgrimage.

Hamas, the group that governs the Gaza Strip, called on the Palestinians to make their way to Jerusalem, and to remain in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound until Eid al-Adha prayers. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

20

MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021

guyanatimesgy.com

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS

DILBERT

(April 20May 20)

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

PEANUTS

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

CALVIN AND HOBBES

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SUDOKU

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

When in doubt, you are better off slowing down and focusing inward. Selfimprovement will far exceed trying to change the impossible. Talk less and do more.

Get involved in the conversation and make a difference.

Your broad overview of a situation will help others see the potential in something that will turn a negative into a positive.

Move things around at home to suit your needs. If you have a great space in which to work out or engage in something you want to pursue, it will up your enthusiasm and lead to exciting things.

It's up to you to make decisions that give you the freedom to explore what excites you. Changes that offer knowledge, experience and exhilaration will encourage a lifelong adventure.

Emotional mistakes will leave you in an awkward position. Choose your words wisely, and refrain from taking physical action. Pace yourself and avoid situations that pose a health risk.

Pay attention to the people around you and gravitate toward those who share your concerns. You will excel if you work with a group that allows you to get more done and truly make a difference.

Keep your emotions out of any deal you are negotiating.

Sentiment will end up costing you dearly. Take a positive approach and concentrate on what's doable. Personal improvement is favored.

Taking financial, physical or personal risks will backfire. Taking a route that ensures your safety and doesn't lead to emotional wear and tear will be your best bet. Keep life simple.

Secrets are best not reSAGITTARIUS vealed. If someone is nosy, (Nov. 23tighten up security. Look for Dec. 21) opportunities that include a learning curve; it will help you negotiate your way into a better position.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19) SATURDAY'S WORD -- COUNSEL

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

Work to make a difference, but don't fund your plans with personal assets. Look for contributions, and you will find a way to get what you need. A beneficial domestic improvement is apparent.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

Don't feel you must give more than you receive. Aim for equality, and you will avoid regret. Discipline and hard work will pay off, but they are not likely to be appreciated by someone who feels neglected.

PISCES

Take the unusual path, and you will discover a talent you didn't know you possessed. An opportunity will emerge if you do your research and invest in yourself and your attributes.

(Feb. 20March 20)

MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021

21

Dhawan, Kishan, Shaw lead Sri Lanka rout after Kuldeep, Chahal shine P

rithvi Shaw played gloriously through the offside, debutant Ishan Kishan lit up the stadium with a thumping fifty on his birthday, and Shikhar Dhawan saw the chase through from start to finish, as India's second string served Sri Lanka a walloping first up.

Chasing the hosts' halfdecent (but far from daunting) 262 for 9, India galloped home with 80 balls and seven wickets remaining. Long passages in their innings were more a celebration of their batting depth and fearlessness than a serious contest; Sri Lanka's bowlers were unable to contain them no matter which field or angle of attack they employed.

Sri Lanka's batters, in contrast, had been constricted by the spin of Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, and Krunal Pandya, who took hold of the middle overs and struck frequently to prevent any partnerships from prospering for long. Chahal and Kuldeep took two wickets apiece – their early strikes instrumental in reducing Sri Lanka to 89 for 3, before Krunal's miserly left-arm spin kept the run rate in check.

Sri Lanka's batters occasionally found the boundary through this period, but were largely unable to keep the runs flowing in between the big shots – a reflection of their own limitations, as well as the quality of the bowling. Six batters got themselves past 20, but only Chamika Karunaratne breached 40, with his late explosion. As a team, they played out 159 dot balls.

Although Kishan would hit a half-century and Dhawan topscored with 86 not out off 95, it was Shaw's innings that was the most manic of the evening, setting the tone for India's thundering victory. He punched

Dushmantha Chameera through the offside twice in the first over with sublime timing to get India moving rapidly, then hit majestic boundaries off Isuru Udana at the other end. He hit three successive fours in the arc between point and cover in the fourth over, each one seemingly more glorious than the last.

When Shaw got out for 43 off 24, Kishan ensured India's scoring rate – which was over 10 at the time – would not slow down. Facing his first ball in One-Day International (ODI) cricket, he ran down the track at Dhananjaya de Silva and launched him over his head for six, then creamed the next ball through cover point for four. In de Silva's next over, he pummelled three successive boundaries. Later in his innings, after the powerplay had ended, Charith Asalanka's offspin would be punished as well. It was with a one-bounce four off Asalanka that Kishan reached his fifty, off the 33rd ball he faced. He would eventually be out for 59 off 42, edging Lakshan Sandakan behind.

Dhawan's innings was stately in comparison. When India reached 50 in the fifth over, he was on seven. When they went past 100 in the 13th over, he was on 16. In fact, Dhawan hit only one boundary off his first 57 balls, choosing instead to turn the strike over, and look for safe runs into the outfield. It was only in the company of Manish Pandey, who made a sedate start relatively speaking, that Dhawan took it upon himself to begin looking for boundaries.

When he hit the winning run in the 37th over, he had six fours and a six to his name.

Earlier, Sri Lanka had made a decent start, getting to 49 for no loss after nine overs, before Avishka Fernando spooned Chahal's very first ball to short

cover, and Sri Lanka's problems began.

Batters m a d e confident starts, but rotated the strike poorly, a n d w e re o u t looking f o r boundaries on what they knew was a good pitch to bat, and on which they would need a score of close to 300 to seriously challenge India.

After Chahal provided the initial breakthrough, Yadav claimed the next two wickets – debutant Bhanuka Rajapaksa edging him high into the infield as he attempted to slog against the turn, before Minod Bhanuka, who had compiled a patient 27, edged to slip. Krunal's only wicket was an important one – that of de Silva, who holed out to long-off.

Partly because of their frequent loss of wickets, Sri Lanka were poorly placed for the slog overs. They lost two wickets in quick succession as they approached the 40th over, and would soon lose Dasun Shanaka as well, after he made 39 off 50 in his first innings as Captain. His dismissal would leave them 205 for 7 in the 44th over.

No 8 Karunaratne, though, worked himself gradually into the innings alongside Udana, with whom he shared a boundary-less 17-run stand, before exploding in the company of No 10 Chameera, in the last two overs. Chameera struck a four and six off successive Hardik Pandya deliveries in

the penultimate over, before Karunaratne hit two sixes – including a helicopter shot over deep midwicket – and a four off Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the

50th. Sri Lanka reaped 32 runs off the last 12 balls. Once India got going, that final fillip seemed a lot less impressive. (ESPN cricinfo)

SCOREBOARD SRI LANKA INNINGS (50 OVERS MAXIMUM) Avishka Fernando c Pandey b Chahal 33 Minod Bhanuka †c Shaw b Kuldeep Yadav 27 Bhanuka Rajapaksa c Dhawan b Kuldeep Yadav 24 Dhananjaya de Silva c Kumar b KH Pandya 14 Charith Asalanka c †Ishan Kishan b Chahar 38 Dasun Shanaka (c) c HH Pandya b Chahal 39 Wanindu Hasaranga c Dhawan b Chahar 8 Chamika Karunaratne not out 43 Isuru Udana c Chahar b HH Pandya 8 Dushmantha Chameera run out (Kumar) 13

INDIA INNINGS (TARGET: 263 RUNS FROM 50 OVERS) Prithvi Shaw c Fernando b DM de Silva 43 Shikhar Dhawan (c)not out 86 Ishan Kishan †c † Bhanuka b Sandakan 59 Manish Pandey c Shanaka b DM de Silva 26 Suryakumar Yadav not out 31

Extras (lb 2, nb 1, w 12) 15 TOTAL (50 Ov, RR: 5.24) 262/9 Did not bat: Lakshan Sandakan

BOWLING O-M-R-W Dushmantha Chameera 7-0-42-0 Isuru Udana 2-0-27-0 Dhananjaya de Silva 5-0-49-2 Lakshan Sandakan 8.4-0-53-1 Charith Asalanka 3-0-26-0 Wanindu Hasaranga 9-1-45-0 Chamika Karunaratne 2-0-16-0

Fall of wickets: 1-49 (Avishka Fernando, 9.1 ov), 2-85 (Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 16.1 ov), 3-89 (Minod Bhanuka, 16.4 ov), 4-117 (Dhananjaya de Silva, 24.4 ov), 5-166 (Charith Asalanka, 37.2 ov), 6-186 (Wanindu Hasaranga, 39.3 ov), 7-205 (Dasun Shanaka, 43.5 ov), 8-222 (Isuru Udana, 46.5 ov), 9-262 (Dushmantha Chameera, 49.6 ov)

Extras (lb 5, nb 1, w 12) 18 TOTAL (36.4 Ov, RR: 7.17) 263/3 Did not bat: Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal Fall of wickets: 1-58 (Prithvi Shaw, 5.3 ov), 2-143 (Ishan Kishan, 17.5 ov), 3-215 (Manish Pandey, 30.4 ov)

BOWLING O-M-R-W Bhuvneshwar Kumar 9-0-63-0 Deepak Chahar 7-1-37-2 Hardik Pandya 5-0-34-1 Yuzvendra Chahal 10-0-52-2 Kuldeep Yadav 9-1-48-2 Krunal Pandya 10-1-26-1

1st competitors in athletes' village infected with COVID-19

T

okyo Olympics organisers on Sunday reported the first COVID-19 cases among competitors residing in the athletes' village, as its population swells ahead of the start of the pandemic-hit Games next week.

Two athletes from the same country and competing in the same sport staying in the village in the Harumi waterfront district tested positive for the virus, organisers said without providing further details.

Organisers on Sunday reported 10 new cases connected to the Olympics, including a third athlete who was not staying in the village, down from 15 new cases a day earlier.

South Africa also reported three positive cases in its soccer squad –- two players and an analyst. It was not immediately clear if those cases were identified as part of the same testing programme.

An International Olympic Committee member from South Korea tested positive for the coronavirus on landing in Tokyo. Ryu Seung-min, a former Olympic athlete, is vaccinated, reflecting the infection risk even from vaccinated attendees.

The new infections are testing the layered testing regime designed to ensure COVID cases are quickly caught and isolated.

Proponents argue that the growing number of cases underscores

the strength of the testing system.

Infection rates are climbing among Tokyo's general population, topping 1000 new cases for five consecutive days. Polls show many Japanese oppose holding the Games with the influx of overseas visitors it entails.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is betting his political fortunes

on successfully pulling off the Games while suppressing rising COVID cases.

Public support for his Cabinet has slid to 35.9 per cent, a Kyodo poll showed on Sunday, the lowest since he took power last September. Just 29.4 per cent think the fourth state of emergency, which began last Monday, is effective, according to the poll.

The rainy season ended in Tokyo on Friday, bringing blue skies and intense heat. The burden on participants has been increased by virus countermeasures like masking.

"While we have been dealing with COVID matters, we haven't taken our focus off the heat," said David Hughes, chief medical officer at the Australian Olympic Committee.

Officials point to heat countermeasures including the distribution of drinks and salt tablets and the use of misting towers and cooling vests.

The delayed Olympics was intended to showcase a modern, diverse Japan at a time of rising regional rivalries, but the pandemic has left the country hosting a pared-down event.

Athletes continue to question the compromises organisers have made, with Maya Yoshida, Captain of Japan's soccer team, calling for the decision to hold the Games behind closed doors to be reconsidered. (Reuters)

22

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021

Windies Women take series against Pakistan Women 3-2 despite losing final game … Matthews named Player of the Series

A

n all-round performance from 19-year-old Fatima Sana helped the Pakistan national women’s team record their second consecutive win as they defeated the hosts by 22 runs (DLS method) in the fifth and final One-Day International (ODI) at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, St John’s, Antigua on Sunday.

With the West Indies Women winning the first three matches, the Stafanie Taylorled side won the series 3-2.

Chasing 194 for the win, West Indies were bowled out for 171 on the last ball of the match. Sana, a right-arm fast bowler, took five for 39 in seven overs earning herself her second consecutive Player of the Match award.

She accounted for wellsettled Deandra Dottin (37 off 47) and Britney Cooper (40 off 53) in her first spell, before getting Rashada Williams (five off five); Chinelle Henry (14 off 15) and Anisa Mohammed (0 off two) in her last over of the match.

Sana, who is the recipient of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Women’s Emerging Cricketer of the Year 2020 award, ended up taking 11 wickets in the five-match ODI series. Her four for 30 in the previous ODI not only helped her side to a four-wicket win over the hosts, but had also earned her the Player of the Match award.

Her five-wicket haul was the best figures for Pakistan’s bowlers in ODIs in almost eight years after Sadia Yousuf took five for 35 against Ireland in Dublin in 2013.

Earlier, it was a sparkling 19-ball 28 not out by Sana that helped Pakistan post 190 for eight in 34 overs after West Indies Captain Taylor elected to bowl after winning the toss.

The target was revised to 194 as Pakistan lost two overs in between their innings owing to a rain interruption after the match was curtailed to 36 overs per innings as the start of the match was delayed by two hours and 40 minutes because of early-morning

showers.

Sana smashed four fours that helped Pakistan plunder 40 off the last five overs.

From the 30th over onwards, Sana smashed a boundary every over and finished the proceedings with a crunching boundary.

Wicketkeeper-batter Muneeba Ali scored 39 off 59 at the top of the order, hitting five fours, as she stitched a 41-run opening stand with Sidra Amin (13 off 35).

Omaima Sohail, coming into the match with two successive half-centuries, pushed the opposition bowlers on the backfoot after they had picked up two wickets – Amin and Javeria Khan – in the span of five runs and added 49 runs with Ali. Sohail fell 16 runs short of what could have been her third ODI half-century on trot, but not before adding 34 more runs with Kainat Imtiaz, who made 21 off 24. Sohail, the right-handed middleorder batter, scored a 37ball 34, which included three

Group holds no terrors for Windies, assures Pollard

C

aptain Kieron Pollard says a confident West Indies are unfazed by the prospect of facing world number one England, along with powerhouses Australia and South Africa, in the preliminary Super 12s round of October's Twenty20 World Cup. The Caribbean side, who are reigning champions following their conquest in the last showpiece five years ago, were Friday announced in a difficult Group 1 of the October 17 to November 14 tournament in United Arab Emirates (UAE) and neighbouring country Oman.

Group 1 will also comprise the winners of Group A and the second-place finishers in Group B, of the preceding T20 World Cup qualifiers.

“For us, it doesn't matter what group we're in, we still have to come up against all teams,” Pollard said.

“If you want to be the champions, you've got to play all the teams and you've got to win. It's just a matter of continuing to improve as a team.”

West Indies, ranked eighth in the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 rankings, have endured mixed results in the shortest format this year.

They beat Sri Lanka 2-1 in a three-match series in March before suffering a 3-2 defeat in a five-match series against the Proteas earlier this month.

They bounced back strongly to demolish Australia — minus several leading players — 4-1 in another five-match series, which wrapped up in St Lucia at the Daren Sammy National Stadium Friday night with a 16run victory.

West Indies beat England in the final of the last T20 World Cup in India, but have lost three of their four games against

them since.

Pollard, who missed the Australia series through injury, said while West Indies were now familiar with the Aussies and South Africa, having just clashed with both, the focus would be on executing their own game regardless of the opponent.

“The good thing about it is we've just played two of the opponents so we may have a fair idea about Australia and South Africa, but we'll see what happens,” he explained.

“For us, what is very, very important is that we play cricket as a team and we understand our game, and we understand who is going to do what, where and how, and when we go to the World Cup, have a clear understanding of what is needed.”

Group 2 of the T20 World Cup will comprise India, Pakistan, New Zealand, and Afghanistan, along with two qualifiers.

Sri Lanka, the 2014 champions, are part of the eight-team qualifying tournament.

Following their recent defeat to South Africa, West Indies entered the Australia series as underdogs, but dominated from the outset, to storm to an unassailable 3-0 lead.

And Pollard, who was replaced by Vice Captain Nicholas Pooran at the helm, said the series success was a clear signal of progress for the regional unit.

“I'm very, very pleased. It's fantastic how the guys went out.

Nicholas getting this opportunity to lead West Indies at age 25 [in] a group of senior guys,”

Pollard said.

“And the way that he went out and led, helped by the senior guys, was absolutely fantastic.

“It was a joy to watch how the fellas played throughout the entire series and you can't feel any better than how we're feeling right now.”

West Indies face Pakistan in their third straight five-match T20I series starting later this month in Barbados and ending in Guyana. (CMC)

CLASSIFIED ADS FOR SALE

fours.

Ayesha Naseem, the 16-year-old Abbottabad-born batter, smashed the only six of the innings in her 14ball 16 down the order. She was dismissed off Shabika Gajnabi, who returned the

best figures for the innings with two for 26. Henry and Mohammed were the other two bowlers to finish with two wickets in their columns, while Shamila Connel and Hayley Matthews picked up a wicket each. (PCB)

SCOREBOARD PAKISTAN WOMEN INNINGS (34 OVERS MAXIMUM) Muneeba Ali † st †Williams b Mohammed 39 Sidra Ameen b Gajnabi 13 Javeria Khan (c) c Mohammed b Matthews 1 Omaima Sohail c †Williams b Connell 34 Kainat Imtiaz c Cooper b Henry 21 Nida Dar c Kyshona A Knight b Henry 7 Ayesha Naseem c Cooper b Gajnabi 16 Fatima Sana not out 28 Diana Baig c Henry b Mohammed 2 Nashra Sandhu not out 0 Extras (b 4, lb 5, w 20) 29 TOTAL (34 Ov, RR: 5.58) 190/8 Did not bat: Anam Amin Fall of wickets: 1-41 (Sidra Ameen, 10.2 ov), 2-46 (Javeria Khan, 11.4 ov), 3-95 (Muneeba Ali, 21.1 ov), 4-129 (Kainat Imtiaz, 26.3 ov), 5-140 (Omaima Sohail, 27.5 ov), 6-150 (Nida Dar, 28.5 ov), 7-178 (Ayesha Naseem, 32.4 ov), 8-186 (Diana Baig, 33.5 ov) BOWLING Shamilia Connell Chinelle Henry Shabika Gajnabi Hayley Matthews Stafanie Taylor Anisa Mohammed

O-M-R-W 6-0-30-1 7-0-37-2 6-0-26-2 6-1-31-1 3-0-18-0 6-0-39-2

WEST INDIES WOMEN INNINGS (TARGET: 194 RUNS FROM 34 OVERS) Hayley Matthews run out (Diana Baig/†Muneeba Ali) 2 Deandra Dottin b Fatima Sana 37 Britney Cooper c †Muneeba Ali b Fatima Sana 40 Stafanie Taylor (c) lbw b Diana Baig 21 Kyshona Knight c †Muneeba Ali b Nashra Sandhu 28 Chedean Nation st †Muneeba Ali b Nida Dar 6 Chinelle Henry b Fatima Sana 14 Rashada Williams †c Diana Baig b Fatima Sana 5 Shabika Gajnabi not out 1 Anisa Mohammed c Anam Amin b Fatima Sana 0 Shamilia Connell b Diana Baig 5 Extras (b 1, lb 2, w 9) 12 TOTAL (34 Ov, RR: 5.02) 171 Fall of wickets: 1-13 (Hayley Matthews, 3.6 ov), 2-61 (Deandra Dottin, 14.4 ov), 3-93 (Britney Cooper, 20.4 ov), 4-120 (Stafanie Taylor, 24.5 ov), 5-132 (Chedean Nation, 27.3 ov), 6-152 (Kyshona Knight, 30.4 ov), 7-165 (Rashada Williams, 32.2 ov), 8-165 (Chinelle Henry, 32.3 ov), 9-165 (Anisa Mohammed, 32.5 ov), 10-171 (Shamilia Connell, 33.6 ov) BOWLING Anam Amin Diana Baig Nida Dar Fatima Sana Nashra Sandhu

Mix Breed Puppies for Sale. Contact: Tel- 253-3114/692-0126.

Klin Dry Barada Lumber. Size: 4” x 6” x 6’. Perfect for House Doors, Cupboard Doors, Spindles, House Jacks or General Construction. Price: $260 BM. Call: 652-5601.

Building 60 x 30 unfinished Concrete Structure (Water and Lighting available) 4 Apartments – to be completed at bottom flatLand size 40 x 90 (Already filled), Septic tank and trestle completed. 2-minute drive from new Highway Grove Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara. One corner away from Police Station.

Price: $24 mil. (negotiable) For more information call: 673-9231/ 6168049/ 216-4063

SERVICE Looking to start your own business but don’t know how? Cerulean has helped over 100 entrepreneurs begin a path towards financial freedom. Let Cerulean Inc guide you through the uncertainty of startup and set you on the path to financial freedom.

Register for training before 1 August 2021 and get a 15% discount. Call now at 226 4650 or 615 7185.

TAXI SERVICE Elegant Cabs. 231-1494 / 2264277, Cell #: 625-6600. 24 hrs.

WANTED 1 Security Guard wanted.

Tel# 223-6156

For PenPal Purposes. Male seeking Female for relationship. Age: 19 – 30 years old. 644-9410 WhatsApp only.

O-M-R-W 7-1-30-0 7-0-32-2 7-0-31-1 7-0-39-5 6-0-36-1

British Grand Prix: Hamilton overcomes crash and time penalty to claim famous win

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

L

ewis Hamilton fought back from a 10-second penalty for a crash with title rival Max Verstappen to pass Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and claim a dramatic British Grand Prix victory.

Hamilton was blamed for a collision with Verstappen's Red Bull at Copse corner on the first lap of the race, which led to the Dutchman crashing out.

Verstappen, 23, was taken to hospital for precautionary tests after the accident while Hamilton set about trying to win the race.

The Grand Prix was stopped after the incident with Leclerc in the lead from Hamilton and the Ferrari driver held that position until two laps from the end, when the Mercedes driver passed him, ironically, at the same corner at which he had crashed with Verstappen.

The controversial win, in front of a crowd of 140,0000, was Hamilton's eighth in the British Grand Prix and cuts Verstappen's championship lead to eight points after a race that will go down in the annals of F1 history.

"It's overwhelming. It was such a physically difficult race, great weather," said Hamilton.

"It is tough, but I have been giving it my all this week. Just trying to discover performance in this car with the guys. I'm just proud of everyone, even though we've had a deficit [to Red Bull]."

Of his crash with Verstappen, he added: "I just try and stay measured in my approach – particularly with Max, he's very aggressive. And then today, I was fully alongside him and he didn't give me the space, so...

"But regardless of whether I agree with the penalty, I take it on the chin and I just kept working. I wasn't going to let anything get in the way." (BBC Sport)

2237230-1

(Ext 55)

NOW!

MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

23

Target locked, “Eye of the Tiger”, Campbell aiming for elusive gold at CAC 2021 Is your current body your best? What do you believe you have to work on as the CAC approaches and what do you want to say to your fans?

It’s hard to say at the moment as I think the 2016 and 2018 packages were comparable. I think I speak for not just me, but everyone on the team when I say, we are not going hoping for wins.

We expect wins on show day. We are going for gold medals.

Campbell is a CAC silver and bronze medallist (Dominican Republic and Mexico); four-

Emmerson Campbell

By Timothy Jaikarran

E

mmerson Campbell will be taking to the stage as he represents the Golden Arrowhead at the upcoming Central America and Caribbean Championships (CAC) 2021, which will be hosted in San Salvador, El Salvador, August 11-16, 2021.

In Campbell's last outing at the CAC in 2019, he shockingly failed to place within the top six contenders in his category. A ‘minor technicality’ was identified as the reason, and Campbell vowed to return “bigger and better". But then like a thief in the night, the COVID-19 pandemic

struck and the competition was shelved. However, with vaccination drives and the situation looking much better Campbell is ready for action and has his eye on the prize. His nosurrender, no-retreat mentality has seen him push beyond his limits and to date produce one of his best packages as he is only weeks away from hitting the stage in El Salvador.

In a sit-down with Guyana Times Sport, Campbell was asked a series of questions on his preparation and what he believes must be done as the time draws near.

Former Guyana First-Class Captain Daesrat organise softball tournament

D

assie and Friends are set to run off a one-day 10-10 knockout softball extravaganza at Keele Top, Toronto, Canada on Saturday in memory of former Cricket Canada team manager Johnny Bujun.

According to Damodar Daesrat, an ex-Canada international player and former Guyana First-Class Captain, the day promises to be exciting with a large number of high-profile softball players from around the Greater Toronto area expected to be part of the action.

Only the first 10 teams are allowed for the round-hand games. The event is fixed to bowl off at 09:30h and the entrance fee is just CDN$300. The winning team will pocket CDN$4000 while there are other cash prizes and trophies up for grabs.

Daesrat, a former all-rounder, stated that they wanted to remember Bujun for his service to cricket (hardball) in Toronto and by extension, Canada. Bujun also helped direct cricket in Canada for a lengthy period and made several international tours with the men’s senior team. He died in 2016 in a vehicular accident in his native Trinidad and Tobago.

He was also a co-owner of Masters Cricket Club, formerly known as Brampton Cricket Club that participated in the annual Toronto District Cricket Association tournaments over the last two decades. A large number of Guyanese cricketers have represented the club over the years as well.

Daesrat said that they would inaugurate this softball competition for Bujun and all COVID-19 measures will be put in place for both players and fans. He thanked all of the sponsors for their continued support for softball cricket in Ontario and particularly this one-day event. Some of the former Guyanese cricketers expected to grace the occasion are: Daesrat, Royston Crandon, Dillon Heyliger, Hemnarine and Harrinarine Chattergoon, Rovendra Mandolall, Farouk Hussain, Troy Gobin, Zaheer Haniff, Devon Ramnauth, and Azib Alli Hanif.

Campbell will be going for gold at the CAC 2021

How do you feel preparing for the CAC?

I feel great. I’m blessed to be in this position to represent the flag again and things are very much on stream. My body is ready to go.

How would you say your preparation is coming?

My training, nutrition, cardio and rest have all exceeded expectations. I’m way ahead of schedule at four weeks out.

How is your preparation coming as compared to 2019?

For me the last time I simply didn’t bring the best package to the stage and the line-up was super competitive. You have to be on your A game to be on the

Campbell after a workout

CAC podium, since the best of the best compete there. So, I think this time around things will be different as my size and conditioning is way better than 2019.

How has the pandemic impacted your preparation?

Like everyone on this planet, the pandemic has impacted me and, therefore, my preparation, but gyms have been opened long enough time to get in stage shape.

I’d say the pandemic probably was a blessing in disguise since it gave my body a year off to rest and recover without the grind of preparing for shows. Since 2014 I’ve been preparing for three to four shows a year. So I guess the rest was good to recharge and refocus.

Campbell going beast mode in the gym

How confident are you?

I’m super confident. As a two-time medallist at the event, I know what to expect. And from what I see in the mirror and the feedback I’ve gotten from trained eyes, I’m super confident of snaring the elusive gold.

time Mr Guyana Men’s Physique Champion; three-time Stage of Champions Men’s Physique Champion; and Darcy Beckles silver medallist (Barbados).

He is also a Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) and National Sports Commission (NSC) Sports Journalist of the Year, a certified personal trainer and nutritionist.

Metro Office Supplies and RHTY&SC renew female cricket sponsorship for 13th successive year

T

he Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC), MS, is the only cricket club in Guyana to have a full-time female cricket team. The team were established in 2008 after club management decided to invest in female cricket as part of a visionary cricket developmental programme. Since the formation of the team, the club has benefited from the support of Metro Office Supplies and Computer Supplies.

On Wednesday last, the company and Guyana’s leading youth and sports organisation renewed their sponsorship deal for the 13th consecutive occasion. Regional Manager of Metro Berbice Branch, Danny Ramnarine handed over the sponsorship cheque to R H T Y & S C Executive M e m b e r and cricketer J o n a t h a n Rampersaud.

The cheque represented sponsorship for the period June 2021 to May 2022 as the stationery giant continues its unwavering support of the team.

Club Secretary/

The RHT Metro team

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Hilbert Foster stated that the RHTY&SC cherished its relationship with the company, which, over the years, has stood by the side of the club in good and bad times. He recalled that when the club decided to establish a female cricket section in 2008, it was mocked by many administrators of other clubs as a wasted investment. The Club Secretary/CEO further noted that in the earlier days, it was very difficult to attract females as many parents were reluctant to send their daughters to play a maledominated sport.

Despite the many challenges, the club and Metro stood firm in their belief that females should be given an opportunity to showcase

their God-given talents. Today, the Metro Female team have won one national championship and over 12 Berbice championships. The team have also produced dozens of players for Berbice, Guyana and the West Indies.

They include Shemaine Campbelle, Erva Giddings, Sheneta Grimmond, Shabika Gajnabai, Plaffina Millington, Meliane Henry, Dian Prahalad, Marian Samaroo, Oma Matadin, Nikita Toney, Trishana Cort, Sherica Campbelle, Roshana Lynch, and Deborah Vanderstoop. Campbelle, Giddings, Grimmond and Gajnabi have all represented the West Indies on the international stage.

Campbelle is the only Guyanese to score an international century, and has also served as Vice Captain.

Gajnabi is currently serving as the Vice Captain of the West Indies A team.

Campbelle is the Guyana Senior female Captain while Gajnabi is the only Guyanese female captain to win a regional junior tournament.

Foster expressed thanks to the management of the company for their support, especially CEO Avie Lindee, and pledged that the team would continue to uphold their high standard.

Ramnarine, in brief remarks, stated that his company was very pleased to be associated with the RHTY&SC. He noted that the team had, over the years, kept his company’s flag flying high and had made a positive differences in the lives of many via their numerous community projects.

MONDAY, JULY 19, 2021

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

Office Supplies and Target Metro RHTY&SC renew female locked, cricket sponsorship for 13th successive year “Eye of the Tiger”, Campbell aiming for elusive gold at CAC 2021 Page 23

Page 23

Page 22

Former Guyana First-Class Windies Women take series Captain Daesrat against Pakistan Women 3-2 organise softball despite losing final game tournament … Matthews named Player of the Series Page 23

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.