Guyana Times - Saturday November 28, 2020

P14 GTA launches tours to boost unique tourism products in Guyana Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 4483

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2020

President Ali announces upgrades for health-care system Page 7

…upgrades for West Dem, Mabaruma & Lethem hospitals; allowances & scholarships for health-care workers

Jagdeo pushes for tougher laws to prevent electoral fraud — hints at amendments in early 2021

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Pregnant women at higher risk of COVID-19 P5 complications (Part 1)

SOCU seizes over $10M P2 from drug mule

Page 3

Guyanese must be paid same as expatriates – Labour Minister warns …Ministry takes control of Credit Page 9

Union after $13.3M disappear

Peter’s Hall land “giveaway” probe

Bond released on $200,000 bail, to report to CID on Monday Page 11

New traffic arrangement along EBD corridor causes major traffic build-up Page 7

$40B in rice exports recorded from January to October 2020 See story on page 9

Drug addict who stabbed mother to death arrested at city hotel P11

Venezuelan Council calls for action P18 against T&T

Linden man found dead with gaping wound to neck P13

2 NEWS

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

SOCU seizes over $10M from drug mule

Justice Navindra Singh

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sum of more than $10 million which has been seized by the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) from a convicted drug trafficker has been forfeited to the State.

According to a statement from the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU), the money, equivalent to US$48,560, was seized and detained from Kevin Gordon because it was the proceeds from a crime.

High Court Judge Navindra Singh ordered the State to transfer the currency to the Consolidated Fund, as provided for according to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act Cap 10:11. The court

further ordered that Gordon pay to SOCU costs of $1.5 million.

On Sunday, May 28, 2017, at 08:52h, at Parika, East Bank Essequibo, the currency was confiscated from Gordon, of 18 Jib Housing Scheme, Essequibo, by ranks of CANU during a search of his haversack.

Also in the haversack were 209 pounds, or 94.954 kilograms, of cocaine.

Gordon and another man were subsequently charged and convicted for drug trafficking. They were each sentenced to two years’ imprisonment and fined $99 million following a guilty ruling after a trial in the Magistrates’ Court.

According to SOCU, Gordon had denied ownership of the currency and claimed that it belonged to one Deon Williams.

Williams had indicated that the currency was his property and it was derived from the sale of fuel. However, the State led evidence to prove that Williams was not licensed to deal in petroleum and petroleum products.

The court was satisfied that the penalty for breach of the Guyana Energy Agency Regulation includes imprisonment for three years. SOCU said, “The State proved its case on a

returned to him, but that interest at a rate of 6% per annum be paid in Guyana currency based on the value of all the currencies in Guyana dollars and calculated at the cambio exchange rates listed by Republic Bank Guyana Limited.

The Police had been hoping to be granted the forfeiture order for the following sums seized from Nazmodin: Gy$7,086,000; US$68,703; TT$1,741; SR$42,140; EC$26,205; €14,945; CDN$8,710; and £7,930.

Teacher gets 3 years for sexually assaulting student balance of probability, and the court, satisfied that the currency is the proceeds of crime, gave judgment in favour of SOCU by ordering the confiscation of the cash as part of the proceeds of crime.”

Back in 2019, SOCU failed in its bid to secure the forfeiture of more than $7 million in local currency and millions more in foreign currencies that the Police had stated were found during a search of the home of a Berbice resident as part of a money-laundering probe.

The application alleged that moneychanger Mohamed Jamalodeen Nazmodin had been en-

gaged in the business of buying and selling foreign currency in breach of the Dealers in Foreign Currency (Licensing) Act. However, in his ruling on the application, Justice Navindra Singh has stated, among other things, the state’s failure at establishing the offence of money-laundering against Nazmodin, and the purported warrant being void. He also said he viewed the warrant as being “very suspicious,” given the manner in which it was obtained.

In addition, Justice Singh ordered not only that all the currencies seized from Nazmodin be forthwith

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teacher attached to a prominent city private school has been jailed for three years after he was found guilty of engaging in sexual activities with an underage girl. He was also ordered to pay a fine of $1 million.

Mohammed Wazir Khan had initially denied the charge which alleged that on March 9, 2019, he engaged in sexual activity with a child under the age of 16, thereby abusing a position of trust.

According to the facts of the case, Khan braced his penis next to the young girl and squeezed her breasts and butt. He had been on trial for the offence before Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Jailed: Mohammed Wazir Khan

Khan’s lawyer will be appealing the Magistrate’s decision. In the meantime, Guyana Times was informed that the lawyer will make an application to the High Court for his client to be released on bail pending appeal.

NEWS

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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, November 28 – 03:00h – 04:30h and 13:30h – 15:00h and Sunday, November 29 – 03:30h – 05:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Saturday, November 28 – 15:00h – 16:30h and Sunday, November 29 – 15:30h – 17:00h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

Sunshine will prevail during the day. There will be partly cloudy skies at night. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

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

Jagdeo pushes for tougher laws to prevent electoral fraud – hints at amendments in early 2021

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ice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has hinted that the Government will be taking steps very soon to strengthen the relevant laws to have persons face severe penalties, including jail time, for elections-related offences.

Jagdeo was at the time commenting on the Government’s readiness for Local Government Elections which are constitutionally due next year. He indicated that while the PPP/C is always ready to face the electorate, the party would first work to have the elector-

PPP or any other party for that matter - that we will ever go to elections with a (Keith) Lowenfield there or a Roxanne Myers. If they do, they need to have their heads examined”.

According to Jagdeo, the elections could still be runoff “if you have good people, with the same electoral system”.

He insisted that it would be impossible to have free and fair elections with the same set of controversial persons at the helm.

“Look at the rabid display that they have had. I

High Tide: 15:19h reaching a maximum height of 2.58 metres.

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo

Low Tide: 08:54h and 21:16 reaching minimum heights of 0.73 metre and 0.61 metre.

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al system strengthened, including with the necessary legislation, to prevent the chaos that occurred following the March 2 General and Regional Elections.

“We have to think about changes to the Representation of the People Act, to put in that Act Amendments early, maybe next year, some penalties, election-related penalties, so people can go to jail…for some of the things they tried to pull off in the past,” the VP asserted during a recent programme.

Jagdeo further explained that the Legislation has to be made clearer by outlining how the elections count/ tabulation takes place, and more particularly the publication of the Statements of Poll (SoPs).

He bemoaned the fact that until now the PPP/C has not received the SoPs from the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), even though it has made several requests for same.

“GECOM refused to release them (SoPs). Of course, we have them (PPP/C copies), we made them public. I don’t know how they would ever win a petition when we called for the SoPs (and) they don’t present them, or they present them and they (SoPs) show that APNU lost the elections.”

Nevertheless, the VP expressed that the Government is preparing for the elections, and will accordingly be allocating resources in the 2021 Budget.

However, he noted: “Nobody expects - not APNU supporters nor the international community, nor the

don’t need to tell you about it, the whole country knows about it, the world knows about it, not a single international organisation or any country has said that you can have free and fair elections with those individuals still in place,” Jagdeo asserted.

President Dr Irfaan Ali had also expressed similar views in citing the need for confidence to be restored in the electoral machinery in

light of the events that followed the March 2 General and Regional Elections.

“What we have to do is to fix what is there first.

We have to ensure we have a system that is working, a system that we can trust, a system that is professional and operates in an unbiased manner so that the people of our country can have confidence,” Ali had said.

He had asserted that based on his engagements with the public, there is overriding concern that there could be a repeat of the events that occurred after the March 2 polls.

Local Government Elections were last held in 2018, and they resulted in the PPP/C securing 52 of the 80 Local Authority Areas (LAA). It followed the holding of LGE in 2016, during which the PPP/C also claimed the majority of the LAAs. After the 2018 LGE, GECOM spent over a year

trying to get ready for snap elections that should have been held within three months of the then APNU/ AFC Government falling to a No-Confidence Motion in December 2018.

GECOM finally held General and Regional Elections on March 2nd 2020. But as if the previous delay was not enough, Guyanese were forced to wait another five months before the results could finally be declared by GECOM on August 2nd, 2020, after local and international pressure was brought to bear.

In the aftermath of the controversial five-monthlong elections, a number of high ranking GECOM officials are being investigated by the Police and charged for misconduct in public office and forgery, including Chief Elections Officer Lowenfield, his deputy Roxanne Myers, and Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo, among others.

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guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2020

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

The holiday traffic

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t is still the early days into the Christmas season, and already there is a build-up of traffic in major commercial and other areas. One could only imagine what the situation would be like as we head closer to Christmas Eve, when persons would be travelling to and from the city to do holiday shopping etc.

It should be pointed out that even when we are out of the holiday season, the traffic congestion during rush hours in the mornings and evenings is also very stressful for citizens to cope with, especially those commuting to and from the city. It is normal to spend more than half-hour in the traffic getting to one’s destination, especially in areas along the East Bank and East Coast corridors, where there is a huge buildup of traffic almost daily.

The situation at the Demerara Harbour Bridge is even worse. In addition to the bridge no longer being adequate to accommodate the large volume of traffic that use it on a daily basis, many have complained that the traffic is badly managed by ranks. During rush hours, there is bumperto-bumper traffic, with some drivers bullying their way through. This happens even in the presence of the Police.

Certainly, within the last five years or so, traffic congestion in the city and other main thoroughfares has gotten worse, and there could be a number of factors responsible for this. What we have noticed is that although there has been some improvement to the road network over the years, it has not been to the level that is needed to match the demands of road users. For example, within the last fifteen years or so, several new housing schemes were established and several existing ones were expanded across the country, resulting in many more persons commuting to and from the capital city, where they go to school or work.

Also, many more persons are opting to purchase their own vehicles, resulting in thousands of new vehicles traversing our roads. So, within the last decade or so, there has been a five-fold increase in the number of vehicles being driven on the roads. However, the road network expansion programme, even though improving, still cannot accommodate this massive increase.

That said, traffic congestion is not a problem that is unique to Guyana, and certainly cannot be totally eliminated.

However, there are ways in which the authorities here could work together to manage the situation more effectively, thereby resulting in less hassle for road users.

For example, the authorities could seek to ensure there is greater Police presence in certain areas, so that there can be a smooth flow of traffic, as drivers are known to break the rules and bully their way through, especially when there is no Police presence. The authorities could also designate more routes for traffic diversion, especially during rush hours and in areas where there is a heavy traffic build-up.

However, these are just short-term solutions. A longterm solution would be to continue looking at ways in which the country’s road network could be expanded, especially in areas that are heavily populated. The East Bank and East Coast road expansion projects, once completed, would bring much relief to the travelling public.

The new roadway will serve as a corridor for communities on the East Bank of Demerara, including Perseverance, Mocha, Providence, Eccles, Peter’s Hall and Aubrey Barker Road. Instead of going through the hectic Georgetown traffic, the new road link would allow drivers the option to divert from the East Coast and onto the bypass road to access the East Bank of Demerara. We are pleased that arrangements for these road projects are now moving with haste.

We urge the authorities to continue to look at ways in which the road network in Guyana could be further expanded, improved, rehabilitated and maintained. In addition to bringing great relief to citizens’ frustrations, it would help to reduce the number of road fatalities, which have reached alarming levels in the country.

Already, this year, the accident rate has reached unacceptable levels. It is hoped that the relevant agencies would continuously review what currently obtains with the aim of making our roads safer and more hassle-free for those who use them.

Two young ladies perform at the launch of the Guyana Tourism Authority’s “Three Experiential Tours” held at the Whirlwind Village, Sophia Exhibition Site, Sophia, Greater Georgetown

What it takes for good governance Dear Editor, You may ask the question: “What makes for good governance?” Or, “What does it take for someone to command successful leadership in any country?”

Some may blindly reply, “A sleek tongue, or one that has the ability to sway a crowd and set everything in a rhythm going”.

That type of leader is what I would call the big party style, which, at the end of the debauchery, most of those involved haven’t the slightest clue as to what has taken place. It is only when the cold, hard reality of the day has finally settled in that they would be jolted to the seriousness of their position.

If we are to hold on to that school of thought, then Forbes Burnham was undoubtedly Guyana’s most successful leader of all time. We make those assumptions based on what I have said earlier: that he was a great orator and had the capacity to move a crowd and set them in a frenzy; but, at the end of the day, what was achieved? Where are we headed, if to any place?

These are the questions you are forced to ask yourself when putting togeth-

er the template of a good leader, and when applying the test of good governance. And I dare say Burnham does not pass the test when it comes to good; that acid test of governance, because his style of leadership stinks to the high heavens.

A stroll down memory lane reminds me of Burnham having a rally at The Square of The Revolution. In his usual start-up before any of these rallies, he would surround himself with a bevy of oversize ladies, especially in that part of their anatomy - you know where.

At that rally, he gave a resounding speech in which he cut Cheddi to shreds.

This was met with rapturous applause from those around him and from the crowd that was in attendance. What a leader!

But, at the end of it all, what did we learn? What did we achieve? What did the nation benefit from that obnoxious display? And the answer comes back again: “Absolutely nothing!” All it showed was a leader who was skilful at using words, but nothing else.

This bacchanalian quasi- charismatic leader, at the end of the day, has

nothing tangible to offer the nation he leads. Yes, he was the so-called good leader of the ‘people of the palm tree’, but was that enough for him to be called a good leader? Is that the way a leader of a nation should operate?

Well, in the first place, being a good leader means that you ought to be a leader of all of Guyana, and not just a section of it. Now, herein lies the distinct difference between the PPP/C and the PNC: Burnham’s leadership style was following the leader and doing what he says unquestioningly. Incidentally, this same dogma was parroted by his successor, Hoyte, and by Volda Lawrence in a recent speech to her party comrades. Successive PNC Leaders hold this principle near to their hearts and as a policy foisted on the people of this country. No wonder they lost the election and are baying at the moon in the Opposition. No one in a modern dispensation would countenance that foolishness, even if it comes wrapped in golden packaging.

On the other hand, I hold a differing view, and I am sure it is the view of my party. I am not easily

swayed by speeches; while speeches and oratory skills are great, I am at a different level, in which I match words with action. Good speeches in the hand of a con artist like Burnham was a weapon to befuddle all those who were willing to submit their minds to his demonic influences. Thankfully, most of us weren’t of that school.

So, what makes the PPP/C impregnable? Well, it is the unity of strength; that is: the ability to convert theoretical oration into action, or making words live. The leader would lead, but he is not an autocrat; rather, he is a pilot who charts the way in forward thinking.

He is also a visionary, one who comes up with new and progressive ideas that are pregnant with goals for nation building. That is what makes for good, sustainable governance.

Guyana is blessed to have that kind of leadership in the PPP/C, and I urge all to give them your support as we go forward together in building a great Guyana for all its citizens.

Respectfully, Neil Adams

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2020

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News

Pregnant women at higher risk of COVID-19 complications (Part 1)

Chief Medical Officer Dr Narine Singh

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ince the first report (December 2019) of COVID-19, the number of confirmed cases and associated mortality and morbidity has increased rapidly. Pregnant women are considered a highrisk group because of concerns about the effects of COVID-19 on them during and after pregnancy and on their neonate.

Due to changes in their bodies and immune systems, we know that pregnant women can be badly affected by some respiratory infections. The overall risk of COVID-19 to pregnant women is low.

However, pregnancy increases the risk of severe

illness with COVID-19.

Pregnant women who have COVID-19 appear more likely to develop respiratory complications requiring intensive care than women who aren’t pregnant. Pregnant women or recently pregnant women who are older, overweight, and have pre-existing medical conditions such as hypertension and diabetes seem to have an increased risk of developing severe COVID-19.

Latest research

New research findings published in the September 2020 edition of The BMJ helped to shed light on the risks of COVID-19

for pregnant women and their babies.

The paper suggested that pregnant women with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 are less likely to experience a fever or muscle pain, but if they develop the severe disease they are more likely to need intensive care than non-pregnant women with COVID-19.

There is currently no data to suggest an increased risk of miscarriage or early pregnancy loss in relation to COVID-19. It isn’t yet known how frequently COVID-19 causes problems during pregnancy or affects the health of the baby after birth.

Some research suggests that pregnant women with COVID-19 are more likely to have a premature birth and their babies are more likely to be admitted to a neonatal unit.

es.

To date, the active virus has not been found in samples of fluid around the baby in the womb or breast milk. Community efforts to control the spread of the COVID-19 virus might affect your access to routine prenatal care.

It is strongly advised that antenatal and postnatal care should be regarded as essential, and that pregnant women will continue to need at least as much support, advice, care and guidance in relation to pregnancy, childbirth and early parenthood as before.

It is recommended that in-person appointments be deferred by seven days after the start of symptoms of COVID-19 or 14 days if another person in the house-

stetric care are advised to notify the hospital or clinic before they arrive in order for infection control to be put in place.

Remote appointments

To minimise the risk of infection, some appointments may be conducted remotely via teleconferencing or video conferencing, where possible. This is being done especially for those in the early stages of low-risk pregnancy by the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Department of the Ministry of Health in several regions.

Talk to your healthcare provider about whether the use of virtual prenatal care is an option for you, if it’s available in your area, and how it works. Ask

Mother to child transmission

It is still not known for sure if a pregnant woman with COVID-19 can pass the virus to her foetus or baby during pregnancy or delivery. Early studies indicated no evidence for vertical transmission of COVID-19 from mother to child in late pregnancy, but more recent reports indicate that vertical transmission may occur in some cas-

hold has symptoms.

Where in-person appointments are required, pregnant patients with symptoms or confirmed COVID-19 who require ob-

your healthcare provider if there are any tools that might be helpful to have at home, such as a blood pressure monitor. To make the most of any virtual visits,

prepare a list of questions ahead of time and take detailed notes during the visit.

If you have certain high-risk conditions during pregnancy, virtual visits might not be an option. Ask your healthcare provider about how your care might be affected.

Contact your healthcare provider right away if you have COVID-19 symptoms or if you’ve been exposed to someone with COVID-19.

It’s recommended that you are tested for the virus that causes COVID-19 if testing supplies are available. Call your healthcare provider ahead of time to tell him or her about your symptoms and possible exposure before going to your appointment.

If you have COVID-19 and are pregnant, your treatment will be aimed at relieving symptoms and may include getting plenty of fluids and rest, as well as using medication to reduce fever, relieve pain or lessen coughing. If you’re very ill, you may need to be treated in the hospital In Part II next week, we will look at labour and delivery, breastfeeding, post-partum guidance and safe medical treatment to conclude this topic. Do not miss the conclusion!

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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2020

Page

Foundation Æsop’s Fables

FOR CHILDREN

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bull once escaped from a lion by entering a cave which the goatherds used to house their flocks in stormy weather and at night. It happened that one of the goats had been left behind, and the bull had no sooner got inside than this goat lowered his head and made a rush at him, butting him with his horns. As the Lion was still prowling outside the entrance to the cave, the bull had to submit to the insult.

"Do not think," he said, "that I submit to your cowardly treatment because I am afraid of you. When that lion leaves, I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget."

WORD SEARCH

NEWS

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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

President Ali announces upgrades for health-care system …upgrades for West Dem, Mabaruma & Lethem hospitals; allowances & scholarships for health-care workers

President Irfaan Ali addressing the gathering on Thursday evening

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resident Dr Irfaan Ali has announced sweeping incentives and upgrades for the country’s healthcare system. This includes a billion-dollar upgrade for the West Demerara Regional Hospital in Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara) which will be catered for in the 2021 budget.

Also included are increases in salaries, allowances, and scholarships for healthcare workers. The Head of State made these revelations on Thursday at the formal launching of the second in a series of SMART upgrades to healthcare facilities in Guyana – the retrofitting of the Leonora Cottage Hospital.

President Ali during his address assured that as far as the financial architecture of the country allows, the Government will support the healthcare system and healthcare workers.

According to the President, healthcare and education are the key foundations on which the society will advance, while democracy is the bedrock on which it will grow.

Apart from the $150 mil-

lion set aside in its emergency budget for healthcare workers, the President revealed that the Government has been able to cut programmes to find additional resources for healthcare professionals. In that regard, he announced that every healthcare professional will benefit from a two-week salary equivalent bonus which will be paid by the end of this year.

“Because while you have this direct bonus that will come to you, you are also included in the $25,000 household COVID-19 cash grant and the children uniform programme. You are also included in all the social benefits that the Government is giving to society and it will grow.”

He added, “Our economy will only get better and better and conditions will get better and better. Focus on advancing your careers and improving yourselves. And in helping you to do this we are starting the 20,000 scholarship programme next year.”

He disclosed that the Government will be setting aside special investment for courses in the field of healthcare, public health, nurs-

ing, nursing assistant and pharmacist among others.

The Head of State pointed out that Government has already invested in over 1000 doctors, but for whatever reason, they are not in the system as yet.

President Ali added that he has asked Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony to inquire into whatever struggles these doctors are facing because “we have to get our professionals to be out there and deliver to the people.”

“We are investing in all the hospitals. All the hospitals will see upgrades and improvements within the next few years. All the facilities will see a tremendous transformation. It is aimed at decentralising services with the aim that we empower local and regional authorities to do more in the management of the facilities. It is about building capacity, and reaching the unreached,” Ali noted.

“Many times, people have to decide as to whether they take $1000 and pay the transportation cost to go GPHC or whether they take the $1000 and buy food for their children. When we invest in these facilities of bringing healthcare to the people, we are reaching the unreached.

It helps us to reduce the cost of access to healthcare and it makes healthcare truly what PAHO and WHO wants it to be – a universal right.”

The President also pleaded with healthcare professionals to make the facilities people-friendly and urged those visiting the hospitals to have respect for doctors, nurses and other staff.

The Diamond Hospital and Leonora Cottage Hospital are among five health facilities to be up-

New traffic arrangement along EBD corridor causes major traffic build-up

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n light of a fatal accident along the Agricola Public Road, Greater Georgetown, on Tuesday while the third lane for northbound traffic was activated, the police implemented new traffic measures resulted in a massive build-up of traffic that lasted for almost three hours.

With the new arrangements, the traffic moved at snail’s pace and in some instances came to a complete halt. This resulted in commuters venting their frustration with the new arrangements.

But the Guyana Police Force has since apologised for the interruption of the free flow of traffic. In a release issued hours later, the Force stated: “The Guyana Police Force wishes to apprise the general public that after a brief interruption of free flow of traffic on the East Bank corridor which was caused by heavy mo-

tor lorries traversing, traffic is now flowing at a normal pace.”

Further, the police stated that all measures which were put in place by the Force's Traffic Department along the East Bank corridor were not done in any way to stymie the flow of traffic but rather to ensure that commuters, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians be safe when using the roadway.

“The Force wishes to also state that throughout the peak periods there will be a high visibility of Traffic Ranks to assist in regulating the traffic flow,” the police added.

On Tuesday 34-year-old Kevin Monderson of Lot 16 Tucville Squatting Area, Georgetown, died hours after he was struck down by a truck at Agricola, Greater Georgetown.

It was reported that Monderson was struck

down by the truck which was heading to Georgetown at about 07:00h. At the time, the third lane for northbound traffic was activated.

The driver told investigators that while in the vicinity of Agricola “roadhead”, he observed a man standing on the median, but the man suddenly attempted to cross the road without paying attention to the southbound traffic.

As such, he walked into the path of the truck, thus causing a collision. As a result, he fell to the roadway, and the truck’s rear right wheel ran over both of his legs.

He was picked up in an unconscious state and rushed to the GPHC in critical condition. He had also suffered severe head injuries and internal bleeding.

He died while being treated in the Emergency Unit of the medical facility

President Irfaan Ali unveiling the modernised Leonora Cottage Hospital - as part of the Smart Healthcare Facilities Project

graded to SMART hospitals.

The other facilities identified are Mabaruma and Lethem Regional Hospitals, and the Paramakatoi Health Centre.

The United Kingdomfunded project is designed to help reduce mortality, morbidity and economic losses from natural disasters, to which many Caribbean nations are vulnerable. The “SMART Hospital” concept refers to a health facility which is both safe and utilises green technology.

Hospitals and other health facilities embracing this concept must provide standard and efficient healthcare before, during, and even immediately after the event of any natural or man-made disaster.

8 NEWS

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Mabura $3.4M robbery

Linden resident slapped with gun, ammo-possession charges

Colis Jerrick

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s Police continue their investigation into the robbery committed on a Mabura, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) businesswoman and her husband, Colis Jerrick of the mining town was slapped with a gun possession charge.

Jerrick made his appearance before Magistrate Wanda Fortune at the Linden Magistrate’s Court on Friday. The suspect was caught by Police following the robbery on Tuesday last.

During his court appearance, he pleaded not guilty to the charges which stated that on the day in question, he had a .38 Special

Revolver with 5 live rounds of ammunition without being the holder of a licence.

Based reports received, on Wednesday last, at about 10:00h, Police ranks acting on information regarding the robbery of the couple travelled to 47 Miles, Mabura Trail and based on further information they went to 58 Miles Mabura Trail where the accused was confronted.

Upon seeing the police ranks, he discharged a round at the ranks. Soon after he reportedly disposed of the firearm which was subsequently retrieved.

The accused was implicated in the armed robbery committed on the 49-yearold businesswoman and her husband. He was, however, taken into custody and charged.

It was reported that on Tuesday, November 24, 2020, the victims went about their business and upon returning home, they were confronted by an armed man. The suspect reportedly held the woman at gunpoint and demanded that she hand over the handbag she was carrying.

The woman reportedly put up some resistance but the armed man discharged several rounds in the air after which he relieved the woman of the bag contain-

P

The items that were retrieved from the robbery

ing $3.4 million in cash, a quantity of raw gold valued $800,000 and a wedding band.

The man then joined his accomplice, who was waiting on a motorcycle, and fled the scene. After the men left, the couple entered the home and in so doing, they discovered that two smartphones and a GPS were taken from the ransacked home.

The police were contacted and based on information received, went to a location in Mabura where they saw a parked black XR motorcycle fitting the description of the one used to commit the robbery. The ranks then combed the area during which they

saw the accused running into the thick vegetation but not before discharging several rounds.

He was eventually arrested. At the time, he was carrying a bag containing $2,330,000, a digital scale, two cell phones and one .38 Special Revolver with 5 live rounds.

The motorcycle used in the robbery was the one that was reportedly stolen from a 30-year-old plant operator of Buck Hall, Wismar Squatting Area.

Meanwhile, Jerrick was remanded to prison until December 16 while the police seek legal advice on armed robbery charges.

Chief Magistrate orders prosecution to present “proper order” in Mingo’s case

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s the court makes final preparations to begin the trial of embattled Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo, who has been slapped with several charges for misconduct in public office concerning the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections, the prosecution was instructed to make certain corrections to their order or decree.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has hired a five-member team of special prosecutors to prosecute the electoral fraud cases against Mingo; Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield along with his clerks, Denise BobCummings and Michelle Miller; GECOM Elections Officer Shefern February and Information Technology Officer Enrique Livan; APNU/AFC activist Carol Joseph and Chairperson of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) and former Health Minister Volda Lawrence.

The fiat has been granted to Attorneys-at-Law Glenn Hanoman, Mark Conway, Ganesh Hira, Arudranauth Gossai, and George Thomas to prosecute them on behalf of the State. According to Attorney-at-Law Ronald Daniels, one of the lawyers representing Mingo, the

Region Four Returning Officer Clairmont Mingo

prosecution was instructed to lay over the “proper fiat” on December 21, 2020.

The lawyer explained that the fiat that was previously presented was not drafted in a manner satisfactory to the court. He further explained that the fiat did not capture the respective matters according to their case jacket numbers.

Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, who is presiding over the matters, has requested that the order be corrected to include the missing information.

The first two charges against Mingo alleged that on March 5, 2020, at the Office of the Returning Officer of District Four at

Looking abroad...

High and Hadfield Streets, Georgetown, while being a public officer, he wilfully misconducted himself by declaring a result for District Four, without ascertaining the total votes cast in favour of each list in the said District.

The last two charges alleged that Mingo committed the same offence, this time round on March 13, 2020, at GECOM’s High and Cowan Streets, Kingston, Georgetown Head Office, when he wilfully misconducted himself by declaring a result for District Four in the Regional Elections of March 2, 2020.

He was ordered to post bail of $600,000.

It is alleged that Mingo used a spreadsheet containing inflated figures to declare the results for Region Four - the largest voting district, which listed the total number of valid votes for all lists as 217,425 for which APNU/ AFC received 136,057 votes and the PPP/C 77,231 votes.

The declaration made

by Mingo, which was subsequently set aside by Chief Justice Roxane George, was signed by Lawrence – the lone representation of the political parties that contested the elections.

The other parties had objected to the declaration after the verification process

Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan

was not fully complied with

by Mingo. Even the election observation missions both local and international had also rejected the declaration, saying that the results lacked credibility and transparency.

In actuality, the results of the National Recount which was supervised by the high-level Caricom team found that there was a total of 202,077 ballots cast in Region Four, with 116,941 for APNU/AFC and 80,920 for PPP/C. As it relates to the overall elections, the gazetted results show that 460,352 valid votes were cast, with 233,336 for the PPP/C and 217,920 for APNU/AFC.

…Eastwards resident Ali just returned from a whirlwind trip to our neighbour to the east, Suriname. Even though it’s no further away than, say, Rosignol from New Amsterdam, because of our history of being ruled by different European nations, Suriname is a “foreign” destination. But that started to break down when the vindictive Burnhamite regime tightened the screws on Berbice and forced so many Guyanese to seek refuge in Suriname. The impact is quite audible, if you were to listen to folks from Nickerie speaking “English” - they do so with a heavy Berbician accent! “So wha’ yuh wan’ fi eat?”

The impact is also quite visible, as can be seen in President Santokhi’s wife being of Guyanese descent.

These personal ties between two countries with such small populations are not inconsequential - Suriname weighing in at around half a million to our three-quarters of a million.

The more we get familiar with each other, the more we’ll realise how much more we have in common. We’re both plural societies originating in plantation economies that demanded cheap labour, which was filled first by African slavery and then indentured servants from India. We literally went through the same mill!

With the Dutch ruling Indonesia, they also snagged Javanese indentured servants for the sugar plantations.

This added another level to the societal complexity, which was already heightened by African slaves escaping from the plantations and setting up settlements in the forested interior as “Bush Negroes”. Like us, they also had Indigenous Peoples who were also secluded in the interior.

Another interesting feature of Suriname is that the African descendants on the coast still retain sharp divisions from their “Coloured/Creole section. And we say we’re divided?

But what should be instructive for us in Guyana is that, with all those divisions, they’ve evolved a much less tense interethnic relationship. Is there a lesson there for us?

The fledgling oil industry in both our countries - about to grow by leaps and bounds with the deep sea finds should intensify the national cooperation initiated by the new administrations of Presidents Santokhi and Ali. Why duplicate our efforts when we can share facilities? But it’s at the people level that your Eyewitness expects real unity to develop. And this is where the Corentyne Bridge comes in. Even though we’ve been pushing for “Caribbean integration” since the British-foisted 10-member WI Federation collapsed with the exit of Jamaica (“one from ten leaves zero” was Eric Williams’s famous quip!), let’s face it: as islands, we just don’t have the critical connectivity mass to become “one”.

But being able to move as easily to Suriname as we do across the Demerara and Berbice rivers should remove that hurdle.

Guyana? …southwards President Ali had barely touched down in Guyana when he had to meet the Brazilian Foreign Minister, who’d flown in with a 13-member delegation in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Must be pressing matters! A raft of agreements was signed on key areas of security, agriculture, and on the Lethem-Berbice Harbour Highway.

Now, on the latter, not unsurprisingly, there must’ve been a lot of rolled eyes!! After all, that road has been proposed since Burnham visited Brazil back in 1977!!

But hey! This time na lang time!! We’re now a petrostate about to surpass Brazil in production!! And to solidify this thought, it was announced that President Bolsonaro would be visiting early next year. On the agriculture front, Brazil has decades of experience in developing its savannahs which are contiguous to ours in Reg 9, and this’ll prove invaluable to us as we embark on further opening up our savannahs.

But it’s the security links with Brazil that’s the prize.

They’ve always checkmated Venezuela’s drive to be Numero Uno in Latin America! …Northwards Well, it’s thought the Donald’s finally conceding when he said he’ll accept the verdict of the Electoral College scheduled for Jan 5th.

But he certainly has something up his sleeve, since this device was installed to check the giddiness of “the masses”.

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

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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Guyanese must be paid same as expatriates – Labour Minister warns

…Ministry takes control of Credit Union after $13.3M disappears

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abour Minister Joseph Hamilton on Friday sounded a stern warning to foreign companies operating locally, that Guyanese must be paid equally as expatriate workers for the same workload.

During a press conference, he emphasised that the pay scale must be equal for both Guyanese and expatriate workers. This position came in light of reports that members of the local workforce are being paid less than their foreign counterparts for the same work.

The Minister said this cannot be the case and has elucidated this point very clearly during meetings with companies hiring Guyanese. He also shared that a worker’s right to form workers’ representative organisations, trade unions or to join unions are nonnegotiable.

“Equal pay must be for equal work. If you bring expatriates here to work, once they’re doing the same work like a Guyanese, the Guyanese must be paid the

same like them. We cannot have you paying five and 10 times more to an expatriate than a Guyanese…I have engaged those in the oil and gas industry and as I continue to engage the rest, the same point I will make to them,” Hamilton cautioned.

The Minister noted that officials have been visiting both public and private workplaces and organisations, to ensure that employers are in compliance with the labour laws and occupational safety regulations.

From these visitations, employers are reminded that once their staffing unit exceeds 19 persons, the formation of a Health and Safety Committee is required.

“We have been doing visitations to both public and private sector entities, speaking to the issue of labour relations and occupational safety regulations.

We have committed to help them create workers’ occupational health and safety committees, both public and private sector. The law says once you have more than 19

$40B in rice exports recorded from January to October 2020

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he Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) said Guyana has earned over $40 billion in rice exports for the period January to October 2020.

General Manager, Nizam Hassan in a recent interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI) on Wednesday stated that the amount reflects a 12 per cent increase in volume and 10 per cent increase in value when compared to the $37 billion sold for the same period in 2019.

“We continue to send product to all of our trading blocs. There has been an increase in the export to Caricom for the same period – 11 per cent increase in volume and 13 per cent increase in value,” Hassan noted.

The Caricom countries he referred to include Jamaica, Dominica, Antigua, Barbados and Trinidad.

Almost 61,764 tonnes of rice was exported to those countries and would have raked in over US$31 million.

During the interview, it was revealed that Jamaica has increased its purchase from 2019, by 13 per cent.

The country, Hassan noted, has bought 29,258 tonnes of rice within the 10-month period, contributing about US$14,076,908 to Guyana.

Guyana has earned some US$79,423,317 million from exporting 215,637 tonnes of rice to the European Union

General Manager of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), Nizam Hassan

for the January-October period. The chief contributor in that district is Portugal, which spent some US$29 million for approximately 78,621 tonnes of rice.

For Latin American countries including Colombia, Haiti, El Salvador and Venezuela, 193,167 tonnes of rice was shipped from January to October 2020, compared to 177,949 tonnes for the same period in 2019.

That group contributed almost US$28 million.

While 453 tonnes of rice was shipped to the United States from January to October 2019, 3624 tonnes were requested this year for the same period.

GRDB’s statistics show that sale to the US this year has increased 699 per cent in volume and 747 per cent in value when compared to 2019.

housing and healthcare; and protection of the rights of workers.

Missing money

Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton

employees, you must have an occupational health and safety committee in your organisation.”

Hamilton said his Ministry has hit the ground running since the new PPP/C Administration as-

sumed office in August and one of his main goals is to ensure workers’ rights are upheld. He said they are seeking to build three pillars, namely to build capacity and train workers; human development though

During his engagement with the media, another situation was brought to light regarding Amalgamated Transport Workers Credit Union, where some $13.3 million cannot be accounted for. This is in breach of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act, forcing the Ministry to take control of the Union.

The first sum is $8.4 million which was unaccounted for after an audit and another sum for $4.9 million.

The Labour Minister shared, “I am reporting that the Chief Co-op Officer is about to take possession and control under the law of that credit union. Reason is that, presently that credit

union is under the suspicion for what we call under the AML-CTF Act, suspicious transactions. The Financial Intelligence Unit was written to about the specific issue, about this credit union.

Two important issues must be recognised. There is an audit of the books of the union, and monies that they cannot account for to the tune of $8.4 million.”

It was revealed that one senior officer was caught as she attempted to cash two cheques by herself, amounting to $3.6 million.

“Secondly, during the audit and queries, they have in their possession, some $4.9 million that they cannot account for…We had an alarming situation also where one of the senior officers was attempting to cash two cheques to the tune of $3.6 million, I suspect payable to herself.”

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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Peters Hall land “giveaway” probe

Bond released on $200,000 bail, to report to CID on Monday

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ttorney-at-Law and People’s National Congress member James Bond was released from Police custody after being held recently in relation to the part he played in the giveaway of State lands at Peters Hall, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

This information was communicated by Alliance For Change (AFC) Executive Member Cathy Hughes during a virtual press briefing on Friday morning, and was later con-

Attorney-at-Law James Bond

firmed by the Police, who said Bond has to report to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Monday.

The Police also stated that after the 72-hour detention period had expired, Bond was placed on $200,000 bail. The investigations, the Police stated, remain active.

However, in a brief post on his Facebook page on Friday morning, Bond confirmed his release, saying: “I’m out”. He also post-

Eddie Doolall

ed a picture of him hugging PNCR District Four Chairman Volda Lawrence.

Bond was the attorney who represented the three companies at the centre of the Peters Hall land investigation – Life 1 Pharms Incorporated, A-Z Pharmaceutical Medical Supplies and Equipment Inc and Arken Group – in the drafting of leases by the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL).

The leases were controversial in nature since they were in contravention of State laws which stipulate that when State lands are leased, the lease must state that the lessee must not part with possession without the consent of the State.

However, in this case, both Life 1 Pharms Incorporated and A-Z Pharmaceutical Medical Supplies and Equipment Inc – which both leased 15 acres of land from NICIL at an annual rate of US$11,700 – flipped those lands to a Chinese national for just $100.

In the case of Arken Group, the proprietor of that company leased 20.8 acres of land for an annual fee of US$16,224 and had his address listed as the same as Bond’s. It was revealed that Bond then received US$1 million for the property after it was flipped to a local oil and gas company.

Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum on Tuesday confirmed that Bond was arrested. This newspaper was informed that the arrest was made acting on information provided to the Police from their sources.

Bond, via his Facebook page, however, said that he was taken into custody at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters at Eve Leary and would remain in custody until the 72 hours had expired.

He noted that he had been asked to take a lie detector test in relation to allegations made against him by Eddie Doolall and Avalon Jagnandan in relation to the flipping of the lands.

However, the Guyana Police Force has denied Bond’s statement which purported that he was asked to take a polygraph test. In a statement, the Force said Bond was arrested and is in custody, adding that no request for a lie detector test was made, nor does it have any intention to make such a request.

Jagnandan, proprietor of Life 1 Pharms Incorporated, and Doolall, of A-Z Pharmaceutical

Avalon Jagnandan

Medical Supplies and Equipment Inc, were already questioned by the Police in relation to the flipping of the lands. Both men, in their statements to Police, implicated Bond as the person who arranged the sale of the lands. Both men have similar stories of being told by Bond to apply to NICIL for the land, after which a buyer was found by the former Member of Parliament.

The issue of sub-leased lands came to the fore after Attorney General Anil Nandlall revealed that A-Z Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies Equipment Inc with its address listed at 1321 EE Eccles, East Bank Demerara, and Life 1 Pharms Incorporated listed at Grove, EBD, leased 15 acres of land each at Peters Hall, EBD, from NICIL for 20 years at a rate of US$11,700 per year.

Both companies, by way of Deed of Assignment, subleased the land to a Chinese national of Lot 43 Wellington Street, Georgetown for just $100.

The State Lands Act of Guyana stipulates that when State lands are leased, the lease must state that the lessee must not part with possession without the consent of the landlord (the State), or shall not assign the interest in the lease without the consent of the landlord. If the lessee acts in contravention of that clause, then the State reserves the right to step in and repossess the lands.

However, in the case of the two agreements at Peters Hall, PNC member and Attorney-at-Law James Bond, in drafting the lease agreements, changed that to state: “the lessee may assign, sublet, grant any licenses or otherwise part with the possession and/or purpose and/or dispose of the whole or any part of the demised property or any building or other erection at any time standing thereon or any right or privilege in relation thereto conferred by this agreement.”

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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

AFC’s David Patterson rescinds resignation as General Secretary

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xecutive Member of the Alliance For Change (AFC), David Patterson on Friday revealed that after engaging in discussions with party leaders, he has decided to rescind his resignation as General Secretary of the party.

Patterson, during a virtual press briefing, indicated that the resignation was withdrawn on the basis that he would be allowed to do work that would seek to strengthen the party at various levels.

It was reported that Patterson may have taken the decision to resign after coalition partner A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), which has a history of infringements against the smaller party, locked the AFC out from the Vice Chair position in Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) despite a previous agreement.

The previous agreement that Patterson helped craft, according to reports, had stipulated that the AFC would get the Vice Chair positions in Regions Seven and Four. But following the election of APNU candidate, former Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Captain Daniel Seeram, it was not to be.

AFC had nominated Neilson McKenzie for the Vice Chairman position, APNU nominated Samuel Sandy and the PPP nominated Desmond Morian.

Voting was along party lines, as APNU and PPP cast their 14 votes each for their candidates and the AFC, with its five votes, backed McKenzie. Seeram then used his deciding vote to elect Sandy.

In his letter of resignation, Patterson committed to remaining in the party and playing a role. However, that role would not include General Secretary.

Drug addict who stabbed mother to death arrested at city hotel

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ours after stabbing his 62-year-old mother to death and injuring his four-year-old niece at Good Intent, West Bank Demerara (WBD), the suspect, 38-year-old Devon Anderson, was arrested at a city hotel on Thursday.

According to information received, the murder suspect was arrested at about 06:00h at a hotel on John Street, Georgetown.

A search unearthed several bags of marijuana and a quantity of cocaine.

Guyana Times understands that moments after the man checked into the hotel, Police swooped down on the establishment and arrested him.

Initial reports are that Jennifer “Judith” Anderson of Lot 21 Murphy Street, Good Intent, WBD, was found dead in her home by a relative at about 12:00h.

According to information received, the incident occurred between Wednesday and Thursday.

Anderson was last seen alive by her daughter on Wednesday but her body was discovered on Thursday just after midday thus sending shockwaves throughout the small village.

Enquiries disclosed that the elderly woman resided with her four-year-old granddaughter. Police said it is alleged that the suspect is a drug addict and would normally steal items from the deceased.

When Guyana Times visited the scene, another son, Mark Anderson, who lives in another house on the same property, recalled being contacted by someone at about 12:00h who stating that his

Jennifer “Judith” Anderson

mother was not seen for the day.

Upon hearing this, the man rushed over his mother’s home and called out to her but his calls went unanswered. He went into the house and it was then he saw the motionless body of his mother lying face down on the floor in her bedroom next to a wardrobe, buried in clothes.

The deceased’s body was examined for any marks of violence and several small circular injuries were seen to her face and chest area.

Checks were made for the suspect but he was not contacted.

The woman was escorted to the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH) where she was pronounced dead. The young child was treated and upon regaining consciousness was sent away.

The body of the elderly woman was sent to the Ezekiel Funeral Home, where a post-mortem examination will also be conducted.

AFC General Secretary David Patterson

Since it came into office after joining forces with the APNU in 2015, the minority

AFC has been criticised for the submissive role it has been playing to the abusive

APNU. Decisions the former Government made, such as the closure of sugar estates, which put thousands of sugar workers out of jobs, were passed unchallenged and even supported by the AFC. This is despite the AFC retaining the Agriculture Ministry.

This passive relationship with APNU was cited by former AFC parliamentarian Charrandas Persaud, as one of the reasons he voted for the No-Confidence Motion that brought down the APNU/AFC Government in 2018.

In addition, there has been the former Government’s strategic re-

allocation of responsibilities away from Ministries that were headed by AFC officials, to other Ministries.

This included removing oil and gas from former Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman and citizenship from former Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan.

There is also the fact that despite the Cummingsburg Accord containing stipulations that should have seen former Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo being vested with the responsibility for chairing Cabinet and domestic issues, the former APNU Government never honoured this.

12 NEWS

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Berbice pensioner found dead Friendship Secondary wins with gunshot wound to head first ever virtual debating competition P olice are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death a 72-year-old man of Edinburgh Village, East Bank Berbice, who was found dead in his home.

The man, identified as Alimoon Narainedatt, was found lying on the floor in a pool of blood at around 13:00hrs on Thursday. He lived with his wife and his 47-year-old daughter.

Reports are that as the wife was heading upstairs, she heard a loud explosion, and upon reaching upstairs she found her husband lying in the doorway in a crouching position.

An alarm was raised and the Police were summoned. Ranks responded and observed the man’s licensed semi-automatic single-barrel shotgun under his hand.

On Monday, Narainedatt reportedly visited a doctor for his usual check-

Dead: Alimoon Narainedatt

up, and he was told that he has cancer at an advanced stage and he cannot be cured.

The 70-year-old widow told this publication that on numerous occasions, her husband had hinted that he was going to end his life, but she had always talked him out of it.

“I left to go out, and I did not know that he had that in his intention,” she expressed. They had become married in 1965 and had produced eight children.

Meanwhile, if you or someone you know are having thoughts of committing suicide, you can seek help from the Inter-Agency Suicide Prevention Helpline through the following means: Telephone: 223-0818, 223-0009 and 223-0001: Mobile: 600-7896 or 6234444; Email: guyagency@yahoo.com; Facebook: Guyana Inter-agency Suicide Prevention Helpline; Whatsapp: 6007896 or 623-4444 Twitter: @guyanaagenc

GWI launches pilot project to treat wastewater

GWI CEO Shaik Baksh being shown the wastewater treatment process using the model plant

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he Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) is currently piloting a wastewater treatment plant at the Tucville sewer station.

The project is aimed at identifying a sustainable solution for treating Guyana’s wastewater.

This pilot project will allow the company to assess the suitability and removal efficiency of the selected treatment processes. These treatment processes are eco-friendly and allow for water, nutrient, and energy recovery.

Chief Executive Officer of the water company, Shaik Baksh, and a team of technical officials visited the facility on Friday and had a firsthand look at the operation.

The treatment process includes physical treatment by screening and grit removal, biological treatment using the up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor, and a constructed wetland and ultraviolet disinfection.

The selected treatment processes would allow for resource recovery such as biogas, water and fertilizer. The treated waste would comply with wastewater reuse standards for non-potable uses.

Baksh, while touring

will be adapted for the designing of the actual 600-cubic-metre-per-day wastewater treatment plant at Tucville.

The Georgetown sewerage system consists of 24 pumping stations that receive wastewater from the central Georgetown area, while the Tucville sewerage system consists of a receiving station that collects wastewater from the Tucville and Stevedore areas. The two systems collect wastewater from a fixed population of 60,000 persons and a transient population of 200,000 persons daily.

In addition to the fulfilment of the company’s mis-

Members of the Friendship Secondary School team

Members of the President’s College team

F The pilot wastewater treatment plant set up in the compound of the Tucville Sewerage Station

the facility, stressed the importance of Guyana moving towards the treatment of wastewater, especially given the country’s massive development on the horizon, particularly in the tourism industry.

He alluded to the positive impact wastewater treatment facilities will have on the environment.

Construction of the wastewater treatment facilities would, however, require funding from external agencies, and Baksh noted that he would be engaging central Government for financial support to ensure this

becomes a reality.

In fact, GWI’s new strategic plan for 2021-2025 includes an investment programme for wastewater treatment plants.

According to Baksh, over the last 10 years, significant investments were made to refurbish and develop the sewerage network in Georgetown. The next step, therefore, is the construction of wastewater treatment facilities.

While the pilot plant has the treatment capacity of 5 cubic metres per day, it would provide the optimum operating conditions, which

sion, wastewater treatment facilities would allow for Guyana’s compliance with the Cartagena Convention and its protocol relative to land-based sources of pollution.

Compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency Act relating to discharge standard would also be achieved. Further, it will bring Guyana closer to realising Sustainable Development Goals number 6, 7 and 14.

The pilot of the plant will seek to produce biogas for cooking purposes and electrical usage.

riendship Secondary School defeated President’s College at the Education Ministry’s first virtual debating competition, held at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD).

The moot for the final was, “The COVID-19 pandemic is the greatest hindrance to the economic development in Guyana”.

Friendship Secondary proposed the moot.

However, before the final debate, all the other rounds were done virtually. Four Education Districts participated in the competition, with two schools representing each district.

Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) was represented by West Demerara and Zeeburg Secondary schools, while Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) was represented

by Friendship Secondary and President’s College.

Mackenzie High and New Silvercity Secondary schools represented Region Ten

(Upper Demerara-Berbice), and Georgetown was represented by the Bishops’ High and Brickdam Secondary schools.

The competition, coordinated by the Education Ministry under strict COVID-19 guidelines, was the first of its kind.

In light of the pandemic, the Ministry was steadfast in ensuring that the competition was held, and therefore the adoption of the virtual approach.

The final debate was keenly contested, and the judges opined that both teams exhibited good oratory skills and the moot was well researched. Addiette McAlmont of President’s College was adjudged the Best Speaker.

The winning team comprised Toressa Reddy, Ronaldo Charles and Rockalya Thomas, while President’s College was represented by Addiette Mc Almont, Zahra Knights and Travis Isaacs.

The competition began on September 29, 2020.

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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Guyana records 34 new Linden man found dead with gaping COVID-19 cases

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uyana recorded 34 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, thus taking the total positive cases to 5310 while the death toll remains at 149.

To date, some 2749 males and 2561 females have contracted the life-threatening disease.

In the Health Ministry’s dashboard, the data showed that four persons are still seeking medical treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) after three persons were removed.

There are 83 persons in institutional isolation – a reduction of 17. On the other hand, six persons were placed in institutional quaran-

tine, which has a total of 55 patients.

There are currently 802 persons in home isolation, an increase 34 of patients in one day.

The country also saw a total of 20 recoveries on Monday, increasing the recovery rate to 4272.

A breakdown has shown that two cases were detected in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), six in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), 25 in Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) and one in Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice).

There are still

844 cases in Region One (BarimaWaini), 123 in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), 40 in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), 455 in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), 180 in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) and 239 in Region Nine (Upper TakutuUpper Essequibo).

For the month of November, there have been 21 deaths from the virus thus far. There were 24 in August, 38 in September and 44 in October.

Guyanese are reminded to observe the protocols of the Covid-19 Emergency Measures (No 10), which are in effect until November 31, 2020.

This order emphasises, among other things, the need for correct and consistent use of a face mask when leaving your home; the importance of maintaining the six feet physical distance from others; and the need for good hand hygiene to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

With Guyana Restaurant Week in full swing, stakeholders are reminded that outdoor dining at a restaurant shall only be permitted between 04:00h and 21:30h, with tables six feet apart and a maximum of four persons that are three feet apart per table. Food services are still permitted to conduct delivery and curbside pickup.

Gyms are to be opened for only 50 per cent of the building’s capacity and by appointments. Physical exercises shall be allowed only in parks, roadways, beaches, rivers and seawalls while maintaining social distancing.

Meanwhile, for religious services, the attendance is restricted to 25 per cent of the building’s capacity and where there are multiple services, there should be no less than 45 minutes between each to allow for sanitising.

If anyone is displaying any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19 or needs any additional information, kindly contact the COVID-19 Hotline 231-1166, 226-7480 or 624-6674 immediately or visit www.health.gov. gy.

wound to neck

Dead: Dwane “Levi” Williams

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olice in Linden are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of 54-year-old Dwane “Levi” Williams also known as “Sweetie man” of lot 52 B Wismar Housing Scheme, Linden.

His body was reportedly discovered on a street at Wismar Housing Scheme on Friday morning with suspected stab wounds.

Following the discovery, the police were summoned to the area and an investigation has been launched.

When contacted, Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice) Commander, Superintendent Hugh Winter confirmed that Williams’ body was discovered by ranks with a gaping wound to the neck and another wound to the right wrist.

A resident in the area told <<<Guyana Times>>> that a blood-stained knife suspected to be the murder weapon was found in a drain a short distance away from the body.

While details surrounding the man’s death are sketchy, investigators sus-

pect that the man who lived alone died sometime between Thursday evening and Friday morning.

According to a relative, the vendor visited his mother’s home at One Mile, Wismar, Linden, at approximately 21:00h on Thursday evening where he spent a few minutes.

Upon leaving, he reportedly told her that he was heading home to prepare his meal. The relative further stated that at about 05:45h on the day in question, the family received information that the deceased’s body was seen lying behind a shack.

Meanwhile, the man’s body was taken to the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) for examination and further to the G Jetsco Funeral Home where it awaits a post-mortem.

Police said the area was canvassed for CCTV cameras but none were found.

Ranks also questioned persons in the area but no useful information was received thus far.

Investigations are ongoing.

14 NEWS

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

GTA launches tours to boost unique tourism products in Guyana

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he Guyana Tourism Authority on Friday launched three experimental tourism products aimed at boosting unique tourism attractions in the country.

The three new experimental products are a seven-curry, the Moraikabai and the Wakapau tours. The initiative seeks to develop new experiential tourism offerings to visitors.

During the launch, Minister of Tourism, Oneidge Walrond commended the Tourism Authority for the initiative, since she believes that destination Discover Guyana is indeed a very diverse product.

“I continue to advocate that wherever in Guyana someone visits, they should have a remarkable and satisfying experience, because Guyana is absolutely beautiful, beyond Kaieteur,

Some of the curries on display at the launch

Georgetown, and other popular destinations. There is much more to see…”, she said.

The new initiatives are all-day tours that fit perfectly into the schedule of busy

families. According to the Minister, this initiative supports the Government’s policies in place for tourism.

“The Ministry has already initiated plans for greater interest by locals

and diaspora travellers in Guyana. We want to see people taking more vacations locally, to experience the beauty of our country.

Further, we intend to continue working those commu-

nities interested in developing their community base and develop tourism,” she said.

The GTA has been working assiduously with Indigenous communities to develop and package their unique attractions. Visitors who are looking to travel and experience a combination of nature and culture will now be able to expect revamped initiatives.

Meanwhile, President of the Tourism Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) Mitra Ramkumar said building products are essential to the development of any destination.

“These are experiences here that you can have and they are authentic, and they are what the villagers do naturally. They don’t have to amend or polish it, there is no need to do that. What is needed is preservation of

President of the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), Mitra Ramkumar, addressing the gathering on Tuesday

culture, the way you do it is the way we like it.”

GTA said they are ready to get Guyana’s tourism sector back up and running, as they embrace their theme for these tours “Recover, Rebuild, Getting Ready to Bounce Back”.

Miner busted with ganja at Itaballi Scores participate in virtual Women in Business Expo at Pegasus

The ganja that was found in the miner’s possession

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22-year-old miner was arrested after he was found with a quantity of marijuana in his possession on Friday at the Itaballi Checkpoint, Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni).

The suspect, who hails from Block 22 Linden,

Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice), was found with 545g of marijuana which was neatly packed in ziplock bags.

Police in a statement said at around 11:11h on the day in question, ranks of the Itaballi Police Checkpoint conducted a search on a mo-

news@guyanatimesgy.com

tor lorry and its occupants.

During the search, a black plastic bag was found, which, when opened, contained three scotch-taped plastic parcels and 55 small ziplock plastic parcels. The parcels were opened in the presence of the miner and proved to be cannabis.

The suspect was immediately cautioned, told of the offence committed and arrested. He later admitted ownership of the items. He remains in Police custody at Bartica Police Station, pending charges.

More than a week ago, ranks discovered 1.877 kilograms of cannabis and 7.6 grams of cocaine in a lorry at Itabali.

Reports are the vehicle was at the time occupied by three individuals - the driver and two porters - when the cannabis was discovered.

Following the discovery, one of the porters claimed ownership of the narcotics after his workmates told the police it was his.

Owner of Jada’s Consultancy, Meleesa Payne

Owner of Enchanted Gardens Floral Arts, Diana Trotman

s women across Guyana continue to thrive to promote their businesses countywide, the fifth edition of the Women in Business Expo was held virtually on Friday at the Guyana Pegasus Hotel.

The expo, which was launched in 2016, was aimed at providing entrepreneurial opportunities for women with small businesses.

The event that was hosted by Sonia Noel’s Foundation for Creative Arts (SNFCA) in collaboration with the Women’s Association for Sustainable Development, was slated for March this year, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was postponed.

At the event, Sonia Noel noted that this virtual expo is going to build the confidence of women, especially during this challenging time.

“We are not allowing persons to come because we want to abide by all the

rules, people are going to be talking to the media, and during the live stream they are going to be saying so much more about their business and where to find them, all of these women operate from their homes…. if people have information where to find these women, they will be able to contact them.”

Noel said given that we are approaching the festive season, Guyanese can support their fellow Guyanese buy purchasing gifts from the women right in Guyana.

“When you empower a woman, you empower a family, you empower a community and a nation… in March we would have seen a lot of first-time exhibitors… today is just a fraction of what we would see in March because we couldn’t accommodate everyone…”, she said.

The event coordinator added that she is looking forward to a powerful and meaningful celebration for women with small businesses, and the next event will

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Event organiser Sonia Noel

be bigger and better.

Meanwhile, Guyana Times spoke with female entrepreneur and Founder of Etiquette Training International, Philippa Moorish, who stated: “My trust is customer service because I feel with every business the foundation is customer service. I teach students, ministerial staff…

Now that we [Guyana] are having so many foreigners will be in Guyana, we really need to know what are the similarities and cultures.”

Diana Trotman, owner of Enchanted Gardens Floral Arts related “We make hair accessories… this is my second year taking part in the event, from last year when I came, I have gotten a lot more exposure,” she said.

Finally, Meleesa Payne, owner of Jada’s Consultancy, noted that this was her third time participating in the event and the response has been overwhelming. “I actually launched my business at the first event and the response continues to be good.”

NEWS

15

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Guyana-Suriname relations…

Citizens’ health and safety must take precedence over border reopening – Presidents

The MV Canawaima ferry service

Presidents Dr Irfaan Ali and Chandrikapersad Santokhi

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ven though the Heads of State of Guyana and Suriname would have once again discussed the need for the reopening of the border between the two countries, Presidents Dr Irfaan Ali and

Chandrikapersad Santokhi said that the health and safety of their respective citizens must take precedence.

President Ali returned to Guyana on Thursday following a three-day State visit to Suriname, where he dis-

cussed with officials there, the need for the border between the two countries to be reopened.

The borders were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and it has been months since the MV

Kamrul Baksh is new Deputy Director of GTA

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anager of Product Development within the Travel Industry Development Division of the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), Kamrul Baksh has been appointed as Deputy Director of the organisation.

He will assume official duty from December 1, 2020, a statement from the GTA stated.

Baksh has six years of experience within the tourism industry and was unanimously identified out of 38 applicants as the most suitable candidate at the end of a rigorous three-stage selection process managed by the Board of Directors of the GTA. “In his capacity as Deputy Director, he will bring to the job a wealth of knowledge that his years of experience, on the job training and educational background has afforded him,” the GTA said. “As the youngest to ever assume this role within the GTA, Mr Baksh’s disposition truly belies his age,” it added.

When asked about how he feels about his new appointment, Baksh expressed: “I’m honoured and delighted to be selected as the new Deputy Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority. As a career tourism practitioner, I have played various roles within the multidisciplinary industry that will assist me in the discharge of my functions in this new position.”

He explained that having been integral to the development of new tourism products, ensuring their compliance with standards and

New Deputy Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority, Kamrul Baksh

continuously improving the capacity of tourism workers, “I’m well positioned to oversee the growth of these areas and others within the next few years.”

The new GTA Deputy Director further noted that “cognisant, that this time brings with it, a new wave of challenges never experienced before in the industry, a top priority is ensuring that the industry is in a state of preparedness for travel, upon resumption.”

He explained that the tourism industry will undergo changes but given its resilience, it will rise up and take on the opportunities that await, as Guyana embarks on a period of transformative growth. “I look forward to continuing partnering with all tourism stakeholders, private sector, communities, governmental and non-governmental agencies, as we collectively navigate through the on-going pandemic and craft a sustainable future for tour-

ism in Destination Guyana,” he added.

As Deputy Director, Baksh will have lead responsibility for industry training, licensing, operations and finance, and will support product development and donor development.

Baksh holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management, an MBA in Business Administration from the University of Bedfordshire and is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Tourism and Hospitality with the University of the West Indies – Cavehill.

The GTA’s Director and Board, in the statement, said they are confident that Baksh’s experience, adaptability and passion for tourism along with a strong support team at the GTA will allow the organisation to continue along its path of developing Guyana as a top sustainable destination in the world.

Canawaima ferry has been out of operation – a move which has heavily impacted trade between the two nations.

During a joint press conference at the Presidential Palace in Paramaribo on Tuesday last, President Santokhi disclosed that the issue of the ferry service would be on the agenda of the working group which was established to advance discussions on matters relating to both countries.

However, in a joint press statement issued subsequently, both Presidents noted that “both sides agreed that as soon as it is safe to do so, the border between the two countries will be opened, but that the health and safety of the general population of both States must take precedence over the reopening of the border”.

Talks about reopening the border had also taken place in October when a high-level ministerial delegation from Suriname visited Guyana.

In a joint statement issued following that engagement, it was disclosed that

the two sides agreed that the issues affecting the resumption of the MV Canawaima Ferry Service need to be urgently and jointed addressed in anticipation of the resumption of the movement of goods and people between South Drain and Moleson Creek.

“The Ministers noted the critical role that the Canawaima Ferry Service plays in people-to-people contact, bilateral tourism and trade between Guyana and Suriname. To this end, the bodies responsible for the Canawaima Ferry Service will be directed to immediately commence discussions and activities to ensure that the MV Canawaima is available for operations as soon as the Ministers of Health of Guyana and Suriname declare that it is safe to do so,” the joint missive detailed.

The Guyana-Suriname Ferry Service was closed since March 14, 2020 – days after the first COVID-19 case was recorded in Guyana, prompting the shutdown of all ports of entry. Guyana has since reopened its airports - the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and

the Eugene F Correia International Airport.

While the GuyanaSuriname Ferry Service is still closed, authorities in the two neighbour countries facilitated the repatriation of some 49 Guyanese who were stranded in Suriname.

These persons, who were transported via the MB Sandaka ferry, had to be tested negative for the novel coronavirus in order to gain entry back to their homeland.

Meanwhile, further on the issue of the COVID-19 pandemic, Guyana and Suriname pledged to work together with sympathetic States, Governments, NGOs and multilateral institutions to ensure that developing countries and the poor have access to the vaccines.

They also called upon the developed world to ensure that there are sufficient supplies to the developing world and the poor. “It was agreed that both Suriname and Guyana will continue to work in solidarity to contain the spread of COVID-19,” the most recent joint statement from the two countries added.

16 NEWS DPP’s appeal against High Court order freeing Marcus Bisram set for Dec 18 SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Marcus Bisram

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rguments in an appeal filed by Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Ali-Hack, SC, against a High Court order freeing Marcus Bisram for the 2016 murder of Berbice carpenter, Faiyaz Narinedatt, will be heard on December 18, 2020, by the Court of Appeal.

On Friday, Chancellor of the Judiciary Yonette CummingsEdwards and Justices of Appeal Rishi Persaud and Dawn Gregory held a Case Management Conference (CMC) during which certain preliminary issues were ironed out.

It was alleged that on the day of the killing, Bisram had a party at his home which Narinedatt and others attended. Media reports are that Narinedatt went to the yard and was followed by Bisram, who reportedly came up behind him and started “feeling him up.”

It was reported that Narinedatt

slapped and chucked Bisram, who allegedly directed his friends to kill him.

According to reports, several men beat the carpenter and dumped his body on the Number 70 Village Corentyne, Berbice road. It was reported that they then drove over his body to make it appear like a vehicular accident.

In June 2020, High Court Judge Simone Morris-Ramlall issued an order quashing the directive by Ali-Hack for Bisram, a Guyana-born US-based businessman, to be committed to stand trial for the capital offence in the High Court. Notwithstanding the appeal, Bisram remains a free man.

Justice Ramlall had ruled that the DPP’s directive for committal of Bisram to Magistrate Renita Singh, who had discharged the charge against Bisram following a Preliminary Inquiry (PI) on March 30, 2020, was unlawful. On the day of the discharge, the DPP exercised her powers under section 72 (1) and (2) (ii) (b) of the Criminal Law Offences Act, by requesting that the depositions be sent to her and directing that the inquiry be reopened with a view to committing Bisram.

In compliance with the directions issued, the Magistrate reopened the preliminary inquiry on April 2, 2020, and called upon Bisram, who had been rearrested on March 30, 2020, to lead a defence. At the close of the case for the defence, the Magistrate found that there was insufficient evidence to support the charge and adjourned the matter to April 6, 2020, for further directions from the DPP. On April 6, 2020, the DPP, under section 72 (2) (ii) (b) of the Criminal Law Offences Act, direct-

DPP: Shalimar Ali-Hack

ed that Bisram be committed to stand trial in the High Court. This direction was duly complied with on the said date by the Magistrate.

Bisram then moved to the High Court appealing the DPP’s directive to the Magistrate, asking that it be quashed as it is unreasonable, unlawful, malicious, made in bad faith, made by ignoring relevant considerations and taking into account irrelevant considerations, ultra vires, contrary to the rules of natural justice and made without any legal foundation.

In a 32-page judgment, Justice Morris-Ramlall held that the evidence disclosed by the prosecution did not meet the required evidentiary threshold to support calling upon Bisram to lead a defence at the close of the prosecution’s case.

In fact, the Judge ruled that no prima facie case had been made out against him to put him on trial by a jury before a Judge. “…The evidence is insufficient, or, in other words, it is not of the quality that a reasonable jury properly directed could safely convict on it. The state or extent of the evidence is a relevant factor that

should have been taken into account by the DPP in arriving at her decisions,” Justice Morris-Ramlall noted in her judgment.

According to the Judge, the evidence of one “Chunilall” was the body and soul of the case against Bisram. She said that there was no other evidence, direct or circumstantial, linking Bisram to the murder charge.

The Judge held, “At the close of the case for the prosecution, the evidence of Chunilall was totally discredited and rendered manifestly unreliable. The evidence remained substantially the same at the close of the case for the defence.”

“Although the Magistrate was not the final arbiter of the facts, she was required to test or assess the sufficiency of the evidence and that testing was required to include summarily testing credibility and reliability. This is the kind of the case that required the Magistrate to be particularly concerned about credibility as the evidence of Chunilall is to my mind worthless.”

While the Judge noted that Section 72 of the Criminal Law Offences Act does not afford the Magistrate any discretion as to compliance with the directions of the DPP, she held that the DPP did not lawfully exercise her discretion under this section for Bisram to be committed, and as such, the committal by the Magistrate cannot stand.

In the end, the Judge issued an order quashing the DPP’s directive for Bisram’s committal; an order that the arrest of Bisram on March 30, 2020, was unlawful; an order that the continued incarceration of Bisram since his arrest on March 30, 2020, is unlawful; another order compelling the DPP, Attorney

Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall

General and Commissioner of Police to release Bisram from custody forthwith; and an order preventing the DPP from bringing a murder charge against Bisram in the High Court.

Bisram, on the other hand, is appealing a ruling by Justice Morris-Ramlall in which she rejected submissions proffered by his lawyer that Section 72 of the Criminal Law Offences Act is unconstitutional since the provision infringes on Articles 122 A and 144 (1) of the Constitution and the doctrine of the separation of powers.

Since his extradition from the United States to Guyana, Bisram has been accusing the authorities of attempting to score cheap political points when there was no evidence linking him to the murder of Narinedatt. After he was freed on March 30, 2020, he had threatened to sue the State for unlawful detention and arrest.

Four other men: Orlando Dickie, Radesh Motie, Diodath Datt, Harri Paul Parsram, and Niran Yacoob are currently awaiting trial at the High Court for Narinedatt’s murder.

Former Best Cop Derwin Eastman to lead defence in murder PI

(L-R) Murder accused: Former Best Cop Derwin Eastman, Aubrey Bobb and Jamison Williams

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ormer Best Cop Derwin Eastman has opted to lead a defence as the Preliminary Inquiry (PI) into the October 2017 murder of businessman Godfrey “Saga” Scipio continues in the Georgetown

Magistrates’ Courts.

Eastman and former policeman Jamison Williams are jointly charged for the murder of Scipio, which took place on October 12, 2017, in Kitty, Georgetown.

On Friday, Magistrate Fabayo Azore ruled that a

prima facie case had been made out against the two murder accused at the close of the case for the prosecution. In response, Eastman and Williams elected to lead a defence.

They are expected to do so on December 11, 2020,

when they will call witnesses to testify on their behalf.

Also charged with the murder is Aubrey Bobb, a 26-year-old ex-convict, of Kitty, Georgetown. Bobb was the first to be charged and later would have implicated the two former policemen in a caution statement he gave to the police.

In February 2019, Bobb was committed to stand trial at the High Court for the businessman’s murder following the conclusion of a separate Preliminary Inquiry (PI).

Based on reports, 64-year-old Scipio was gunned down just as he exited a popular Kitty hotel with a female companion on October 12, 2017, in the furtherance of a robbery.

He later succumbed at the Woodlands Hospital.

In his statement to the police, Bobb purported Eastman to be the mastermind behind the brazen daylight killing. He accused the former Best Cop of hiring him as the hitman and even providing weapons to facilitate the smooth execution of the plan.

Eastman reportedly had everything planned out, even assuring the hitman that a lady would deliver the target to the spot while directing the killing to be executed in such a way as to appear like a robbery.

Notwithstanding the assurance of protection given by Eastman, reality struck when Bobb returned home the next day to find Eastman, in the company of other police ranks, ready to arrest him.

He had claimed that he

Murdered: Godfrey “Saga” Scipio

was forced to make a false confession as he was intimidated by Eastman’s presence at every step of the interrogation process.

NEWS

17

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2020 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Public Works Ministry to boost Stakeholders sensitised on implications of current wet season cooperation with the GMSA

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he Public Works Minister, Bishop Juan Edghill and Minister within the Ministry, Deodat Indar on Friday convened a virtual meeting with the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) where the Private Sector body called for greater Government support.

A few issues discussed were the agenda for infrastructural development and the role of the Private Sector, development of a Hinterland Roads Committee to include Private Sector input and the National Procurement process.

Leading Friday’s discussions was the GMSA President, Shyam Nokta.

Several other Executive Members were also part of the discussions.

Minister Indar during his presentation was keen to note that local businesses benefit from developmental projects and capacity will be built through partnerships.

Meanwhile, Minister Edghill outlined some of the major infrastructural projects that will come on stream soon and will require the Private Sector involvement, through the provision of products and

Public Works Minister Bishop Juan Edghill

services.

For instance, Minister Edghill noted that the Government is committed to building 2000km of Hinterland roads. This will be a network that opens up opportunities for people to get to work and products to get to the market, according to the Minister.

Furthermore, he outlined that several road expansions can be expected, such as the East Coast Expansion Project, which will now continue all the way to Rosignol.

On another note, the Public Works Minister explained that the dredging of the Demerara River is high on the agenda and Expressions of Interests have been received.

While still highlighting

GMSA President Shyam Nokta

a few of the areas on the Government’s transformational agenda, Minister Edghill said that new airstrips will be built and the ferry services will be modernised.

“So, whether it is air, sea or land, we are creating a link,” Minister Edghill posited. He was keen to point out to the GMSA that development will not only take place in Region Four and the Government is committed to ensuring that local manufacturers get their piece of the pie from these projects.

In this regard, the Private sector has teamed up with the Ministry to set up a National Procurement Taskforce as well as a Hinterland Committee.

CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19)

INFORMATION AND GUIDELINES HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF?

h e Hydrometeorological Service of Guyana on Wednesday hosted the Ninth National Climate Outlook Forum (NCOF) virtually. The aim was to sensitise stakeholders in various climate-sensitive sectors on the implication of the current wet season.

The NCOF serves as a key national platform for promoting dialogue and inter-agency coordination in responding to hydrometeorological hazards, climate variability, and extremes changes in local weather. It is expected to help the Hydrometeorological Service package climate information to the needs of the stakeholders and to communicate uncertainties in climate prediction.

In brief remarks, Chief Hydrometeorological Officer, Dr Garvin Cummings elaborated on the importance of providing critical weather and climate services to the various sectors to support the effective provision of goods and services by the various agencies.

“Weather and climate influence and affect every aspect of daily life and livelihoods. It is important for us to know what the upcoming season holds so that we can properly plan and deliver the various services we provide to the public,” Dr Cummings explained.

Chief Hydrometeorological Officer Dr Garvin Cummings

He emphasised that it is important to understand that as the predictions are provided, the weather and climate are not static, but they are always experiencing change. As a result, all the representatives were encouraged to keep up to date with the daily and seasonal bulletins; and updates produced by the National Weather Watch Centre and the Climatology Department of the Service.

Meanwhile, Specialist Meteorologist, Komalchand Dhiram during his presentation reported that wetter than usual conditions can be expected throughout the December to February season. Additionally, extreme wet spells remain possible throughout the period leading to concerns of flash flood potential in Guyana. There is a heightened risk of these conditions prevailing given

the presence of a moderate La Nina.

Dhiram noted that an increase in the number of wet days and wet spells coupled with high tides could lead to water accumulation in coastal regions and as such suggested that the execution of drainage interventions continues to manage the forecasted rainfall.

Dhiram also noted that consideration should also be given to planting crops that are water tolerant during the forecast period.

Among the stakeholders present at the event were the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA), the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), and the Environmental Protection Agency Guyana (EPA).

SYMPTOMS

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness.

Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms or combinations of symptoms may have COVID-19:

Cough

Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

Or at least two of these symptoms:

Fever People who think they may be affected by coronavirus need to call the Public Health Ministry hotline 227-4986/624-3067 for further advice. They should not go to their GP, A&E, pharmacy or hospital.

If you have come into contact with somebody who may be infected, you may be told to self-isolate. People needing to do so should take "common-sense" steps to avoid close contact with other people.

(Adapted from BBC News)

Headache

Chills

Sore throat

Repeated shaking with chills

Muscle pain

Children have similar symptoms to adults and generally have New loss of taste mild illness. or smell

18

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2020

Regional

Venezuelan Council calls Cuban authorities citing COVID-19 for action against T&T to break up Havana hunger strike

A mother cuddles her baby as she sits under a shed at Los Iros beach in Erin after a group of Venezuelans arrived there on Tuesday

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he Venezuelan Council for International Relations (Covri), has asked the authorities in that country to take action against the T&T Government over the recent deportation of 16 migrant children The group said in a statement: “These 16 children along with nine Venezuelan migrant women were thrown into the sea in a small roofless boat, with little food and gasoline, despite stormy conditions. They arrived many

hours later in the La Barra tributary of the Orinoco Delta showing symptoms of dehydration.”

Covri strongly condemned the action, claiming the deportation occurred shortly before authorities here had an opportunity to evaluate the cases and the conditions of the young migrants, who left the country who were fleeing a humanitarian crisis in Venezuela They are demanding “the protection of the 16 Venezuelan children and the

prompt reunification with their families.”

Noting a recent report by the UNHCR which states that at least 55 Venezuelan children have been deported from T&T this year, Covri called on Venezuelan authorities to strongly condemn “such an abominable act, demand an investigation and denounce the forced and reckless deportations of Venezuelan children from Trinidad and Tobago before international bodies such as the Organization of American States (OAS), the Caribbean Community (Caricom), UNHCR, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet.”

The statement came one day after a Venezuelan government official accused that country’s opposition of encouraging the influx of migrants into T&T. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Citgo 6: US oil executives convicted of corruption in Venezuela

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ix US oil executives have been jailed after being found guilty of corruption by a court in Venezuela.

The men all worked for Citgo, a US refining company owned by Venezuela’s State oil firm, and were arrested in the capital Caracas three years ago.

They all denied wrongdoing.

Citgo’s former President, Jose Pereira, was sentenced to over 13 years in prison and given a $2 million (£1.5 million) fine. The others received sentences of between eight and 10 years.

The others, who were all Vice-Presidents of the company at the time, have been

named as Jose Luis Zambrano, Alirio Jose Zambrano, Jorge Toledo, Tomeu Vadell and Gustavo Cardenas.

One of the group’s lawyers told Reuters news agency that the men planned to appeal and described them as “political prisoners”.

“The evidence for the crimes they are accused of was not there, it did not even mention the six of them,” lawyer Maria Alejandra said.

The group, all US citizens or permanent residents, was arrested in November 2017 after being called to Caracas for a meeting.

According to Human Rights Watch, the group was accused of signing a deal

that was “unfavourable” for Venezuela’s State oil firm.

Their arrests marked the beginning of a sweeping anti-corruption operation in Venezuela.

Critics of President Nicolás Maduro said the move was part of a political purge.

Venezuela’s oil industry is key for the Government as it accounts for about 95 per cent of the country’s export earnings.

Last year, the US introduced sanctions against the country’s State-owned oil firm PDVSA after recognising opposition leader Juan Guaidó as interim President. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Caricom countries report increased COVID cases, deaths over past 24 hours

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aribbean Community (Caricom) countries were reporting increased cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) over the past 24 hours as they appealed to their respective populations to continue to follow the guidelines and protocols aimed at curbing the spread of the virus that has killed and infected millions of people worldwide.

In Suriname, the authorities in the Dutch-speaking Caricom country said that the number of people (not positive) in quarantine is increasing almost daily. They said that 1238 people are currently in quarantine.

The authorities said that

two people who tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours come from the capital Paramaribo, pushing the country’s total to 5307, of which 16 are active cases.

In Trinidad and Tobago, the Ministry of Health in its latest bulletin said that 67 people have contracted the virus for the period November 23-25. Among the new cases is one patient in Tobago.

Three female visitors have been diagnosed with COVID-19, after undergoing second tests in Barbados.

The authorities said that all three were asymptomatic. As a result, there are now 13 people in isolation, bringing the total number of con-

firmed cases to 266 – 140 females and 126 males.

Health authorities in St Lucia reported three new cases bringing the total number in the country to date to 238.

One of the cases is a non-national who is a crewmember on the cargo ship which had recorded cases of COVID-19 one week ago.

The other two confirmed COVID-19 cases are St Lucian nationals, the Ministry said, adding that these individuals, including a five-year-old boy from the northern district of Gros Islet, were seen at a community respiratory facility, where they were assessed and tested for COVID-19. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

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uban authorities broke up a hunger strike against curbs on civil liberties, citing the threat of COVID-19 as they evicted the protesters from a house in the capital.

Authorities, who moved against the group late on Thursday, said they had to intervene to prevent the spread of coronavirus due to a violation of hygiene protocols in the house in the rundown San Isidro neighbourhood of Old Havana.

State-run media showed images of what appeared to be doctors backed up by police cars leading dissidents out of the building.

But the dissidents said health protocols were nothing but a pretext to end a protest that cast a spotlight on rights abuses in the one-party State, in particular growing limits on freedom of expression and harassment by security forces.

The 14 artists, activists, journalists and academics briefly detained - of which five had been on the hunger strike - said their phones were seized and reset so they did not have images of Thursday’s move against them.

Dissidents said some social media platforms in the country, where the State has

a monopoly on telecommunications, were briefly shut down to prevent news of the raid from being shared online.

More than 50 artists and activists gathered outside the Culture Ministry in Havana on Friday asking to speak with officials about the Government’s handling of the protest and curbs on freedom of expression.

Reacting to the incident on Friday, the Dutch and Czech governments and Amnesty International, as well as other rights groups, joined in voicing their concern about human rights in Cuba. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Caricom places temporary ban on poultry from United Kingdom

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aribbean Community (Caricom) countries have placed a temporary ban on the importation of all poultry from the United Kingdom because of an outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N8).

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Barbuda Affairs in conjunction with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Immigration said it is in full support of the ban to “protect our nation and by extension our region’s poultry sector. The decision to impose the temporary ban was taken following a meeting of Caricom Chief Veterinary

Officers”.

“This virus has zoonotic potential (that is) it can be spread between animals and humans and is highly virulent and highly pathogenic,” the statement said, noting that a small amount of the virus can rapidly spread across massive numbers of birds in a short period of time.

The statement said that entry of this virus can result in sudden death of birds for entire farms and flocks and devastate poultry farms within 48 hours.

It said a harmonised approach across the region is vital to secure the poultry sector across Caricom.

The statement noted that effective November 25, a temporary regional ban has been placed on all poultry from the United Kingdom including chicken, duck, turkey, geese, guinea fowl, quail and squab, adding this includes all fresh, chilled and frozen poultry products; live birds and hatching eggs.

It said processed poultry products (canned or hermetically sealed) shall be accompanied by an International Veterinary Health Certificate attesting that it was treated to destroy the avian influenza virus. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

Brazilian politics hit by wave of violence ahead of Sunday’s vote

B

razilians return to the polls in 57 cities on Sunday for the runoffs of municipal elections that have seen surging violence involving assassinations and physical attacks on candidates.

In two months of campaigning leading up to the first round of voting on Nov 15, there were 200 murders, attempted murders or otherwise injured candidates, according to Brazilian electoral authority TSE. That compares to 63 cases of political violence in the first eight months of this election year, and just 46 such cases in the previous municipal elections in 2016, the report by the TSE’s security and intelligence unit found.

Violence has always been present in Brazilian politics, especially in the “wild west” of poorer northern and northeastern states where powerful landowners occasionally have called on hired guns to settle political disputes.

The violence even

A man casting his ballot at a polling station during municipal elections along the Negro River banks, where Ribeirinhos (forest dwellers) live, in Catalao, Brazil, November 15, 2020

reached the national Congress in Brasilia.

In recent years, experts say violence has become more widespread in a polarised Brazil where more guns are available and new criminal organisations are consolidating power in cities such as Rio de Janeiro.

The risks are greater in local politics where crimes often go unpunished, said Felipe Borba, who tracks electoral violence at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

The violence is hurting all parties, including the right and left.

Many political killings remain unresolved, particularly in the interior of the country where near impunity reigns, he said.

Even high-profile cases do not get fully resolved, such as the 2018 assassination of Rio de Janeiro councilwoman Marielle Franco, a rising politician of the left-wing PSOL party, and her driver. (Excerpt from Reuters)

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2020

T

Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Oil prices post weekly gain ahead of OPEC+ meeting

O

il prices were mixed on Friday but posted a fourth straight week of gains ahead of an OPEC+ meeting early next week.

Brent crude January futures rose 38 cents to settle at US$48.18 a barrel, while the more active February contract gained 46 cents to US$48.25.

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell 18 cents to settle at US$45.53 a barrel.

Brent rose 7.2 per cent over the week, while WTI gained 8 per cent for the week. Encouraging news on potential COVID-19 vaccines from AstraZeneca and others have lifted the markets. However, questions have been raised over AstraZeneca’s “vaccine for the world,” with several scientists sounding caution over the trial results.

“While a successful vaccine rollout should break the link between infection and mobility, even then global oil demand will likely only reach its pre-pandemic run rate by mid-2022,” JP Morgan said.

The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies including Russia are leaning towards delaying next year’s planned increase in oil output, said three sources close to the OPEC+ group.

OPEC+ was planning to raise output by 2 million barrels per day (bpd) in January - about 2 per cent of global consumption - after record supply cuts this year. OPEC+ ministers are due to meet from Monday.

“The market expects prices to see a limited increase if OPEC+ indeed does what is expected and changes its planned route, postponing a planned supply increase from January,” said Bjornar Tonhaugen, Rystad Energy’s head of oil markets A panel of OPEC+ will hold informal online talks on Sunday - a day later than scheduled, a source with the knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

Rising Libyan output is also contributing to concerns about oversupply in the market.

The OPEC member, which is exempt from the oil cuts, has added more than 1.1 million bpd of output since early September. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Suicide bomber kills several in Mogadishu ice-cream parlour

A

19

suicide bomber blew himself up in an icecream parlour in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, killing seven people, a police official said.

Ten others were wounded in the attack on Friday, said senior police officer Mohamed Dahir. The death toll could rise as the critically injured were rushed to nearby hospitals, he added.

The Gelato Divino restaurant is located near K4 Junction in the heart of Mogadishu, near the international airport.

This latest attack comes days after five people were killed in Mogadishu on November 17, after a suicide bomber blew himself up in a restaurant near a police academy.

It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the blast on Friday, but the armed group alShabab – which is allied with al-Qaeda – frequent-

ly carries out bombings in the capital and elsewhere, including the attack on November 17.

Thousands of people have died in the fighting between the armed group and the Somali Government forces in the past 30 years.

In August, 10 civilians and a police officer were killed in a gun-and-bomb attack by al-Shabab on an upscale beachfront hotel in the capital.

That same month, four al-Shabab fighters held in Mogadishu’s central prison were killed in an encounter with security forces after they somehow managed to get their hands on weapons within the facility.

At least seven people were killed in a separate attack in August when a car bomb exploded at an army base in Mogadishu where members of the Somali National Army (SNA) were stationed.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Iran's top nuclear scientist, assassinated near Tehran

I

ran's most senior nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh has been assassinated near the capital Tehran, the country's Defence Ministry has confirmed.

Fakhrizadeh died in hospital after an attack in Absard, in Damavand county.

Iran's Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, has condemned the killing "as an act of state terror".

Western intelligence agencies believe Fakhrizadeh was behind a covert Iranian nuclear weapons programme.

"If Iran ever chose to weaponise (enrichment), Fakhrizadeh would be known as the father of the Iranian bomb," one Western diplomat told Reuters news agency in 2014.

Iran insists its nuclear programme is exclusively for peaceful purposes.

Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, pictured in an undated photo, was Head of the Ministry of Defence's Research and Innovation Organisation

But news of the killing comes amid fresh concern about the increased amount of enriched uranium that the country is producing.

Enriched uranium is a vital component for both civil nuclear power generation and military nuclear weapons.

A 2015 deal with six world powers had placed limits on its production, but since

Macron says images of Police beating Black man shameful for France

P

resident Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that images showing Paris Police beating up a Black music producer were shameful for France, and that Government would have to find a way to restore public confidence in the Force.

Prosecutors are investigating the violent arrest of Michel Zecler, who said he was also racially abused by the officers, after CCTV footage of the incident was released. The police watchdog is also investigating.

Four police officers were being held for questioning as part of the investigation, the Paris Prosecutor’s office said.

The beating inside the entrance of a building was captured on closed-circuit television and mobile phone footage, which has circulated widely online and has made headlines around Europe.

The beating of Zecler risks inflaming racial tension, with allegations of repeated police brutali-

ty against Black and ethnic communities at the forefront of many people’s minds after the death of Black American George Floyd in Minneapolis in May sparked the “BlackLivesMatter” movement.

Paris Police already faced criticism this week after social media photos and videos showed officers hitting protesters as they cleared out an illegal migrants campsite in a central Paris square.

The music producer told reporters he was set upon by police at his studio in Paris’s 17th arrondissement on Saturday.

He said he had been walking in the street without a face mask - against French COVID-19 health protocols - and, upon seeing a police car, went into his nearby studio to avoid being fined.

However, he said, the police followed him inside and began to assault and racially abuse him. (Excerpt from Reuters)

President Donald Trump abandoned the deal in 2018, Iran has been deliberately reneging on its agreements.

Joe Biden has pledged to reengage with Iran when he takes over the US presidency in January, despite longstanding opposition from Israel.

Between 2010 and 2012, four Iranian nuclear scientists were assassinated and Iran has accused Israel of

complicity in the killings.

Fakhrizadeh's name was specifically mentioned in Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's presentation about Iran's nuclear programme in May 2018.

There has been no comment from Israel on the news of the assassination.

The Pentagon has also declined to comment, according to Reuters. (Excerpt from BBC News)

China slaps 200% import tax on Australian wine amid tensions

China is raising import taxes on Australian wine, stepping up pressure on Canberra over disputes including its support for an inquiry into the origin of the coronavirus

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hina on Friday added wine to the growing list of Australian goods barred from its markets in a trade war against Australia over disputes including its support for an inquiry into the origin of the coronavirus.

The Ministry of Commerce imposed import taxes of up to 212.1 per cent, effective Saturday, which Australia’s Trade Minister said make Australian wine unsellable in China, his country’s biggest export market.

China is increasingly using its populous market as leverage to extract political concessions and increase its strategic influence.

Earlier, China stopped or reduced imports of beef, coal, barley, seafood, sugar and timber from Australia after it supported calls for an inquiry into the origin of the coronavirus pandemic, which began in China in December.

China’s ruling Communist

Party is trying to deflect criticism of its handling of the outbreak, which plunged the global economy into its deepest slump since the 1930s, by arguing the virus came from abroad, despite little evidence to support that.

Meanwhile, Australia is working on a mutual defence treaty with Japan, which Chinese leaders see as a strategic rival, and has joined Washington and Southeast Asian governments in expressing concern about China’s construction of military facilities on islands in the disputed South China Sea, a busy trade route.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman called on Australia to “do something conducive” to improve relations but gave no details.

Australia’s main stock market index fell 0.5 per cent on Friday following the news. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Belarus protests: Embattled leader Alexander Lukashenko hints he may quit

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elarus' President A l e x a n d e r Lukashenko has hinted he may be prepared to leave power, after months of protests against his disputed re-election in August.

Lukashenko, who has ruled for 26 years, said he supported changing the Constitution to considerably weaken the role of any future President.

He said he would "not be President" after this - but gave no timescale.

On Thursday, Russia Lukashenko's key backer

- again urged him to press ahead with reform.

That message was delivered by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during his visit to the Belarusian capital Minsk.

Belarusian opposition leaders - who say the August 9 presidential election was rigged - dismissed Lukahenko's comments as a mere stalling tactic. They have been pushing for the authoritarian leader to resign immediately.

A number of leading oppo-

sition figures have been detained, while others - like Svetlana Tikhanovskaya have been forced to go into exile.

Belarusian Police have been accused of brutality during the mass street protests in the former Soviet republic.

On Friday, Lukashenko, 66, said the country's Constitution should be reformed to reduce the considerable powers of the presidency.

Handing the current sys-

tem to an "unknown", as he put it, would spell trouble.

And he stressed that this proposed reform was not for him, personally, as he would not be President under the new system.

But Lukashenko is now under pressure from his closest ally, too.

In Minsk, Lavrov reminded him that Russian President Vladimir Putin had "repeatedly stressed" his desire to see constitutional reform in Belarus. (Excerpt from BBC News)

20

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2020

guyanatimesgy.com

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

Think before you act. Be smart, consider your alternatives and listen to what others have to say. Time is on your side; slow down, be methodical and do what’s right.

You are overdue for a TAURUS change.

Discuss what you (April 20want to do with a loved one.

May 20) Collect your thoughts, use your imagination and strive for perfection.

DILBERT

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

PEANUTS

CALVIN AND HOBBES

SUDOKU

Rethink how you treat others. Be mindful of sensitive issue, and put honesty first. Honor your promises, and you will gain support, trust and respect.

Use your imagination and speak boldly.

Spend time with someone you adore, and positive change will unfold. Work with like-minded people to achieve something great.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Sit back; time is on your side. Refuse to let anyone pressure you into making a decision before you are ready to do so. Preparation will be necessary if you want to avoid a mistake.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Live and learn. You’ll come across valuable information. Discuss your plans with a loved one and join forces to reach your goal.

Love and romance are encouraged.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Get in the game. Look at the possibilities and be part of the solution. Don’t let uncertainty ruin your chance to take advantage of an opportunity.

SCORPIO

Bring about the changes you’ve been talking about for so long. Take care of unfinished business and sail into the future with a light heart.

Now is the time to make your dreams come true.

(Oct. 24Nov. 22)

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

Spend more time getting things done and less time talking. A proactive approach to chasing your goals will gain you respect and admiration. You have what it takes.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

Home improvements will bring you closer to loved ones.

Work together to build a better environment in which to thrive. Be patient with a friend or relative who doesn’t share your point of view.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

If you don’t like what’s going on around you, remove yourself from the situation and do your own thing.

Look for an innovative way to earn or save money.

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Look at the possibilities and proceed to make changes that will help you get things done. Reconnect with someone from your past.

Romance is on the rise.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2020

21

Gayle, Taylor and Dottin in line for ICC top awards

T

hree of the West Indies’ finest cricketers, who have brought great joy and entertainment to Windies’ fans over the past 20 years, are in line for major international awards.

Chris Gayle, the game’s greatest power-hitter; West Indies Women’s captain Stafanie Taylor, and her teammate Deandra Dottin have been no m inate d t o re-

ceive the ICC Awards of the Decade.

The Awards of the Decade, a special edition of the ICC Annual Awards, will celebrate and reward those who had recorded top performances in the sport from January 1, 2011 to October 7 this year. Awardees are to be drawn from both the men’s and women’s games.

Former West Indies fast bowler now television analyst, Ian Bishop, a member of the committee, said it was tough shortlisting the candidates for

the awards.

“It is extremely challenging to shortlist any group of excellent players over an extended period.

In making these choices, we have tried to put context to performances, even as the different formats have evolved in pace and style in a 10-year period,” Bishop said.

“Some of your favourite names may have missed out, but (their perfor-

mances have) not gone without recognition. We hope that this is seen as an opportunity to discuss, celebrate, and rejoice in the many great players who have entertained us on the field in the last decade.”

Gayle has been nominated for the ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Decade. It is a recognition of the best overall performer in the men’s T20I format during the performance period. He was a member of the West Indies team when they won the ICC T 2 0 World

Cup on two occasions: in Sri Lanka in 2012, and in India in 2016.

Taylor, Windies Women’s captain for the past four years, has been nominated for the prestigious Rachel HeyhoeFlint Award for the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Decade, which recognises the best overall performer in women’s international cricket across all formats: Tests, Oneday Internationals and T20Is, during the performance period.

Taylor, 29, has played 126 ODIs and 108 T20Is for the Windies Women since making her international debut at the age of 17 in June 2008.

Her 4,754 runs at an average of 44.01 in ODIs and 3,062 at an average of 36.02 in T20Is are the most by a West Indies Women’s batter in the sport.

She has also taken 142 ODI wick-

scored a t Warner Park in St. Kitts and was the first by a woman in the sport.

(Adapted from Windies Cricket)

Champion jockey Oisin Murphy banned after testing positive for cocaine

C

hampion jockey Oisin Murphy has been given a three-month ban after testing positive for cocaine.

The 25-year-old Irishman has denied wrongdoing, and has said investigators accepted he had not taken the drug.

It emerged on 1 October that Murphy's A sample was positive following a racecourse test in France in July. "I am pleased the commissioners accepted the evidence presented, and am hugely relieved to have been cleared of taking cocaine," said Murphy.

The French’s racing ruling body France Galop has said the penalty "took into account defence and scientific evidence produced by the jockey and his counsel."

Previously, jockeys

testing positive for cocaine in France have been given six-month bans. Murphy, the number one jockey for Qatar Racing, will be banned from 11 December 2020 to 11 March 2021 inclusive.

Murphy retained the British flat jockeys' championship this year, with the title race finishing on 7 November.

T h e French racing authority held a medical commission in

October and a disciplinary hearing on Wednesday.

The British Horseracing Authority has been asked to reciprocate the ban.

Murphy had said that subsequent hair tests found no trace of the substance. " I h a v e never taken cocaine in my life, and I will do everything that I can to prove that I have not taken cocaine," he said. ( B B C .

COM)

ets – the second highest for Windies Women, and nine behind fellow off-spinner Anisa Mohammed – at an average of 21.35 each, and 94 T20I wickets – 26 fewer than Mohammed – at an average of 16.88 each.

Dottin has been nominated for the ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Decade, which recognises the best overall performer in women’s T20Is during the performance period.

Dottin, also 29, has played 117 ODIs and 118 T20Is - the third highest overall for Windies Women – since she likewise made her international debut at the age of 17 in June 2008.

She has scored 2,833 runs at an average of 28.33 in ODIs, and 2,565 runs at an average of 26.44 in T20Is. Her maiden T20I hundred - 112 not out against South Africa Women in the opening match of the ICC Women’s World T20 in 2010 – was

PGA & European Tours agree on closer working alliance

G

olf's two biggest professional tours have announced a new "strategic alliance", saying that it heralds a new era for the global game.

The US-based PGA Tour is joining with the European Tour, based in the UK at Wentworth, to collaborate on commercial opportunities and international media rights.

The deal would also affect scheduling, prize funds, and playing opportunities for members of both tours.

As part of the deal, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan will serve on the board of the European Tour.

"This partnership is an historic moment for the game of golf," said

European Tour chief executive Keith Pelley.

"It is a fantastic opportunity for both the European Tour and the PGA Tour to explore ways to come together at the very pinnacle of our sport, and work in unison for the benefit of the men's professional game."

Monahan added: "We are thrilled to announce this further strengthening of our partnership with the European Tour, and we look forward to working together for the benefit of the men's professional game and for golf fans around the world."

(BBC.COM)

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2020

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

22

New Zealand in 5-wicket win over West Indies – through Lockie Ferguson’s five-for, battling Jimmy Neesham-Devon Conway stand

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ew Zealand hosting West Indies in a T20I at Eden Park always promises drama. It's where the two teams played out the first ever bowl out in 2006, and then the first ever Super Over, called the one-over eliminator at the time.

On Friday, international cricket returned to New Zealand after a gap of eight months, and the teams served up a night that had it all - towering sixes, fantastic fast bowling, three rain interruptions; and in the end, a five-wicket win for the home side, brought home by a debutant and two allrounders while chasing a revised target.

Lockie Ferguson was the first hero of the night. He precipitated a collapse of five for one for West Indies, who had raced to 55 without loss from three overs, with five fours and three sixes, after being put in to bat by Tim Southee.

Kieron Pollard then led a stunning rearguard to record a career-best 75 not out, and took West Indies to 180 for 7 off their 16 overs.

New Zealand set about their revised target of 176 in right earnest, but lost four wickets, including Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor, for a combined total of five runs.

That's when debutant Devon Conway combined with Jimmy Neesham to take the attack back to the visitors. They plundered 41 and 48 not out respectively, and Mitchell Santner brought up the winning runs in the final over.

ing his seam-heavy bowling combination and the overhead conditions in mind.

The first delay took place after just four legal balls had been bowled by Southee himself, with two wides and a gorgeous cover drive from Andre Fletcher fetching West Indies seven.

Southee handed the second over to debutant Kyle Jamieson, and Fletcher went after his extra bounce and pace on offer with relish, with Brandon King also joining in the fun as 18 came off the second over.

The heavens opened up for another delay, following which Fletcher and King pulled out the drives, cuts, and straight swipes down the ground to pick up 29 off Hamish Bennett's first over.

At the three-over mark, West Indies looked set for a massive total, with 55 on the board and a power-packed batting line-up yet to come out.

Take 2: That's where Southee handed the ball to Ferguson, and the match swung, soon after King had

The dramatic start

Take 1: There were two rain interruptions inside the first two completed overs after Southee opted to field, keep-

Lockie Ferguson bagged 5 wickets

Ferguson also got Keemo placed the first ball of his spell through the covers for Paul to nick one to Seifert, making him just the second three.

Fletcher had a swipe New Zealander after Southee five-wickacross the line at one that to take a decked in from outside off, and was bowled. Shimron Hetmyer's patience lasted all of three balls, as he tried to make room to punch the last ball of the over et haul in and ended up nickT20Is, but ing through to Tim the chalSeifert. In the follenge for lowing over, Southee N e w had King drive one down third man's throat, and surprised Rovman Powell with a short ball that he played down to Ferguson at fine leg. Ferguson came Kieron Pollard scored 75* back to beat Nicholas was Pooran with a pacy full toss, Zealand and West Indies had lost five always to rewickets for one, ending the strict Pollard.

Pollard finpowerplay at 60 for 5. ished with some frePollard, Allen fight back Kieron Pollard and n e t Fabian Allen started with caution, but kept the early tempo going when scoring avenues opened up for them.

They took West Indies to 96 for 5 at the halfway mark, then another light shower sent the teams into the dugouts.

After resumption, West Indies were left with 16 overs to complete their innings, and Pollard decided to target the fifth bowler's quota, given to Santner and ic hitting, Neesham. celebrating his fifNeesham's first over produced three ty with a 100-metre six to the sixes and a four for roof off Santner.

Pollard; and by the time Unlikely heroes Ferguson The hosts needed quick r e - runs, and when Sheldon Cottrell got Guptill to edge turned one through to Pooran beto remove hind the stumps, West him, Allen had Indies would have fancied already added 84 their chances of making inruns off 50 balls with roads. his captain.

However, Pollard's bowl-

Brathwaite gets set for Tests with career-best 246

K

raigg Brathwaite continued from where he left off — on 183 not out overnight — to post the best score of his career on the second day of the fourday first-class match against New Zealand “A”.

The opener’s 246 was also his second double-century in 160 first-class matches, as West Indies again batted very well on a placid pitch at the John Davies Oval in Queenstown.

Match scores so far: West Indies 571 (Kraigg Brathwaite 246, Darren Bravo 93, John Campbell 45, Jermaine Blackwood 53, Raymon Reifer 46, Jason Holder 24, Shane Dowrich 23, Alzarri Joseph 22; (Cole McConchie 3-130) New Zealand “A”: 45 without loss (Rachin Ravindra 22 not out) Brathwaite batted for just under 10 hours, during which he faced 400 balls. He hit 17

fours and a six. The monumental innings bettered his previous best first-class score of 212 against Bangladesh in a Test match at Arnos Lake in St Vincent.

Speaking after the day’s play, West Indies assistant coach Roddy Estwick declared it was a patient and mature innings from Brathwaite.

“Kraigg’s innings was outstanding. It wasn’t just the runs he scored, but the level of concentration; the discipline and the application were excellent. It is also about fitness, because to be able to bat for close to 10 hours is a very long time, and he demonstrated this out there today,” Estwick said.

“Before the start of the series, w e asked the batsmen to try and bat for as long as

possi-

his

style: to bat l o n g and bat well; today he

ble, and that’s

demonstrated that.”

The double-hundred came off 280 balls, with 16 fours and a six, and was solidly constructed from a steel core of pa-

tience and being prepared to work the ball around in classic anchorman style. It was Brathwaite’s 23rd century overall, and the pace of his innings remained constant throughout.

Jermaine Blackwood also batted well, scoring 53 off 114 balls as he shared a century stand with Brathwaite for the fourth wicket.

Left-hander Raymon Reifer was patient near the end, and reached 46 off 107 balls.

(Windies Cricket)

ers let themselves down, often going too short and offering width, which allowed the likes of Seifert, Conway and Glenn Phillips to keep New Zealand within sight of the required rate.

Oshane Thomas briefly sparked West Indies' hopes when he dismissed Seifert and Phillips, who suffered a freak injury when his kneecap popped out as he smacked Allen over long-on for a massive six; and then Ross Taylor ran himself out in his eagerness to get his first runs.

Neesham came out to join Conway, and the two of them set a b o u t taking the attack to the West

Indies bowlers.

Kesrick Williams was singled out for special treatment by the two.

Neesham hit the first two balls he faced from Williams for four square on either side, and then picked up 20 off the first four balls Williams delivered in his next over. Paul, too, was guilty of missing his lengths far too often, and the batsmen made the most of Eden Park's angles to keep picking him for boundaries.

Eventually, Pollard came on and dismissed Conway, but Paul's erratic bowling came to the fore with New Zealand needing 29 from the last three. He bowled four noballs in all, the first for overstepping, and then all of the others for high full-tosses; and though there were no boundaries scored, Neesham and Santner kept the score ticking over.

Santner swung two sixes in the last two overs, including one off the last ball delivered by Pollard, to bring up a 1-0 lead for New Zealand in the series. (ESPNCricinfo)

SCOREBOARD WEST INDIES INNINGS (16 OVERS MAXIMUM) ADS Fletcher b Ferguson 34 BA King c Neesham b Southee 13 SO Hetmyer c †Seifert b Ferguson 0 N Pooran † lbw b Ferguson 1 R Powell c Ferguson b Southee 0 KA Pollard (c) not out 75 FA Allen c †Seifert b Ferguson 30 KMA Paul c †Seifert b Ferguson 0 SS Cottrell not out 1 Extras (lb 6, nb 4, w 16) 26 TOTAL (16 Ov, RR: 11.25) 180/7 Did not bat: KOK Williams, O Thomas Fall of wickets: 1-58 (Andre Fletcher, 3.2 ov), 2-58 (Shimron Hetmyer, 3.6 ov), 3-58 (Brandon King, 4.2 ov), 4-58 (Rovman Powell, 4.5 ov), 5-59 (Nicholas Pooran, 5.1 ov), 6-143 (Fabian Allen, 13.3 ov), 7-146 (Keemo Paul, 13.5 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W TG Southee 3-0-22-2 KA Jamieson 3-0-26-0 HK Bennett 2.3-0-50-0 LH Ferguson 4-0-21-5 NOTICE MJ Santner 2-0-23-0 JDS Neesham 1.3-0-32-0

NEW ZEALAND INNINGS (TARGET: 176 RUNS FROM 16 OVERS) MJ Guptill c †Pooran b Cottrell 5 TL Seifert † c Powell b Thomas 17 DP Conway c Thomas b Pollard 41 GD Phillips b Thomas 22 LRPL Taylor run out (Allen) 0 JDS Neesham not out 48 MJ Santner not out 31 Extras (b 4, lb 2, nb 6, w 3) 15 TOTAL (15.2 Ov, RR: 11.67) 179/5 Did not bat: TG Southee (c), KA Jamieson, LH Ferguson, HK Bennett Fall of wickets: 1-7 (Martin Guptill, 0.4 ov), 2-34 (Tim Seifert, 3.5 ov), 3-62 (Glenn Phillips, 5.3 ov), 4-63 (Ross Taylor, 6.3 ov), 5-140 (Devon Conway, 12.2 ov) BOWLING O-M-R-W SS Cottrell 4-0-30-1 FA Allen 2-0-32-0 O Thomas 3-0-23-2 KOK Williams 2-0-33-0 KMA Paul 3-0-39-0 KA Pollard 1.2-0-16-1

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23

Rounds 1 and 2 of Prime Minister’s T20 Cup explosive

– Regal Defenders post highest total so far in tournament

By Timothy Jaikarran

T

he fourth edition of the highly-anticipated Prime Minister’s Cup T20 cricket competition, being played in collaboration w i t h t h e

Georgetown S o f t b a l l League, the Prime Minister’s Office, and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, got off to a bang, with matches being played at various venues across Guyana.

Rounds 1 and 2 were played in the O-50 category, O-45 category, and the All Stars category.

Despite the rain, all matches were played with enthusiasm, regardless of 2 overs being deducted because of a late start.

In Round 1 of the O-50 category, played at the Everest Cricket Club ground, Savage Legends, battling Parika Defenders, won the encounter, thanks to the scoring efforts of

Keroad Luke and Nadir Baksh, who scored 38 and 37 runs respectively, thus setting the groundwork for their team to score 1234.

In the next match, Presidents XI battled Regal Defenders, whom they defeated by 7 wickets in 16.3 overs. Regal posted 138-3, the top-scorer of which was Rudolph Baker with 44. Eon Abel and Jagdesh Bhot made 35 and

Round 1 saw Floodlights going down to Rockaway.

Floodlights posted 98-9, in reply to which Rockaway ended on 1 0 4 - 2 , w i t h

ers

were

Manesh

Some of the action

The opposition could score only 97-8.

34 runs respectively.

In reply

President’s XI ended on 142-3, with Mohamed Rafeek scoring 70 and Dennis Mangar chipping in with 21.

The final match of

Stewart Patrick leading the scoring with 43.

In Round 2, Regal recorded the highest score for the tournament: a whopping 295-3. Top scor-

Chunilal with 79, and star of the day, Eric Thomas, with an unbeaten 120. In reply

Rockaway folded for 147 all out.

President’s XI then lost to Parika Defenders, the President’s side posting 174 runs on the board. F. Baksh and R. Malone top scored for the President’s side with 64 and 58 runs respectively. In reply the President’s XI could score only 169.

In the final round two matches, Floodlights first took on the Savage Legends, who ultimately were too savage for them. They were restricted to 91-6 as Anil Rambaran and Vishnauth Gobin each bagged two wickets.

With a small score on the board Savage Legends raced to 92-1 in 13.1 overs. Leading the charge were Randolph Perreira with 43 and Latchman Yadram with 42.

In the Open category, recording wins in rounds one and two were Regal, Speedboat, Spartans and Ariel.

In the O-45 category, played at the Ogle cricket ground, rounds one and two victors were Regal Masters, Fisherman Masters and Success Masters.

Round 3 and the semifinal matches will commence today, with the first match starting at 09:00 hrs.

Berbice Cricket Board to resume tournaments in 2021 – Under-19 players to meet at Albion today

T

he Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) has taken a decision to resume on-field cricket action in the Ancient County in 2021. The Board had been anticipating the early restart of its season after receiving the necessary clearance from the relevant authorities. However, with the Guyana Cricket Board Under-19 inter-county tournament looming, fifty Under-19 players will assemble at the Albion Sports Complex as preparation for that tournament commences.

Below is a statement issued by the Board on its official Facebook page on Wednesday evening.

It is with great regret that the Berbice Cricket Board has decided to call off cricket for the rest of the year (2020). We had sought and gotten permission of the Government, but the President and Secretary this afternoon consulted the executives based on the rising COVID-19 cases in Berbice.

The BCB had hoped to complete 10 tournaments, but we have decided that the

health of our players is more important. Those tournaments would now be completed in 2021, along with t h e

The BCB will

continue its

moment. The BCB would, however, go ahead with the Under-19 sessions on Saturday.

tournaments

planned 30 tournaments.

President Hilbert Foster has made it quite clear that the health and welfare of our players is important at this

clubs in the county would be very careful in how they respond to the COVID-19 problem.

The following players are

in 2021

If the GCB calls off the Inter-county tournament, we would stop the trials immediately. It is our hope that

asked to report to the Albion Ground today (Saturday November 28) at 9:00h. They

are asked to be properly attired in training uniform, wear a proper mask, and bring their own water and personal sanitizer.

Players’ temperature would b e tested before t h e y are allowed to enter the session.

We are starting preparations for a prop o s e d U n d e r 19 inter county tournament, using this year as the off date of

cutbirth.

The 50-players shortlisted are: Fawaz Gafoor,

Ricardo Ramdehol, Rampertab Ramnauth, Seon Glasgow, Marvan Prashad, Shamar Angel, Chandrapaul Govindhan, Jonathan Rampersaud, Doorsammy Mahadeo, Gourav Ramesh, Aaron Beharry, Nigel Deodat, Gevon Shultz, Leon Swammy, Farouk Subhan, Anthony Williams, Mohabir Sewraj, Isiah Thorne, Sarwan Chaitnarine, Vikash Subramanir, Abdul Ramsammy, Mahendra Gopilall, Reyad Karim, Leon Cecil, Zeynul Ramsammy, Inzam Shazam, Akash Heeralall, Jarron France, Demetri Griffith, Surendra Ramcharitar, Daniel Dharamdat, Tomani Caesar, Tejram Diaram, Pavendra Ganesh, Lucas Arthur, Jeremy Sandia, Nikeem Noble, Quincy Auldies, Ronaldo Durant, Haresh Ramlochan, Wasim Inshan, Daniel Milne, Karran Mangru, Darren Brigadier, Tyrese Sealey, Raj Tika, Carl Gilgeous, Shivnarine Ramnaraine, Vettori Latham and Christopher Deroop.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2020

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

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New Zealand in 5-wicket win over Rounds 1 and 2 West of Prime Minister’s Indies Pg 22

Pg 23

T20 Cup explosive

– through Lockie Ferguson’s five-for, battling Jimmy – Regal Defenders post highest Neesham-Devon Conway stand total so far in tournament

Berbice Cricket Board to resume tournaments in 2021

– Under-19 players to meet at Albion today

See story on page 23

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