Guyana Times - Saturday, June 19, 2021

GCCI donates $1M in flood relief to CDC P12

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

Issue No. 4683

THE BEACON OF TRUTH SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2021

Ramsammy to Harmon: No fake vaccines entered Guyana – 61,000 persons fully vaccinated with Sputnik V See story on page 3

PRICE

$80 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE:

2 months P11 later: Family awaits justice for fashion designer murdered in T&T

– as GAWU, FITUG bash Harmon for reckless, irresponsible statements

Guyana braces for tropical waves, continuous rainfall till August See story on page 14

– 104 new cases recorded in 24h

Former Finance Manager now IPED CEO P12

…Regions 7 & 8 to experience mudslides

Granger: APNU/AFC Coalition “still strong” with Sharma’s, Sarabo-Halley’s “new parties”

…will provide the “good life” in Opposition

CANU seizes boat at Mahaicony with 5.6kg ganja

Page 10

COVID death P13 toll now stands at 442 with 1 more fatality

Several P14 villages in Linden under water after pond collapses See story on page 7

17-year-old girl allegedly gang-raped, 1 in custody

Page 8

P10 Sophia resident busted

by CANU with ganja in shopping bag

Police Finance Officer granted bail on fraud charges P11

2

SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

NEWS

3

SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

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

Saturday, June 19 – 01:00h – 02:30h and 12:00h – 13:30h and Sunday, June 20 – 01:30h – 03:00h and 13:00h – 14:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Saturday, June 19 – 10:55h – 12:25h and Sunday, June 20 – 12:10h – 13:40h.

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

WEATHER TODAY There will be sunshine during the day. There will be clear skies at night. Temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 32 degrees Celsius.

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

High Tide: 11:44h reaching a maximum height of 2.37 metres.

Low Tide: 17:34h reaching a minimum height of 0.82 metre.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2021

LOTTERY NUMBERS D

09 20 23 24 25 27

FREE TICKET

01 Bonus Ball

FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 2021

DAILY MILLIONS

05 17 18 20 22 LUCKY 3

7

0

5

5

Afternoon Draw

8

6

Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

01 02 05 06 11 14 16 SUPER

PAY DAY

PAY DAY THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 2021

03 04 08 13 14 13

04 12 13 14 21

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

$73.51/barrel

+0.58

Rough Rice

$226.67 /ton

+2.97

London Sugar

$423.40/ton

-0.38

Live Spot Gold

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1763.80

$1765.10

Low/High Change

$1761.20 0.00

$1798.60 0.00%

Ramsammy to Harmon: No fake vaccines entered Guyana – 61,000 persons fully vaccinated with Sputnik V – as GAWU, FITUG bash Harmon for reckless, irresponsible statements

I

n light of Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon questioning the authenticity and efficacy of the Sputnik V vaccine being administered in Guyana, Health Advisor Dr Leslie Ramsammy has disclosed that none of the approximately 61,000 persons who are fully vaccinated with the Russian-made jab have contracted the deadly virus.

During a press conference on Thursday, Harmon called for the administering of the Sputnik V vaccine to be suspended based on an article in a Norwegian tabloid newspaper that raised questions on how the vaccines were acquired.

However, the Government including President Dr Irfaan Ali has reassured Guyanese that the Sputnik V jabs that are being administered in Guyana are authentic since the batch number corresponds with the manufacturer’s data.

But even as Government rejects Harmon’s demand to suspend the use of the Sputnik V vaccine, Health Advisor Dr Leslie Ramsammy on Friday called out the Opposition Leader over his hypocrisy after he admitted to being fully inoculated with the very vaccine, which he requested.

He also revealed that several other Members of Parliament from the APNU/ AFC coalition as well as his own family members took the Russian-made jab, which some of them specifically requested.

According to Ramsammy in a statement, of the more than 227,000 Guyanese who have received their first dose, over 150,000 of them have taken the Sputnik V vaccine with about 61,000 persons being fully vaccinated.

He added too, that while a handful of persons who took the first dose alone have tested positive for COVID-19 – having been infected prior to being vaccinated – not a single person with both doses of the vaccine has contracted the life-threatening virus.

No fake vaccine

Ramsammy further pointed out that all of Guyana’s COVID-19 vaccines have been registered and approved for use here by the Guyana Food and Drug Department, which often depends on Stringent Regulatory Authorities (SRAs), such as the USFDA and the European Medicine Authority. In the absence of approval by an SRA, the Department has also relied on the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Additionally, he said that there are two other mechanisms used to grant approval – one from CARPHA-CRS,

Health Advisor Dr Leslie Ramsammy

which also uses a number of other reference regulatory authorities including the Brazilian Medicine Regulator (AVISA) and the Argentine Regulator. The final mechanism is an independent assessment by the Food and Drug Department itself.

“All the vaccines in use in Guyana have been approved through one or more of the above mechanisms.

Every batch of vaccines that are presently used is accompanied by supporting documents, identifying the country of origin, the batch (serial) number, the manufacturer and information about the product. All vials have a bar code that permits tracking directly to factory. No fake COVID-19 vaccine has ever entered Guyana,” the Health Advisor stated.

He further outlined that the Department as well as the Guyana Revenue

Authority (GRA) have ensured that all COVID-19 vaccines come from legitimate sources. He further stated that the Health Ministry receives documentation and ensures that the proper import licenses are issued prior to shipment.

“Mr Harmon’s assertion that the Sputnik vaccines are fake vaccines is reckless, absolutely reckless. It is an insult to the hardworking professionals at the Ministry of Health who are responsible for the safe and smooth operation of the vaccine programme, the Food and Drug Department, and those from the Guyana Revenue Authority (the Customs Branch),” the Health Advisor contended.

Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon

tle and pack Sputnik vaccines. Mexico has bought 34 million doses of Sputnik vaccines. Argentina is also manufacturing Sputnik vaccines,” Dr Ramsammy stated.

Efficacy of Sputnik V

Further, Dr Ramsammy, who served as Health Minister in the previous PPP/C Government, also highlighted that not only has no fake Sputnik vaccine been found in Guyana, none have been used anywhere. “[Harmon’s] assertion about Mexico is another fake story he is trying to gain traction with. There are fake medicines in the world.

There might be efforts in Mexico and other countries to get fake vaccines sold. But Mexico did not fall for the trick. Mexico has signed a contract with Russia to bot-

In fact, the Health Advisor reiterated that South Korea, Brazil, India and China are also manufacturing Sputnik V vaccines, which scientists have shown are safe and effective with a 97.6 per cent efficacy. Italy will start manufacturing Sputnik vaccines in July.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

4

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, JUNE 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

Commercialisation of fatherhood F

ather’s Day in Guyana was adopted from the commemorative day that was founded in Washington in the United States by Sonora Smart Dodd as a tribute to her single dad. Father’s Day was celebrated on the third Sunday of June for the first time in 1910.

Businesses recognise that celebrants of this day would want to make the day special for the paternal figures in their lives with gifts, gourmet foods and special beverages, so in weeks prior to the celebratory day, they usually stock up various commodities in anticipation of the volume of projected sales. Ironically, it is the traditional family wage-earner whose money is most often used to buy his own gifts. However, many sensible, enterprising mothers, recognising the significance of the celebratory day, encourage their children to create their gifts for their fathers, because those have more value than store-bought ones. Sentimental fathers often display these hand-crafted gifts in prominent places in the home.

The role fathers play in their children’s lives is incalculable in the character –building and personality-formation of young minds. Fathers who are derelict in their responsibilities towards their children lose golden bonding opportunities with future adults who could become their best and most loving companions.

The legendary love and trust between girls and their fathers and boys and their mothers, and between children and their parents as a family unit, have no parallels in human relations, except in many instances between grandchildren and grandparents.

However, single parenthood precipitates many ills in families and societies. Fractured families are most often caused by delinquent fathers who shirk their responsibilities to their families in selfish pursuits; but there can also be other contributory factors, such as job-related instances or health reasons – or even death - that consequence a woman to bear the burdens (and joys) of parenting children alone.

Worldwide, single mothers are forced to assume the roles of both parents. One of the greatest challenges of single mothers who lack spousal support is safe care for their children.

There are many instances of role reversal, where single men are sole parental caregivers for their children. Forwardthinking employers are providing subsidised childcare facilities in the recognition that man hours are lost because of this problem faced by many parents. Staffed with professionals, which often includes a nurse, parents are assured of the safety and well-being of their children.

Delinquent fathers often breed delinquent children. Lack of a male role model and an authority figure in their lives - which only a caring, responsible father can provide – has been irrefutably proven by statistics to often cause children to fall prey to societal predators, even criminals.

One official has said that he considers non-payment of child support a form of child abuse. Custodial and support problems that arise from divorce can also cause irreversible emotional and psychological harm to children, especially when fathers walk away from their children to start new families.

There is a societal backlash against the flight of men from the bonds of family life, in that young girls who are seeking an equivalent father figure often fall victims to paedophiles, with related problems such as school drop-outs, child pregnancies, abusive relations, etcetera, with a recurrent nightmarish continuum of self-destructive behaviour.

Similarly, boys who grow up in fatherless homes are often lured into anti-social, even criminal, behaviours.

Men have been engaged in a massive migration away from their children for centuries. Statistics worldwide indicate that divorce rates are nearly tripling, and out-of-wedlock birth rates more than quadrupling since 1960. Demographers say the typical male spends a smaller portion of his adult life living with his children than ever before.

“There’s a growing realisation that the increase in fatherlessness constitutes a clear and present danger, not only to the children, but to the long-term health and success of our society,” said David Blankenhorn, President of the Institute for American Values, a New York-based organisation concerned with family issues.

Fathers who shower their families with love and care, and bring up and nurture their children into mature adults who are confident of their individual human worth, are rare treasures in the demographics of families and societies, because their worth is incalculable; and every day they should be celebrated, with Father’s Day merely providing a platform for expressions of appreciation for excellence in paternal parenting.

US Ambassador to Guyana Sarah-Ann Lynch along with local journalists and officials of Exercise Tradewinds 2021 at the Cheddi Jagan Airport on Friday. Tradewinds 2021 is a US Southern Command-sponsored Caribbean security-focused exercise in the ground, air, sea, and cyber domains, working with partner nations to conduct joint, combined, and interagency training focused on increasing regional cooperation and stability

Like Dr Jagan, CLR James also accused the WPA of betraying Dr Walter Rodney Dear Editor, In August of 2005, I covered the Walter Rodney 25th Death Commemorative Event, held at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, New York, for the Guyana Under Siege website.

At that event, a simply message was delivered by the daughter of the assassinated historian, Ms. Kamini Rodney, which was that an “Inquiry [was] long overdue” regarding her father’s untimely demise.

That an inquiry was completed abruptly and its findings denied to the public by the former PNCR-led Administration (including the WPA) shows how very nervous some are regarding Guyanese becoming informed as to what really happened to Dr. Rodney, including roles played by members of his own party.

There is a push-back and envy. The WPA applauded the new Government for measures to be taken to resurrect the legacy of Dr. Rodney, but complained that the PPP once accused the WPA of handing the historian’s head on a “platter” to Forbes Burnham. The biblical “platter” statement is credited to Dr. Cheddi Jagan, speaking at Grove, East Bank Demerara.

Why was Dr. Jagan singled out? For the record, at least one other iconic Caribbean figure had accused the WPA of delivering Dr. Rodney to Burnham.

Unless one is mistaken, not long after the assassination,

one of the Caribbean’s most celebrated intellectuals, Trinidad’s CLR James, who was a mentor to Dr Rodney, told an audience in England that he had warned the WPA to protect Dr. Rodney, as Burnham would try to kill him.

Even if this is fiction, Mr James, who had interviewed Leon Trotsky before that Russian revolutionary himself was assassinated while exiled in Mexico, gave a lecture in California in 1981 (see “Walter Rodney and the Question of Power”), at which time, in similarly harsh language, he faulted the WPA for betraying Dr. Rodney.

He also disclosed that he had actually told Dr Rodney, “Beware of assassination, because Burnham will kill you. You are someone who could represent the people against him.”

In California, he described the WPA as being unprepared to challenge Burnham because Dr Rodney did not study the art of taking of power (and did not train the WPA in it), which was not dependent on a knowledge of Marxism, but upon knowing that “there is someone waiting to destroy you.”

Accordingly, “That is why Walter found himself in a car with a member of Burnham’s army, making some arrangement about some gadget that turned out to be an explosive. He should never have been there. No political leader had any right to be there.

Not only should he have

never been there, the people around him should have seen to it that he was not in any such position. That was a fundamental mistake, and it was a political mistake.”

This subject of betrayal, or treachery, is perhaps more relevant now, since an inquiry has been done.

Earlier this week, Mr. Anil Nandlall, SC, for example, stated on a television show (Issues in the News) that after the PPP had introduced a motion for a Commission of Inquiry (circa 2005), former President Bharrat Jagdeo was “informed by the WPA that the Rodney family is no longer interested in the commission of inquiry. That turned out to be a blatant misrepresentation and flagrant lie. The Rodney family never said so.”

After the idea of an inquiry was revived under the next PPP President, Mr. Nandlall noted that the wife of Dr. Rodney, Dr. Patricia Rodney, “instructed specifically that the WPA must not come close to this inquiry,” including the drafting of its terms of reference.

The public would recall that a story had surfaced in which it was alleged by Dr Rupert Roopnaraine that the WPA under Dr Rodney was stockpiling arms from the GDF to fight Burnham. In other words, the assassination by an illegal regime was justified. If I recalled correctly, Mr Eusi Kwayana later modified that to say that it was merely one senior leader’s opinion, and not a party position.

What is important is the Rodney Family’s clear break with the WPA, which is to sever the historian from the current party. The Rodney Family, as sole legitimate custodians of the Rodney legacy, no longer invite, apparently, WPA officials to their events (e.g., “Walter Rodney Speaker” series).

Also, history will show that the family have summoned an elected Government to, religion aside, render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s — and this has irked the profiteers who have monopolised the Walter Rodney name for years.

Having exhausted that road as far as it stretched, they have sought refuge among the assassins themselves, enjoying a right to free assembly. But there is no longer easy access to the historian’s name, to sell as a commodity on television or the internet, which may explain the attempt to now barter his skin colour in a new round of resistance, this time to the elected Irfaan Ali Government.

The public will take note, however, that by approaching the Ali Administration, the Rodney Family have openly acknowledged its legitimacy. Indeed, it is a robust rebuke of those who have sinister reasons for singling out Dr. Jagan, but not CLR James, for uttering the same betrayal condemnation.

Sincerely, Rakesh Rampertab

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2021

5

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

self-preservation Justice is finally served Harmon’s is above all other issues

Dear Editor, Justice has finally been served on Wednesday in the High Court in Demerara.

Abishai Caesar from Tuschen has been convicted of murdering Jennifer Persaud and her two sons from Anna Catherina, and has been sentenced to death

by Justice Sandhil Kissoon.

Murderers have been on a rampage in Guyana, taking innocent lives, having no regard or respect for the value of a human life, and they have continued recklessly, carelessly and mercilessly.

The crime situation is certainly out of hand, and the Police are at their wits’ end in this battle. Aiding and abetting this escalation have been the sentences of a proverbial slap on the wrist for many heinous crimes committed.

There have been numerous calls from various sources for the death penalty to be implemented in order to curb the crime situation. After a long time, finally answering the call, one such positive initiative emerged from the brave Justice Kissoon, using the tool that has always been readily available but was reluctantly overlooked.

The honourable Judge addressed the court before reading the convict the riot act and exclaiming, “This crime committed by Abishai Caesar is a despicable unparalleled act of cold- blooded ruthless savagery, where an entire family was meticulously and methodically brutally executed by Caesar while these three persons were in the security of their home.”

The Judge certainly did not mince words, and his description is befitting of the other murderers still in the streets, or safely behind bars after having unfortunately escaped similar punishment. The learned Judge then told Caesar, “You have treated life and death as meaningless. It is only right, it is only proper, and it is only just in view of your horrific crimes, having regard to the exceptional and specific circumstances, that you be sentenced to death.”

Again, his choice of words justified his action.

The father and grandfather of the victims said, “I’m happy with the verdict; justice has been served. My daughter and grandsons can finally rest in peace.” This conclusion airs the opinion of society, and reflects an answer to a call that has been echoed perpetually, to help dissuade so many tragedies occurring in Guyana.

The only regret is that this laudable pronouncement came nine years late because of the slow justice process in Guyana. The last execution took place in August 1997, when Michael Archer and Peter Adams were hanged for murder. It must be noted that the law makes provision for this verdict. Inclusive are: death penalty for terrorist acts, murder, treason, armed rob-

bery, piracy, drug trafficking, and terrorist offences resulting in death.

While the Guyana Constitution states that the death penalty is not mandatory punishment, many provisions of the criminal code suggest that the death penalty may be mandatory for these crimes, as no alternative to the sentence of death is found under any law (2004 Annual Report – Amnesty International).

There has been an outcry for Parliament to institutionalise the death penalty as mandatory, because of the callous crime situation in Guyana. Tough times call for tough measures, and the innocent citizens of the state need protection. The Crime Prevention Unit is inadequately armed to deal with this situation, and it needs to be strengthened by employing more tactical, technical, and modern measures.

It needs the support of all the law enforcement agencies, the courts, the Government, the politicians, Parliament, people, private and public entities, the labour unions, and all social organisations.

Justice delayed is justice denied. Currently, there are dozens of convicts sitting on death row, pending hypocritical bureaucracy and all the painstaking red tape.

Currently, there is a Court of Appeal hearing challenging the death penalty imposed on four murderers, three of whom were members of the GDF. For the past week, this disdainful and despicable behaviour from ruthless and demonical individuals continued. Last Tuesday, a miner was stabbed to death.

On Sunday morning at 1am, a man was shot at a party in Plaisance Squatting Area, ECD. Over the weekend, a neighbour was chopped after a drunken brawl at Tasawani Village in Region 1. At 3:00h last Saturday, a farmer was stabbed by a drunken relative at Cotton Field, Essequibo Coast. On the

roads, criminal negligence continues with traffic fatalities. One woman was killed in a minibus accident in the hinterland. 3 people met their death in an accident last Monday at 4:30h at Fort Wellington, WCB. The driver was speeding in a torrential downpour. In the street, the menace dominates scenes, pouncing on innocent bystanders. On Wednesday, a 17-year-old girl was robbed at gunpoint at Diamond, EBD. Last Tuesday, four people were arrested for an attempted robbery on a businessman, thanks to the quick work of the Police Force. Last Saturday, a salesman was arrested along with 2 accomplices for staging a robbery around Stabroek Market.

Crime is certainly one of the key areas which the Government needs to pay special attention to, in order to safeguard the people of this nation. Visitors need to feel safe and protected. People need to walk the streets freely. Citizens need to sleep soundly. Society must be guaranteed security from all criminal elements, and this disease needs to be eradicated as quickly as possible.

No excuse should be accepted for this rogue element to survive. The enemies of society must be dealt with severely and expeditiously, with the maximum penalty being applied in every case.

Guyana needs to rid itself of this cancerous disease.

Justice Sandhil Kissoon must be applauded for his decision to send a message that the crime situation is intolerable, and the court will not hesitate to use the death penalty when applicable. Hopefully, the rest of the bench will sit up and take notice, and follow suite.

Guyanese need a break. It’s time for a change, and this approach is most welcome.

Respectfully, Jai Lall

Dear Editor, Harmon’s anti-vaccine posture is really anti-nation. This man seems ruthless, and his recent utterances confirm his integrity, or lack thereof, as a person who heads the Opposition A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition.

Let me categorically state that his outbursts remain scientifically and medically unsubstantiated, and as regards questioning the credibility of the operation of the Government, again, there is no evidence that he can bring to the discussion.

It is common knowledge, gleaned from the World Health Organization and even from personal talks with medical professionals, that vaccination has been shown to contribute to reducing deaths and severe illness from COVID-19, and to reduce the transmission of COVID-19. Vaccinating as many people as possible and reducing the spread of disease remains important.

I add that, in the United States of America, citizens know that vaccines to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are perhaps the best hope for ending the pandemic. And there is no discrimination against any particular vaccine. In fact, on the issue of the Sputnik, in use here in Guyana, I point Harmon to a February BBC release.

The details of that release show that Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine gives around 92% protection against COVID-19.

The article explains that “It (the Sputnik vaccine) has also been deemed to be safe, offering complete protection against hospitalisation and death. That is why it has joined the ranks of proven vaccines alongside Pfizer, Oxford/AstraZeneca, Moderna and Janssen.

Harmon’s claim about fake vaccines Dear Editor, It comes as no surprise that the Leader of the Opposition, Joseph Harmon, would disseminate fake news regarding the vaccines in an attempt to deceive the Guyanese populace and score cheap political points at the expense of the lives of those over whom he has influence.

This sort of deceit has been the modus operandi of the coalition ever since they came into being. Recently, Harmon published a graphic on his Facebook page in which he is quoted as saying that “a batch of 200,000 fake Sputnik V vaccines was discovered in Mexico”. He also mentioned this in one of his recent press conferences, wherein he sought to disparage the COVID-19 vaccination exercise.

However, a simple Google search to factcheck the information clearly debunked Harmon’s assertions. In fact, on March 18, 2021, Reuters reported that only 5,775 doses of the Sputnik V vaccines Harmon referenced were discovered to be fake, as against the 200,000 he asserted.

The Reuters article also pointed out that the discovery of 5,775 doses was made in

Mexico, while the doses were en route to Honduras, and had no connection to the authentic vaccines sent to Mexico from Russia.

In addition, the reality is that the Russian Government agency the Russian Direct Investment Fund, which has a direct interest in vaccine integrity, reported the discovery of the fake vaccines in Mexico. But despite such evidence on the matter being easily accessible online, Harmon has continued to spread the lies across social media for quite some time. Though he made other posts doubling down on some of the other misinformation, he merely omitted this specific lie, instead of pointing out its inaccuracy.

The fact that Harmon silently wiped his social media of the false claim without updating Guyanese on the truth shows how irresponsible he is as a leader, and it reaffirms my initial position that his intention was to deceive the Guyanese populace.

Harmon has, time after time, shown that he and his cohorts cannot be trusted.

Respectfully, Erin Northe

Talk about a baseless pronouncement from a scientific perspective, and fictitious in its claims regarding sourcing and authenticity and we have Harmon in a nutshell.

Readers, I want to show the contrasting nature of Mr Harmon against that of President Irfaan Ali. So, off to Harmon now.

This Opposition Head has always been at the forefront of some of the most insalubrious situations in Guyana. He led the APNU+AFC’s claim that the Coalition won the March 02, 2020 Guyana Elections, even stating that they possessed the Statements of Poll (SoPs) to prove victory. Harmon and his cronies then tried to stop the Recount of the votes right after the APNU+AFC had brokered the same (in their efforts to steal the election by not using the SoPs). This also did not materialise, and the strategy went towards ‘inventing/conjuring up elections anomalies’ that the court frowned upon.

Shameless indeed!

Let me add the September 2020 case, when the badly-mutilated bodies of 16-year-old Isaiah Henry and 19-year-old Joel Henry of West Coast Berbice (WCB) were discovered almost one day after they went missing. Harmon incited racial retaliation by blaming the People’s Progressive Party/Civic for this still unsolved crime. He is on record as calling the protest that ensued mainly because of his racist rhetoric “a struggle against oppression, a struggle against a fraudulent government.” He went on to state that “too many black youths are vanishing in the same way that cousins Isaiah and Joel Henry were killed and mutilated.”

What lies! Preposterous!

Dangerous! Riotous!

So, Harmon’s rantings regarding COVID-19 vaccines are consistent with his soiled core being. His questioning the authenticity of the Sputnik V vaccines and calling for them to be put on hold give another glimpse of his dirty side. He is disingenuous and is characterised by dissimulation. He cannot refute the validity and efficacy of the vaccines obtained, so he tries to discredit the process by which the vaccines were procured,

naively using that to seek to cast doubt on the efficacy of the vaccines.

I point to his basic need for self-preservation in that he and all his colleagues in leadership have taken the very vaccines. Indeed, the man is willing and ready to use his supporters as collateral in his quest to score political points.

Now to President Dr. Irfaan Ali, who is the very opposite of Harmon. As expected, and rightly so, President Dr Irfaan Ali deemed the outburst by Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon in relation to the Sputnik V vaccines as “shamefully reckless, selfish, and against the interest of Guyana and Guyanese.”

As the President noted, coming from Harmon, “This level of irresponsibility, this level of selfishness, is beyond anything that a leader or someone who has prided himself with the values of leadership can demonstrate.”

We all know that the President and his Administration have been working extra hard “… to ensure that the population reach herd immunity.” For him and his team, when it comes to the nation’s well-being, nothing would be a barrier, as “they have explored all available avenues to save lives and to keep Guyanese out of harm’s way.”

In the President’s own words, “Government is going to explore all avenues to ensure we get our people vaccinated. (as) This is the only way we can get ahead of the curve and return Guyana to normalcy; and that position would not change.”

President Ali added, “We tried countries directly, we tried developers directly, we tried manufacturers directly, and we tried diplomatic channels. We tried every single thing, and we continue to try every single day.” Why? “There is no cost to protecting the lives of Guyanese, and that is the only interest of the Government; that is my only interest.”

I therefore urge all of us, especially the ‘Harmonites and APNUites,’ to be realistic and ‘hurry up’ the vaccination process. It is the only option we have.

Respectfully, Matthew Hendrix

6

SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2021

Page

Foundation

L

et your imagination soar as you create your own giant insect.

What you need

cardboard (cereal box, poster board, manila folder) egg carton paint or felt pens scraps of black and white paper coloured pipe cleaners scissors tape or glue jar (optional)

What you do Catch a bug

Catch an insect and look closely at it in a jar (or find a picture of one you like).

Cut out shapes

Cut out: egg-carton cups for the main body paper circles for eyes (Try white ones with smaller black ones placed on top.) cardboard shapes for wings, upper legs, or other extra features

Colour your bug

Add colour if you want, using paint or felt pens.

Assemble Bug

Glue or tape the parts together. Glue or tape on pipe cleaner legs and antennae.

Note: If you caught an insect, let it go where you found it after it’s done modelling. (rangerrick.org)

WORD SEARCH

NEWS

7

SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Granger: APNU/AFC Coalition “still strong” with Sharma’s, Sarabo-Halley’s “new parties” …will provide the “good life” in Opposition

Equal Rights and Justice Party (ERJP) Leader Jaipaul Sharma

F

ormer President and Leader of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), David Granger on Friday reassured that the APNU/ AFC coalition remains strong and will continue to work together as the parliamentary Opposition to bring the “good life” to all Guyanese.

He made these comments during the APNU/ AFC-sponsored show – “The Public Interest”.

“In five years, we achieved quite a lot and we were able to keep the coalition together… The coalition is still working as the Opposition in the National Assembly…we still have a common vision. And as

you can see in the National Assembly, APNU and AFC are working together to provide a good life for the Guyanese people,” the APNU leader asserted.

Granger, a former Head of State in the previous coalition Government, explained that the relationship between the two parties has been successful and lasted this long due to the common vision and positions they share.

“We have a shared vision of where we want to see Guyana go, the use of its resources, the form of governance… Most important also the fact that there is a written [Cummingsburg] Accord binding the two parties together [in which] allocation of seats and other important elements in the relationship are recorded and agreed to, and we have not breached those agreements. The relationship is quite respectful,” he posited during this week’s programme.

However, Granger’s remarks come as the Alliance For Change continues to be criticised for its submissive role to the PNC-led APNU. In fact, the minority party in the coalition was forced to accept a reduction in its share of resources including parliamentary seats from 40 to 30

Leader of the Guyana Nation Builders Movement (GNBM) Tabitha Sarabo-Halley

per cent in the renegotiated Cummingsburg Accord – which was finalised less than a month before the 2020 elections.

More recently, however, AFC’s General Secretary David Patterson had resigned from the post and as a Member of Parliament in September last year after a promised Vice Chairman position at the Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) Regional Democratic Council was given to an APNU candidate instead.

But Patterson later rescinded his resignation, which the AFC refused to accept and had indicated that it would review its partnership with APNU. Nevertheless, during

Ramsammy to Harmon...

He pointed to a joint study which was done between the Russian Direct Investment Fund and scientists in Argentina where it was found that the Sputnik V is not only effective against the SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19 VIRUS), but also against the P1 (Brazilian) variant.

“The so-called Brazilian variant has proven to be a deadlier virus. But Sputnik is effective against this variant. The Argentina-based study… found a strong immune response against the variant in those vaccinated with Sputnik V. Now UNICEF has signed a contract to procure 220 million doses of Sputnik for global distribution. Mr Harmon should be ashamed of himself,” Dr Ramsammy asserted.

Criticisms

Meanwhile, criticisms continue to mount against the Opposition Leader with the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) condemning the statement made by the politician.

In a statement on Friday, GAWU said it was deeply disturbed by Harmon’s irresponsible remarks as a senior national leader. It noted that rather than approaching Government with its concerns, the Opposition Leader

instead adopted a most flippant approach.

The Union questioned whether Harmon is trying to score cheap political points at the expense of the Guyanese people. It pointed out that the Opposition Leader’s avers that somehow Guyana obtained ingenuine Sputnik vaccines was without any evidence to support this claim.

“In the absence of any tangible evidence, it appears Mr Harmon and company are sounding like empty barrels and really should be ignored. By his statements, the Opposition Leader who belatedly endorsed the COVID-19 vaccination programme, has undoubtedly set back efforts to attain herd immunity in our country. This is simply reckless behaviour on the part of Mr Harmon and his team. It appears to us that the Opposition has become a danger to the well-being of Guyanese at this time when all hands are needed to bring our country out of the pandemic and allow normalcy to prevail,” the Union stated.

Ignore Harmon, get vaccinated

Nevertheless, GAWU called on all Guyanese to ignore the Opposition Leader’s unfounded and careless claims, and to play their part in ensuring Guyana exits the pandemic by getting vaccinated.

On the other hand, FITUG also condemned

FROM PAGE 3

Harmon’s reckless, irresponsible, and thoughtless statements.

“In our view, the Opposition Leader’s wild statements will only redound to higher vaccine hesitancy among our people. This is neither helpful nor useful in our efforts to exit the pandemic. And, therefore, the Opposition Leader and the wider Opposition must be condemned for what can clearly be described as unwise and deeply upsetting propaganda. The irresponsibleness, once again, demonstrated by the coalition is seemingly characteristic of their behaviour since taking then reigns of the Opposition,” the Federation posited in a missive on Friday.

Pointing to the Opposition’s indecisiveness in encouraging Guyanese to get inoculated against COVID-19, FITUG reminded the coalition that its role comes with high levels of responsibility and the nation, not political self-interest, should come first.

“We know the Guyanese people are not easily deceived and fall for the falsehoods of the Opposition.

Certainly, such recklessness should not even be bothered with. We, at this time, urge everyone to receive their vaccines and continue to observe the COVID-19 protocols,” the missive from the Union body detailed.

Friday’s Public Interest programme, Granger also spoke of the APNU’s recent induction of two new political parties into the partnership.

Last Friday, the APNU Executive approved applications from two new political parties – Equal Rights and Justice Party (ERJP) and Guyana Nation Builders Movement (GNBM) established by former Ministers in the previous APNU/AFC coalition Administration, Jaipaul Sharma and Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, respectively – to join the tenyear-old partnership.

Sarabo-Halley, who had served as Public Service Minister, is currently serving as an Opposition Member of Parliament.

She had resigned from former APNU Member, the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) after the party left the partnership.

Meanwhile, Sharma, a former Junior Finance and Public Infrastructure Minister, had also resigned from politics last August.

His party – the Justice For All Party (JFAP) founded by his father, Chandra Narine Sharma – had also resigned from APNU. Both the JFAP and the WPA had cited the dictatorial nature of the Granger-

APNU Leader David Granger

led party while in and out of office.

But according to the former Head of State, while the APNU was disappointed with withdrawals of those two parties last year, the gap has now been filled

by the two new parties.

“There is no antagonism and the APNU was happy to receive those two new parties which have now become partners in the APNU… We’re now back up to strength. We feel we’re stronger together and we applaud the decisions of the two young and experienced members… So, we’re strong and the accession of those two parties has strengthened the APNU,” Granger posited.

He further outlined that the ERJP and GNBM has their own concept paper/ manifesto that they will be using to go out to campaign on and bring their own constituents into the APNU fraction.

8 NEWS

SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

17-year-old girl allegedly gang-raped, 1 in custody

P

olice in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) have arrested a male suspect and are on the hunt for another in relation to the alleged rape committed on a 17-year-old girl.

The act was reportedly committed between April 1 and 30, 2021.

The teenage girl reportedly told detectives that sometime around the time mentioned, she was approached by the two suspects who were in a car. She was subsequently forcefully taken against her will to the home of one of the perpetrators.

There, they took turns having sex with her as they recorded the ordeal. The victim further alleged that the ordeal caused her to have a miscarriage.

She nevertheless reported the incident to her relatives more than one month after the incident and as such, the Police were called in.

One of the suspects has been arrested and placed into custody while a manhunt is underway for the second.

This comes on the heels of Police hunting for two brothers – one who allegedly raped a 12-year-old girl and the other for allegedly giving her pills to abort the child after she became pregnant.

On April 10, 2021, the girl, who is an orphan, left her home to attend bible classes at a church in Region

Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).

The church is reportedly a 15-minute walk from her home.

However, reports stated that as she was on her way to the church, she was approached by one of the brothers who reportedly took her to a nearby busy track, where he had sex with her.

Sometime after, the girl was given a pregnancy test by the suspect’s brother which confirmed that she was pregnant. He later gave the child abortion pills which caused her to have a miscarriage.

The matter was reported to the child’s guardian who later informed the Police.

When contacted on Friday, authorities confirmed that the two men remain on the run.

New beginnings…

H

…with New City ow many of us know that one of the UN’s Sustainable Goals 2030 - to which we’ve signed on - declares that we should “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”?

Well, good for us, since it’s clear that President Ali must’ve taken this goal very seriously. After all, right after the goals were announced, he decided to do his PhD in Urban and Regional Planning, the doctorate of which UWI duly awarded him in late 2019!!

Now, for years, he must’ve seen Georgetown sliding into despicable decrepitude under the various mayoralties - all controlled by the PNC. He would’ve seen the more than one-quarter of our COUNTRY’s citizens living in increasingly degraded and insanitary circumstances, and wondered what could be done. But even if the PNC weren’t so hapless and venal - a fatal combination for leadership! - cities across the globe are also being challenged by other factors.

In our case there are the rising seas due to global warming, which makes Georgetown a prime candidate for inundation, since it was 5 feet under sea level from the beginning in the 18th century!

So, yes, the UN’s statement that “For all of us to survive and prosper, we need new, intelligent urban planning that creates safe, affordable and resilient cities with green and culturally inspiring living conditions” clearly inspired Irfaan Ali, who’d been Minister of Housing since 2012. As such, as soon as he became President on Aug 2, 2020, he announced that he was committed to creating a “new city” on higher ground up the Linden Highway!! And that’s why he will make such a good leader for Guyana.

He’s not only youthful, looking at problems with a fresh eye, he took it upon himself to prepare himself to confront those problems. And not just about urban planning!

Anyhow, he just participated in the “Caribbean Urban Forum (CUF) 2021, which opened on Wednesday.

Hosted by the University of Guyana (UG), it was held under the theme “Urbanization: Processes, Policy and Emerging Challenges”. He reiterated his stance on urbanisation, which he’d put into effect since his stint as Housing Minister: create more housing schemes across the country, which lessens the needs for urbanisation.

Fact is, Guyana has one of the lowest population densities on planet Earth - and to the extent we can avoid urbanisation, we should. Cities invariably develop their own pathologies through having people living like rats in cages. Those cities we MUST have should be carefully planned to minimise the downside risks.

The new “Silica City” must be launched ASAP, and the decision must be made to follow the Brazilian “new city” of Brasilia model.

Build it around the Government’s administrative structures - setting the tone for order! …new challenges It’s said that “Every victory is an opportunity, but at the same time, the most dangerous moment comes with victory”. This is an axiom that the PPP must hearken to now that the PNC found out the hard way that “dis time nah lang time”. Granger counted on the US going along with his attempted rigging - as they’d done with his mentor Burnham in 1968. He was one of Burnham’s planted officers in the GDF to ensure that no threat would emanate from that quarter. But he forgot that the doctrinaire Cheddi isn’t around any longer to be invoked as a bogeyman!!

Anyhow, Granger and Harmon aren’t merely licking their wounds. As ex-army officers, they’re definitely planning their next campaign. And it ain’t no POLITICAL campaign!! These fellas have about 100 YEARS OF MILITARY exposure between them - as opposed to just two decades of overt political involvement.

As we saw during the five years they were in Government, they just can’t think outside of the (military) box. …old threats It’s a trite observation that “free speech” doesn’t give anyone the right to yell “FIRE!!!” in a crowded theatre.

Free speech isn’t protected against harming others.

Consequently, action must be taken against those who spread conspiracy theories against COVID-19 vaccination!

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

NEWS

9

SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Finance Minister, USAID consolidate partnership for Guyana’s transformational trajectory – Dr Singh reiterates US’ role to protect country’s democracy

Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh in discussion with the USAID team on Friday

S

enior Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh and Regional Representative of the United States Agency for International Development in the Eastern and Southern Caribbean (USAID/ESC), Clinton White met on Friday to discuss the strengthening of partnerships between the two countries.

During the discussions, the Finance Minister expressed appreciation to USAID for its staunch support to Guyana, especially in its most difficult times, and also thanked the United States for adopting a proactive and pivotal stance when democracy in Guyana came

under threat in 2020.

“The position of the United States in helping to protect Guyana’s democracy will forever be remembered,” Singh reiterated as he also alluded to various projects which have been supported by the US to assist Guyana in its development agenda over the years.

USAID’s Regional Representative, White, in his response said that USAID’s relationship with Guyana is of utmost importance as he outlined the areas of support his agency would be focusing on such as Disaster Resilience, Climate Change, Security, Education, and Financing

Sustainable Development.

These, he said, will form part of USAID’s new Regional Strategy.

Minister Singh highlighted that these areas are in alignment with the Government of Guyana’s own priorities and stressed that the assistance to be provided must be complementary to its endeavours.

In recent times, USAID has been focusing its attention on supporting many countries during their fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and seeks to strengthen development gains in these countries in such areas as climate change, conflict and humanitarian cri-

ses.

Only a few days ago, while making a US$30,000 donation (GY$6.2 million) to Guyana to assist the country in immediate flood relief efforts, the Regional Representative asserted that climate change has become an essential part of United States’ President Joseph Biden’s foreign policy and, therefore, USAID would be working with Caribbean countries to strengthen their awareness and preparedness for the impact of climate change.

Minister Singh reiterated the Government’s strong commitment to work closely with development partners like USAID in advancing the dramatic transformation that Guyana is currently undergoing.

10 NEWS

SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Sophia resident busted by CANU CANU seizes boat at Mahaicony with 5.6kg ganja with ganja in shopping bag

The ganja that was hidden in the boat at Mahaicony

T

he Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU) is on the hunt for three men following the interception of a boat carrying 5.610 kilograms of ganja at Mahaicony, East Cast Demerara (ECD), on Thursday. The men were identified as “Elvis”, “Matic” and “Jagan”.

Based on reports coming out of CANU, agents of the drug enforcement unit acting on information received conducted an operation at Mahaicony, ECD, where a boat suspected to be transporting narcotics was intercepted.

At the time, the boat was carrying 5.610 kilograms of cannabis. The cannabis and the boat were seized as investigations continue.

conducted at Unity, ECD, where agents and residents reported that the said boat was offloading bulky bags at the foreshore.

Officers then intercepted the said boat and discovered 18 bags of ganja weighing 300lbs and estimated to be valued at $18 million.

It was reported that the agent came across a 17-ft wooden boat which had a large fertiliser bag onboard and upon further inspection, the marijuana was discovered. A further search was conducted on a coconut

A

C Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown resident was on Thursday arrested after a quantity of ganja was found in her shopping bag while travelling in a minibus at Ann’s Grove Public Road, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

Based on reports received, agents of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) acting on information intercepted a minibus bearing registration BMW 1587 at Ann’s Grove Public Road, ECD. The minibus originated from Berbice and was heading to Georgetown.

However, a female, Aatwanna Natoya McCammon, 20, of C Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown, was observed carrying a red, white and blue shopping bag containing a transparent parcel.

This prompted the officers to conduct a search

Aatwanna Natoya McCammon

on the parcel during which 1.174 kilograms of cannabis was unearthed.

At the time, McCammon was sitting in the front passenger seat. The suspect was told of the offence committed, arrested, cautioned and escorted to CANU’s headquarters as investigations

continue. CANU has been working around the clock to put a dent in the drug trade.

Several cases were made out against cocaine mules and carriers. The agency noted that it will continue to work assiduously to curtail drugs entering and passing through Guyana.

Brawl leaves father, 2 sons injured

A The cannabis weighed 5.6 kilograms

CANU stated that the operation was a continuation of a previous operation

grove where another 17 bags containing cannabis were unearthed.

brawl at Mariaba Village, North West District (NWD), Region One (Barima-Waini), has reportedly left a father and three of his son nursing injuries about their bodies.

Those injured are 63-year-old Heon Matthias, Regan De Souza, 41, and 22-year-old Edon Matthias.

Based on reports received, Regan and Edon are brothers, and Heon Matthias’s sons. They all live together.

Guyana Times understands that on Thursday at 16:00h, the three men attended a village meeting and upon arrival at home, Heon

Matthias spoke to Edon Matthias about the clothing he wore to attend the meeting.

As a result, Regan became annoyed and started to verbally abuse his father.

This was followed by him dealing his father several blows to his hand and head with an umbrella.

Edon, however, attempted to stop his brother from further hitting his father and in so doing, he reportedly picked up a cutlass and dealt his brother one chop to his hand.

As he made an attempt to chop him again, the father then picked up a piece of

wood and dealt Regan a lash to the back of his head.

Persons who were passing at the time saw the brawl and contacted the village Toshao who reported the matter to the Acquero Police Station.

Ranks immediately reported to the scene and rushed the three men to the Kumaka District Hospital where they all were treated and admitted patients.

However, due to the injuries received, Regan was transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital for further medical attention.

An investigation has been launched into the incident.

NEWS

11

SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

2 months later: Family awaits justice Police Finance for fashion designer murdered in T&T Officer granted bail F on fraud charges

Superintendent of Police Lorraine Saul

P

olice Finance Officer, Woman Senior Superintendent (ag) Marcelene Washington of Lamaha Springs, Georgetown, was on Friday released on $250,000 bail after she appeared in court on three fraud charges over falsifying bills for food.

She was arraigned before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

She is jointly charged along with Deputy Assistant Superintendent of Police Frank Jackman-Wilburg, Superintendent Lorraine Saul, and Assistant Superintendent Roxanne Griffith-Adams.

The first charge alleged that Saul, Washington, and Griffith-Adams between November 2, 2020, and November 24, 2020, with intent to defraud, conspired with each other and other persons to falsify a feeding account for $1,152,000 for meals purportedly provided by the Tactical Service Unit Mess to officers and inspectors who performed fixedpoint duty at the Tactical Service Unit between the period October 16 and 31, 2020.

It was also alleged that with intent to defraud Saul, Washington and JackmanWilburg conspired with each other and other persons, to falsify a feeding account for $1,440,000 for meals purportedly provided

Police Finance Officer, Senior Superintendent Marcelene Washington

Assistant Superintendent Roxanne Griffith-Adams

by the Felix Austin Police College Mess to ranks who performed fixed-point duty at the Suicide Helpline between the period October 16 and 31, 2020.

The last charge stated that Saul, Washington, and Jackman-Wilburg, with intent to defraud, conspired

Deputy Superintendent Frank Jackman-Wilburg

with each other and other persons, to falsify a feeding account for $2,246,400 for meals purportedly provided by the Felix Austin Police College Mess to ranks who performed fixed-point duty at the Mounted Branch between October 16 and 31, 2020.

Washington, who was represented by Attorney-atLaw Patrice Henry, was not required to plead to the indictable charges. All matters were adjourned to June 16. These charges were initially filed on April 21, but Washington was out of the jurisdiction and only returned recently to answer them.

The charges stemmed from a massive investigation being conducted by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) into a $300 million fraud allegedly committed at the Police Finance Office by several high-ranking officers of the Guyana Police Force.

amily members of a murdered Guyanese fashion designer, cosmetologist, and runway coach, Latchman Singh, who was found dead in his apartment in Trinidad and Tobago with stab wounds about his body, say they are still waiting for justice from the Trinidadian authorities.

It has been more than two months since 27-yearold Singh also known as “Marcus” was found murdered in his apartment at El Dorado, Trinidad, and his family in Guyana are growing frustrated with what they believe is a long wait for justice.

Singh, popularly known as “Marcus” or “Marc Anthony Singh”, who originally hailed from Seventh Street Marthersville, Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara (ECD), had migrated to the twin island to seek betterment some six years go.

He was found dead on April 13, 2021, by one of his roommates. At the time, he was clad only in his underwear, and bore several stab wounds about his body.

While his family is still trying to put the pieces together to ascertain who might have wanted the man dead, his sister, Deepa Singh, has expressed frustration at having to wait this long to get justice for her brother.

The woman said several calls have been made to the authorities in Trinidad but the family is still being kept in the dark.

“They just ah put you on to this body, put you on to that body…then they tell you that the person who looking after the case, he’s on quarantine. I tried to call

Murdered: Latchman “Anthony” Singh

them but me ain’t getting through…I don’t know what happened to their phone.”

“It’s kinda stressful…

Even if they don’t know who did it, at least let we hear something but we not getting nothing from them…

We don’t know what more to

do,” the sister expressed.

According to Singh her family had contacted Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn, who said he will try his best to assist the family, but they have not received any feedback since.

Following Singh’s death, his family was unsure if they would have been able to bring his body home for his funeral. Even though the borders were closed, Trinidadian authorities granted permission for the man’s body to return to Guyana for a proper burial by his family.

The post-mortem that was conducted on Singh’s body revealed that he died from multiple stab wounds to the neck and upper back, and blunt trauma to the head. Attempts to make contact with the authorities in Trinidad provide futile.

12 NEWS

SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

No COVID-19 vaccines discarded due to expiration – Health Minister T

hroughout Guyana’s COVID-19 immunisation campaign, the Health Ministry has been able to utilise all vaccines before they expired – eliminating any wastage.

This was according to Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony who during a recent press conference stated that the vaccines do have an expiry date but Guyana has been able to use all supplies donated or purchased before the timeline. As such, no shots have been wasted by virtue of expiry.

“We haven’t had that challenge. Some of the vaccines that we did receive had short dates, especially those that we received from COVAX. We have been utilising it and making sure that we utilise it within the timeframe. We haven’t had a challenge of throwing away or giving away. Any of the vaccines that we received, we have been utilising those vaccines,” said Dr Anthony.

There was one instance where 216 doses were taken to a remote community, but spoiled due to the inclement weather conditions that prevented the health team from accessing dry ice.

Another 100,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccines from China will arrive within the next two weeks.

Through an African Union/Caricom Agreement, Guyana is procuring 148,000 doses of vaccines – a portion of which will include Johnson and Johnson sin-

Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony

“When they went in, not a lot of people took the vaccine and because it rained and no aircraft could have gone in to pick them up, we weren’t able to get dry ice in to that team and the rest of the vaccine that didn’t utilise basically got spoiled.

We do have an occasion in this particular case where we had spoilage but we haven’t had any cases where vaccines expired on us and we had to dump it. We didn’t have that.”

So far, Guyana has been able to secure 62,400 dos-

es of Astra Zeneca vaccines from COVAX with more to arrive until 20 per cent of the population is covered.

There were donations of 3000 doses of AstraZeneca shots from Barbados, 20,000 Sinopharm doses from China and another 80,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from India.

Government has procured 400,000 doses of Sputnik V vaccines from Dubai. Some 305,000 doses of this has so far arrived and the additional 95,000 is expected to arrive soon.

gle-dose vaccines.

To ensure sufficient supplies, Government has held bilateral discussions with countries, namely India, China, Russia, the US, the EU, Kuwait and the UAE. In addition, Guyana had bilateral talks with AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson

and Johnson, SinoPharm, Covaxin, Russian Direct Investment Fund. There were discussions with several multilateral organisations, including the Organisation of the Islamic States, the African Union/ Caricom initiative and COVAX.

GTT supports UG’s first Virtual Career Fair T he Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) has thrown its support behind the University of Guyana’s (UG) 12th annual and first ever virtual career fair which is being held over the weekend.

The telephone company noted that it is proud to attend the event as the University explores new ways to connect students to potential employers, job and internship opportunities.

GTT’s Director of Human Resources, Tiana Gurcharran applauded the institution for its initiative to host its career fair virtually, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“GTT is fully vested in continuing its support to

GTT’s Director of Human Resources, Tiana Gurcharran

the Guyanese job market by not only providing good employment opportunities for the public, but a career development path. With

our promise to strengthen the community and innovate for all our country, we are looking to hire the best for our team to achieve these and hope to see many applications flood our HR Department with the right talent,” she said.

Today, the GTT team will shed more light on employment opportunities at the fair during its webinar session this morning.

“The Human Resources (HR) team is prepped and anxiously looking forward to the many connections this virtual career fair will afford us,” Gurcharran explained.

Suitable persons can apply at GTT via https://gtt. gy/jobs-n or send their resume for consideration to resumes@gtt.co.gy

GCCI donates $1M in flood relief to CDC Former Finance Manager now IPED CEO T F

he Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) on Friday presented a cheque to the tune of $1 million to aid the national flood relief efforts undertaken by the Civil Defence Commission (CDC).

GCCI President, Timothy Tucker presented the cheque to the Civil Defence Commission’s Director General, Lt Col Kester Craig, during a simple handover ceremony held at the CDC Headquarters.

The donation represents a continuation of a series of engagements that the GCCI has been having with the CDC. The GCCI, through its membership, continues to facilitate donations that will aid the CDC’s efforts in communities affected by flooding across the country.

The GCCI in a release stated that it is pleased to be able to contribute further to the laudable efforts of the CDC and strongly encourages the business community to continue supporting ongoing flood relief exercises.

GCCI President Timothy Tucker presenting the cheque to Civil Defence Commission Director General, Lt Col Kester Craig

ormer Finance Manager of the Institute of Private Enterprise Development (IPED), Jagdesh Haripershad was appointed the company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) with effect from June 1, 2021.

Haripershad served as Finance Manager from 2010 to 2018 and now returns to the company after the departure of its previous CEO, Ramesh Persaud, who gave 15 years of service to the enterprise and small businesses in Guyana.

Speaking on his appointment, Haripershad said: “I am delighted to be re-joining IPED at this time as we forge ahead with the development of micro and small businesses in Guyana.

Guyana is on the road to economic prosperity, and with this in mind my objective is to add to the exceptional work IPED has been doing over the years, help-

IPED CEO Jagdesh Haripershad

ing micro and small businesses realise their potential.”

He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Oxford Brookes University in the United Kingdom and brings to the company in-depth knowledge of micro and small business financing and

loans portfolio management.

He is also a Chartered Accountant skilled in working with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

Chairman of the Board of IPED, Komal Samaroo noted, “I am confident and can assure our clients that Jagdesh Haripershad, with his years of experience at IPED, will guarantee stability at this extremely difficult time for micro, small, and medium sized businesses. But I am equally confident that he has the experience and tools that are required for continued innovation and development as we take advantage of the new opportunities for startups and growing businesses in this economy.”

IPED welcomes Haripershad and wishes him a long and fruitful stay with the company.

NEWS

13

SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

COVID death toll now stands at 442 with 1 more fatality

– 104 new cases recorded in 24h

G

uyana’s COVID-19 death toll now stands at 442, with the death of one more person who tested positive for the virus.

The latest fatality is a 67-year-old female from Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) who died while receiving care at a medical facility.

For the month of June, 44 persons have died thus far. The deadliest month was May, with 99 fatalities.

However, new statistics provided by the Ministry showed that 104 new cases were recorded on Friday, raising the total confirmed cases to 18,837. There are 21 patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 108 in institutional isolation and 1371 in home isolation.

There are zero persons in institutional quarantine.

Some 16,895 positive cases have since recovered.

An analysis of new cases showed two were recorded in Region One (BarimaWaini); eight in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); five in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), 34 in Region Four (DemeraraMahaica), nine in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) and 11 in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

Cases in Regions Five (Mahaica-Berbice); Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni); Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) remain at 639, 1235, 379 and 1142, respectively.

On Thursday, President Irfaan Ali said talks have been ongoing with several countries and manufacturers to make COVID-19 vaccines accessible. The

President assured this is of utmost importance, in order to bring normalcy back to the country and livelihoods.

“We tried diplomatic channels. We tried every single thing and we continue to try every single day.

We have requests with every single developer and manufacturer…I made it very clear to the Guyanese people because there is no cost to protecting the lives of Guyanese. That is the only interest of the Government,” the Head of State was quoted as saying.

Some 225,000 persons have received their first dose of the COVID vaccines while second doses stand at over 94,000 persons. No immunised person in Guyana has since developed any complications nor were they hospitalised.

Nevertheless, Health

Foreign organisations arrive to assess flooding situation in Guyana

C

The CDEMA Advance Team that arrived in Guyana on Thursday

ertain foreign agencies have met with the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) to commence discussion on the Detailed Damage Sector Assessment (DDSA) in light of Guyana’s flooding situation.

Those agencies are the Regional Security System (RSS), Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).

The meeting focused on the operations that would be entailed, and how they would be executed; as well as discussions on specific peculiarities that could be encountered during the execution of the assessment.

CDEMA Senior Preparedness Officer Captain Lakshman Persaud expressed that the CDEMA is committed to assisting Guyana in whatever way possible as the country continues to deal with the national disaster.

“We want to make sure our presence here adds value, not only to our work, but to the next step. That’s critical for us at the end of the day,” he has said.

Representatives from several other agencies are scheduled to arrive in Guyana next Thursday. They include those from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), PAHO, a few others from CDEMA, and those from several Caribbean agencies.

The DDSA would focus on analysing the health, water and sanitation infrastructure; housing, agriculture, social sector, shelter and mining, as these are some of the key sectors being affected. It would also see teams going into the most affected regions - Two, Five, Six, Seven and Ten - to assess the damage caused by the intense flooding, and to mobilise additional support.

The report would look at recommendations of what systems could be put in place, if any, to mitigate future such occurrences.

Representing the CDC at the meeting with the foreign agencies were CDC Director General Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig and Preparedness and Response Manager Major Salim October.

They met with CDEMA’s Senior Preparedness Officer Captain Lakshman Persaud, Mitigation and Recovery Manager (acting) Alana Walters, and Logistics Manager Captain Michael Andrews.

The lead figures of the other organisations who would arrive in Guyana next Thursday are PAHO Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Adviser Adrianus Vlugman, RSS Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance Officer Keisha Linton, and CDEMA’s Programme Managers Joanne Persaud and Rasheed Pinder.

GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD JUNE 18 UPDATE

NUMBER OF NEW CASES

104

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL ISOLATION

108

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN HOME ISOLATION

1371

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN COVID-19 ICU

21

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE

0

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (FEMALES)

9615

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (MALES)

9222

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES IN GUYANA SINCE 2020

18,837

NUMBER OF RECOVERED CASES

16,895

TOTAL 1st DOSE VACCINATED FULLY IMMUNISED

226,068 96.317

TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

442

DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES SINCE MARCH 2020 REGION 1

1169

REGION 2

526

REGION 3

2175

REGION 4

8800

REGION 5

639

REGION 6

1400

REGION 7

1235

REGION 8

379

REGION 9

1177

REGION 10

1337

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.

Minister Dr Frank Anthony underscored in a recent press conference that the vaccine prevents against any severe infection. This means persons would not require intensive care. He mentioned that it is expensive to sustain these ICU costs as the population was encouraged to take their shots.

“The medicines that we’re using, some of them cost almost US$100 per vial.

In other instances, if you’re in the ICU, you would re-

quire 15 litres of oxygen per minute, and that’s a lot of costs. Per patient in an ICU, it cost us millions of dollars, and what we’re trying to do here by providing vaccines is to make sure that people can have access to vaccines in a timely manner.”

A study was recently done using immunised persons from different age groups in the country, whereby over 50 per cent did not display any side effects. Between the 18 to 29 age group, there

was 17.9 per cent of persons reporting some form of side effects; with 18.7 per cent for the 30 to 39 age group; 11.7 per cent for the 40 to 49 age group; and 15 per cent for the 50 to 59.

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

14 NEWS Guyana braces for tropical waves, continuous rainfall SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

…Regions 7 & 8 to experience mudslides

T

he month-long battle with severe flooding continues to persist, and the population has been asked to remain on alert, as above normal rainfall is predicted to continue, coupled with a series of tropical waves.

The Civil Defence Commission’s Director General, LieutenantColonel Kester Craig on Friday stated that Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Five (Mahaica-Berbice), Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice) are the most impacted regions, and still on Level Three alert.

A breach on Thursday evening at Coomaka, Region 10, also saw waters rising. In Region Seven, the Mazaruni area continues to face inundation while the situation in Bartica has deescalated.

“In Region Eight, mudslides are occurring as water continues to come down the mountains. Residents and farmlands are affected with some bridges being washed away by floodwa-

Chief Hydromet Officer Dr Garvin Cummings

ters. In Region Nine, water level increased over the last 24 hours in the township of Lethem, while farms and other parts of the region remain flooded,” Craig pointed out.

He noted that high priority is on offering support to residents who have been displaced as a result of water covering their homes, those who cannot access drinking water and those without food supplies.

“Preliminary damage assessments across the varying regions indicate that damages are concentrated in the agriculture, transportation, housing and mining sectors. The flood also affected rural water and sanitation, posing health hazards to residents.”

Since the reports of flooding started, over 36,000 persons have been displaced while 216 are currently in shelters. The CDC said to date, it has received over $100 million in cash and relief supplies from numerous entities in response to the countrywide flooding which was on June 9 declared a national disaster

by President Dr Irfaan Ali. Local collaboration is expected to continue to reach affected persons.

“The situation within the country is classified as Level Two event, which means that the national capacity to respond is not overwhelmed but external assistance is required through the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), region-

al response mechanism and regional international partners to augment efforts to effectively protect lives, livelihoods and the environment within these localities and the country at large,” the Director General shared.

A national action plan has been drafted and guides all response across the country. This is backed by the National Emergency Operation Centre. Technical support has also been continuous for the Regional Democratic Councils and other counterparts.

“We continue to dispatch relief supplies for the flood affected communities. We continue to man the support shelters in regions where they are activated. We continue to engage CDEMA on regional and other international stakeholders.”

When it comes to the current weather pattern, Chief Hydromet Officer, Dr Garvin Cummings pointed out that the above normal rainfall is expected to continue. Over the weekend, the Saharan Dust will somewhat suppress rainfall but

CDC Director General, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig

tropical waves will impact some regions.

“We’re anticipating again that given the trends we’re seeing, that we’ll have excessive rainfall in line with the forecast for the rest of this month, July and perhaps into the first two weeks of August as well.

In terms of the short-range forecast, what we have been seeing over this season is that every four to five days,

Guyana is being affected by a tropical wave. We got a series of tropical waves coming across the Atlantic into Guyana’s territory and that is influencing our weather.”

Dr Cummings added, “We still continue to see cloudy and overcast conditions that is the influence of the Saharan air layer. Over the weekend, in the context of things we expect that there will be a reduction of rainfall…Monday and Tuesday, we expect another tropical wave will appear and impact Guyana.”

He noted too that if the weather is in keeping with predictions, then Regions One and Two will be affected by the tropical waves.

Meanwhile, officials from the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), the Regional Security System (RSS) and Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) arrived in Guyana on Thursday ahead of the commencement of works for the “Detailed Damage Sector Assessment” on the flood situation.

Several villages in Linden under water after pond collapses

S

everal villages including Three Friends Mines/ Maria Elizabeth were under water on Friday after a tailend pond at East Montgomery Mines in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) reportedly collapsed.

As a result, hundreds of residents are affected. At approximately 19:30h on Thursday evening, a resident of the Three Friends Mines area recalled, she heard a sound similar to that of rainfall, however upon investigating, she realised that it was a heavy flow of water in yard.

She explained that by the time she realised what was happening, it was too late.

“The water was gushing from the back, wash away everything.

We just suggest it was something that break away, because

Some of the houses and yards that were under water on Friday

The water gushing from the backlands

for all the years we living here in the community we never see this kind of thing happen. We know about flood. We get flood but we never see this water gushing down like that...”, she explained.

She pointed out that the flow of water resulted in total destruction to homes thus leaving household items and the entire community water soaked.

She noted that the bauxite company, Bosai Minerals Group Guyana Incorporated has a reservoir which it uses to store water and suggested that this may have broken. The resident said, however, that this was refuted by a company representative who visited and met with residents of the community on Friday.

“It ends up breaking the dyke...It cut Maria Elizabeth away from Three Friends

Mines... We residents living here for years and that never happened in this community, never,” one resident reiterated.

Meanwhile, Regional Executive Officer (REO) Dwight John, engineers from Georgetown, and other officials visited the community on Friday to assess the damage and to ascertain the source of the problem.

Meanwhile, by Friday evening, residents reported that the water had started to recede. A resident indicated that an excavator is expected to be put into operation in the community today.

A team is expected to visit the area today to distribute hampers and other supplies to the affected residents.

NEWS

15

SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Chief Justice seeking clarification ahead of June 28 ruling in Police promotion case A cting Chief Justice Roxane George on Friday sought more clarification on issues regarding a challenge mounted by Senior Superintendent of Police Calvin Brutus against the Police Service Commission (PSC) promotion of senior officers for 2020.

In December 2020, Brutus through his lawyer, CV Satram, moved to the High Court to challenge, among other things, the PSC’s refusal to promote him to the rank of Assistant Police Commissioner. He contended that he is being bypassed for promotion even though he was recommended by the Commissioner of Police and owing to frivolous allegations of indiscipline against him for which he has not been called upon to defend.

During a further hearing on Friday, Justice George grilled Satram on concerns she had about the orders and declaration he was seeking against the PSC. According to her, some of the reliefs were “very wide in breadth”.

For instance, she had some queries about Brutus’ request for a declaration that the policy of the PSC not to promote or consider for promotions, ranks with

Acting Chief Justice Roxane George, SC

disciplinary matters is irrational and unlawful.

The Chief Justice asked whether the PSC did indeed refuse to promote Brutus given that there was no evidence before the court of the confirmed list of promotion.

Satram made an application to lead fresh evidence to have the court consider what he described as “this is the list we got.” According to the lawyer, certain assertions

by PSC Chairman, Retired Assistant Commissioner Paul Slowe confirmed that a decision was made to promote his client, but a list was finalised and released to the contrary.

“This is the list we got; this is the final list. The ev-

idence we seek to introduce will confirm it is the final list. There was a final list, whether this is that [confirmed] list, is a separate question, the PSC, of course, can confirm that, but they have refused to do so,” he submitted.

It was put to Satram by the Chief Justice that other parties in the matter are contending that the list was leaked. Brutus’s counsel, nevertheless, admitted “I cannot say to you that this is a confirmed list.” He, however, argued that the list he intends to rely on confirms that it is the policy of the PSC not to promote officers with pending disciplinary matters. “If there is direct evidence in this matter, then we are obliged to introduce it,” Satram said.

But, with no evidence before her to prove that this was indeed the confirmed list, Justice George questioned its authenticity. She, therefore, rejected Satram’s application, “I don’t think the information on the notice of application is absolutely necessary for the determination of this matter,” she held.

Meanwhile, Deputy Solicitor General Deborah Kumar, on behalf of Attorney General Anil Nandlall - one

Motorcyclist injured in 2-vehicle collision

Joel Hillman after being struck down by the car

A

motorcyclist is now in a serious condition after he was struck down by a motor car along the UG Access Road, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, on Thursday evening. The injured man has been identified as 39-year-old Joel Hillman

of Third Street Section D Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown.

The accident reported occurred at about 18:25h and involved motor car bearing registration number PLL 4073, and motorcycle CK 5399 that Hillman was riding.

Police stated that the motor car was proceeding along the UG Access Road while the motorcycle was proceeding in the opposite direction.

As both vehicles approached GuySuCo Housing Scheme Main Access Road, the motor car reportedly turned into the path of the motorcycle thus resulting in a collision. The front portion of the motorcycle reportedly connected with the left-centre portion of the motor car.

As a result of the collision, the motorcyclist fell onto the road’s surface and received injuries to his face and about his body. He was picked up by EMT personnel in a conscious condition and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital.

He was admitted a patient suffering from a fractured forehead, laceration to the top of his left eye and internal bleeding to his head. His condition is deemed stable but serious.

A breathalyser test was conducted on the driver of the motor car and no trace of alcohol was found in his breath. He is in Police custody assisting with the investigation.

of the named respondents, relied on her written submissions in which she argued that no decision was taken by the PSC regarding promotion as this would have culminated in an official list. As far as she is aware, Kumar said that no such list was officially released.

Moreover, Attorney-atLaw Dexter Todd, who is representing those senior officers who were added as interested parties, said that the evidence Satram seeks to introduce “is nothing new since it has already been a part of the matter.”

Todd submitted that Satram’s application would only further delay the matter “a matter that I am sure your honour [the Chief Justice] wants to bring to finality.” With his application dismissed, Satram maintained that the PSC has a blanket policy of refusing to promote officers with pending disciplinary matters.

Justice George will render her ruling on June 28 at 13:30h.

The matter would have started when Brutus complained to the High Court that he is being bypassed for promotion due to frivolous accusations even though he was recommended for promotion by the Commissioner of Police. Following the initial challenge, several other senior officers were added as interested parties.

Brutus, among other things, is seeking an order of certiorari quashing, nullifying, and/or cancelling the decision of the PSC to promote Senior Superintendents of Police Edmond Cooper, Phillip Azore, and Kurleigh Simon, who like him, have pending disciplinary matters, to the rank of Assistant Commissioner over him.

Senior Superintendent Calvin Brutus

“The allegation was essentially that I wrote the [then] Minister of State without the permission of the Commissioner of Police,” Brutus complained in an affidavit. According to Brutus, the three ranks who were promoted in front of him are facing more serious allegations.

In an affidavit, Brutus outlined that his colleagues are facing disciplinary and/ or criminal investigations for dereliction of duty, facilitation of unlawful activities, perverting the course of justice, corruption by a public officer, among other offences.

“The difference in treatment of ranks who found themselves in the same grouping was substantially and fundamentally unfair, unreasonable, unequal, and discriminatory,” he argued.

According to Brutus, the pending allegations of indiscipline were an irrelevant consideration in the circumstances of his promotion, since he is entitled to the presumption of innocence more so in light of the failure of the PSC to conclude all investigations expeditiously.

Against this backdrop, he argued, too, that the PSC committed an error of law and violated the principle of legality when it acted in a manner that was incompatible with his fundamental right to equality of treatment guaranteed under Article 149 (D) of the Constitution of Guyana.

“The decision of the PSC was an abuse of power. It was an abuse of power and/ or an improper exercise of the powers for the PSC to ignore the recommendations of the Commissioner of Police and its own established practice,” said Brutus, who joined the Police Force in March 1994.

Brutus noted that he is suitably qualified for and entitled to the promotion as he is better academically qualified than the ranks promoted in front of him.

Brutus deposed that he is the holder of a Bachelor of Laws and a degree in Public Management from the University of Guyana.

Apart from these, he added that he has a Master of Business Administration, a Doctorate in Organisational Development, and is currently pursuing his Legal Education Certificate at the High Wooding Law School in Trinidad. Besides asking the Court to grant an order overruling the PSC’s practice of not promoting officers with pending disciplinary matters, Brutus is seeking a consequential order directing the PSC to appoint him to the office of Assistant Commissioner.

In the meantime, a conservatory order granted by the Chief Justice last December blocking the promotions by the PSC remains in effect until she renders her ruling later this month.

16 NEWS

SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Mustapha commits to assisting Kwakwani farmers – veterinary, other services to be made available in new week

W

ith Kwakwani in Region 10 (Upper D e m e r a r a Berbice) being one of the communities most severely affected by the ongoing flood crisis, which has seen households as well as farmlands under water, the Ministry of Agriculture has reassured residents there that Government is conducting initial assessments with the aim of providing assistance to affected persons, so that they can return to their livelihoods once the water recedes.

This commitment was made by Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha, who was in a ministerial delegation that met with affected residents of Kwakwani as part of Government’s ongoing flood-assessment exercise.

Juanita Thorn suggested that officers from the Ministry should move ahead with conducting flood assessments. This, she said, would let people know that the Government is concerned with their livelihoods.

“Before the flood goes down, if we could have the relevant leaders in the community make a list of all the persons who were affected, whether you are doing cattle rearing or farming. So, by the time the water starts going down, you know what you’re working at.

“At least you spoke to the people, so that they know you’re paying attention to them and showing interest in their livelihood,” Ms. Thorn said.

Farmer Wade Russell

called for assistance to be given to farmers in order to secure their remaining cultivations.

“No one knows when this water is going to go down. What is going to happen if all the plants are

pandemic; and, as such, the event will remain in its original format of two events being held bi-annually, in June and November.

This event is geared to ensure small and medium-sized tourism enterprises can recommence their operations, rehire staff, and serve the Guyanese populace.

“Support the service re-

turn, the restart of indoor dining for a larger number of operations, and allow us to wow you, creating memorable foodie experiences,” Butts added.

The Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana is urging patrons to sanitise before entering the locations; maintain their social distance; and explore, eat and repeat.

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha interacting with Kwakwani residents during the outreach on Friday

lost? We are asking for persons to be allocated higher lands to secure their crops right now, because it is needed.

“Extension officers

Residents of Kwakwani meeting with Government Ministers on Friday

During that meeting, several farmers engaged Minister Mustapha as they sought assistance to resume their farming activities once the floodwaters have receded.

Kwakwani resident

planting materials to plant on higher grounds, those would be made available.

While Kwakwani is known for its logging activities, one resident, Jimmy Reece, has appealed to the Government to furnish the community with the necessary machinery to enable the community to expand into large-scale agriculture.

“For years we’ve been doing agriculture on a subsistence basis. We’ve never done it on a commercial basis. There are a few folks who do agriculture on a large scale, because most of the population is involved in logging. When the flood is gone, I’d like the Government to help the community with machinery to do big-time farming. A COVID Relief Fund was given to the village, and I submitted a proposal for them to use part of the money to purchase equipment to assist with developing agriculture,” Mr. Reece said.

Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill, who was also part of the visiting team, pointed out that while the COVID Relief Fund was given to the Village

Council, the money would be used to undertake only projects that are suggested and approved by the entire village, and not by an individual. He urged the residents to engage the Council.

“Once they buy into the proposal, it becomes the village’s proposal,” Minister Edghill stressed.

Meanwhile, Minister Mustapha told residents that with Kwakwani being one of the hardest-hit communities by the ongoing floods, a lot of work would have to be done to restore the community, once floodwaters have receded. To this end, he said Government would make the necessary resources available so that farmers could return to the land.

He also committed to addressing issues with staffing in the village, after residents raised concerns about the village’s agriculture sub-department being short-staffed.

The team from the Agriculture Ministry would be returning to Kwakwani on Monday to conduct further flood assessments, and veterinary services and feed would also be provided free of cost to livestock farmers who were affected by the floods.

Minister Mustapha also committed the GLDA to providing transportation services to assist with moving animals to higher grounds.

Moreover, officials from Barama have donated 140 hampers comprising of protein-rich items and sanitary supplies to affected members of the three logging associations in Kwakwani.

Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, also formed part of the Ministerial Team that visited the area.

should be deployed to verify what people have. With that information, your Ministry would be able to render the kind of assistance needed,” Russell said.

Responding, the

Agriculture Minister told the concerned farmers that an assessment is ongoing, and that a team from the Ministry would return to the village in the new week to give additional assistance to affected farmers. “…We have to ensure we preserve and develop our agriculture sector.

Those persons who suffered losses in terms of crops, as well as those who need help to move their livestock to higher ground, or veterinary services, those services will be extended immediately. I’ve already instructed that a team from NAREI (National Agricultural Research & Extension Institute) and the GLDA (Guyana Livestock Development Authority) visit the area on Monday and carry out an assessment, and offer veterinary services,” he assured.

However, Mustapha explained that a detailed assessment cannot be done now, since the water level is too high. He promised that a comprehensive assessment would be done when the floodwaters recede.

Nevertheless, Mustapha noted that if persons need

THAG making positive strides Guyana Restaurant during COVID-19 pandemic Week slated for June 25 I

n light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tourism & Hospitality Association of Guyana’s (THAG) main focus is bringing relief to its members and staff.

Measures undertaken

by THAG include working with the National COVID-19 Task Force to amend the gazette and include measures for the safe reopening of the tourism industry, developing hygiene and sanitation protocols for the safe reopening of resorts and lodges and safe reopening of outdoor dining with 40 per cent indoor dining.

Executive Director of THAG, Trina Butts stated that “the past year has

adversely impacted our member operations, most of our operations remained closed and unable to support their teams. Women, the mainstay of our small and medium tourism enterprises, particularly in the interior lodges and resorts were severely impacted by this industry shutdown.”

THAG emphasised the importance of the Government’s support for the sector through subsidies for the restart of tourism, and as such has engaged with senior Government representatives to propose measures that would bring relief to the industry during the global pandemic and con-

tribute to the resilience of the tourism sector.

THAG, in partnership with the Canadian Executive Services Organisation has since hosted a series of health and safety workshops geared at reopening the tourism industry.

All training sessions were completed virtually. Some challenges experienced highlighted, with urgency, the need for improved stable internet connectivity in remote locations.

Plans will continue to move forward and things will continue to be put in place to cushion unexpected circumstances.

G

uyana Restaurant Week will commence on June 25 with a total of 20 restaurants participating, according to Trina Butts, Executive Director of the Tourism & Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG). The event will be officially launched on June 24, 2021.

The Guyana Restaurant Week (GRW) Organising Committee is encouraging patrons to follow the COVID-19 guidelines for outdoor dining while taking part in the event. Plans to extend the event were considered, but were placed on hold in light of the COVID-19

NEWS

17

SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Judge under US sanctions set to take over Iran presidency

M

illions of Iranians voted on Friday in a contest set to hand the presidency to a hardline Judge who is subject to US sanctions, though anger over economic hardship and curbs on freedoms mean many will heed calls for a boycott.

Senior officials appealed for a large turnout in an election widely seen as a referendum on their handling of the economy, including rising prices and unemployment and a collapse in the value of its currency.

“I urge everyone with any political view to vote,” judiciary head Ebrahim Raisi, the front-runner in the contest, said after casting his ballot.

“Our people’s grievances over shortcomings are real, but if it is the reason for not participating, then it is wrong.”

While state television showed long queues at polling stations in several cities, the semi-official Fars news agency reported 22 million or 37 per cent of voters had cast ballots by 7:30 pm (1500 GMT), citing its own reporter.

The Interior Ministry said it could not confirm turnout figures.

State television said voting officially ended at 1930 GMT. However, the Interior Ministry said voting had been extended for two hours in some polling stations across the country to allow latecomers to cast ballots.

The final results are expected to be announced by mid-day today.

After voting in the capital Tehran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged Iranians follow suit, saying “each vote counts ...

Presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi

come and vote and choose your president”.

Raisi, 60, is backed by security hawks in his bid to succeed Hassan Rouhani, a pragmatist prevented under the Constitution from serving a third four-year term in the post, which runs the Government day-to-day and reports to Khamenei.

Supported by the powerful Revolutionary Guards Corps, Raisi, a close Khamenei ally who vows to fight corruption, is under US sanctions for alleged involvement in executions of political prisoners decades ago.

Voters reached by Reuters expressed mixed views.

Maryam, 52, a hairdresser in Karaj near Tehran, said she would not vote because “I have lost confidence in the system.”

“Every time I voted in the past, I had hope that my living standard would improve.

But I lost hope when I saw the highest official in the country wasn’t brave enough to resign when he couldn’t make things better,” she said, referring to Rouhani.

Asked which candidate he preferred, Mohammad, 32, at a polling station in a hamlet in southern Iran, replied: “To

be honest none of them, but our representative in parliament says we should vote for Raisi so that everything will improve.”

“My vote is a big NO to the Islamic Republic,” said Farzaneh, 58, from the central city of Yazd, referring to the country’s system of clerical rule. She said contrary to what state TV reported, “the polling stations are almost empty here”.

Mohammad, 40, an engineer, said he would not vote because “the results are known beforehand and more important, if Mr Raisi was serious about tackling corruption he should have done so by now”.

More than 59 million Iranians can vote. While hundreds of Iranians, including relatives of dissidents killed since Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution and political prisoners, have called for an election boycott, the establishment’s religiously devout core supporters are expected to vote for Raisi.

A win for Raisi would confirm the political demise of pragmatist politicians like Rouhani, weakened by the US decision to quit the nuclear deal and reimpose sanctions in a move that stifled rapprochement with the West.

The new sanctions slashed oil exports from 2.8 million barrels per day in 2018 to as low as an estimated 200,000 bpd in some months of 2020, although volumes have since crept up. Iran’s currency, the rial, has lost 70 per cent in value since 2018.

With inflation and joblessness at about 39 per cent and 11 per cent respectively,

the clerical leadership needs a high vote count to boost its legitimacy, damaged after a series of protests against poverty and political curbs since 2017.

Official opinion polls suggest turnout could be as low as 44 per cent, well below 73.3 per cent in 2017.

Khamenei, not the President, has the final say on Iran’s nuclear and foreign policies, so a Raisi win would not disrupt Iran’s bid to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement and break free of US sanctions.

In Washington, a US State Department spokesperson said “Iranians were denied their right to choose

their own leaders in a free and fair electoral process” - a likely reference to the hardline Guardian Council disqualifying several candidates.

“Our Iran policy is designed to advance US interests, regardless of who is in power,” said the spokesperson on condition of anonymity. “Regardless of the outcome, we will continue discussions along with our allies and partners on a mutual return to compliance with the (nuclear deal).”

Raisi’s record as a hardline Judge accused of abuses could worry Washington and liberal Iranians, analysts said, especially given President Joe Biden’s focus

on human rights.

Khamenei appointed Raisi judiciary chief in 2019. A few months later, Washington sanctioned him for alleged abuses including what rights groups say was his role in the executions of political prisoners in 1980s and the suppression of unrest in 2009.

Iran has never acknowledged the mass executions, and Raisi has never publicly addressed allegations about his role.

Raisi’s main rival is the moderate former Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati, who said a win for any hardliner will mean more sanctions. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Portland Police’s entire crowd control unit resigns after indictment of officer

A

ll members of the crowd control team of Portland Police have resigned from their positions in the unit after an officer was indicted on an assault charge stemming from alleged illegal use of force during a protest last year.

“On June 16, 2021, Portland Police Bureau employees serving as members of the Rapid Response Team (RRT) left their voluntary positions and no longer comprise a team”, Portland Police said in a statement on Thursday, adding that the employees will continue in their regular assignments.

The unit had about 50 employees, who served as its members, in addition to their daily assignments with the Police, according to the statement on Thursday.

Earlier this week, a grand jury indicted a Portland Police Officer on an assault charge for what prosecutors allege was an “excessive and unlawful use of force” during a protest last summer.

Portland Police Bureau Officer Corey Budworth was indicted on Tuesday with one count of fourth-degree assault, a misdemeanour, stemming from the August 2020 incident, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office said.

The indictment marked the first time a Portland Police Officer faced prosecution stemming from striking or firing at someone during a protest, according to the Oregonian newspaper.

The Portland Police Association described the decision as being “politically driven” and said the offi-

cer “has been caught in the crossfire of agenda-driven city leaders and a politicized criminal justice system.”

Last year, Portland saw months of anti-racism protests following the death of George Floyd, an AfricanAmerican who died after a Police Officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes.

The city became the scene of unrest for months, with civil rights, anarchist and anti-fascist protesters scuffling with Police and occasionally with right-wing militias and supporters of then US President Donald Trump.

Portland’s Police declared a riot in multiple of those demonstrations and arrested several people during the course of those months.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2021

Regional

Venezuela Opposition Mottley: Get ready for anything committee to seek support in Washington, Brussels

Venezuela’s Opposition Leader Juan Guaido, whom many nations have recognised as the country’s rightful interim ruler, speaking during a rally with Venezuelans living in Canada in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, January 27, 2020

A

committee of Venezuelan opposition politicians will travel to Washington and Brussels to seek support and consult its allies on their positions about an eventual lifting of sanctions, opposition leader Juan Guaido said on Friday.

Guaido told reporters that the committee traveling to the United States and Europe is the same group that has been meeting with officials from Norway in re-

cent weeks in an attempt to establish a dialogue with President Nicolas Maduro’s Government, which stands accused of vote-rigging and rights violations.

Guaido, who has proposed a “national salvation agreement” to help Venezuela emerge from a profound economic collapse and political crisis, last month said he would support a progressive lifting of sanctions on Maduro’s Government on the condi-

tion that Maduro consent to “free and fair” presidential elections.

Maduro, who calls Guaido a US puppet and blames US sanctions on the country’s oil industry for the once-prosperous OPEC nation’s economic woes, has said he is willing to sit down to dialogue with the opposition.

Oslo previously mediated a dialogue table between Venezuela’s Government and the opposition in 2019, after the United States and dozens of other countries recognised Guaido - the speaker of the opposition-held National Assembly - as Venezuela’s rightful leader in a challenge to Maduro.

But Maduro has held onto power, backed by the South American country’s military.

Guaido said on Friday that Gerardo Blyde, who was an opposition negotiator in the 2019 dialogue, would lead the delegation to Europe and the United States. The delegation will be in Washington from June 21-25. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Miner Hochschild says 27 workers killed in Peru bus accident

H

o c h s c h i l d Mining said on Friday that 27 workers were killed while 13 more injured in a road accident in Peru involving a bus operated by one of the precious metals miner’s contractors.

The bus was transporting workers from Hochschild’s Pallancata operation to the city of Arequipa in the south of Peru, the London-listed miner said. Thirteen more

were injured in the incident.

“We are all devastated by this news and we have already started a thorough investigation,” said Chief Executive Officer Ignacio Bustamante.

One employee died at Hochschild’s Pallancata mine last year after rocks fell but no fatalities were registered in 2019, according to the miner’s annual report.

Safety issues are a ma-

jor concern among miners who are under rising pressure from investors and governments to reduce the amount of deaths in and around operations.

Members of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) recorded 44 deaths in 2020, compared with 287 in 2019, when the collapse of a mining dam in Brazil killed 270 people, a report said earlier this month. (Excerpt from Reuters)

P

Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley

rime Minister Mia Amor Mottley thanked her lucky stars on Thursday night that no lives were lost, nor serious injuries sustained after a “freak system” in the

wee hours of Thursday left scores of rural Barbadians homeless, and houses flooded.

From St Peter to St John, roofs were blown away and scientists were left shaking

their heads in amazement.

Mottley is now hoping Barbadians will take the opportunity to make sure they have all measures in place for the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, noting it was clear anything could happen at a moment’s notice.

The system, which was not categorised as a storm or hurricane by the Barbados Meteorological Service, did most of its damage just after midnight, affecting mostly central and some northern areas for about 90 minutes. It dumped almost six inches of rain, accompanied by storm-force winds which reached up to 40 kilometres per hour. (Excerpt from Nation News)

Mexico City Mayor to construction firms: Pay up for collapsed metro line

M

exico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said on Friday that she would like the firms that built the metro railway that collapsed and killed 26 people last month to help pay for its reconstruction, though she did not specify how much money was at stake.

Preliminary findings of an independent investigation presented on Wednesday showed the collapse of a section of the Metro 12 Line was caused by a structural failure.

The line was built by a consortium of Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim’s Grupo Carso, Mexico’s ICA, and French train maker Alstom SA. “We want them to participate in the rehabilitation in economic terms. That is part of what we are proposing,” Sheinbaum said at a news conference, without giving details of whether

Employees work as part of the investigations at the site where an overpass for a metro partially collapsed with train cars on it, in Mexico City, Mexico, May 19, 2021

the firms would be asked to only rebuild the collapsed section or the whole line.

The Civil Engineering Corps of Mexico said on Thursday that after a physical inspection of the metro line it found evidence of other deficiencies and vulnerabilities that require further analysis.

Sheinbaum said she had

spoken by phone this week with representatives of ICA and Grupo Carso and would be talking shortly with Alstom. She plans on meeting with company representatives in person next week.

ICA and Grupo Carso did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Government meets with US Embassy Jamaica to benefit from initial 25 on visa help for T&T cultural workers

million doses of vaccines from US

J

amaica is poised to benefit from the United States donation of an initial 25 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines that have been earmarked for deployment globally, to assist in easing challenges with access being experienced by a number of countries.

This was disclosed by Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, who said that representatives of the Government had discussions with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other officials, during which assurances were given that the region would be assisted with vac-

cines “at a point in time”.

“Jamaica will be part of the Latin America and Caribbean region, where it is anticipated that by the end of this month some distribution will have started,” the Minister said.

She was speaking during Wednesday’s digital town hall meeting, which forms part of the two-day virtual Jamaica Diaspora Sustainability Symposium.

The town hall meeting was hosted by Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

Senator Johnson Smith indicated that Jamaica has also participated in discussions facilitated through the Caribbean Community (Caricom) in relation to se-

curing supplies from the initial 25 million vaccine doses.

“We have not yet had a confirmed quantity. But we continue to liaise as they work out the different formulas that they use, on guidance from Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), taking into consideration the rate of transmission which is taking place in the various islands,” she said.

Against this background, Senator Johnson Smith said the Government is “very much appreciative” of the level of assistance that would be extended by the United States. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

T

he Government has met with the United States’ Embassy in Port-of-Spain, seeking to enhance the efforts of cultural workers who need visas to travel to the United States for revenue-earning performances after being negatively impacted by COVID-19 restrictions here.

This follows a meeting involving Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts Randall Mitchell and Minister of Foreign and Caricom Affairs Dr Amery Browne, Chargé d’Affaires of the United States Embassy in Trinidad and Tobago Shante Moore and representatives of the Trinidad and Tobago Promoters’ Association on Wednesday.

A statement by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts said that it continues to advocate on behalf of artistes and promoters to

smoothen the process of application for work visas and address any challenges related to their ability to travel abroad for work related to the promotion of T&T’s culture in the United States.

As it currently stands, cultural workers who represent Trinidad and Tobago at various events and festivals must apply for a special visa that gives them the ability to lawfully work temporarily within the United States.

One of the main challenges faced by the cultural sector is the closure of the United States Embassy in Trinidad and Tobago due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which effectively ceased in-person interviews at the embassy.

The ministry’s statement added that the meeting follows on the heels of a recently implemented programme that facilitates the

Senator Randall Mitchell, Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts

ease of vaccinations and return travel exemptions for cultural workers, to assist members of the sector in accepting bookings and engagements internationally at festivals and events. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2021

19

News

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Oil gains on OPEC outlook that US output growth will slow

O

il futures rose on Friday, reversing early losses and set for a fourth week of gains after OPEC sources said the producer group expected limited US oil output growth this year despite rising prices.

Officials at the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries got the US production outlook from industry experts, OPEC sources said. This would give the producer group more power to manage the market before a potential surge in shale output in 2022.

Brent crude futures rose 43 cents, or 0.6 per cent to settle at US$73.51 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 60 cents, or 0.8 per cent to US$71.64 a barrel.

Both benchmarks were headed for a weekly gain of about 1.1 per cent.

"Oil markets are rallying because OPEC is sceptical that the increase in US oil production is going to be enough to change their plans to support prices," said Phil Flynn, senior analyst at Price Futures Group in Chicago.

On Wednesday, Brent settled at its highest price since April 2019 and WTI closed at its highest since October 2018. Gains were capped by lingering concerns about the pandemic and a stronger US dollar, which makes oil more expensive in other currencies.

Sources told Reuters that on Tuesday, officials from OPEC's Economic Commission Board (ECB) and external presenters attended a meeting focused on US output. OPEC heard from more forecasters on the outlook for 2021 and 2022 at a separate meeting on Thursday.

While there was general agreement on limited US supply growth this year, an industry source said for 2022 forecasts ranged from growth of between 500,000 and 1.3 million barrels per day.

"The general sentiment regarding shale was it will come back as prices go up but not super-fast," said a source at one of the companies that provided forecasts to OPEC. Higher oil prices have spurred some US energy firms back to the well pad. The oil rig count, an early indicator of future output, rose eight this week to 373, the highest since April 2020, according to energy services firm Baker Hughes Co. On Thursday, Iran's top negotiator indicated an agreement was close in talks between Tehran and Washington on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. This added to pressure on prices.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Palestinian Authority calls off vaccine exchange with Israel

T

he Palestinian Authority announced it has cancelled an agreement with Israeli regarding the exchange of Pfizer vaccines, saying the doses are set to expire soon.

Palestinian officials had come under heavy criticism on social media after the agreement was announced, with many accusing them of accepting subpar vaccines and suggesting they might not be effective.

“After the technical teams in the Ministry of Health examined the first batch of the Pfizer vaccines that were received this evening from Israel, it became clear that the 90,000 doses received do not conform to the specifications contained in the agreement,” PA spokesman Ibrahim Melhem said during a joint press conference on Friday

A Palestinian health worker vaccinating elderly Palestinians against COVID-19 in the village of Dura, near Hebron in the occupied West Bank

with PA Health Minister Mai al-Kaila.

“Accordingly Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh instructed the Minister of Health to cancel the agreement with the Israeli side on exchanging the vaccine and returning

the quantity that was received today to Israel.”

Earlier on Friday, Israel said it will transfer about 1 million doses of soon-to-expire coronavirus vaccines to the PA in exchange for a similar number of fresh doses the Palestinians ex-

pect to receive later this year.

“Israel has signed an agreement with the Palestinian Authority, and will supply approximately one million doses of Pfizer vaccine that are about to expire,” Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s office said in a joint statement with the Defence and Health Ministries.

Up to 1.4 million doses could be exchanged in September/October 2021, the statement added.

The statement did not give the exact expiration date of the vaccine, but COGAT, the Israeli military body that administers civilian affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories, said on Friday it had already “transferred 100,000 vaccine doses”.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Chinese, Indian workers among 11 killed in Nepal floods, 25 missing

L

andslides and flash floods triggered by heavy rain across Nepal this week killed 11 people including one Indian and two Chinese workers at a development project, while 25 people were missing elsewhere, officials said on Friday.

The bodies of the three workers were recovered near the town of Melamchi in Sindhupalchowk district, northeast of Kathmandu, which was hit by flash floods on Wednesday that also

forced many people from their homes, district administrators said in a statement.

"The foreign nationals were working for a Chinese company that is building a drinking water project," district official Baburam Khanal told Reuters.

The Home Ministry said late on Thursday that 25 people were missing in floods in Sindhupalchowk, a mountainous district bordering the Tibet region of China, and other parts of the country.

The monsoon rains, which normally begin in June and last until September, kill hundreds of people in mostly mountainous Nepal every year.

Heavy rain since Tuesday has damaged roads, destroyed bridges, washed away fish farms and livestock, and wrecked homes.

Hundreds of people have been forced to move to community shelters, including schools, sheds and tents, authorities said.

Aid agencies said the

crisis this year could add to the social and economic woes of a country hard hit by COVID-19. Nepal has been reporting among the highest coronavirus test positivity rates in the world.

"Those who have lost homes are sleeping in community centres," said John Jordan of the US-based charity World Neighbors.

"This forced density raises risks for a community that has been recovering from COVID-19."

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Delta COVID variant becoming Abortion rights: US Catholic globally dominant, WHO official says bishops face clash with Biden

World Health Organisation (WHO) Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan attending a press conference organised by the Geneva Association of United Nations Correspondents (ACANU) amid the COVID-19 outbreak caused by the novel coronavirus, at the WHO headquarters in Geneva Switzerland, July 3, 2020

T

he Delta variant of COVID-19, first identified in India, is becoming the globally dominant variant of the disease, the World Health Organisation's chief scientist said on Friday.

Britain has reported a steep rise in infections with the Delta variant, while Germany's top public health official predicted it would rapidly become the dominant variant there despite rising vaccination rates.

The Kremlin blamed a surge in COVID-19 cases on reluctance to have vaccinations and "nihilism" after record new infections in Moscow, mostly with the new Delta variant, fanned fears of a third wave.

"The Delta variant is well on its way to becoming the dominant variant globally because of its increased transmissibility," Swaminathan told a news conference.

Coronavirus variants were cited by CureVac when the German company this week reported its vaccine proved only 47 per cent effective at preventing disease, shy of the WHO's 50 per cent benchmark.

The company said it documented at least 13 variants circulating within its study population.

Given that similar mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and BioNTech and Moderna posted efficacy rates topping 90 per cent, Swaminathan said the world had been expecting more from CureVac's candidate. WHO officials said Africa remains an area of concern, even though it accounts for only around 5 per cent of new global infections and 2 per cent of deaths.

New cases in Namibia, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Rwanda have doubled in the last week, WHO emergencies programme head Mike Ryan said, while vaccine access remains miniscule.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

U

S Catholic bishops are on a potential collision course with President Joe Biden after voting to commission a document that may call for him to be barred from Holy Communion.

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) clashed online over whether to draw up a teaching document on politicians who support abortion.

Holy Communion is the most important ritual in the Catholic Christian faith.

The Catholic President regularly attends Church services.

Responding to news of the bishops' vote, he said: "That's a private matter and I don't think that's gonna happen."

The Vatican has already indicated its opposition to the bishops' move.

After the debate on Thursday, the Most Reverend Allen H Vigneron, Vice President of the USCCB, announced the

Joe Biden outside St Joseph on the Brandywine Catholic Church in Wilmington, Delaware, last month

move had passed by 168 to 55, with six abstentions.

The US clergy is deeply divided on the issue. The Most Rev Robert McElroy, bishop of San Diego, warned such a document would lead to the "weaponisation" of the Eucharist (the more formal name for Holy Communion).

However, the Most Rev Liam Cary, the bishop of Baker, Oregon, said the Church was in an "unprecedented situation" with "a Catholic President who is

opposed to the teaching" of the Church.

The document will now be drafted by the doctrine committee of US bishops.

However, although it will be a form of national policy, it will not be binding. Each individual bishop has the right to decide who should be blocked from the Mass in his diocese.

The document will return for debate at the next bi-annual US Catholic Bishops Conference in November.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

20

SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2021

guyanatimesgy.com

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS

DILBERT

(April 20May 20)

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

PEANUTS

CALVIN AND HOBBES

SUDOKU

Put things in perspective before you address issues with a loved one to help avoid discord. Make some fun plans that will strengthen important relationships.

Personal gain is apparent.

Don't lose sight of your goal. Look over your options, and put your energy where it will do some good. Take the high road if you cannot agree with someone. Be gracious, loving and kind.

Refuse to let anyone talk you into something undesirable. Put your time and effort into learning something new or getting involved in a pastime that will help you explore new avenues.

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Shed the past and head toward something new and exciting. Explore new territory and strive to incorporate what you learn into your everyday life. Don't miss out because of fear of the unknown.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Revisit an idea that stimulates your mind. Reach out to people who have something to contribute. Make your dreams come true instead of helping everyone else reach their goals.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Reevaluate your personal and professional situations.

Consider what you can do to make your life more manageable and achieve the happiness you crave. Don't let emotional matters spin out of control.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Live and learn. Follow through with your plans; set goals that will encourage you to expand your mind and interests. Leave nothing to chance or in other people's hands.

Express your feelings.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Get your finances and legal affairs in order. Peace of mind will be beneficial when you want to make a move or head in a new direction. Work to be free to take advantage of opportunities.

Don't put too much faith SAGITTARIUS into what others do or say.

(Nov. 23Follow your heart and the Dec. 21) path that intrigues you the most. Build solid relationships with like-minded people. Seek out stability.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

Control your emotions, and you'll make better decisions. A partnership will need an adjustment if you want it to run smoothly. Offer an incentive if it will help you get what you want.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

Invest more time and money in something that makes you happy. Explore your options, take on new projects and build a space that gives you the freedom to express yourself.

PISCES

Be honest regarding your feelings and expectations. If you aren't on the same page as someone, make adjustments to satisfy the needs of the important people in your life. Transparency is a must.

(Feb. 20March 20)

SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2021

21

Teams unperturbed after rain washes out 1st day A fter a first day washout, the wait goes on for the start of the ICC World Test Championship Final, but the India team named will be ready for any conditions.

That is the view of India fielding coach R Sridhar, who does not expect any changes to the XI named for the game in Southampton.

While New Zealand’s final XI will not be confirmed until the toss, India has already decided on the team that will take on the Black Caps.

And even if rain could change the tactics, Sridhar is confident that the selection can perform in any conditions.

He said: “I think the XI which has been announced is an XI that takes the pitch and conditions out of the equation.

“I think it is an XI which can play and perform on any given surface, in any given weather conditions. Having

Tim Southee and Trent Boult having some fun in the rain

said that, the toss is not yet over, so if it needs to be taken, a decision will be taken at the time of the toss.”

While a heavy day of rain put paid to the chances of any cricket on Friday, the possibility of a five-day Test remains thanks to the reserve day on

Wednesday.

The ICC has confirmed the ICC World Test Championship Final reserve day could be utilised should the match not reach a result by the close of day five. The decision will be taken by the Match Officials on day five.

NBA playoffs 2021…

Middleton and Giannis star as Bucks force Game 7 against Nets

For now, the players have had to get used to the waiting game, but Sridhar believes that the experienced nature of the India team has helped in that regard.

He added: “To keep them in a good mental space, that is something that is very important because they are going to be on and off the field with the weather so they will have to know how to keep their concentration going, switching on, switching off.

“That is something all the players are aware of, they are a very experienced bunch of players. They have played a few finals, won a few tournaments and played a few Test matches, each one in that XI. So they all know how to do it and are in a good frame of mind, a good space.”

The Black Caps are yet to name a final XI for the match, with that expected to be decided by coach Gary Stead and captain Kane Williamson on Saturday.

For vice-captain Tom Latham, while there was understandable disappointment at not playing at all on day one, he admitted that it did not come as a huge surprise and praised the provision of a

T

K

hris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo starred as the Milwaukee Bucks forced a deciding Game 7 in their Eastern Conference semi-final thanks to a 104-89 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday.

Bucks forward Middleton top-scored with an NBA playoff career-high 38 points, including five-from-eight three-pointers, and had 10 rebounds, five assists and five steals, as Milwaukee levelled the series at 3-3.

Two-time MVP Antetokounmpo produced a more aggressive display inside the paint to stay alive in the playoffs, putting up 30 points and 17 rebounds in a double-double display at home to the Nets.

Antetokounmpo played a key role in 14-0 fourth-quarter run, including a strong offensive rebound and slam, which warded off Brooklyn's threat.

M i l w a u k e e ' s Antetokounmpo did not attempt one three-point shot in a clear change of strategy after criticism for his shooting earlier in the series.

James Harden started again for the Nets after returning from a hamstring injury in Game 5, getting through 39 minutes but was visibly hampered, lacking power and finishing with 16 points, five rebounds and seven assists.

Kevin Durant had another busy shift, playing 40 of the 48 minutes, however he could not carry the second-seeded Nets, scoring 32 points with 11 rebounds following his monster triple-double last time out.

PJ Tucker and Jrue Holiday were strong defensively, with the latter having four steals, harassing Durant – who only shot at 50 per cent from the field and two-fromeight beyond the arc.

Milwaukee led 5948 at half-time with

Antetokounmpo having 18 points in the opening half, shooting eight of nine from the field.

The Nets rallied in the third quarter and put pressure on the Bucks early in the last period with a 10-0 run.

Milwaukee hit back with their 14-0 run which led to Brooklyn benching Durant and Harden late.

The Nets would welcome the Bucks to Brooklyn for Game 7 on Saturday.

(NBA)

he Boston Celtics have reportedly agreed to trade Kemba Walker and a 2021 first-round draft pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for former favourite Al Horford.

Walker arrived in Boston in 2019 in a sign-and-trade deal with the Charlotte Hornets that would see the point guard paid a mammoth $140.8million over four years.

T h e Celtics made that move after losing Kyrie Irving

Fans waiting for the start of play

potential sixth day.

He said: “It’s disappointing - the rain today, it was forecast unfortunately, but it’s one of those things that as cricketers you need to adapt.

It’s something we can’t control, it’s just about waiting and when we get the opportunity to come on, making sure we’re ready.

“The beauty of it is there is day six as well, so there is a little extra time that we can use then. We’ll wait and see and have a look tomorrow.

“I guess for us it’s just about waiting and trying to adapt to whatever weather conditions we’re facing, whether it’s tomorrow or

whenever it may be. It’s important we aren’t caught on the hop and that we’re ready when called upon. We’ve been in this situation many times as cricketers, so it’s about trying to stay ready.

“Looking at conditions and the amount of water that has fallen since yesterday afternoon, there probably wasn’t a huge chance that we were going to play today. So guys have just been trying to relax, there has been a lot of table tennis, a lot of darts being played up in the team room.

Guys are pretty relaxed and we’ll have to give it another shot tomorrow and see what happens.” (ICC Cricket)

and Horford in free agency.

Horford got a four-year, $97m contract with the Philadelphia 76ers but was traded to the Thunder 17 months later.

Friday's agreement ends miserable stays for both Walker and Horford on their respective teams, while Boston also receive 21-year-old center Moses Brown.

The trade, reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, sees Walker, this year's 16th overall pick, and a 2025 second-round selection, sent to Oklahoma City.

In return, the Celtics get Horford, Brown, and a 2023 second-round pick in Brad Stevens's first trade since leaving his role as head coach to become president of basketball operations.

The move crucially allows Boston to get off Walker's contract, which still has $73.7m owed. Horford's deal has a slightly more palatable $53.5m remaining.

For the Thunder, who have already

traded the majority of their assets for picks, it means they will have three selections in the first round of this year's draft.

Walker started all 82 games in his final year in Charlotte, contributing 25.6 points per game.

However, in Boston, he dealt with repeated knee injuries, scoring 20.4 points in his first season and 19.3 in his second, which concluded with a 4-1 playoff defeat to the Brooklyn Nets. Walker played three games and averaged 12.7 points.

Horford dropped from 13.6 points and 1.3 blocks on the Celtics to 11.9 and 0.9 on the 76ers. He did improve after joining Oklahoma City, but was then sat for the final two months of the season as the team tanked, handing greater opportunities to fellow big man Brown.

Brown averaged 8.6 points and 8.9 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per game in his only season with the Thunder. He ended the year with a career-high 24 points against the Los Angeles Clippers.

22

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2021

GTTA boss shines the light

Chelsea Edghill will be representing Guyana at the Tokyo Olympics

By Timothy Jaikarran

Chelsea Edghill would be representing Guyana at the Tokyo Olympics, as she received an International Table Tennis Federation ‘Wild Card’ spot for the games in Japan.

Edghill is the first table tennis player from Guyana, male or female, to achieve this feat.

GTTA President Godfrey Munroe is extremely proud of Edghill’s accomplishments, but is hopeful that other players can follow in her footsteps.

In an exclusive interview with this publication, Munroe outlined key and necessary steps on what has to be done if athletes are to make it to the Olympics’ level. “We already have athletes with the pedi-

gree, talent and skill to compete at the highest level.

This has been demonstrated over the years. What is need is the requisite support and structures,” he said.

“However, it requires the whole system being in place in order to make it sustainable, and these include talent development, identification programmes, coaching support, and pathways which allow us to have a greater nucleus of higher-qualified coaches,” Munroe added.

The GTTA boss also stressed on such issues as financial support for athletes to attend high-yield centers and competitions; facilities to allow players to train uninhibited for a minimum of 5 hours daily; equity and access across the regions; the use of science, with medicinal support recovery and physiotherapy; phys-

Munroe is hopeful that, with the right process, the young generation can represent Guyana at the highest level

ical fitness; aerobic and anerobic inputs; psychological and nutritional support to national federations, and scholarships programmes among other key pillars.

However, he related that these require key resource inputs, which would be both human and financial. Munroe said studies would show that at the elite

stage, there is a greater level of investment required to make a marginal gain.

He explained that success in sports is more attributed to systems and structures,

rather than on talent.

“To be more specific, with the current crop of talent, attendance at highyield centres on regular intervals… We have an existing MOU with the Govt of the People’s Republic of China which allows for national team players to attend high-yield centres in China. In this regard, the use of the Cuban coach in our national team programmes; support to attend key competitions; inputs in the realm of psychological nutritional, psychological support; coaching development and support; equipment support and incentives are key ingredients needed. There are ways that we can innovate to get there, as a country that doesn’t have unlimited resources” Munroe opined.

"WELL-DESERVED!"

– Sir Viv welcomes former teammate Desmond Haynes into ICC Hall of Fame

“I

was wondering why they took so long,” was the response of West Indies and international batting legend Sir Vivian Richards when asked about the induction of former opening batsman and teammate Desmond Haynes into the International Cricket Council (ICC) Hall of Fame.

The Barbadian was on Sunday inducted in cricket’s Hall of Fame alongside another West Indies legend in Sir Learie Constantine.

Speaking on the Good Morning Jojo Sports Show at the time, Sir Viv said Haynes possessed all the qualities of a player who was more than deserving of the latest accolade.

“When I heard the news, I was pretty much elated, and I was wondering why it took so long really; but, at the end of the day, it was pretty much welcoming, and not just maybe for himself, but having captained the individual and played

all kinds of things about you didn’t get along with this or you didn’t get along with that person, but with that unit we had, we came from all different islands and, to be fair, when we realised the potential in the team, all that little stuff was put aside. And you may feel it, but when we went out there, it wasn’t if you’re from Barbados, Guyana or Antigua and Barbuda, or anything like that, it was, ‘We’re representing the people of the region’,” he said.

Haynes amassed 7,487 runs at an average of 42 in Tests spanning his 16-year career. He scored 18 centuries, to be seventh on the

Former West Indies legends Sir Viv Richards (left) and Desmond Haynes (right) conversing as batsman Kieran Powell looks on

with him on numerous occasions, he’s just a magnificent team person, and I am very happy for him,” Sir Viv has said.

Sir Viv added that Haynes came along at a time when West Indies

cricket was at its peak, which meant he had to have been a tremendous talent to not only break into the squad, but to do as well as he did.

The Antiguan said Haynes played his part in

not only ensuring the team was successful, but also ensured that the bond between players, who were gathering from all parts of the Caribbean, remained intact.

“People will always say

COVID-19 Task Force approves Father’s Day Cycle Race on the West Side

A

ccording to Cycling Coach Hassan Mohamed, the National COVID-19 Task Force has given the green light for the Father's Day cycle race to take place on the West Coast of Demerara.

Sunday June 20 would therefore see seasoned and aspiring cyclists battling for cash and trophies over the 44 miles that span the return distance from Schoonord, West Bank Demerara to Parika, East Bank Essequibo. The event pedals off at 08:00h.

With the likes of national champion Romello Crawford and top-of-the-line riders Raynauth Jeffrey, Michael Anthony, Jamual John and

Nigel London and national female champion Suzanne Hamilton

Briton John slated to be absent, Sunday’s upcoming race is set to see some new riders distinguishing themselves.

Team Evolution’s Paul De Nobrega, who was hot

in the National Cycling Championships, and his teammates Christopher Griffith and Curtis Dey are favourites to emerge victorious, but the new riders are expected

to throw down the gauntlet to the status quo in showing their abilities.

The collaborative race effort involving Banks DIH Limited brands Malta Supreme and Rainforest Waters and Carlton Wheelers Cycle Club would see the first six overall finishers being rewarded for their efforts with trophies and cash prizes.

The top three finishers in each of the categories: juniors, juveniles, veterans and ladies, would also be rewarded. The Carlton Wheelers-organised race was last held in 2019, owing to restrictions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

all-time West Indies list of run-scorers.

The batsman was just as destructive in ODIs, scoring 8,648 runs at an average of 41, with 17 centuries to be fourth on the all-time ODI list of Windies run-scorers.

Haynes made his West Indies debut a week after his 22nd birthday, and celebrated with a magnificent 148 against Australia in an ODI in Antigua.

He made his Test debut on that same tour, hitting fifties in his first three innings, before scoring his maiden Test hundred against New Zealand two years later. (Antigua Observer)

GAPLF to host AGM on July 10

T

he Guyana Amateur P o w e r l i f t i n g Federation (GAPLF) will host its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Saturday, July 10, 2021 with the aim of electing office bearers. The meeting will commence at 10:00hrs at a venue that will be confirmed soon.

On the agenda is the renewal of affiliation, review of the 2019 AGM Minutes, President’s Report for 2020 to present, General Secretary’s Report for 2020 to present, Treasurer’s Report for 2020, the Election of 2021 Office Bearers, and any other business deemed necessary.

The 2020 Executive Committee reads: Ed Caesar, President; Nadina Taharally, Vice President; Colin Austin, Treasurer; Andrea Smith, General Secretary; Runita White, Public Relations Officer/ Organising Secretary; David Gomes, Committee Member; Martin Webster,

GAPLF President Ed Caesar

Committee Member; Erwyn Smith, Committee Member.

The GAPLF Executive Members look forward to the regular attendance and full participation of members. COVID stipulations are in effect. All attendees are required to wear their masks, and to sanitize upon entry.

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

SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2021

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

23

Half-centuries from Elgar, de Kock keep South Africa afloat

D

ean Elgar, in his second Test as permanent captain in the format, top-scored with 77 as South Africa negotiated a tough batting day against a much-improved West Indian side.

Facing a must-win situation to share the spoils in the series, the hosts’ fourpronged pace attack made good use of the movement on offer in seamer-friendly conditions to made inroads into South Africa’s line-up early on and kept their visitors relatively quiet, with a run rate that stayed under three an over throughout the day.

Shannon Gabriel, on his return from a hamstring injury that kept him out of the first Test, was the most suc-

Verreynne was dismissed in the last over before tea, but Elgar took South Africa to within three overs of the second new ball being due, and put on 79 for the fifth wicket with Quinton de Kock, the centurion from the first Test. de Kock remained unbeaten on 59 off 103, at a strike rate of 57.28, the quickest of the match so far.

Under cloudy skies and after a morning rain, the toss was delayed, and play eventually started 15 minutes late and was interrupted after three-and-ahalf overs for another ten minutes by a passing shower. By then South Africa had already lost their first batter. In the second over,

Dean Elgar

cessful bowler on the day.

Gabriel was used in short bursts, never bowling more than four overs in a spell, and took 2 for 47. Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales and Kyle Mayers each took one wicket; and Jason Holder, whose 14 overs cost just 25 runs, held an end even although he went wicketless.

Between them, the quicks reduced South Africa to 37 for 3 inside 18 overs, before Elgar and Kyle Verreynne shared a fourth-wicket stand of 87.

Aiden Markram chased a short, wide delivery from Gabriel and was caught at backward point by Roston Chase. This was Markram’s sixth Test duck, and he equalled the number of scoreless dismissals by any opener since his debut in September 2017.

Elgar shares that record with Markram, and was at risk of going past him and departing for a second duck in the series. He was beaten twice by Roach, and squared up by Gabriel

before the rain break, into which he went scoreless.

But he returned to find his first runs with a boundary, and battled through most of the rest of the day.

At the other end, Roach found Keegan Petersen’s outside edge, but the chance fell short of third slip.

Petersen did not look comfortable against the moving ball, and although he survived a stifled appeal for a catch down the leg side, he did not last long after the introduction of Seales.

In his second Test, Seales struck with the first ball of his third over when he tempted Petersen into the drive off a ball that moved away from him.

Petersen edged to Holder at second slip.

Elgar started to look more convincing when he drove Seales through midoff, but he was beaten by Holder’s first ball, a beauty that pitched on middle and off and moved away, and he went back into his shell.

He battled on, but Rassie van der Dussen couldn’t.

Roach, who had switched ends from when he opened the bowling, got the ball to move into van der Dussen several times in his sixth over to set him up, and then did the same with the third ball of his seventh. van der Dussen shouldered arms and was bowled.

Verreynne stayed with Elgar until lunch and through most of the second session, and showed glimpses of the aggression he has become known for in domestic cricket. But he also had his nervy moments. He was beaten several times after that, and survived an lbw review off Mayers, who surprised Verreynne with a ball that

de Kock is unbeaten on a half-century

nipped back into him from outside off and hit him on the back pad. West Indies reviewed, but ball-tracking showed it was going over the stumps.

Elgar had been watchful throughout that period, but played a few shots in anger. He brought up South Africa’s hundred with a flick off a Roach full toss, and his own fifty when he top-edged a Gabriel short ball, which ended up being a no-ball, off the 146th ball he faced.

Two overs later, Verreynne attempted a pull off Gabriel, who had returned for a pre-tea burst, but he did not get hold of the ball as it swung down the leg side. He was given out caught behind, but reviewed, and UltraEdge confirmed Verreynne’s bat had made contact. de Kock picked up from where he had left off in the first Test, and approached his innings positively. He punched a full Chase de-

livery between extra cover and mid-off, hit Gabriel through the covers, and spurred Elgar on to some more aggressive strokes too.

The captain pulled Seales through midwicket, and drove Holder down the ground, to enjoy some reward after an innings of mostly hard graft.

The pair seemed set to take South Africa to the close, but in the 78th over, Mayers bowled Elgar

with a delivery that came back into him and sneaked through the bat-pad gap.

West Indies ended up not taking the second new ball, and opted to wait until the morning to make use of it, when conditions may again be ripe for swing. They’ll look to repeat their first morning’s performance, but would also be aware of the number of extras they gave away on the first day - 42 the third highest scorer in the innings. (ESPNcricinfo)

SCOREBOARD SA 1st Innings Dean Elgar (c) b Mayers 77 Aiden Markram c Chase b Gabriel 0 Keegan Petersen c Holder b Seales 7 Rassie van der Dussen b Roach 4 Kyle Verreynne c †Da Silva b Gabriel 27 Quinton de Kock † not out 59 Wiaan Mulder not out 2 Extras (b 9, lb 18, nb 3, w 12) 42 TOTAL (82 Ov, RR: 2.65) 218/5 Yet to bat: Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi

Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Aiden Markram, 1.3 ov), 2-26 (Keegan Petersen, 10.1 ov), 3-37 (Rassie van der Dussen, 17.3 ov), 4-124 (Kyle Verreynne, 49.1 ov), 5-203 (Dean Elgar, 77.2 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W Kemar Roach 16-6-33-1 Shannon Gabriel 12-3-47-2 Jayden Seales 13-4-28-1 Jason Holder 14-5-25-0 Roston Chase 11-3-20-0 Kyle Mayers 11-3-24-1 Kraigg Brathwaite 5-0-14-0

Government of Guyana blesses Tokyo-bound athletes

I

– Ramson urges athletes to inspire generations as they prepare

n a simple ceremony held at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, athletes who have qualified to participate in the Tokyo Olympics and the Tokyo Paralympics met with Sport Minister the Hon Charles Ramson Jr, Director of Sport Steve Ninvalle, and Chairman of the National Sports Commission Kashif Muhammad.

In their meeting, Minister Ramson gave the athletes a stipend of US$1000 (as money to spend while in Tokyo) on behalf of the Government of Guyana as they gear up for the highly anticipated Tokyo Olympics, slated to comment on 23 July, 2021 and conclude on 8 August, 2021.

The athletes who met with the Minister were boxer Keevin Allicock, table tennis player Chelsea Edghill, 400m runner Aliyah Abrams, and lone cyclist Walter Grant-Stuart, who will be heading to

the Paralympic Games.

Swimmers Andrew Fowler and Jamila Sanmoogan have qualified for Tokyo as well.

In addressing the athletes, Minister Ramson urged them to be mindful that there is an entire nation watching them, and he said that while it may be their first time participating in the Olympics, they can inspire others to strive to do likewise as well.

“When players leave, I remind them that they have an additional obligation, and that is to inspire a generation of people coming behind them. I said this to the basketball team when they were leaving, and I am going to emphasise this to every team before they leave.

“A lot of times, when people see these examples, they emulate those examples. I know you guys are young and that this is your first time to the Olympics, this is going to be an experience for

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Hon Charles Ramson Jr, Director of Sport Steve Ninvalle and Chairman of the National Sports Commission Kashif Muhammad pose with the Tokyo-bound athletes

you. You are going to be anxious, nervous; but also be mindful that there is an entire nation that will be looking at you, and they will look at you and say I want to be like you.”

Minister Ramson went on to relate that the Government of Guyana would treat the acquisition of medals in a very different way, while encouraging the athletes to go forth and work

hard for their medals.

He reiterated that eyes would be on them, as they would each be an inspiration to many Guyanese at home.

Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Kashif

Muhammad, urged the athletes to be ambassadors of Guyana while accepting that they are all elite athletes. He wished them well on their journey to international recognition.

SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2021

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

Page 23

Half-centuries from Elgar, de Kock keep South Africa afloat Government of Guyana blesses Tokyo-bound athletes 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.