Guyana Times - Saturday May 29, 2021

P17

Citizens Bank's taxed profits at $478M – mid-year report Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 4662

THE BEACON OF TRUTH SATURDAY, MAY 29, 2021

Caribbean needs to source more from within region for food security – President Ali Page 3

PRICE

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

48 trained teachers take up leadership role in P15 Education Ministry

…says removal of unnecessary non-tariff barriers required

3500 backlog housing applications in Region 5 – Minister Rodrigues

Page 7

…CH&PA acquiring 5000 acres of land to satisfy housing needs

President calls emergency meeting over flood situation

…discusses mitigating efforts, visits flood-affected Mahaicony Creek

4 COVID-19 deaths, 70 new cases P9 recorded Taxi driver fights off P10 bandits in home invasion

See story on page 18

Neighbour convicted of P10 killing businesswoman, 2 sons

Region 9 battling dengue, malaria, more floods – Chairman See story on page 12

…as floodwaters rise in Region 10

Bandits kill airline GWI staff increased staff, snatch bag by 700 under APNU/ …payroll moved from containing $437,000 AFC – CEO $96M to $240M Page 18

Page 14

Fire destroys Patentia P11 home Kairuni accident

Fireman slapped with 3 charges of causing death by dangerous P9 driving

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SATURDAY, MAY 29, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

NEWS

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SATURDAY, MAY 29, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

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

Saturday, May 29 – 04:00h – 05:30h and Sunday, May 30 – 04:00h – 05:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Caribbean needs to source more from within region for food security – President Ali …says removal of unnecessary non-tariff barriers required the pandemic including on the food systems, and has even established a Special Ministerial Task Force on food production and food security to follow-up and monitor the implementation of the Advancing the Caricom Agri-Food Systems Agenda; Prioritising Regional Food and Nutrition Security strategy.

Saturday, May 29 – 06:10h – 07:40h and Sunday, May 30 – 07:05h – 08:35h.

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

WEATHER TODAY

Expect thundery showers during the day. There will be partly cloudy skies at night. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-Easterly between 1.78 metres and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 06:18h and 18:54h reaching maximum heights of 2.72 metres and 2.47 metres.

Low Tide: 12:24h reaching a minimum height of 0.52 metre.

SATURDAY, MAY 22, 2021

LOTTERY NUMBERS E

02 04 09 10 20 23 05

FREE TICKET FRIDAY, MAY 28, 2021

Bonus Ball

DAILY MILLIONS

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Afternoon Draw

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Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

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PAY DAY

PAY DAY THURSDAY, MAY 27, 2021

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

COMMODITIES Indicators

US$

Change %

Crude Oil

$69.63/barrel

+0.24

Rough Rice

$239.4/ton

+0.49

London Sugar

$457.50/ton

+1.67

Live Spot Gold

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1903.50

$1904.50

Low/High Change

$1881.40 0.00

$1906.50 0.00%

Not short of solutions

President Irfaan Ali

P

resident Dr Irfaan Ali on Friday underscored the importance of Members of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) not only producing more foods but also sourcing foods from within the region in order to reduce the high import bill.

He made this remark during an address to the virtual Caricom Regional Dialogue on Food Systems, during which he called on Caricom leaders to strive to become more food secure.

According to President Ali, regional food security can be enhanced through the dismantling of barriers to the trade and agriculture commodities.

“The Caribbean must aim at becoming more food secure. This exercise must be sustained and must involve increased production of foods consumed within the region. But it must also entail increased intra-regional trade in agricultural commodities… If the region is to become more food secure, it has to begin to source more of its food needs from within the Caribbean, and this will require the removal of unnecessary non-tariff barriers to intra-regional trade,” the Guyanese leader noted.

The Head of State pointed out to regional leaders and other stakeholders during Friday’s virtual session; the Caribbean’s high food importation bill of over US$4 billion per annum and that its high dependence on food imports leaves the region vulnerable to external shocks caused by sudden spikes in food commodity prices as is being experience currently from the COVID-19 pandemic.

On this note, the President pointed to the Caribbean COVID-19 Food Security & Livelihoods Impact Survey: Regional Summary Report of February 2021 which stated the ongoing pandemic had widespread effects on livelihoods in the region. It estimated a 57 per cent increase in the number of food-insecure persons in the region over the past year and also highlighted the loss of jobs and incomes, increases in food prices, a fall in food consumption for poorer households, and a reduction in their food stocks.

Nevertheless, he noted that the Caricom leadership has been proactive in responding to the effects of

But President Ali, who is the lead Head of Government in the Caricom Quasi Cabinet with responsibility for Agriculture, contended that the region is not short of solutions for improving its food security especially in the long run. These, he said, can be found in several proposals, reports, studies and regional strategies that were prepared over the years.

“The solution exists.

What is required is the political will and the financing to give effect to what needs to be done to develop the region’s food systems. I believe that the time has come, and the time is ripe for us to do so,” he asserted.

To this end, the Guyanese

Head of State went on to point to the Jagdeo Initiative which had identified that limited financing and new investments were the key binding constraints to regional agricultural development and as such, proposed the development of a fund to modernise regional agriculture.

As such, President Ali noted that Friday’s Dialogue was important in allowing regional leaders and stakeholders to further deliberate on strengthening its food security as well as to assess re-

sponses to the threat posed to its food systems by climate change.

“The Caribbean region faces many challenges in developing a competitive agrifood system that can contribute to the achievement of its food security and economic goals. One of these challenges is the region’s vulnerability to the adverse effects of climate change – rising sea levels, extreme weather events and other natural disasters,” he stated.

TURN TO PAGE 13

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guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, MAY 29, 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

Guyana’s commitment to food security

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ue to the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the Region and the world at large, the issue of agriculture and food security has not been talked about much. However, on Friday, President Dr Irfaan Ali adequately addressed the importance of Members of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) not only producing more foods, but also sourcing foods from within the region.

We have always maintained that food security for the Region is as important as any other matter, and must be treated as such

by Governments and other development partners.

In Guyana’s case, we have, over the years, been at the forefront in pushing for an effective agriculture and food security strategy. Since in December 2020, at the Seventh virtual Summit of the Heads of State of Caricom and the Republic of Cuba, President Dr Irfaan Ali had brought the issue of regional food security again into the spotlight. The President used the opportunity to press the Caribbean Community (Caricom) to review the inter-regional trade mechanism and its food security, in an effort to strengthen the bloc and place greater focus on an Agriculture and Food Security Strategy.

We believe Regional Heads need to place more emphasis on developing their agriculture sector, and making the kinds of investments necessary to ensure the Region is not only food secure, but that we produce enough to tap into export markets, so as to earn foreign exchange.

It could be recalled that, in 2002, former President Bharrat Jagdeo, who at the time had lead responsibility for Agriculture in the Caricom quasi-Cabinet, had sought assistance from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) to boost the Region’s efforts to ensure it is food secure. One year after, he proposed that the Region build on its past efforts to develop a common agriculture policy, and requested that the IICA and the FAO support the Caricom Secretariat in developing a framework for repositioning agriculture in the Region.

In underlining the problems that the agriculture sector faces in the Region, Jagdeo had stressed that, in the changing global environment, the sector was neither providing for food security nor earning the foreign exchange needed to cover the Region’s growing food import bill.

In addition, at a Caricom Heads of Government Conference in Grand Anse, Grenada, Jagdeo had presented a paper titled “A Framework for the Repositioning of Caribbean Agriculture”. In that framework, he had stressed the need for a regional policy and strategy aimed at strengthening food security and alleviating poverty; and in January 2005, the President’s proposal was formally dubbed the “Jagdeo Initiative”, with the theme being “Strengthening Agriculture for Sustainable Development”.

The declining role of agriculture in the Region, the continuing loss of preferential markets for the Region’s traditional products, and the rapidly-increasing extra-regional food import bill are among the serious and challenging issues highlighted in the Initiative. However, while there has been much banter on the topic, it is not clear what concrete actions (if any) have been taken since then to strengthen the Region’s agriculture sector and to bring it to a level envisaged in the “Jagdeo Initiative”.

Regional Governments would need to show by their actions that they are willing to go beyond the rhetoric. Guyana has made tremendous efforts to ensure it produces enough to meet the demands of its citizens.

As we are presently doing, other countries would need to organise themselves and their individual farming sectors, and encourage young persons to embrace new technologies to see farming and agriculture as a business. By doing so, the Region would not only be ensuring there is enough food to satisfy the demands of people, but the surplus of what is produced could be exported.

Several years after, many of the proposals detailed in the Jagdeo Initiative are still relevant, and perhaps even more needed now, considering the changing global dynamics relative to countries producing enough to meet the needs of their populations and to satisfy export markets.

President Ali’s statement: “The solution exists. What is required is the political will and the financing to give effect to what needs to be done to develop the Region’s food systems. I believe that the time has come, and the time is ripe for us to do so,” is another reminder of Guyana’s commitment to the issue of food security.

Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn speaking with the relatives of Antonio Henry, Meliena Emmanuels and Akese Jerome who died as a result of a traffic accident on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway at Kairuni on Sunday last. He also undertook to follow up on the Government’s commitment to provide aid to the bereaved and support for eight-year-old Alina Persaud and 50-year-old Rodwell Jerome, who were also severely injured in the accident (Home Affairs Ministry photo)

M&CC should give Central Govt some money for taking up slack Dear Editor, Over the past few weeks, the Mayor of Georgetown has been expressing dissatisfaction with the manner in which Central Government has been doling out subventions to the City Council - a situation that has left quite a few citizens perplexed. From his utterances, it would seem as though the Council would be left immobilised and incapacitated without these subventions.

I would first like to remind the Mayor that from the time Georgetown gained official city status on August 24, 1842, up until relatively recently, the City was managed very well without a subvention, but, rather, on its own revenue generated from municipal fees and taxes.

Of course, at that time it did not have a nearly 1000 strong workforce that is extremely top heavy; it performed its own refuse collection and disposal services, and did not depend on expensive contractors; and it did not have a lot of fancy non-essential departments, which places a heavy financial burden on the citizenry.

But if the truth be told, I think it should be the

Council that should be paying a subvention to the Central Government, and not the other way around.

Let us look at just some of the services that the Council should be providing to the citizens of the capital from the property rates they collect, which have suddenly become the responsibility of the central Government.

In the past, the Council had its own incinerator, and managed its own landfill sites around the city for refuse disposal. Old Smokey collapsed in ruins, and the badly managed Le Repentir dumpsite would regularly burst into flames, smoking out all nearby residents. The result is that the Government had to borrow US$20 million from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to develop the Haags Bosch sanitary landfill.

All over the world, the role of the City Police is to maintain law and order in local areas by protecting members of the public and their property, preventing crime, reducing the fear of crime, and improving the quality of life for all citizens of that city.

Not here in Georgetown; instead, the national Police

have had to assume that role in the city whilst City Policemen spend their time chasing vendors around town, harassing stallholders and other business persons, and searching out any would-be litterer.

Stray animals have been allowed to roam the city streets with wild abandon, until the Ministry of Home Affairs decided to get involved in stray catching.

Slaughtering of animals and meat inspection came to a crashing halt when a crane which was involved in supporting offshore operations for the oil and gas industry toppled and crashed into the City abattoir. They seem to be awaiting a promise made by the Minister of Agriculture for the construction of a number of modern abattoirs across the country, with the aim of boosting beef and pork production.

Most of the drainage pumps around the city have been left by the Council in a state of disrepair for a number of years. Central Government has had to purchase, install, manage and maintain dozens of mobile and stationary pumps to relieve flooding.

Road construction and

maintenance of city streets - and I am not talking about the declared and main roads that are the responsibility of the Ministry of Public Works - have long been abandoned by the City Council, and again left to Central Government for remedial. Same with bridges.

And if we are to venture into city public health matters, fogging for mosquitoes is now done by Central Government; day care services have been shuttered and left up to private facilities; sanitary inspection around the city is no longer done by City Hall, and the list goes on and on.

In fact, the municipality have refused to even maintain their own buildings, including the historic City Hall edifice, and are instead expecting Central Government to restore it and also construct an Admin building for them.

Shouldn’t the City take a part of the billions they collect yearly from the citizenry and hand it over to Central Government for all the slack that the Government has taken up around the city?

Regards, Deodarie Putulall

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, MAY 29, 2021

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

Excuses for financial state of City Hall Dear Editor, I am in ‘shock and awe’ at statements and responses coming out of the Georgetown municipal officials about the appalling state of their finances, which was so factually and eloquently alluded to by the President.

One of the pathetic excuses being proffered is that many of the financial challenges faced by the Council are inherited from previous Town Council administrations.

These ridiculous claims are, first, being made by persons who were there for decades and glibly allowed these transgres-

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

sions to occur. The youngest child is aware that the Georgetown Municipality has been under the control of one political group since Guyana’s Independence fifty-five years ago. As the Latins would say, ‘CORVUS OCULUM CORVI NON ERUIT’ “a crow will not pull out the eye of another crow.”

Secondly even if bad things were happening before their time, it was their duty to correct them once they took over responsibility.

Equally ridiculous is the claim that M&CC are now trying to ‘catch up’ on a backlog of financial statements,

and before they could respond to the concerns raised by the President, those concerns need to be ‘particularised’. Oh, Please! The list is extremely long and well known to most persons.

There are none so blind and so deaf as those who would neither hear nor see.

With many documents having been destroyed allegedly through flood damage; with a lot having disappeared allegedly by being misplaced; and with many former Finance Department staffers no longer within reach, ‘catching up’ would be impossible; and they know that. Their hope is probably for the life of this Council to

come to an end before the ‘catching up’ occurs.

But with no qualified accounts coming out of the Council in more than fifteen years, an entity that rakes in billions of dollars each year from citizens, it certainly makes the Georgetown Municipality one of the most disreputable agencies in the entire country.

But to make it simple for those who need their discrepancies particularised, let me list just a few to jog their memories.

The scandalous parking meter contract, which still legally hangs over the heads of citizens; the list of

fifty five leases illegally entered into by a former municipal official without the knowledge and consent of the Council; the wanton waiver of interest on property rates which the Council does not have the authority to grant; the featherbedding of Council’s human resource base with friends and family, which they continue to do even now, creating a bloated Human Resource Department; the arbitrary placement of persons on the top of salary scales; the farming out of hundreds of millions of dollars in cleaning and other contracts to a few friends, in clear violation of all Tender Board

rules; the approval of building plans that violate municipal building codes; the non-remittance of tens of millions deducted from the salaries of employees for GRA, NIS and Unions; and scores of other blatant violations that could be particularised, as they say.

I guess when the auditors are finished doing their work at City Hall, those very persons who are feigning ignorance about the torrid state of Council’s finances would be “heading for the hills” when everything is particularised.

Sincerely, Anu Bihari

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SATURDAY, MAY 29, 2021

Page

Foundation

By William Wordsworth

Surprised by joy—impatient as the Wind I turned to share the transport— Oh! with whom But Thee, long buried in the silent Tomb, That spot which no vicissitude can find?

Love, faithful love, recalled thee to my mind— But how could I forget thee?— Through what power, Even for the least division of an hour, Have I been so beguiled as to be blind To my most grievous loss!— That thought’s return Was the worst pang that sorrow ever bore, Save one, one only, when I stood forlorn, Knowing my heart’s best treasure was no more; That neither present time, nor years unborn Could to my sight that heavenly face restore.

WORD SEARCH

7 3500 backlog housing applications in Region 5 – Minister Rodrigues NEWS

SATURDAY, MAY 29, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

…CH&PA acquiring 5000 acres of land to satisfy housing needs

T

here is currently a backlog of some 3500 applications for house lots in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice).

This is according to Minister within the Housing and Water Ministry, Susan Rodrigues.

During a visit to Region Five on Friday, she explained that when the PPP/C Administration took office last year, there were no measures in place to address this growing housing need in the region.

As such, the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) said in a missive on Friday that approximately 5000 acres of land

dicated their readiness to begin the acquisition process.

Another 53 acres of land under the purview of the Authority has also been identified for residential and commercial lots, as well as high-income housing in Fort Wellington. In addition, there are 2000 acres of land at Dantzig which is already outfitted with the necessary utilities such as water and electricity.

Meanwhile, in the referendum squatting area, Minister Rodrigues committed to the speedy resolution of ownership issues faced by residents.

Residents of Region Five at a community meeting with Minister within the Housing and Water Ministry on Friday

has been identified for the development of new housing areas in the Mahaica-Berbice region.

It was noted that the Housing Ministry is now working along with the Mahaica Mahaicony Abary-Agricultural Development Authority (MMA-ADA) and Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) to acquire the land.

Through these agencies, some 770 acres of prime land has been identified at Shieldstown, Rosignol, for which the Minister stated that the MMA-ADA has in-

Some 40 households are occupying the lands, which is currently owned by GuySuCo. According to the Housing Minister, discussions are currently ongoing for the lands to be transferred to the Ministry.

It was noted that while no permanent solution has been put in place, two routes are being explored, that is, firstly the transferal of over 1000 acres of land to transform the area into a new housing scheme, or the transferal and regularisation of the area specific to informal settlers only.

“If we were to get even half of the lands that we’ve identified to transfer, we would be able to satisfy the housing demand in Region Five,” Minister Rodrigues stated.

She further added that designs for the housing area will begin as soon as the transfer is effective.

Additionally, the Housing Ministry is working to expand the Experiment Housing Scheme by 1000 acres. The first phase of the scheme is now 80 per cent occupied and the growing housing demand outgrows the scheme’s capability.

Following the site visits in Region Five on Friday, Minister Rodrigues along with the Permanent Secretary of the Housing and Water Ministry, Andre Ally, held two community meetings in Blairmont and Bush Lot, where residents were informed of the new developments and given the opportunity to voice concerns in the housing and water sector.

Residents raised concerns relating to land titling and transports, house lot allocations and water services. A number of these issues were addressed on the spot by the Minister, while she committed to dealing with others in a timely manner.

In relation to titles and transports, the Housing Minister committed to return to the region at the soonest possible time to deliver processed land titles and transports to those waiting.

She further noted significant improvement in the operations of the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) over the last nine months, as she announced more development is on the way. Plans are in motion for the development of several new wells to serve the region and the requisite water treatment facilities.

A team of representatives from the Central Housing and Planning

Minister within the Housing and Water Ministry, Susan Rodrigues, along with PS Andre Ally and Region Five Parliamentary Rep Faizal Jafferally, assessing the prospective housing areas in the Mahaica-Berbice region on Friday

Authority and the Guyana Water Incorporated were also present to assist in the resolution of these issues raised during the meetings at the Latchmansingh Primary School in Bush Lot and the Blairmont Primary School in Blairmont.

Meanwhile, PS Ally in his remarks told residents that almost $500 million has been allocated for infrastructure works in new and existing housing schemes in Region Five. He also affirmed that the Ministry will be working to ensure that the projects are completed in a timely manner.

The ministerial team was also accompanied by Government’s Parliamentary Representative of Region Five, Faizal Jafferally, and Region Five Regional Housing Officer, Krisendat Balkaran.

Jafferally welcomed Minister Rodrigues’ visit to the MahaicaBerbice region and the level of investments being pumped into the region by the Government. This,

he said, is critical in ensuring that the region is not left behind as the nation's housing sector takes off over the next five years.

Meanwhile, the Minister within the Housing Ministry also facilitated the handing-over of a number of street lights to the Blairmont/ Gelderland Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) during Friday’s visit to Region Five.

In keeping with its manifesto promise of 10,000 house lots every year for the next five years, the PPP/C Government since entering office in August 2020 has been working aggressively to meet the housing needs of Guyanese and fulfil its commitment.

In fact, only in March, the CH&PA awarded some 199 contracts amounting to a total of $13.9 billion to start infrastructure works and construction of housing units in Regions Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Five and Six (East Berbice-Corentyne). (G8)

8 NEWS

SATURDAY, MAY 29, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

4 nabbed with guns, ammo on $800,000 bail

The fall...

S

F

Antonio Fraser

Tahj Fraser

Keith Cains

Brandon Barker

our men, including two foreign nationals who were nabbed with illegal guns and ammunition in Georgetown on Independence Day were on Friday charged and released on $200,000 bail each.

Charged are Antonio Fraser, a driver of Lot 94 D’Urban Street, Georgetown; Tahj Fraser of 47 Norton Street, Lodge, Georgetown; Keith Cains, a labourer of Lot 22 D’Urban Street, Lodge, Georgetown,

and Brandon Barker, a taxi driver of 85 D’Urban Street, Lodge, Georgetown.

The men appeared before Principal Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. Antonio Fraser faced a separate charge which alleged that on May 26, 2021, at Main Street, Georgetown, he had a 9mm Glock-19 pistol along with a matching round of ammunition in his possession when he was not the holder of a firearm li-

cence.

Meanwhile, Tahj Fraser, Cains, and Barker were jointly charged. It is alleged that on May 26, 2021, at Brickdam, Georgetown, they had a .32 Taurus pistol and two matching rounds of ammunition in their possession when they were not the holder of a firearm licence.

The men pleaded not guilty to the charges. As a condition of bail, they were instructed to report to the Brickdam Police Station and

lodge their passports with the court until the hearing and determination of their trial. Their next court date is June 25, 2021.

The Police in a statement said that the men were arrested in the wee hours of Independence Day. At around 03:40h, a Police rank acting on information went to Main Street, Georgetown, in the vicinity of Tower Suites where he made contact with Antonio Fraser.

TURN TO PAGE 11

…of City Hall o, once again, there’s a movement to save City Hall from falling down? How long has this “saving” been going on? How much money was collected? Where did all the money go? Your Eyewitness is reminded of the nursery rhyme “London Bridge is falling down”, which was so popular back when Georgetown was our Garden City and City Hall was its jewel. “London Bridge is falling down,/Falling down, falling down./ London Bridge is falling down,/My fair lady.”

There ain’t no “fair ladies” here! Surely, no one in the PNC, who were handed Independence on a platter, thought then that City Hall would ever be falling down, did they? Nah…they assumed that “the white man” only sipped scotch and soda at the Georgetown Club, and the maintenance of buildings took care of itself. They never learnt that the second law of thermodynamics must constantly be resisted, else all would fall into dust!!

London Bridge WAS rebuilt in 1831.

But the next stanza of the nursery rhyme offers a clue as to what we should be doing right away: “Off to prison you must go,/You must go, you must go;/Off to prison you must go,/ My fair lady.” The point is, someone has to be held responsible for the desecration and destruction of our City’s centerpiece. And that “someone” is not one person, but all the PNC representatives who’ve been elected since Forbes Burnham copped the Mayorality in 1959. Georgetown is a standing indictment on the ineptitude of the PNC. But what the PNC have also done is to make Georgetown a microcosm of what they’ve done to Guyana whenever they get their hands on the central government. A microcosm that we can easily grasp at one glance as a cautionary tale. The great poet TS Eliot used the imagery of London Bridge falling down as a trope of what great disasters he saw lying ahead, in his poem “The Waste Land”. Just after the Great War. And this is how we must see City Hall: a reminder of the destruction and anarchy that the PNC would return Guyana into, as they did between 1964 and 1992.

From holding its own in being an educated, literate, economically, politically and socially advanced society in the English-speaking Caribbean, to hovering precariously above Haiti in holding out a begging bowl to the world.

What’s the point of rebuilding City Hall? Deja vu from the Government, the EU, the National Trust, private citizens’ efforts in 2015? The PNC have never built anything, and never will. The Linden and Corentyne Highways? The DHB? Those were the Yanks and Brits’ payoff for the PNC helping to oust the PPP! …out from COVID-19 The search for the truth about how COVID-19 suddenly burst onto the world to kill - at this point - over 3,510,000 persons and counting just isn’t going away. And it shouldn’t! The first story about a virus infecting BATS coming out of the “wet markets” of Wuhan in China to infect humans just never rang true. Especially when it became known that experiments with the Corona virus, which is the substrate for the dreaded COVID-19, were going on in Wuhan for years.

These fears had been expressed for years, in light of several countries conducting all sorts of biological experiments to create weapons and have an edge over “the other side”. Wasn’t this the basis of the movie “Contagion” a couple of years ago? The theory that the virus escaped from the lab has been steadily gaining ground, with solid evidence being amassed.

Some have said that the genie is already out of the bottle, and we must focus on solutions.

But isn’t banning such research a solution? …out from COVID-19 That the world has been irreversibly changed by the COVID-19 pandemic is now accepted as common sense, except in Guyana. Somehow, Guyanese feel they’re immune to the continuous virus mutations - without changing their lifestyles.

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

NEWS

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SATURDAY, MAY 29, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

4 COVID-19 deaths, 70 new cases recorded T

he Health Ministry on Friday announced that four more persons who tested positive for the novel coronavirus have died, hiking the country’s death toll to 333.

For May, 79 individuals have died from the virus.

Latest fatalities are two females from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) - a 39-year-old and a 31-yearold; a 68-year-old male from

Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice) and a 74-year-old female from Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara).

Some 70 new cases were detected, and the updated dashboard saw the total confirmed positives moving up to 16,724.

There are 24 patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 103 in institutional isolation, 1841 in home iso-

lation and nine in institutional quarantine. Since the pandemic started, 151,268 individuals were tested – of which 8301 males and 8423 females were positive.

New cases

From the new cases, three are from Region One (Barima-Waini); six from Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam); eight from Region Three (Essequibo

Kairuni accident

Fireman slapped with 3 charges of causing death by dangerous driving

Dead: Akese Jerome

A

fireman was on Friday charged with three counts of causing death over the horrific accident at Kairuni Soesdyke-Linden Highway that resulted in the death of three people. He was released on a total of $900,000 bail. He was arraigned at the Diamond/Golden Grove Magistrates’ Courts.

Kevin Bizzeth of Rainbow City, Mackenzie, Linden, Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice), pleaded not guilty to the charges after they were read to him by Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman.

It is alleged that on May 23 he drove motor car PHH 6628 in a manner dangerous to the public, thereby caus-

Dead: Anthonia Henry

Vaccines

The Health Ministry recently disclosed that the second dose of the Sputnik V vac-

ern side of the road at a fast rate of speed when he lost control and collided with the left side curb of the road. The motor car then ploughed into a group of persons, all relatives, who were sitting on the side of the road on the said curb. The little girl was picked up in an unconscious state, placed into a passing vehicle, and taken to the Diamond Hospital where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

Henry and Emmanuel were also picked up in an unconscious state and placed

Kairuni, Soesdyke-Linden Highway, where the accident occurred

ing the deaths of Antonia Henry, 87, her daughter Melina Emmanuel, 40, and her granddaughter, Akese Jerome, eight. The 39-yearold man returns to court on June 25.

Police had said motor car PHH 6628, which was being driven by Bizzeth was proceeding south along the east-

Islands-West Demerara); 29 from Region Four (DemeraraMahaica); two from Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice); seven from Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne); five from Region Nine (Upper TakutuUpper Essequibo) and 12 from Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

There were no new positives in Regions Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), and Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) and cases remain at 1211 and 795, respectively.

into a passing vehicle and taken to the Mackenzie Public Hospital where they were pronounced dead on arrival. Other relatives, Alena Persaud and Rodwell Jerome, who were also picked up in an unconscious state, remain hospitalised.

(G1)

cine is unavailable along with the first dose of AstraZeneca/ Oxford and Sinopharm vaccines.

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony advised during Friday’s COVID-19 update that the delay of second doses for the Sputnik vaccine administration should not alarm the population, since the interval to receive the Sputnik dose can extend up to 12 weeks.

As such, those persons will

be able to receive their shots within this timeframe when another shipment arrives.

“Initially, the advice we received from the Russian authorities was that second dose, we do it at an interval of four weeks. During this week, they have written to us to say that you can extend that interval from four weeks to up to 12 weeks.

So, anytime from four to 12 weeks, you can get that second dose. So, while we’re delayed, everyone who would have received their first dose Sputnik would get their second dose. It wouldn’t happen perhaps on the fourth week interval but certainly you will get it a little bit after.

In Guyana, 194,749 persons have taken the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, or 40 per cent of the adult population. From this figure, 65,534 are completely immunised with both doses.

This is approximately 13.5

per cent.

“We’re constantly improving. We’re constantly improving those numbers. With every day as we increase those numbers, we’re taking a step closer to get to herd immunity…If we take it broadly by regions, we still have challenges in Region 10. For first dose vaccination, they’re about 11.6 per cent so there is a marginal increase but not much of an increase.”

In a statement the Ministry went on to say that the Guyana Government is awaiting shipment information, and will advise the public as soon as the Ministry receives the details.

With regards to the other two jabs, the Health Ministry said “AstraZeneca and Sinopharm are no longer available for the first dose.

But everyone who has received their first dose will get their second dose. These doses are currently available.” (G12)

10 NEWS Neighbour convicted of killing businesswoman, 2 sons SATURDAY, MAY 29, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

hended by the Police in 2016 for the murders after his reputed wife, Zoey Phillips, told detectives that he had confided in her about killing the family. This was Caesar’s second trial for the murders. His first trial ended in a hung jury in 2019.

“Had to kill”

T

Guilty: Abishai Caesar

uschen, East Bank Essequibo resident, 36-year-old Abishai Caesar was on Friday found guilty by a jury of three counts of murder over the killings of businesswoman Jennifer Persaud and her two sons. The jury found that between September 22 and 24, 2012, at Anna Catherina, West Coast Demerara (WCD), Caesar murdered 41-year-old Persaud and her sons Afridi Bacchus, six; and 18-monthold Jadon Ernest.

Sentencing for Caesar, who was further remanded to prison, has been adjourned to June 16, before Justice Sandil Kissoon at the High Court in Demerara.

This is to facilitate the compilation of a probation report on the convicted kill-

er. Caesar was represented

by Attorney-at-Law Rachael Bakker, while the case for the State was presented by Prosecutors Lisa Cave and Tyra Bakker.

“I would say that I maintain my innocence. I did not kill Jennifer Persaud and her children,” were the words of Caesar when asked by the Judge if he had anything to say following the verdicts.

It was reported that Persaud, who owned a liquor store and bar, along with her two sons were discovered in their home with their throats slit. The woman’s body was found on a bed with Afridi on top of her.

Jadon, on the other hand, was found on the floor next to the bed.

Caesar was only appre-

During her testimony at Caesar’s retrial, Phillips, who is now 25, told the court that during September 2021, both she and her spouse were unemployed.

She said that Persaud and her children lived next door to them. According to her, on the night of September 21, 2012, she and Caesar were in their bedroom when he left and told her that he was going over to Persaud’s home to get money because he was “broke”.

She recalled that when Caesar left their home, he was clad in three-quarter pants. She said that he was carrying a small wooden-handled knife and a pair of gloves, which he had taken from their kitchen. Phillips recounted that her ex-lover gained entry into the woman’s yard through an opening in a zinc fence. She recalled that she went back into their bedroom and about a minute after she looked through the bedroom window and saw Caesar climbing up the stairs and

Dead: Jennifer Persaud

Dead: Jadon Ernest

Dead: Afridi Bacchus

into Persaud’s home.

Phillips told the court that she fell asleep and was awakened by a knocking on the back door. It was Caesar, she added, carrying a cardboard box containing several $20 and $100 notes which amounted to $3000. When Caesar entered their home, Phillips said that he told her he “had to kill Jennifer” because she knew him very well and that she woke up and saw him in her home.

She said that her then reputed husband also told her that he had to kill the children because “they wudda wake up and cry”. The woman told the jury that when Caesar returned home the knife and his pants were covered in blood. Phillips recalled that Caesar took

her to the seawall where he threw the knife into the ocean. According to her, he threw the gloves and pants into some nearby bushes.

Phillips said that she finally informed the Police that it was her spouse who had committed the crime.

The woman said that on April 22, 2016, she went to the Tuschen Police Outpost where she made a report and requested a restraining

order against Caesar.

The now-convicted killer was arrested, she said, adding that during a confrontation between them she reminded him that he killed the family. She told the jury that Caesar told the Police that she was lying. When asked why she kept quiet for so long, Phillips explained that she was afraid of Caesar because he was very abusive. (G1)

Taxi driver fights off bandits in home invasion

T

hree bandits left a driver’s home empty-handed after the man managed to fight them off during an attempted robbery after they invaded his home.

Reports are that at about 21:00h on Thursday evening, the 50-year-old hire car driver of Bush Lot, Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), secured his home and went to bed but was awakened by a loud noise coming from his living room.

Upon checking, he was confronted by two masked bandits - both armed with cutlasses and dressed in dark clothing.

Upon seeing the man, one of the bandits placed a cutlass to his neck and demanded that he hand over all his valuables. However, the man grabbed the cutlass and a scuffle ensued. This resulted in the two bandits abandoning their mission and making good their escape along with an accomplice who was armed with a hand gun, keeping guard outside.

Due to the fight, the driver received a wound to his left hand and was escorted to the Port Mourant Public Hospital. A report has been made to the Police and an investigation has been launched.

Just four days ago, two men armed with cutlasses attacked and robbed a mechanic on Turkeyen Highway, Greater Georgetown.

Police said the 27-yearold mechanic of Lodge, Georgetown, was relieved of one 10 pennyweight gold chain by the two men who were on a bicycle and carrying a cutlass.

It was reported that the victim was sitting on his motorcycle which was parked on the Turkeyen Highway when he was approached by the two suspects.

One of the men began to deal the mechanic several lashes with the cutlass about his body, causing him to receive injuries. His accomplice then snatched the victim’s chain after which they jumped on their bicycle and left the scene. (G9)

NEWS

11

SATURDAY, MAY 29, 2021| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Fire destroys Patentia home Motorcyclist injured after

A

fire of unknown origin destroyed a dwelling house at Patentia, West Bank Demerara (WBD), in the wee hours of Friday.

The fire reportedly started at about 00:30h at the Lot 442 Patentia Skull City, WBD home which is owned by 43-year-old Carmin Harris.

Police stated that based on information gathered, a neighbour was in his house at about 00:30h when he heard dogs barking in the area. As such, he went to enquire and it was then he saw the entire house engulfed in flames.

He immediately contacted the Guyana Fire Service at La Grange,

WBD, but when fire tenders arrived at the scene, they were unable to access the burning building due to its location.

Nevertheless, a bucket brigade was formed and the residents managed to put out the blaze. Nothing was salvaged from the burning building. An investigation is underway.

Vehicles crash into EBD church fence A two-vehicle crash-up that occurred at the Demerara Harbour Bridge intersection on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) has resulted in damages to both vehicles and a church’s fence.

Reports are that the accident occurred on Wednesday at about 21:00h and involved motor pick-up GYY 2113 driven by a 33-year-old of Ogle, East Coast Demerara (ECD), and motor lorry GSS 2246 driven by a 37-year-old

man of L’Esperance, Canal Number One, West Bank Demerara (WBD) Police said that motor lorry GSS 2246 was proceeding south on the eastern carriageway, western drive lane of Bagotstown Public Road, approaching the intersection controlled by the traffic light which was flashing amber at the time.

According to Police, the driver turned west onto the western carriageway to go onto the Demerara Harbour

4 arrested after tyres set on fire at Mibicuri, BBP

T

he Police have arrested four men who allegedly ignited a fire using tyres along the Mibicuri Public Road, Black Bush Polder, Corentyne, Berbice, on Thursday evening.

Based on information received, at about 18:06h, Police responded to a report of a fire in the area and upon arriving at the scene, they observed two tyres set

alight in the middle of the road.

At the time, several persons were gathered but the Police managed to put out the blaze.

In addition, four persons were arrested while the others escaped. Those arrested were subsequently released on their own recognisance.

An investigation has been launched into the incident.

4 nabbed with guns...

FROM PAGE 8

The Police rank identified himself and requested to conduct a search on Antonio Fraser to which he agreed. During the search, one 9mm Glock-19 Pistol along with one matching round of ammunition was found in the crotch of his pants. As a result, the defendant was arrested and escorted to the police station.

Meanwhile, acting on further information, at about 04:30h the said day, Police ranks went to an an area on the Brickdam

Public Road in the vicinity of St Stanislaus College, where three men were seen in a white Toyota Axio motor car bearing registration number PYY 5049.

As such, a search was carried out on their persons but nothing illegal was found. During a search of the motor car, Police ranks unearthed a .32 Taurus pistol with two matching rounds of ammunition under the driver’s seat.

They, too, were arrested and escorted to the police station. (G1)

Bridge access road, and in the process, he reportedly hit GYY 2113 which was proceeding north of the eastern carriageway.

As a result, the lorry collided with the pick-up and caused the pick-up to spin into the church’s fence on the northern side of the Demerara Harbour Bridge access road.

colliding with parked car

A

motorcyclist was admitted a patient at the Georgetown Public Hospital after he reportedly collided with a parked car along the Rupert Craig Highway on Thursday.

Injured is Fazal Pellew, 28, of Bamboo Drive, Meadowbrook Georgetown.

Police investigation revealed that on the day in question at about 15:30h, Pellew was riding his motorcycle bearing registration number CJ 9801 along the Rupert Craig Highway at a fast rate of speed while the motor car, PYY 833 was parked on the parapet.

However, while in the vicinity of Sherriff Street, Pellew reportedly lost control of the motorcycle, thus resulting in him colliding with the right rear portion of the motor car.

As a result of the collision, Pellew fell off the mo-

torcycle and landed on the roadway where he sustained injuries about his body.

He was picked up in an unconscious state by Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) who were summoned to the scene and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he underwent an emergency

surgery to correct injuries to his left leg and left hand.

After the successful surgery, he was admitted a patient in the male surgical ward of the medical facility in a stable condition.

The driver of the motor car was placed on his own recognisance as investigations continue.

12 NEWS

SATURDAY, MAY 29, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Region 9 battling dengue, malaria, more floods – Chairman …as floodwaters rise in Region 10

Minister Collin Croal listening to concerns from affected Region One residents

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ositive cases of dengue fever and malaria have been reported in Region Nine (Upper TakutuUpper Essequibo) within recent time, adding to the woes of residents currently battling relentless floodwa-

ters.

Regional Chairman Bryan Allicock told Guyana Times on Friday that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, little attention was placed on other diseases. As persons contracted the mos-

Relief for residents at Black Bush Polder, Region Six

quito-borne sicknesses, people started complaining of feeling unwell, which alerted authorities.

Now, doctors are testing people at the various health facilities as they show up for the coronavirus tests. For 2021, 284 cases of malaria

have been discovered. This situation comes on the heels of coronavirus cases rising in the region, standing at 790.

“Everybody forget dengue and malaria and they concentrated on COVID. We have cases coming in because we forget about them.

Residents of Kwakwani, Region 10, are battling severe flooding (Kwakwani resident photo)

floodwaters were on the rise in the Deep South and some northern sections of the region.

“Water is coming up back

Flooding in Mahaicony Creek, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice)

The doctors have not given the final results for everybody that was tested. People started complaining of feeling unwell. When we test for COVID, we’re now testing for malaria and dengue.

That’s how we knew that dengue was about cause a lot of people don’t really come out to the hospitals. (For malaria), we had about 284 cases so far so it is alarming,” Allicock shared.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection, found in tropical and sub-tropical climates worldwide, mostly in urban and semi-urban areas. Meanwhile, malaria is caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.

On the note of devastating floods currently facing residents, he shared that over 500 persons are affected. As of Friday afternoon,

in the whole of Deep South and two communities in the north going under water.

The water is about to cover the whole village. That high it is. At the moment, there are 17 households under water. We’re talking about over 500 people,” the Regional Chairman noted.

The Civil Defence Commission has since delivered cement to the region, donated by Inter Caribbean Maritime Transport Incorporated. It was distributed to the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), and divided to the residents whose homes have been damaged. More relief supplies are expected to arrive as the CDC continues to monitor the weather and impact in the area.

Countrywide

Due to high tides and heavy rainfall, flooding was reported in Regions

One (Barima-Waini), Two ( Pomer o on- Supenaa m), Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara), Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Five (Mahaica-Berbice), Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) and 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

On Friday, Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal and a team from the Ministry of Agriculture visited flood-affected residents across the Mabaruma sub-district, Region One (Barima-Waini).

After an inspection of Wauna, Tobago, Hosororo, Barabina and Kumaka Waterfront, commitments were made to ease the effects felt by residents of these communities. At Barabina, residents complained of having to wade through floodwaters to get to work. In response, they were promised rain boots and a boat to aid with persons moving in and around the community. In the long term, the drainage system in the community will be looked at.

Additionally, some works to clear drainage canals have commenced in several communities.

Over at Black Bush Polder in Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne), Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha and Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat distributed food hampers and cleaning supplies to residents.

In Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), the water has risen several feet, almost covering the entire bottom flat of houses. (G12)

Residents of Kwakwani, Region 10, are battling severe flooding (Kwakwani resident photo)

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NEWS

SATURDAY, MAY 29, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Caribbean needs to source more from within region...

FROM PAGE 3

The President also mentioned that Guyana along with its neighbour Suriname, also a Caricom Member State, are currently battling floods from torrential rainfall in parts of the country, where many agricultural lands are under water resulting in losses of crops and livestock.

“The Caribbean region has been named as the second most hazard-prone region within the world, largely owing to its vulnerability and exposure to multiple extreme and frequent hazard events. It is therefore imperative that attention is given to building climate resilience in order to transform the region’s agri-food system. Progress towards achieving the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) requires a commitment, from all Member States to affirmative action in respect to climate change,” he posited.

Financing

President Ali also outlined that financing for regional agriculture cannot be divorced from financing for climate reliance.

“Environmental threats im-

pact on the region’s food systems. Financing for mitigation and adaptation to climate change is more critical today than ever before, and is necessary to protect the region’s food systems. The success of our efforts in doing so depend on the degree of international support received, especially in respect to financing for building an agricultural sector that is more resilient,” the Guyanese leader noted.

Transforming regional food system

In addition to President Ali, Guyana’s Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, also made a presentation during Friday’s Regional Dialogue.

He told the participants from across the Caribbean that the agriculture sector has a key role to play in transforming the regional food system.

“Our Heads of Government have recognised the value of taking a more holistic view of our food system when our [Caricom Special Ministerial] Taskforce was established earlier this year. The region’s food system transformation is at the

ductivity, value-addition, increased market access, and the production of safe and nutritious agricultural commodities that Caricom will produce for itself and the global market. All of us involved in the Summit are contributing because we care deeply about the outcomes that we think transformed food

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha

core of our development aspirations. However, there is a far way more to go to adopting a ‘food systems approach’ rather than an individual sector approach,” the Minister noted.

According to Mustapha, the Taskforce will strive to ensure that all activities over the coming years are geared towards the goal of transforming the region’s agri-food system to be more sustainable, thereby contributing to the achievement of its food security and economic goals.

“We envision a modernised e-agriculture sector with enhanced incomes, enhanced pro-

systems can deliver,” Minister Mustapha stated.

Friday’s Virtual Regional Dialogue on Food Systems is a precursor to the United Nations 2021 Food Systems Summit slated for September as part of the Decade of Action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

It was hosted by the Caricom Secretariat, in partnership with the United Nations Resident Coordinators, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).

14 NEWS

SATURDAY, MAY 29, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

GWI staff increased by 700 under APNU/AFC – CEO

…payroll moved from $96M to $240M …entity overstaffed, productivity ratio shows negative figures

A

n increase of 700 employees within five years at the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) has resulted in overstaffing, to which the management has now taken a move to terminate over 100 persons.

Chief Executive Officer of GWI, Shaik Baksh confirmed this at a press conference, noting that an analysis of the utility company found that along with overstaffing, the expenditure to facilitate the high employment rate was not sustainable. In fact, the costs had moved up from $96 million to $240 million – an increase of 140 per cent.

“This rationalisation process started about eight months ago in which an indepth study of the origination was undertaken in light of the huge employment numbers, especially the employment cost at GWI. When we compared 2015 to August 2020, we found that the employment numbers moved from just over 600 to over 1300 in 2020,” Baksh noted.

To compound the issue, the CEO highlighted that the productivity ratio has seen negative figures. He added that the entire apparatus of the agency is under review to increase productivity and cut costs.

These persons will be termi-

GWI CEO Shaik Baksh

nated in accordance with the Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act. “We realised that this was not sustainable at GWI… For the financial operations of GWI, we have to look at the expenses, not only employment costs. We’re looking at energy costs, other areas of operations, chemical uses and all of these things.”

Overlapping, inefficiency

Executive Director of Human Resources, Elvis Jordan detailed that GWI could function with just under 1000 persons, meaning that there was an excess of 300 employees. However, the entity currently has 1156 persons on its payroll after some persons resigned.

The review of operations

would have also concluded that there was overlapping in functions and inefficiency.

“There were overlapping functions, leading to inefficiencies and excessive staffing. In some respect, we looked at the role of outsourcing certain functions against doing it in house. We factored in the cost-benefit analysis,” Jordan notified.

In 2015, the productivity ratio was five as opposed to 2020, when the number moved to 7.1. The Director stated that they are trying to bring this number down to 6.1, to conform with regional standards.

“When you look at best practice across utility in the developed world, it’s just about 2.6. Across the Caribbean, it’s 6.1. Our aim over the next five years is to get it to around 6.1.

When we talk about the productivity factor, we’re talking about the number of employees as against 1000 customers, given your total customer base.”

Baksh, who had inherited the utility company in a poor financial state last year, had managed to reduce debts to suppliers from $800 million to $260 million from September to December 2020. By the end of December 2020 compared to the previous year, revenue also improved by over $1 billion. (G12)

NEWS

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SATURDAY, MAY 29, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

48 trained teachers take up leadership role in Education Ministry

Education Minister Priya Manickchand delivering remarks from her office during the virtual graduation exercise Kevin Joseph

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orty-eight teachers who began the fifth Cadet Officers Training Programme in February 2019 graduated and are now Education Officers across the 11 education districts in Guyana.

On Friday, Education Minister Priya Manickchand welcomed the graduates into the cadre of leaders within the Ministry.

She told the newly minted officers that their completion of the programme means that they are now ready to begin their stint of leadership in the Ministry.

“You have become a leader in the Ministry of Education. I congratulate you for that without reservation,” Minister Manickchand said during the virtual graduation ceremony.

The cadets were told by the Education Minister that with guidance from senior

Charlene Williams

Michael Clementson

Roxane Lynch

Gomattie Ramkumar

Deborah London

Larissa Haramottoo

officers at central Ministry, they are now collectively responsible for over 170,000 students. Manickchand said that the Ministry has confidence that the officers will deliver the quality of service that is necessary based on the training and resources

they have benefited from.

She told the officers that they are entering the Ministry at a really exciting time as the Ministry is on the trajectory to increase its percentage of trained teachers in the system from 73 per cent to the high 90

per cent range where every teacher in the classroom will either be trained or actively undergoing training.

She said that it is also an exciting time for the Ministry whereby Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is being

implemented so that every child leaves secondary school with certification and training to make them employable or to move on to post-secondary or tertiary education.

Further, the new officers were told of the Ministry’s plan to ensure secondary education is equal across Guyana.

“Together we can turn all secondary schools into quality schools that will produce children that are marketable,” Manickchand said, adding that the Ministry will ensure that hinterland education and those children with special education needs are not left behind.

Meanwhile, Chief Education Officer, Dr Marcel Hutson said during his charge to the graduates that the programme was birthed out of the desire to produce Education Officers with the competence, wherewithal and pride that are consid-

ered necessary ingredients for the sustained transformation of the education sector. He said that today’s graduates are better able to understand the workings of the education system and to develop an appreciation of the needs of schools in the hinterland as well as those on the coast.

“This observation is important particularly as we contemplate closing the gaps in the performance between those schools in the hinterland and the coast,” Dr Hutson noted.

He said that it was not by accident that a strong leadership component was incorporated into the programme.

Dr Hutson expressed the view that many of the problems faced by organisations stem from poor leadership.

He charged the graduates not to be afraid of failing but to use it as a learning experience to succeed and keep going.

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SATURDAY, MAY 29, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

NEWS

17

SATURDAY, MAY 29, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Citizens Bank’s taxed profits at $478M – mid-year report C itizens Bank Guyana Inc has recorded $478.4 million profit after tax in its interim report for the period ending March 31, 2021, but the financial institution is anticipating that its performance in the second half of this year would be affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Citizens’ Chairman, Clifford Reis, the bank’s 2021 mid-year performance represents an increase of $26.3 million or six per cent compared to the previous year. The bank recorded $452.1 million taxed profit in 2020.

On the other hand, the

Citizens Bank Chairman Clifford Reis

profit before tax also grew by $48 million to $808.1 million in the first six months of this year against $760 million recorded the previous year.

But despite this, Reis said in his Chairman’s Report that, “The economic and social uncertainty due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose many challenges for Citizens Bank Guyana Inc which may impact the second six months of our financial year. We, however, remain optimistic that our strategies will result in a consistent performance and increased shareholder value.”

Nevertheless, Reis noted in his report that Interest Income at midyear is $1.54 billion, while Interest Expense is $174.5 million, resulting in Net

Interest Income of $1.4 billion, the same for the corresponding period last year.

He added that other income

stood at $327.7 million at the end of the six months, resulting in a surplus before Non-Interest Expenses

of $1.7 billion, again, the same for the corresponding period last year.

Citizens Bank’s Operating Expenses, which were $827.2 million in the same period in 2020, has gone up to $818.7 million this year; while net impairment on financial assets was $70.5 million compared to $121.1 million for the corresponding period last year.

Further, the Chairman reported that at March 31, 2021, the net loans and advances balance was $32.3 billion, compared to $31.3 billion at the end of the same period in 2020.

TURN TO PAGE 18

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guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, MAY 29, 2021

News

President calls emergency Essequibo Coast meeting over flood situation man arrested after biting mother, son

…discusses mitigating efforts

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resident Dr Irfaan Ali on Friday held an emergency high-level meeting with members of his Cabinet and representatives of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) to assess the current flood situation in Guyana.

The group, which included Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, met at the Office of the President on Shiv Chanderpaul Drive to discuss ways of mitigating the effects of the flooding on low-lying housing areas and agriculture (crops and livestock) and to brainstorm solutions.

A post on the Office of the President’s social media page stated that Home Affairs Minister, Robeson

Benn; Public Works Minister, Juan Edghill; Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Minister, Gail Teixeira; Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony and representatives from the GDF, including Chief of Staff, Brigadier Godfrey Bess and Head of the Civil Defence

Commission, Kester Craig were also at the meeting.

Before the meeting ended, the President left with a team to inspect the flood situation at Mahaicony Creek. There, he visited First Savannah, Water Dog Creek and Gordon Table where he assessed, firsthand, the impact of the floodwaters on residents’ homes, livestock and crops.

Brigadier Bess and Craig accompanied the Head of State.

Several Government officials have visited affected areas over the last few days, including Prime Minister Phillips, who journeyed to Black Bush Polder in Berbice on Wednesday.

Guyana is faced with severe rainfall in several parts of the country and according to information from the Hydrometeorological Service, heavy rainfall will likely continue over the next few days.

Citizens Bank’s taxed...

FROM PAGE 17

It was further noted that net investments have increased to $8 billion against $10.3 billion in the

corresponding period last year.

Meanwhile, the total deposits balance for the reporting period this year is $63.3 billion, compared to $48.4 billion recorded in 2020.

According to Reis, the Board of Directors has approved an Interim Dividend of $0.90 per share, the same for the corresponding period in the previous year.

At the end of the September 2020 financial year, the revenue of Citizens Bank – a 51 per cent owned subsidiary of the Banks DIH Limited Group – was $3.749 billion compared with $3.422 billion generated in 2019, an increase of $327.0 million or 9.6 per cent.

The profit before tax was $1.673 billion compared to $1.599 billion in 2019, an increase of $74.0 million or 4.6 per cent, while profit after tax was $982.2 million compared to $955.3 million, an increase of $26.9 million or 2.8 per cent.

Net Interest Income at the end of the 2020 financial year was $2.835 billion. The earnings per share was $16.51 while the total asset base was $63.8 billion. Loan Assets were increased from $29.8 billion to $31.7 billion reflecting an increase of 6.4 per cent or $1.9 billion. (G8)

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23-year-old man is now in Police custody, after he bit a woman and her son, during a confrontation at Reliance, Essequibo Coast.

One of the victims, a 33-year-old carpenter, told Police that about 20:30h on Thursday, he along with the 23-year-old male were consuming alcohol, when the suspect got up and left.

Shortly after, the carpenter heard his mother screaming, and upon checking, she complained that the suspect had bitten her on her hand.

The 23-year-old then picked up a bottle containing a poisonous substance, and when the victim intervened, the suspect also bit him on his hand and scratched him about his chest.

They were both taken to the Suddie Public

Hospital and a report was made to the Police. The suspect was subsequently arrested.

Almost two weeks ago, a woman bit a Police Officer who attempted to arrest her son.

Based on reports received, the car in which the woman was travelling and which was being driven by her son, was pulled over by Police in the vicinity of the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB).

At the time, the woman’s daughter was also in the vehicle. A video that circulated on social media of the incident showed the officer about to arrest the man when an argument erupted.

It was then his mother intervened in an attempt to stop the Police Officer from arresting her son, and in the process bit him.

Bandits kill airline staff, snatch bag containing $437,000

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wo bandits on a motorcycle shot and killed a 40-yearold baggage handler employed with Trans Guyana Airways on Friday as he was talking to his girlfriend after selling gold at a dealership.

Dead is Ronald Omar Smith of Wakapao, Pomeroon, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).

Police on Friday evening said that enquiries revealed that Smith made several stops via car conducting business in and out of the city, in the company of a miner, who was driving him in motor car PZZ 6065.

According to Police, Smith made a sale of gold and placed $437,000 he received in a haversack and went to visit his girlfriend.

Reports are that the couple was standing in front of the Impeccable Beauty Salon, which is lo-

cated on the western half of Camp Street, between Church and Quamina Streets, when the bandits approached them on an XR motorcycle.

According to Police, the pillion rider dismounted and discharged two rounds at Smith, who fell to the ground. The bandit then snatched Smith’s haversack which contained cash, after which he and his accomplice made good their escape north on Camp Street.

The injured man was picked up and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he died while receiving medical attention.

Police said that he was shot to his upper left shoulder, middle region of the abdomen and under the right armpit. The driver of the motor car in which Smith was travelling is in custody assisting with investigations.

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, MAY 29, 2021

19

Regional

Bolsonaro visits 2 dead, 10 missing as Cuban Indigenous reservations migrant vessel sinks off Florida in Amazon for first time

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro listening to national anthem next to an Indigenous person at the Yanomami tribe reservation bordering Venezuela in Sao Gabriel da Cachoeira, Amazonas state, Brazil, May 27, 2021

B

razil's President Jair Bolsonaro visited two Indigenous reservations in the Amazon on Thursday for the first time as Head of State, despite protests from some tribal leaders against his drive to open up their protected lands to commercial mining.

Bolsonaro, flanked by army officers and a Tukano chieftain with feather headdress, watched the local community perform a ritual dance at the Balaio reserva-

tion, where he inaugurated a bridge.

The wooden bridge was built by the Brazilian army on a road that runs to the border with Venezuela, passing through the Balaio reservation, where major reserves of niobium have been found.

The metal is used to make light-weight steel for jet engines and other special applications. Bolsonaro has regularly mentioned its value in speeches about

the untapped riches of the Amazon that Brazil must exploit.

The reservation's eastern section in the state of Roraima has been invaded by more than 20,000 illegal gold miners, who have been emboldened by Bolsonaro's support for the legalization of wildcat mining in Brazil.

Yanomami leaders deplored the far-right president's visit to their reservation and repeated their calls for authorities to expel the miners.

Bolsonaro's visit came the day after gold miners illegally prospecting on Indigenous lands along the Tapajos river in the Amazon shot at a Munduruku village and burned down the house of one of its leaders.

The lower house of Brazil's Congress, where Bolsonaro supporters have a majority, is currently considering legislation proposed by the Government that would open the door to commercial mining and agriculture on Indigenous reservations. (Excerpt from Reuters)

14 bodies pulled from boat found in Tobago waters

P

olice say 14 bodies were removed from a vessel that was found adrift off the coast of Tobago on Friday morning.

The following is a statement by the Police Service: “Police are investigating the discovery of 14 bodies, a skull and skeletal remains, stacked in a boat which was found floating four miles off Belle Garden, Tobago, this morning.

According to reports, around 6:30 am on May

28th, fishermen Doyle and Lance Biggart, 48, of Pembroke, whilst fishing off Belle Garden, spotted a strange vessel.

Upon investigating, the fishermen found the decomposed bodies.

The fishermen then contacted the Police and the Coast Guard.

The fishermen pulled the vessel ashore at the Belle Garden Bay. The bodies, all men, were in an advanced state decomposition. The bodies were eventually re-

moved to the mortuary at the Scarborough General Hospital to await identification and subsequent autopsies to determine the causes of death.

Visiting the scene were ACP William Nurse, Supt Kirk, ASP Matthews, Inspector Prince and officers of Homicide and Charlotteville and Roxborough Police CID. The entire area was cordoned off as investigations continue.” (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Bulldozers threaten conservation of ancient Mexican metropolis

J

ust beyond the towering pyramids of what was once the largest city of the Americas, an illegal building project threatens to cause irreparable harm to the remains of temples and some two dozen other ancient structures.

The owner of the land, where construction is strictly prohibited, has ignored legal orders from Mexico's antiquities institute INAH to stop building during the past two months, sparking outrage that authorities are failing to protect the ruins of Teotihuacan, one of Mexico's top tourist draws.

Rogelio Rivero Chong, director of Teotihuacan's archaeological zone, said

in an interview the Police's failure to intervene showed the property owner's "total impunity."

In late April, INAH filed a criminal complaint against the owner with federal prosecutors alleging "damage to archaeological patrimony. “This week the institute documented ongoing heavy construction by some 60 workers at the site, based on statements from Mexico's Culture Ministry.

Teotihuacan, about 30 miles (50 km) northeast of Mexico City, once boasted a population of at least 100,000 people who mostly lived in stone multi-family apartment compounds, many of which were elabor-

ately decorated with colourful murals.

The multi-ethnic city was a contemporary of classic-era Maya urban centres, but known for its own distinctive art and architecture. It grew rich from 100 BC to 550 AD, thanks to extensive trade networks and a thriving craft-based economy that produced goods including ceramics, garments and especially razorsharp obsidian blades.

Rivero Chong said authorities have for years struggled to stop illegal building, often carried out at night or on the weekends. Local Government investigators often arrive too late to verify damage, he said. (Excerpt from Reuters)

T

he US Coast Guard was searching Friday for 10 people missing off Florida after a migrant vessel with 20 Cubans capsized.

Authorities reported late Thursday they had recovered two bodies near the Florida Keys and pulled eight people alive from the ocean.

The Coast Guard said on Twitter that "multiple air & surface assets" searched through the night would con-

tinue all day.

A Coast Guard crew was on a routine patrol Thursday when it spotted people in the water.

The survivors said they left Cuba's Puerto de Mariel on Sunday and capsized at some point on Wednesday night.

The Coast Guard did not describe the vessel that the group came on, though it is common for Cubans trying to reach the United States by

sea to take crude boats not suitable for navigating the Straits of Florida.

Cuba's deepening economic crisis has sparked an increase in the number of people seeking to escape the island.

In the last eight months, the Coast Guard has intercepted 298 Cubans, compared with 49 individuals from October 2019 to September 2020. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

US charges Bolivian ex-Minister Murillo with corruption

B

olivian ex-Interior Minister Arturo Murillo has been charged in the US with corruption and money laundering.

Murillo was arrested along with his chief of staff and three US businessmen last week.

The US justice department said the Bolivian officials took bribes from the businessmen, who had won multimillion-dollar contracts to supply tear gas to the Bolivian Government.

They could face up to 20 years in jail if convicted.

Murillo's lawyer has not responded to requests for comment, the Associated Press reports.

The 57-year-old was a Senator before being named Interior Minister in the Government of interim President Jeanine Áñez. He was in the post for a year from November 2019.

He was considered a hardliner in Áñez's Government, which came to power following the departure of then-President Evo Morales, who left Bolivia after the chief of the

Arturo Murillo (left) was Interior Minister between November 2019 and November 2020

army had urged him to stand down over allegations of vote rigging.

Murillo is believed to have ordered the tough police response to protests which followed the departure of Morales. Dozens of people were killed in clashes between the security forces and demonstrators, according to the ombudsman's office.

He also played a key role in attempts to prosecute Morales on charges of sedition and terrorism. He accused Morales of fomenting unrest in the weeks

which followed the 2019 presidential elections.

Following the re-run of the Bolivian election in 2020, which was won by an ally of Morales, the charges against Morales were dismissed and his arrest warrant was cancelled.

Members of the interim Government, including Áñez, have since been arrested and accused of leading a rightwing coup against Morales with the support of the police and the military. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Jamaicans facing sharp rise in cost of construction materials

F

ollowing months of suffering from what they claimed was a shortage of cement, hardware operators in Jamaica's south-central parishes are now dealing with an increase in the prices of lumber and steel.

The hardware operators say they have to be charging their customers more for lumber and steel as the prices they face from the distributors have increased significantly.

They pointed to the cost of a tonne of steel which they claim has moved from J$95,000 in January to J$139,000 at present.

One retailer told the Jamaica Observer that construction ply per sheet was J$3400 in January, but the lowest price you can get it for now is J$5700.

Basil Phillips, proprietor of Phil's Hardware on Newleigh Road in Mandeville said the price increases facing

A steel worker on a construction site in Mandeville

Jamaicans are as a result of ripple effects from the novel coronavirus pandemic and demand overseas.

Phillips noted that almost 95 per cent of the lumber used in Jamaica is imported from the United States and since last year the prices have been going up on the international market.

In recent weeks, the Observer reported on a shortage of cement, with stakeholders in the construction industry complaining that the island's major supplier, Caribbean Cement

Company Limited (CCCL), was unable to meet the demand for the key construction material.

But Carib Cement has argued that it has significantly increased production and any shortage is due to the booming construction industry and logistics issues, which has led to an increase in the demand for cement.

Steel prices in the US have been sky-rocketing with CNN Business last month reporting that the price has reached a record high. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

20

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, MAY 29, 2021

Around the World

Remains of 215 children found at former Indigenous school site in Canada

T

he remains of 215 children, some as young as three years old, were found at the site of a former residential school for Indigenous children, a discovery Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described as heart-breaking on Friday.

The children were students at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia that closed in 1978, according to the Tk'emlúps te Secwe´pemc Nation, which said the remains were found with the help of a ground penetrating radar specialist.

"We had a knowing in our community that we were able to verify," Tk'emlúps te Secwe´pemc Chief Rosanne Casimir said in a statement.

"At this time, we have more questions than answers."

The main administrative building at the Kamloops Indian Residential School is seen in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada circa 1970

Canada's residential school system, which forcibly separated Iindigenous children from their families, constituted "cultural genocide," a six-year investigation into the now-defunct

system found in 2015.

The report documented horrific physical abuse, rape, malnutrition and other atrocities suffered by many of the 150,000 children who attended the schools, typical-

ly run by Christian churches on behalf of Ottawa from the 1840s to the 1990s.

It found more than 4100 children died while attending residential school.

The deaths of the 215 children buried in the grounds of what was once Canada's largest residential school are believed to not have been included in that figure and appear to have been undocumented until the discovery.

In 2008, the Canadian Government formally apologised for the system.

The Tk'emlúps te Secwe´pemc Nation said it was engaging with the coroner and reaching out to the home communities whose children attended the school. They expect to have preliminary findings by midJune. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Sri Lanka: Burning ship coats beaches in oil and debris

O

il and debris from a container ship on fire off the coast of Sri Lanka have coated beaches on its west coast.

Images of the beach in Negombo, a popular tourist destination, have generated outrage in the country.

The Singapore-registered X-Press Pearl was carrying chemicals and cosmetics, and has been on fire for eight days.

The Sri Lankan navy is working with the Indian

navy and salvage experts to try and put it out, amid fears of a major environmental disaster.

If the ship sinks, then hundreds of tonnes of oil could leak into the sea having an adverse impact on marine life.

Rough seas and monsoonal winds are hampering the operation, officials have said.

Sri Lanka Ports Authority Chairman Daya Rathnayake told BBC

Sinhala's Ranga Sirilal that the fire had been contained, but they could not get on board the vessel because it was still too hot.

Apart from being a tourist destination, the main occupation for many in Negombo is fishing, which means a larger oil spill would be a double blow to the town.

Fishing has been banned for now.

Although there is already oil coating the beaches, the bigger problem at the mo-

ment is debris, mostly comprising tiny plastic pellets.

It has now spread to other towns along Sri Lanka's western coastline.

Environmentalist Prof Jagath Gunawarnadena told BBC Sinhala that the danger of these pellets was that they float and eventually break up in the sea, which meant that they would release a lot of microplastic fragments that would be detrimental to marine life.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Oil heads for best week since April as US summer travel kicks off

O

il headed for its biggest weekly gain since the middle of April ahead of the US Memorial Day weekend that kicks off the country’s summer driving season.

West Texas Intermediate is set for a more than 5 per cent weekly increase, though prices were little changed on Friday.

A spate of positive US economic data this week continued to highlight the demand recovery taking shape in the world’s largest oil-consuming country.

With more Americans taking to the road and with some of the lowest gasoline stockpiles in almost 30 years, some see the country facing a supply squeeze on par with those seen when a hurricane knocks out oil refineries in Texas and Louisiana.

“The demand outlook appears very robust, especially in the U.S., and it’s really improving in Europe as well,” said Edward Moya, senior market analyst at Oanda Corp. “There’s optimism that the advanced economies are going to have COVID in the rear-view mirror by the end of the summer.”

Still, prices have been stuck in a US$10 range since March and volatility on the global Brent benchmark has fallen to its lowest level since last August. Supply concerns remain over international talks to revive the Iran nuclear accord, which could pave the way for increased oil supplies from the country.

At the same time, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies meet next week, with delegates saying the alliance looks set to rubberstamp oil-output increases.

“The overall mood in the market is moderately bullish,” said Michael Lynch, President of Strategic Energy & Economic Research. “People are looking at a stabilised market for the near-term,” with the demand recovery continuing to shape up, “but with Iranian supply coming back, that puts a cap on things.”

Ministers from the OPEC+ alliance are set to meet on June 1 to assess the global market and their production policy. All but four of 24 analysts and traders surveyed by Bloomberg predict they’ll ratify an 840,000-barrel-a-day increase scheduled for July, completing a three-part process to revive just over 2 million barrels this summer.

The market’s positive outlook is reflected in WTI’s longerterm spreads. The price of the US benchmark for December 2021 was as much as US$5 a barrel higher than futures for the same month in 2022. The differential has expanded by almost US$1 this week to hit the highest since mid-March. (Excerpt from Bloomberg)

Macron says France will Putin offers Belarus help Africa make more leader support amid Blinken says US and India plane diversion scandal COVID-19 vaccines locally united in tackling COVID-19

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ussian President V l a d i m i r Putin has offered his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko support in his standoff with the West over the forced landing of an Athens to Vilnius passenger jet to arrest a journalist.

The West has accused Belarus of piracy after Belarusian air traffic control on Sunday informed the Ryanair pilot of a hoax bomb threat and Minsk scrambled a MiG-29 fighter plane to escort the plane down, before arresting Roman Protasevich, a journalist and critic of Lukashenko, along with his girlfriend.

Both are in jail accused of orchestrating mass riots.

Protasevich could be jailed for up to 15 years.

But Putin, a close ally of Lukashenko, on Friday gave his support to the Belarusian leader, warmly welcoming him for talks in

the southern Russian city of Sochi and agreeing with Lukashenko that the West’s reaction to the incident was “an outburst of emotion”.

The talks in the Black Sea city of Sochi were organised before the plane incident, but come after many European nations have imposed flight bans on Belarusian aviation and the European Union is weighing further sanctions.

Lukashenko told Putin he would show him some confidential documents about the Ryanair incident that would help the Russian leader understand what really happened.

Russia, a close ally that sees the ex-Soviet republic of 9.5 million as a strategically important buffer to its west, had offered verbal support to Minsk before the meeting, while dismissing speculation it was itself complicit in the incident.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

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resident Emmanuel Macron said on Friday France would invest in boosting the production of COVID-19 vaccines in Africa, to help close a gap in the availability of the shots between African and Western nations.

Speaking at a joint news conference with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in Pretoria, Macron said Africa made up around 20 per cent of the world's need for vaccines but only 1 per cent of vaccine production.

He said France already had a partnership with South Africa's Biovac Institute. Later on Friday, Macron opened another one with South African pharmaceutical company Aspen.

"We need to vaccinate as quickly as possible the maximum number of people...all over the world," Macron said. "It is our moral duty; it is also in everyone's interests."

Macron is on the second

and final leg of an Africa trip that included Rwanda.

He reiterated support for waiving intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines, a move supported by US President Joe Biden but opposed by Germany.

At the launch of his vaccine support initiative at Pretoria University, Macron called for regulated vaccine prices to prevent African nations being ripped off.

Ramaphosa said earlier this month that if wealthy nations hogged COVID-19 shots while millions in poor countries died waiting for them it would amount to vaccine apartheid.

The European Union will deliver more than 100 million doses to Africa this year, of which 30 million will come from France.

Speaking after Macron, Ramaphosa complained that "vaccines are just trickling into Africa."

(Excerpt from Reuters)

S

ecretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday the United States and India are united in trying to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic together and Washington wants to make sure it takes action to help India with its current coronavirus crisis.

Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who has spent the past week in the United States seeking help amid a devastating second wave of infections at home, told reporters while standing with Blinken at the State Department that India is grateful to the United States for strong support and solidarity.

"In the earlier days of COVID, India was there for the United States - something we will never forget," Blinken said. "And now we want to make sure that we're there for India as well."

Blinken said the partnership between the United States and is "vital," "strong" and "increasingly product-

ive."

"We're united in confronting COVID-19 together," Blinken added. "We're united in dealing with the challenge posed by climate change, and we are partnered together directly through the Quad (a group that includes the United States, India, Japan and Australia), other institutions in the United Nations, in dealing with many of the challenges we face in the region and around the world."

India, the world's second most-populous country, this month has recorded its highest COVID-19 death toll since the pandemic began last year. Only about 3 per cent of India's 1.3 billion people have been fully vaccinated, the lowest rate among the 10 countries with the most cases.

US-India ties have grown closer in recent years amid shared concerns about China's rise and they have increased cooperation through the Quad. (Excerpt from Reuters)

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, MAY 29, 2021

21

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

Don't let emotions ruin your day. Explosive action will not get you what you want. Use intelligence, finesse and persistence instead of brute force. Pay your dues and take care of your responsibilities.

Let your heart lead the TAURUS way. Live, laugh and be (April 20- happy. Make a point to sign May 20) up for things that bring you closer to your dreams. A friend or relative will offer valuable help or insight.

DILBERT

You have the drive to make things happen. Don't give in to (May 21- pushy people. Be realistic and June 20) set goals based on your needs and what you are willing to do to succeed. Don't take unnecessary risks.

GEMINI

CANCER (June 21July 22)

PEANUTS

Hold on tight and enjoy the ride. Embrace opportunities and see where they lead. Start a creative hobby or consider studying something that stimulates your mind and encourages you to do better.

Initiate what you want to LEO do. Don't wait for someone to (July 23take control. Concentrate on Aug. 22) what will bring you closer to the people you love and the things you enjoy doing. Don't worry about the naysayers!

CALVIN AND HOBBES

SUDOKU

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Do something that makes you feel good. Do some volunteer work or help a friend or relative. The change you make in someone's life will impact yours, as well. You can make a difference!

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Bullies and liars, beware.

You'll have a short fuse and a harsh tongue. Remember to send out warning vibes to those who tend to upset you. You're on a mission, and anyone who gets in your way will be dealt with abruptly.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Live within your budget.

Don't buy into a misleading sales pitch. Legal, financial and medical issues will pose a problem if you are imprecise.

Don't be fooled by what SAGITTARIUS others say or promise. Ask (Nov. 23questions, and make what you Dec. 21) want and need clear. A change you or someone close to you makes will limit your ability to get things done.

Seize the moment, and ac-

CAPRICORN tivate your plans. Take care (Dec. 22of everything on your to-do Jan. 19) list, and it will make you feel

good. A lifestyle change will give you more space and add to your comfort.

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

Your drive will surpass your expectations and help you master whatever you set out to do. Family time or romancing a loved one will lead to closer relationships and plans.

Take care of what and who (Feb. 20- matters to you. Don't take risks March 20) that can disrupt your life. If you need help, ask. If you can help others, do so. Maintaining balance will encourage better days ahead.

PISCES

22

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

SATURDAY, MAY 29, 2021

GCB launches inaugural Under-19 Franchise Tournament

…E-Networks partners for live streaming and commentary

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he Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)has launched its inaugural Under-19 Franchise Tournament, in collaboration with the following businesses: General Marine, Tropical Spring, Trophy Stall, 4R, and E-Networks.

The launching was done in the GCB Boardroom on Friday, May 28.

It has been proposed that the tournament be an annual event conducted after the annual InterCounty Under-19 tournaments.

This Franchise Tournament would present a select pool of talented players involved in a series of competitive trial matches, the first of which is scheduled to be held on Saturday May 29 at the National Stadium at Providence from 10:00 hours.

Three teams would be involved in Saturday’s proceedings; namely Falcons, Eagles and Amazon Hawks, respectively captained by Matthew Nandu, Zeynul Ramsammy and Marvan Prasad.

At the launch, President Bissoondyal Singh, who outlined the purpose of the tournament, indicated that because CWI was unable to host Regional Under-19 tournaments in 2020 and 2021, the executives of the GCB have decided that this tournament (which would be livestreamed with commentary) would provide valuable feedback to the CWI selectors and relevant coaching staff on players’ ability and current form.

Singh indicated that the players would be able to showcase their talents to a wider audience within Guyana, the West Indies region, and beyond. He mentioned that the Franchise Tournament would create a competitive trial match environment in a teamwork context, as against a heavy focus on individual player’s performances. This would

provide the national selectors with a good indicator of the players’ form, and provide players with more opportunities for national selection, since it would build on their club, association and county tournament performances.

Singh was high in praise of the sponsors who readily came onboard. He thanked them for their invaluable contribution, and wished their businesses continued excellence.

Representing General Marine, Floyd Allen indicated that the company is privileged to be associated with the GCB and other sponsors in running off this tournament. He wished the players every success in their endeavours.

Teenage national player Isai Thorne, a former West Indies Under-16 player, presented the 4R sponsorship cheque to president of the GCB, Mr. Bissoondyal Singh.

Allen praised the GCB for taking the initiative to give Under-19 players opportunity to play cricket at such a competitive level. He indicated that, based on feedback, players are keen to participate and to have an outside chance of being involved in the West Indies ongoing preparatory activities for the 2022 ICC Under-19 World Cup. Representing Tropical Spring, Aravinda Gainda said the company is very pleased to again be part of the GCB activities. He remarked that this was Tropical Spring’s second engagement in sponsoring GCB’s cricket. He indicated that Tropical Spring is looking forward for another successful partnership, and indicated that their decision to sponsor the Falcons Under-19 Team is based on the company’s belief that investing in youths is the best way to proceed with cricket development.

He said the vision the

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General Marine Rep handing over sponsorship of Eagle's team

company has, and would like to share, is that the GCB maintains this league, and possibly expand on the number of teams that could be sponsored by various businesses.

Gainda posited that this tournament would greatly strengthen the relationship between the private sector and the GCB, and suggested that this approach would simultaneously provide mileage to the sponsors.

Gainda also thanked the GCB for offering Tropical Spring the opportunity to sponsor, and pledged the company’s continued support.

Ebullient Proprietor of Trophy Stall, Ramesh Sunich, told of his company’s delight in being a part of youth development, and pledged to donate all trophies for the tournament.

Colin Stuart, TDO of the GCB, outlining the structure of the tournament, indicated that it would have a round-robin format, with the winner being decided on a points system, which may necessitate the use of net run rate to determine the champion where two or more teams end the final round on equal points.

The tournament will progress as follows: On Saturday May 29, Falcons will play Eagles.

On Sunday May 30, Eagles will battle Amazon Hawks, while on Saturday June 5, Amazon Hawks will challenge Falcons.

The GCB trusts this tournament would help to give the U-19 players opportunity to be selected in the CWI U-19 preparatory activities for the 2022 World Cup. The GCB has arranged for an independent match to be played upon conclusion of the tournament on Sunday June 6. It would involve the best performers from the tournament.

All matches would commence at 10:00 hours.

The link for the livestream is: https://youtu.be/W1d9no_ WTqg The teams are: Falcons: Matthew Nandu (Capt) Sheldon Charles, Sarwan Chaitnarine, Tomani Caesar, Jason Holder, Addul Ramsammy, Jeremy Sandia, Andre

Seepersaud (Vice Capt). Brandon Jaikaran, Wazim Mohamed, Pavindra Ganesh, Rudranauth Kissoon, Ajay Gainda, Manager: Yeuraj Khemraj, Coach: Julian Moore Eagles: Zeynul Ramsammy (Capt), Ricardo Ramdehol, Mavendra Dindyal (Vice Capt), Oren Gibson, Isai Thorne, Romal Hubbard, Chanderpaul Ramraj, Jonathan Rampersaud, Aryan Persaud, Daniel Mootoo, Chatram Balgobin, Nicko Vincent, Anthony Khan, Alvin Mohabir, Manager: Kumar Bissoondyal, Coach: Orin Bailey Amazon Hawks: Marvan Prashad (Capt), Rampertab Ramnauth, Ushardeva Balgobin, Shamar Yearwood, Trevon Charles, Thaddius Lovell, Gourav Ramesh, Leon Cecil, Zachary Jodah (Vice Capt), Collis Noble, Niran Bissu, Anthony Williams, Jadesh Dowlatram. Manager: Shaun Massiah. Coach: Winston Smith.

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Olympian Chelsea Edghill secures sponsorship for Tokyo and beyond

Zaida James, the fearless and fiery future of West Indies Women

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

“P

ure me” is how left-arm mediumpacer Zaida James describes her style of play. The 16-year-old from Gros Islet, Saint Lucia is a member of the 30-member West Indies Women’s training squad currently in a camp in Antigua, and she’s enjoying every moment of it.

James was introduced to the sport by her father, after she used to watch him play it on his PlayStation video games. At the age of eight, her dad joined her in the grassroots cricket programme, but she left after a while to pursue tennis and football.

Then came a time when she had to choose which game she wanted to pursue permanently, so she chose the willow and leather over the racket and fur ball.

“I used to watch him, and I like the game. I went into grassroots cricket, I played tennis and football, and then I moved back into cricket, and from there I just continued my game.”

She has been at this highperformance camp for just

T

Chelsea Edghill (Rawle Toney Photo)

over three weeks, and despite rubbing shoulders with the best women cricketers in the region, Zaida has managed to remain focused and not starstruck.

She speaks with raw emotion on finding out she has been selected for this camp, and what she hopes to achieve from it.

No doubt, Zaida James is destined to be a household name in West Indies Women’s cricket in the future.

She attends the Entrepot Secondary School in Castries, where she enjoys studying English, as she aims to pursue a career as a diplomat, in addition to being an international cricketer.

Her hobbies include watersports, namely scuba diving, riding jet skis and snorkeling. On the cricket field, she admires Hayley Matthews, and her favourite sporting moment was when she made 125 not out batting in the Acynta Auguste 50-over tournament in her native St. Lucia.

The players have been training at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, and have also played a number of highly-competitive intrasquad matches. They are preparing for the ICC Women’s World Cup, to be played in New Zealand early next year.

(Windies Cricket)

he Guyana Lottery Company today announced their oneyear sponsorship of national Table Tennis champion Chelsea Edghill.

The sponsorship would help one of the country's most decorated athletes to focus on not only competing at the Tokyo Olympics, but also reaching the World Championships and other major tournaments across Europe.

“We're happy to be associated with Chelsea Edghill and her amazing journey.

However, she still needs as much support as possible; so I hope other entities can support her and other athletes, because their glory and success

is success for all Guyanese,” said a representative of the GLC. Edghill expressed gratitude for this timely intervention, which would allow her to plan and prepare properly for all stages of her career.

GTTA President Godfrey Munroe, who was on hand, shared, “This is a major intervention and an example of the much-needed corporate support for our association and, by extension, our elite athletes. This partnership enables the progression of the association’s strategy beyond Tokyo, and we look forward to similar opportunities with entities seeking to invest in the sport.” (GTTA Release)

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SATURDAY, MAY 29, 2021

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

23

Squads for 2021 Hero CPL announced – Nortje, Wade, Khan, Amir among new faces

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he complete squads for the 2021 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) have been

confirmed following the player draft. The 2021 tournament gets underway on 28 August, and runs un-

til 19 September.

The star-studded lineups feature the best cricketing talent from across the

LGC/Hallmark and C&L Construction Inc Open Golf Tourney postponed – tentatively set for next weekend, provided good weather prevails – wins for Ally, Watkins in Independence Day Tourney

Caribbean, as well as some of the biggest names in international cricket.

There have been a number of changes to the squads this year. Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo are teaming up at the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, and Sherfane Rutherford is joining them. Keemo Paul has moved to the St Lucia Zouks, and Oshane Thomas would now be representing the Barbados Tridents.

The overseas signings include Shakib al Hasan, Chris Morris, Faf du Plessis, Matthew Wade, Sandeep Lamichhane and Shoaib Malik. There are spots for exciting Pakistani players Haider Ali, Azam Khan and Usman Qadir; and for Englishman Samit Patel, who would be playing in his first Hero CPL. All 33 matches will be played at Warner Park in St Kitts with the final set to take place on 19 September.

“Let your bat do the talking” – WI legend Sir Clive Lloyd encourages Shimron Hetmyer to answer doubters with lots of runs

Anasha Ally and Tom Watkins (centre) pose alongside some of the top performers

T

he LGC/Hallmark and C&L Construction Inc Open Golf tournament scheduled for Saturday May 29, has been postponed.

This decision has been necessitated by the wet course caused by persistent rainfall.

According to a member of the Club, the tournament is tentatively set for next weekend, provided there is excellent weather.

At a simple ceremony held on Thursday, LGC Secretary Chet Bowling noted that the winners of the tournament would be rewarded with prizes from first to third, and there would also be rewards for those with the best scores on the front and back 9.

There would also be the nearest to the pin and longest drive prizes up for grabs as well.

Bowling has said that golf at the Lusignan Club is a COVID-19compliant sport, and participants need not worry, as all protocols would be followed. The LGC secretary has also thanked Hallmark and C&L Construction Inc for their support to the LGC, as it is great to see companies

L-R President of LGC, Patanjilee Persaud; Procurement Officer of C&L Construction Inc, Lorenzo Gouveia; and LGC Secretary Chet Bowling at the cheque paying ceremony at the Hallmark Store on Thursday

demonstrate great corporate social responsibility.

Henceforth, when companies such as Hallmark and C&L Construction Inc come out to support the LGC, it speaks well of the club achieving its goals and aims, which are: “Getting corporate sponsors on board to support the game.”

Also, on Wednesday, Lusignan Golf Club hosted its Independence Day 2021 Open Tournament. The tournament was set to be an 18-hole format, but because of the inclement weather, it was shortened to a nine-hole tournament. The highly anticipated matchup saw a total of 42 persons braving the weather and coming out to play golf.

The results were as follows: - 1st: Anasha Ally/Tom Watkins: 9 Hc Gross 39 Net 30

- 2nd: Winning by countback Pope Emmanuel London/Shanella London: 7 Hc Gross 38 Net 31 - 3rd: Patrick Prashad/ Andrew Cummings: 6 Hc Gross 37 Net 31 - 4th: Mike Mangal/Rohan Albert: 9 Hc Gross 41 Net 32 The results were determined by the front 9 scores because of bad weather, and most players were able to complete the front 9. The greens were extremely wet, which made putting a challenge. That aside, it was a day of fun and relaxation for all members and visitors. At the end of the tournament, the prizes of bottles of wine, key ring golf balls, golf balls, umbrellas, towels and golf clothing were contributed by the Executive Committee.

L

egendary West Indies captain Sir Clive Lloyd has called on embattled batsman Shimron Hetmyer to answer doubters by scoring a lot of runs whenever he gets the opportunity.

The 24-year-old Hetmyer has been in the spotlight in recent weeks, after losing his International Retainer Contract with Cricket West

Indies.

The young batsman has long been considered one of the region’s premier talents, but has struggled to hit top gear in recent seasons.

In Test cricket, Hetmyer has not played for the team since 2019. He averages 27.93, having played 16 matches. In One-Day International cricket, which he last played in January of last year, he averages 36.66. In T20 International cricket, he averages 18.95 with a strike rate of 116.97.

In addition, Hetmyer has struggled with fitness issues, twice failing a fitness test during the period ahead of a subsequent tour of Sri Lanka last year, and a visit of the same team earlier this year.

“The guy has got ability, we know that. All he

has to do is produce the runs, and there should be no problem,” Lloyd told the Mason and Guest radio programme.

“We all know Pooran, Hetmyer these are very talented guys, but that talent must come out with runs.

For a bowler, it’s wickets,” he added.

“I would like to say to all the young people, Mr. Hetmyer and the rest of the gentlemen: ‘They are asking you to be fit, they want you to produce the goods. If you do well, we would have a world-beating team’,” Sir Clive has said. (Adapted from Sportsmax)

SATURDAY, MAY 29, 2021

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

Analysing the Guyana Amazon Warriors outfit for CPL 2021

Chandrapaul Hemraj

Hafeez, who previously featured for the Warriors; his Pakistan team mate and former Warriors captain Shoaib Malik, Waqar Salamkheil, and local boys Gudakesh Motie and Nial Smith.

By Brandon Corlette

T

he consistent Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) confirmed 16-players for the 2021 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) which is set to bowl off from August 28 to September 19 in St Kitts and Nevis. This well-oiled Warriors outfit was revealed on Friday morning at the CPL draft, which

was held virtually.

In this article, we examine the GAW squad. Prior to the draft, the Warriors retained 11 players.

Those are: Nicholas Pooran, Imran Tahir, Shimron Hetmyer, Brandon King, Naveen Ul Haq, Romario Shepherd, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Odean Smith, Anthony Bramble, Kevin Sinclair and Ashmead Nedd.

The newcomers in the Warriors squads, in contrast to last season, are: veteran Mohammad

Versatile batting Opening batsman Brandon King will be searching for the golden run he had back in 2019.

After an ordinary season in 2020, wherein he scored 116 runs in 11 matches at an average of 11.60, the right-hander has been on the decline. However, he still possesses royalty. In his 52 T20 matches, he has scored 1032 runs, with one century and five fifties, at an average of 25.17.

Having lost his place in the West Indies team and his International Retainer Contract, the 2021 CPL will be an important season for King.

King’s familiar opening partner, Guyanese left-hander Chandrapaul Hemraj, would also be looking for a good showing and desiring to convert all his starts, after scoring 140 runs in

Nicholas Pooran

eight matches at an average of 17.50.

Hemraj, like many Caribbean openers, will be looking for some heavy runs this season.

Pooran, who scored a century in 2020 and had an

aggregate of 245 last season at an average of 27.2, will be aiming to find his groove this season.

The West Indies T20 vice-captain also had poor showings in the 2021 Indian Premier League, but having returned to his second home, the GAW, he would want to lead from the front.

Arguably the most-talked about cricketer currently,the home-grown Hetmyer will have much to prove, after losing his International Retainer Contract and missing recent West Indies squads. With the ICC T20 World Cup looming, Hetmyer would want to use the CPL as a yardstick to earn selection into that squad.

Last season, Hetmyer was the leading runscorer for the GAW, but bowed out in the semifinals.

The left-hander scored

267 runs at an average of 33, with three fifties under his belt.

In the recent IPL, Hetmyer showed some form with the bat, and walking into this GAW setup, he will want to extend that IPL form.

While Pooran and Hetmyer are seen as explosive players, the

composure of Malik and Hafeez would complete the GAW batting. Malik is regarded as a T20 giant, with 417 matches to his name and 10,488 runs at a stellar average of 37, with 64 half-centuries.

Hafeez has enjoyed a golden patch in T20 cricket around the world. The veteran Hafeez has had 7,004 runs in 318 matches, with two centuries and 41 fifties.

Hafeez is also a solid option at the top of the order for GAW. Like Malik, Hafeez also offers an option with the ball with his offspin.

Wicket-keeper Anthony Bramble is also known as an attacking batsman, but with limited opportunities with the bat, he is yet to leave his mark with the bat in CPL.

wickets. His skill will certainly be an asset for the GAW. Breakout Afghanistan star Naveen Ul Haq, who finished behind Tahir with 11 wickets last season, had announced himself last season. The rightarm seamer will now lead the fast-bowling group, with Keemo Paul now turning out for his new team, St Lucia Zouks.

Romario Shepherd, who had consistent seasons early in his CPL c a re e r, Imran Tahir w o u l d want to earn the trust of the West Indies selectors after his decline in form with the ball.

He, however, brings another dimension to the game with his power-hitting. Newcomer Nial Smith took the limelight in the First-class arena and the Regional Super50 for the Guyana

t h e y played between them. This duo will also play an integral role for the GAW, w h o are now without former captain and top off-spinner Chris Green.

Additionally, Gudakesh Motie, who had a hot-streak in the Regional Super50, where he emerged as the top wickettaker, would also want to learn as much as possible, and grab

Skilful bowling group Imran Tahir is certainly the most decorated GAW bowler.

The veteran, who was the leading bowler for GAW last season with 15 wickets, has played 308 T20 matches and has ta ke n 386

Shoaib Malik

Jaguars. He also went on to gain experience in West Indies training camps, and he will certainly have a part to play for the GAW. Odean Smith, who played only one match last season for GAW, will also look to break into the starting XI and impress with his express pace. Impressive spin duo Kevin Sinclair and Ashmead Nedd had good first outings, bowling with economy rates under five in the nine matches

his opportunity when it presents itself.

Waqar Salamkheil, the Afghanistan left-arm wristspinner, played 22 T20 matches and has taken 33 wickets. If given an opportunity, he might be the surprise player for the GAW. After falling short in previous seasons, with this team, the GAW would aim to clinch a maiden CPL title and give their fans something to smile about.

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