GUYANA TIMES - THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2021

TAU introduces free online platform to help students prepare for CXC Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 4605

P16

THE BEACON OF TRUTH THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2021

Govt distributed over $7B in 1st phase of COVID-19 cash grant initiative ...another $1B to be distributed in 2nd phase See story on page 3

PRICE

$80 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE:

WBD businessman attacked, robbed of $2.3M by guntoting bandits P17 Truck driver granted bail for killing P8 motorcyclist

James Bond charged for shady NICIL land deals Page 14

— to make court appearance today

CH&PA to allocate 700 house lots at Onderneeming, Charity by mid-April – Min Croal Page 17

Govt working to ensure hassle-free trade for importers sourcing goods from Florida P9

...urges residents to take advantage of economic spin-off in housing drive Businessman

sues GRA over $14M duty charged on P5 Land Cruiser

Ex-cop arrested P15 for fraud Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal checks the documents of a resident during a meeting at the Onderneeming Primary School on Wednesday during an outreach to Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam)

Harmon confounded on claims Guyana’s 5th oil lift was undersold See story on page 7

— unable to say how much lift was sold for, Brent price at time of sale

Man wanted for murder of WCB pensioner surrenders Page 16

57 more persons test positive for COVID-19 P16 — curfew, other restrictions extended for another month

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THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

NEWS

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THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Thursday, April 1 – 04:30h-06:00h and Friday, April 2 – 09:00h-10:30h The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Thursday, April 1 – 06:40h-08:10h and Friday, April 2 – 07:30h-09:00h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Sunny conditions are expected throughout the day, with clear skies at night. Temperatures should range between 20 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-Easterly to North-Easterly between 2.23 metres and 5.36 metres.

High Tide: 06:56h and 19:26h reaching maximum heights of 2.82 metres and 2.63 metres.

Low Tide: 12:57h reaching a minimum height of 0.40 metre.

COMMODITIES Indicators

US$

Change %

Crude Oil

$63.54/barrel

-0.94

Rough Rice

$238.05/ton

+0.04

London Sugar

$420.00/ton

-2.28

Live Spot Gold

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1713.50

$1714.50

Low/High Change

$1678.70 +4.70

$1717.40 +0.28%

Govt distributed over $7B in 1st phase of COVID-19 cash grant initiative – another $1B to be distributed in 2nd phase

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s Government gets ready to roll out phase two of its COVID-19 Cash Grant initiative, Local Government and Regional Development Minister Nigel Dharamlall related that a whopping $7 billion was already distributed on the first phase.

The first phase of the $25,000 per household cash grant distribution began on September 29, 2020. The grant seeks to stimulate the economy by increasing people’s spending power amid the pandemic.

During an interview with the Guyana Times on Wednesday, Minister Dharamlall explained that the first phase of the distribution is completed, and he is pleased with the manner in which the initiative was conducted.

“I think the first phase went exceedingly well despite a few challenges, but those challenges were not surmountable…we have been able to distribute around $7B to the population across all 10 Regions.

The most massive being Region Four…we are at the point of doing the second phase, which is to fulfil the pink form… the second phase to fulfil the pink form has begun.”

Resources have already been sent to some regions to begin the second phase of the distribution.

“We are expecting it to be completed in a matter of weeks…”, the Minister added.

Dharamlall alluded that in Region Four alone, they will have to distribute grants to some 12,000 households.

“It is our intention for every household to have it. We have had some com-

President Dr Irfaan Ali

plaints where, during the first phase, some householders were not able to fill out a pink form, but I hope that during this phase it will be addressed.”

He added, “We have been able to have a seamless audit, and all the regions were able to account for all of the packages that were distributed, and that is why we are now able to get into the second phase of dealing with those secondary households”.

Minister Dharamlall further underscored that his Ministry did receive complaints via its hotline that persons did not receive the cash grant in certain areas.

Those callers, he stated, alleged that they were ignored due to their political affiliation.

“I don’t have any reports that persons did not receive the resources because of their political affiliation… we have had cases of some

residents calling, and we got the clerks to go into the areas… Now that we have this second phase, whoever was missed in the first phase would be provided with the cash grant”, he explained.

The Minister said that Government is not operating on the principle of discrimination, because it is alien to the Government and more so for the people of Guyana.

The second phase, the Minister said, will cost about $1 billion, with over 16,000 pink slips to be looked into and verified. The pink slips were given to persons who did not receive their cash grants in the first phase for some reason or the other. It was for the second phase of the programme that seeks to bring relief to the simple man and woman and to every household in Guyana.

His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali has announced a one-off cash grant of $25,000 each to workers of the entire Public Sector, including those who are currently employed at GuySuCo. The Head of State declared that over 60,000 workers and their families will

Local Government and Regional Development Minister Nigel Dharamlall

benefit from the venture.

“I am pleased to announce a one-off grant of $25,000 to workers of the entire Public Sector, which includes central Government, statutory bodies, subvention agencies, public corporations, Government pensioners and staff of the University of Guyana,” President Ali has stated.

Beneficiaries also include teachers, medical professionals and members of the joint services. (LaWanda McAllister)

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guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2021

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

Family structures on the decline

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ver the last four decades, developing Caribbean countries have been struggling to maintain law and order within their respective territories, while simultaneously causing a reduction in the increasing levels of crime and criminality in their societies; which pose the most serious threat to their forward movement and the notion of national security.

While these countries have all approached the subject matter differently, most of them have failed in addressing the root causes of crime and criminality, so much so that their judicial systems have become ineffective and slothful in the dispensation of justice.

This is not as a result of poor management on the part of the judiciary, or the lack of adequate resources in the form of magistrates or lawyers, but can be directly attributed to a breakdown in the traditional family structures within our societies; the changing socioeconomic, domestic and regional environment; the shifting of gender roles; the emergence of new, complex gender identities; and the changing dynamics of a world now driven by newer forms of information and communication technologies.

While all of the abovementioned factors are important to any discussion on solving the proliferation of crime within our regional economies, many researchers and policy makers underestimate the role of males and boys in growth and sustenance of the Region’s crime problem. In fact, little or no effort is made to reform our boy children to ensure that they are able to contribute in more meaningful, progressive and productive ways to the societies in which they live.

The truth is, most Caribbean men and boys are being poorly socialized, and are many times not given enough attention during their early years of development at home, in school, and within the wider society, from adults who still arguably have the ability to mould them into right-thinking, right-acting and upstanding menfolk who are employable, educated, and civilised men within their communities.

At an early age, boys within developing countries are told that they must be tough, and the burden to provide for their families still falls on their shoulders, despite the shifting gender roles and the advances made in gender equality. They are socialised to hide their weaknesses and sensitivities, and to shun anything that even slightly appears feminine.

We must re-educate our boys, therefore, and change how they perceive the importance of an education, despite the economic hardships and feminisation of this tool by the societies in which they dwell.

A renowned Jamaican educator, Wayne Campbell, offers a number of solutions for saving our boys and reducing their involvement in crime, which could see them moving from not populating jails, but universities and think-tanks that arrive at solutions for male empowerment and the economic advancement of the entire family as a unit.

Campbell asserts that “there is also the need to urgently recast our current gender policy. One way of doing so is to incorporate more men in the discourse to shape our national gender policy. It’s ludicrous to think that women only, or a gender board dominated by women, can advocate the needs of our boys and men. We also need to examine the possibility of creating so-called ‘boy-friendly’ curricula, assessment and pedagogical practices. We now know that boys learn differently than girls, and therefore we should use this knowledge to refashion teaching methodologies that speak to both sexes in the classroom.”

In Guyana, there is a need to view the issue of male underperformance and underachievement with a sense of urgency and dispatch. If not, we are going to continue to witness the spread of a deviant strand of hyper- masculinity sweeping across the education system. This reconstruction of masculinity is already manifesting itself in all our schools. Our boys are wearing their school pants well below their waist, and at times exposing their undergarments. Those boys who wear the uniform correctly are teased and referred to as “old”.

Our boys have become more violent in recent years, even to the point of physically abusing female teachers. Male teachers, over the years, have endured physical attacks from our boys; however, this new attack on the female teachers by our boys should be viewed as a wake-up call for school administrators and policymakers in regard to the urgent need to rescue our boys.

A Nihang, or a Sikh warrior, performs “Gatkha”, a traditional form of martial arts during celebrations of Hola Mohalla, a festival of Nihangs, during Holi celebrations, at Singhu border near New Delhi, India (Reuters/Adnan Abidi)

How can women get equality? Strike!

By Sally Howard

T

he domestic burden – heavier in lockdown – falls mainly on female shoulders, yet Iceland’s housewives showed change is possible On October 24, 1975, 75,000 women in Iceland left their jobs, children, and homes and took to the streets for a general strike that was billed “Women’s Day Off”. In Reykjavik, 30,000 women marched up the Laugavegur (wash road), as a women’s brass band played the marching tune from Shoulder to Shoulder, a British TV series about the suffragettes which had recently aired in this small Nordic nation. Flyers fluttered against clear autumn skies: “We march because it is commonly said about a housewife: ‘She is not working, she is just keeping house’,” they read. “We march because the work experience of a housewife is not considered of any value in the labour market.”

For Icelandic men, this day became known as the “Long Friday”. With no women to staff desks and tills, banks, factories and many shops were forced to close, as were schools and nurseries – leaving many fathers with no choice but to take their children to work. There were reports of men arming themselves with sweets and colouring crayons to entertain the swarms of children in their workplaces, or bribing older children to look after their siblings. Sausages (easy to cook, of course, and a hit with children the world over) were in such demand that shops sold out; children could be heard giggling in the reported the day’s events on the radio.

Many of the greatest successes of feminism have come in moments when boots were on the ground;

Women sewing machinists from the Ford Motor Company plant in Dagenham taking strike action in June 1968

and our bodies elsewhere to the posts ascribed to women by patriarchal capitalism.

In the UK, public reaction to the sexual violence meted out against the 300 women who marched to Parliament demanding women’s suffrage on November 18, 1910, Black Friday, was instrumental in gaining the vote for women. The 1968 strike

by Ford’s women sewing machinists at Dagenham, which was followed by 1970 strikes by women clothing workers in Leeds, were landmark labour-relations dispute that triggered the passing of the Equal Pay Act 1970.

Yet domestic labour has always been a tricky injustice to protest against. It takes place in the privacy of the home, making it difficult for women to see each other doing this work and to collectively acknowledge that men do not share equally in its burden. And there can also be dire consequences if we withdraw this labour: children uncared for and vulnerable relatives unfed.

“A women’s strike is impossible; that is why it is necessary,” claims Women’s Strike Assembly (WSA), an activist alliance that, to mark last month’s International Women’s Day, called for a series of banner memorials to be erected around the UK to declare why #westrike as women (or,

just as importantly, why we can’t). In a manifesto published in November, WSA wrote: “We strike because we are tired of our labour being taken for granted. We strike because we now have to do a triple shift: our paid work, our unpaid domestic labour, and educating our children during the pandemic.”

In Liverpool, Bristol and Edinburgh women gathered, on March 8, in socially distanced clusters toting their banner memorials. “#westrike because we are tired.

Very, very tired,” a banner in Liverpool read. Many of the social media protests, however, indicated why that day saw no wholesale abandonment of women’s posts. “I am a freelancer and I would not get paid (or lose my client!). But I’m striking with my compañeras in mind and spirit,” one IWD banner read, and another: “I cannot strike but I lit a candle in solidarity.”

Recent years have seen a flowering of strikes against gendered labour in Spain and South America.

In 2018, six million women joined Spain’s 2018 “Dia Sin Mujeres’ (day without women), including Madrid’s Manuela Carmena and actress Penelope Cruz, as “feminist men in solidarity” staffed a network of collective nurseries. Old-fashioned mother’s aprons, the symbol

of the strikes, were stitched in solidarity workshops and strung from balconies.

Selma James, the co-founder of 70s Marxist activist project Wages for Housework, has a theory to account for this lack. She points out that as the power of unions dwindles, the climate in Anglo-Saxon countries is less hospitable to gestures of withdrawn labour, even as feminist identity marches gain broader support. Without union protection, British and North American women who strike from paid work risk losing their jobs; to the single mum on the breadline in a pandemic, strikes, in this context, seem the preserve of privileged white feminists.

For all this, calling political attention to the pandemic’s third shift is an urgent project. As the pandemic recedes, there will be opportunities for direct action.

Women’s March, Pregnant Then Screwed and Women’s Strike Assembly, among others, are calling for protests and marches to highlight the structural sexism that’s left women bearing the brunt of reproductive labour during this year of crisis.

James, in the meantime, advocates a daily constellation of “small resistances”: banging pots and pans at your window; stringing up a banner and apron; radically lowering domestic standards.

Forty-five years after the Women’s Day Off, Iceland has ranked top in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report – an index that examines educational opportunities, life expectancy, pay equity and the average time spent on housework – in 13 of the past 16 years. Yes, it’s impossible for many women to strike; but can we afford not to? (Excerpt from the Guardian)

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2021

guyanatimesgy.com

5

News

Businessman sues GRA over $14M duty charged on Land Cruiser A

n East Coast Demerara (ECD) businessman has filed a lawsuit against the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and its Commissioner General, Godfrey Statia for what he claims is the wrongful classification of a 2020 Toyota Land Cruiser which he imported from the United Kingdom.

Mohamed Shaw Jahan, who operates an auto spares company and cattle ranch, is suing the tax agency over its classification of the vehicle for which he is being asked to pay nearly $14 million in taxes and duties.

Since the vehicle arrived in Guyana on December 20, 2020, Jahan has been unable to clear it owing to the duties being demanded by the GRA. As a result, the vehicle is being kept at the John Fernandes Terminal incurring storage costs. In court documents seen by Guyana Times, Jahan – through his lawyer, Siand Dhurjon – de-

Businessman Mohamed Shaw Jahan

poses that the vehicle was classified as a “light goods vehicle” at the time of its purchase back in October last year and should only attract around $1.8 million in duties.

But the GRA is insisting that the vehicle is a passenger vehicle and is demanding that the businessman pay 13,890,384 to have it cleared from the wharf.

Dhurjon said that because the Land Cruiser is a special model with only two seats, two doors, two ven-

tilating windows, a flatbed cargo area to the rear, and a barrier between the cargo area and the driver area, it is “exclusively qualified to be a goods vehicle”.

The lawyer contends that any classification of the vehicle as a passenger vehicle would be an erroneous misclassification and a misapprehension of the Common External Tariff found in Schedule 1 of the Customs Act, the Harmonised System Classification Codes, and the World Customs Organisation’s Explanatory Notes on the issue.

In an affidavit in support of his claim, Jahan states, “when a vehicle is permitted to be registered as a goods vehicle, it is granted a very favourable tax treatment”.

Jahan, in the Affidavit, further explained that he requested to meet with Statia over the issue, but that meeting was never permitted.

Instead, he said that he was referred to another of-

The 2020 Toyota Land Cruiser that was imported by the businessman

ficer of the GRA who maintained the erroneous position that the vehicle was a passenger vehicle. “A Classification Committee of the GRA later sustained such a ruling in a vague letter sent to Mr Jahan,” the affidavit noted.

In the legal proceedings, Jahan argues that the GRA “has no written policy, guidelines or information available from their office on what features/criteria they would accept or deny to classify a vehicle as a goods ve-

hicle. The officers, employees, and agents of the GRA would often say what the criteria are but would give contradictory information”.

In the circumstances, Jahan is asking the High Court to grant several orders. Among them is a declaration that the vehicle is a motor vehicle used for the transport of goods and a declaration that the classification of the GRA/ Commissioner General that the vehicle is a passenger vehicle is arbitrary, ul-

tra vires, unreasonable, irrational, unfair, an abuse of power, unconstitutional, whimsical, capricious, against its own policy and without any legal foundation or authority.

He is also seeking an order of certiorari to compel Statia to take all steps necessary to accept the sum of $1,871,457 in total duties and taxes already paid and to clear and release the vehicle to him immediately. Also, the businessman is asking the court to order Statia to compensate him for the storage costs owed by him to John Fernandes Limited as a result of GRA’s unlawful actions.

Jahan also wants the court to grant an order that Statia pay damages and the costs of filing the proceedings. The lawsuit will come up for hearing on April 22, 2021, before Justice Damon Younge at the High Court in Demerara. Then, GRA will have to justify its classification of the vehicle.

Fishermen play key role in Guyana’s economic development – Min Mustapha

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griculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha challenged fisherfolk to be more cognisant of the role they play in Guyana’s economic development, even as the Government continues to put measures in place to ensure their livelihoods.

The Minister made this statement during the second national elections of the Guyana National Fisherfolk Organisation (GNFO) recently.

Representatives from the Upper Corentyne Fisherman Co-op Society, Rosignol Fishermen’s Coop, Albion Landing Site, Tree Door Fishermen Co-op, D’Edward Fishermen Co-op, Parika Fisherman Co-op, Lima's Fishers' Association,

Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha

more aware of their role and responsibility, as well as your participatory approach in the fisheries management process.

the granting of licences to Guyanese fishermen to fish in Suriname waters.

"This year, we've allocated large sums of money to develop the fishing industry. We've also acquired a fisheries monitoring vessel so that we can execute patrolling operations to protect our exclusive economic zone. We also recognise that our fisherfolks are severely affected by piracy.

Meanwhile, Labour Minister, Joseph Hamilton said Co-ops were established to serve the community and soon his Ministry will be putting the necessary systems in place to ensure this is done.

“Whatever you produce in a Co-op, whether it be fish or crops, what might de-

A section of those in attendance at the relaunch of the GNFO

and the Greater Georgetown Fisherman's Co-op attended the forum, which was held in the main boardroom at the Ministry.

“This election of the Guyana National Fisherfolk’s Organisation is happening at an opportune time when the Ministry of Agriculture and the Government are encouraging our fisherfolk to become

When we look at the contribution of this sector to our country’s GDP it is tremendous. Our manifesto speaks to enhance support to fisherfolks and Co-op societies,” Minister Mustapha said.

Minister Mustapha also said the Ministry is working to address several issues faced by fisherfolk as it relates to piracy and

termine how much markets you get or how much profits you get, might be as simple as putting it in a plastic bag.

Everything I know suggests to me that co-operative societies have to periodically retool, remodel and modernise themselves. In order to be able to do that, I’ve instructed that the Ministry’s Co-op Department conduct an integrity audit of all co-

Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton

op societies in this country.”

Minister Hamilton noted, “We’ve advertised for auditors and 11 companies have shown interest so shortly we’ll have that audit done. It is not an ordinary annual audit. I want to know every aspect of the society. I’m told that presently we have 512 on the books.”

Similar to the Guyana Rice Producers Association, the GNFO was officially formed in 2008 as an umbrella body to unite fisherfolk in Guyana. Preliminary works were done, but the organisation subsequently became dormant. For his part, the Chairman of the GNFO, Pamashwar Jainarine said the organisation is functioning, but not as effective as it should. He also outlined several issues it had faced in the past.

“Some of the issues faced when the organisation was resuscitated in 2015 are the same issues we face now.

These include inadequate boarding facilities, rundown wharves, bad roads leading to some of the landing sites, lack of trained personnel managing the landing sites, poor markets and prices for our catch, and

payment of VAT on items that were made to no longer attract VAT.” Minister Mustapha assured that the Government is working to put measures in place that will benefit fisherfolks. He noted that in the instance of VAT being charged for equipment for the fisheries sector and the agriculture sector, the Guyana Revenue Authority has been ordered to go after businesses that are yet to readjust their prices to reflect those reductions.

The Minister also said his Ministry would be working to address some of the issues faced by the GNFO, such as inadequate facilities and better prices and

GNFO Chairman Pamashwar Jainarine

markets for fish and other seafood. Vishnu Persaud and Veeram Ramsarran were among those elected to serve on the GNFO.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31, 2021

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THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2021

Foundation

Æsop’s Fables

◄

Page

FOR CHILDREN

Wednesday's answers

10.20 12.1800 13.3500 15.250

Across 3. 19340 5.3 6.2000 7.45500 9.80

Solution

T

oday is April 1, also known as April Fools’ Day or All Fools’ Day, which is customarily celebrated by pranking and tricking persons via practical jokes and hoaxes.

For this activity, write an acrostic poem (vertical poem) based on a favourite trickster, eg Bugs Bunny, Wile E Coyote, Tom and Jerry, Brer Anansi, Loki, etc.

Supplies • Pencils, pens, and art supplies: coloured pencils, markers, crayons • Drawing paper or construction paper: 8-1/2 x 11 (2 sheets)

Down 1. 599905 2. 30000 3. 126000 4. 30510 6. 200

7.45000 8.30 11.350 12.1400 14.100

Acrostic poems, also called vertical poems, are easy and fun, and give you a chance to really stretch your vocabulary muscles! You can also include a drawing with the trickster poem if you like.

For example, an acrostic poem about Coyote might start like this: C – conniving, crafty, clever O– Y– O– T– E– (Adapted from startwithabook.org)

A

certain rich man bought in the market a goose and a swan.

He fed the one for his table and kept the other for the sake of its song.

When the time came for killing the goose, the cook went to get him at night, when it was dark, and he was not able to distinguish one bird from the other.

By mistake he caught the swan instead of the goose.

The swan, threatened with death, burst forth into song and thus made himself known by his voice, and preserved his life by his melody.

WORD SEARCH

NEWS

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THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Harmon confounded on claims Guyana’s 5th oil lift undersold – unable to say how much lift was sold for, Brent price at time of sale

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pposition Leader Joseph Harmon on Wednesday called a press conference and accused the Government of selling Guyana’s 5th oil lift to Hess Corporation in February, but then could not provide any evidence, or even figures, to back up his claims.

During his press conference, Harmon expressed concern over the company that Hess sold the oil to.

According to Harmon, it is important that transactions be tracked beyond the buyer to ascertain in whose hand the commodity falls.

“The company to which Hess has sold…the company is in litigation… Apart from that, my understanding is that the oil was sold below market price. That’s what my understanding is,” Harmon said.

When questioned directly by the media whether he had evidence that the oil was sold below the Brent crude average, or whether he had done his own due diligence beyond relying on hearsay, Harmon admitted that he had not done so. He could not even provide the comparative Brent price and sale

Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon

price when asked.

“This is information that is coming to our office. And sometimes we can be fooled by trends. Because at the point of sale there must be a price at which you are selling. Trends can run from what is the price at one month or a week. And so I think it’s a good excuse for anyone to say, ‘Look at the trends’.

“You have that information, so don’t try to carry me all around the bush. The point I am making, I’m saying it was sold below price.

And so if you have information it was sold at the right

price at the point of sale, you can publish that… I’m not going to give specifics,” Harmon said.

While Harmon could not say how much the 5th lift was sold to Hess for, and by how much it was allegedly undersold, this publication did its own research. The Government itself has said that the fifth lift was sold in February for US$61 per barrel - a total sale price of US$61 million.

This amount, representing 997,420 barrels of oil, was lifted from the Liza Destiny FPSO on February 5. Checks by this newspaper show that Brent crude was US$59.48 per barrel around that same time. In fact, oil occasionally peaked at US$64 per barrel during that month, but averaged US$62 throughout.

Harmon was also asked whether the former APNU/ AFC Government, of which he was a part, tracked any of the three oil lifts that were sold under their tenure by Shell Western Supply and Trading. Instead, the Opposition Leader deflected the question back to the media.

“You have done your due

diligence on Hess, and you can do the due diligence on Shell and the people that Shell sold to… I am dealing now with what has happened with this lift. That is my concern. If there are (concerns) with what happened with the first four, we can deal with that. But I am dealing with the fifth lift.”

Guyana, with US oil giant ExxonMobil as the operator, began producing oil on December 20, 2019 in the Stabroek Block. Guyana’s oil revenues are being banked in the New York Federal Reserve Bank, where they are earning interest.

To date, the country has received payments for five lifts of oil. The most recent payment was made earlier this month for a 997,420-barrel oil lift in February from Liza Destiny. That lift was valued at US$61 million, taking the total amount received to date for Guyana’s share of oil to US$246.5 million.

Guyana’s 5th lift was sold to Hess

Inclusive of royalties, the total in the Natural Resource Fund account now stands at US$267.6 million.

The Natural Resources Ministry reported that Guyana received its first payment of US$54.9 million for an oil lift dated February 19, 2020. Guyana’s second lift, on May 21, 2020, was valued at US$35 million.

The third lift, which occurred on August 9, 2020, was valued at US$46 million, while the fourth lift occurred on December 9, 2020 and came in at US$49.4 million in value.

Hess Corporation, the company that sold the oil to India, is an American global independent energy company involved in the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas. It was formed by the merger of Hess Oil and Chemical and Amerada Petroleum in 1968.

The company ranked 394th in the 2016 annual ranking of Fortune 500 corporations, and was also listed as the 1,253rd largest public company in the world, with exploration and production operations in several countries around the world.

8 NEWS

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Truck driver granted bail for killing motorcyclist

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43-year-old truck driver was on Wednesday slapped with a charge of causing death by dangerous driving.

He was released on $250,000 bail following his appearance before Magistrate Fabayo Azore at the Cove and John Magistrate’s Court.

The accused, Brentnal Richmond, was not required to plead to the indictable charge which stated that on March 29, 2021, at Melanie, East Coast Demerara (ECD), he drove motor truck GSS 5634, in a manner dangerous to the

Dead: Leon Singh

public thereby causing the death of 31-year-old Leon Singh.

The case was postponed

to May 20, 2021. In a statement, Police said that the truck was proceeding along the Melanie Access Road when the driver failed to stop at the intersection.

As a result, the truck ended up in the path of the motorcycle bearing registration number CH 3066 which was being ridden by Singh of Enmore, ECD. Police stated that the motorcycle hit the right side of the front of the truck, causing Singh to fall to the roadway, where he sustained injuries to his body, including his head. He was picked up in an unconscious state and

Working to get something…

Charged: Brentnal Richmond

rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he succumbed while receiving treatment.

S

…from oil? tarting today, the PPP/C Government has decided that each Guyanese will be receiving US$5000 monthly from our oil revenues. That’s right…not just the US$5000 annually that Clive Thomas and the WPA floated, but US$5000 MONTHLY!! In case you can’t calculate what that amounts to quickly enough…that’s $12 million EVERY year!! Think about it! Isn’t that great??

Even the best the great US of A could do was US$1400 three times.

Happy days are here again - or at least till the oil lasts.

But even under our “Drill baby drill!!” policy that’ll still be thirty years!!

Well, your Eyewitness hopes you didn’t max out your credit cards over Amazon when you read the above announcement. Cause, dear reader, today is APRIL 1st… and as such, your Eyewitness hopes he’s allowed one April Fool’s joke!! And that he wasn’t too mean for getting your hopes up momentarily. He hopes not - because there’s still hope for getting a piece of the action coming from our black gold gurgling out from under the Atlantic.

So where will that be coming from, you ask? The Local Content Policy (LCP) - that’s where!! It looks like that baby will be finally ready like a Cecil B. de Mille blockbuster!

Remember him? Was the most famous Hollywood film maker, notorious for taking years to complete his blockbusters. “Ten years in the making!” he boasted about “The Ten Commandments”. Well, the LCP only took SIX YEARS and THREE drafts, but we’re being assured we’ll be rolling in the aisles in money!

Now, your Eyewitness doesn’t mean to be a party pooper, but it ain’t gonna be as easy as some of our businesses think. And it all has to do with the fact that the train servicing the oil production has already left the station. And anyone wanting to take advantage of the oily opportunities have to be ready here and now. Time, tide and oil production wait for no man!! So basically, those who had the knowhow and funding would’ve already gotten their toe into the door. Which is being followed by their foot, and then their whole body.

From where your Eyewitness stands, the best bet for ordinary folks to get a piece of the action is for the Government to insist that every foreign company coming in have local partners who’ll provide the “Local Content”.

Our bodies should be all we need to bring to the table. And that’s nothing to scoff about, once the law says Guyanese must get, say, 20% of each company!

Everybody comes out okay. The foreigners get to make money, the oil companies get their operations serviced, and we get our cut!

And that’s no April Fool’s Joke! …more from Public Works Of all the Ministers in the new PPP Government, your Eyewitness is most impressed by the fella they put in charge of Public Works (or “infrastructure”, if you will) - Juan Edghill. For a guy who was presumably trained in theology, he’s demonstrated not just a tremendous grasp of the economics of governance, but also the need for managerial supervision in his present portfolio. The man is like that old hero of yours - the Scarlet Pimpernel - who was here, there and everywhere, rescuing those in danger.

In Guyana today, the dangers are posed by our dilapidated infrastructure - fragile kokers, threatened sea walls, overtopping rivers, washed-away roads and bridges, and that way-past-its-due-date DHB floating bridge etc. And the Minister’s always there IN PERSON. Obviously not actually fixing things personally, but, even more importantly, letting the GOVERNMENT WORKERS know that somebody in authority is watching them.

We all know their notion of a “day’s work”, don’t we?

A hat tip to the Minister! …more from CWI There are some cricket fans who just won’t take off their rose-coloured glasses. Bluntly, cricket administration is a jungle.

Just look at what goes on at the BCCI etc. And CWI! Readers are invited to send their comments by email to eye@guyanatimesgy.com

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Govt working to ensure hassle-free trade for importers sourcing goods from Florida on resolving the matter in its continued bid to enhance the business sector.

“My colleague and I have been tasked by the Cabinet to see how we can get a res-

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall delivers his address as Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Oneidge Walrond (right) and Dr Leslie Ramsammy, Advisor to the Minister of Health, (left) look on

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n an effort to ensure hassle-free trade for all importers sourcing goods from the US state of Florida, the Guyana Government and local stakeholders have reached a compromise following a recent engagement.

A change of laws in Florida saw the state’s Federal Department divesting its responsibility of issuing exportation documents for food products to a public-private entity – Enterprises Florida Inc. However, Guyana’s Government-Analyst Food and Drug Department has not been accepting Certificates of Free Sale issued by Enterprise Florida on behalf of the Florida Department of Health and the Florida Department of Agriculture.

This issue was raised by sections of the local business community previously with Government and again during a stakeholder engagement on Tuesday, facilitated by Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Oneidge Walrond and Attorney General Anil Nandlall.

However, another section of the business community complained about disadvantages the certification from the entity posed.

After hours of consultations, AG Nandlall disclosed that a compromise was met to ensure free trade as well as to uphold Guyana’s mandate.

“We fortunately arrived at a compromise, and the compromise is that where there are goods that have an authorised approved distributorship in Guyana, those goods will continue to be imported only by those authorised distributors, and in relation to those goods, the Federal Department’s certificate will be required.

“In relation to other goods that are not the subject of distributorship, those goods the Food and Drug Department will accept the Florida Enterprise certificate. I want to make it clear also that many countries in the Caribbean are accepting the Florida Enterprise certificate. So, Guyana will not be unique in accepting that certification as fit and proper,” AG Nandlall added.

This proposal will be taken to Cabinet for approval before implementation. The AG also underscored that the Food and Drug Department would accept the Florida Enterprise certificate for goods en route to Guyana until the decision was finalised.

Meanwhile, Minister Walrond pointed out that the Government was keen

olution at the Government level. We don’t want to dictate how we move forward.

We want to have all stakeholders come together and for us to be able to come to a

consensus,” she said.

Both Ministers noted that the Government would continue to host similar engagements to ensure the business sector is secured.

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Guyana records 48 imported COVID-19 cases since reopening of int’l airports

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total of 48 imported cases of COVID-19 were recorded since the reopening of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri and the Eugene F Correia International Airport on October 12, 2020.

This was announced by Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony on Wednesday during his daily update to the public on the pandemic.

However, he noted that since the recommencement of services between Guyana and Suriname, there has been no report of any positive cases from that country being detected. This service was reopened on February 21, 2021.

The Minister reiterated that persons who arrived

The interior of a Eureka Medical Laboratories’ PCR COVID-19 testing booth at CJIA

in Guyana have had to produce a negative PCR test, but if three days had passed since the administering of the test, they would have to retest once they arrived at

Guyana’s ports of entry.

“Actually, when we did the retests, we have found that those persons were positive and we have taken the relevant steps to isolate

them. So, since reopening the airports to international travel, we have detected 48 cases,” Dr Anthony related.

Presently, Eureka Medical Laboratories (EML) has been facilitating PCR COVID-19 testing services at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.

This was implemented as part of Government’s safety measures for the resumption of commercial flights.

It was reported that as part of the Government’s measures to curb the spread of the disease, all arriving passengers are required to have a valid, negative PCR test that was done within 72 hours.

The first commercial flight upon resumption was

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony

on October 13, 2020 and saw some 13 out of the 44 passengers who arrived having PCR tests that were taken more than 72 hours before touchdown, and Eureka Medical Laboratories conducted the testing on these 13 passen-

gers at the airport. Their test results were negative for the COVID-19 virus.

Eureka has noted that its testing team has been on site at the CJIA every day since the airports reopened. It has assured that test kits are sufficient to facilitate testing at CJIA. Similarly, passengers using the ferry service between Moleson Creek, Corentyne and South Drain, Suriname are required to produce a negative PCR test, in keeping with the gazetted measures.

Dr Anthony has stated that once a negative result is presented within the 72-hour time frame, travellers would be allowed to enter the country.

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James Bond charged for shady NICIL land deals – to make court appearance today

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ormer People’s National Congress (PNC) Executive member James Bond, who was implicated and interrogated by the Police last year in connection with certain shady land deals emanating out of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limit (NICIL), in which the lands were flipped and undersold, will be charged today.

According to Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum, the former PNC Member of Parliament (MP) will face three counts of conspiracy to defraud, and will make appearance today (April 1) at the Georgetown Magistrates Court.

When contacted by this publication, efforts to get a comment from Bond were futile.

Bond is the attorney

who had represented three companies that are 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 NICIL… a probe which commenced soon after the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) came to power in August of last year.

Avalon Jagnandan, proprietor of Life 1 Pharms Incorporated, and Eddie Doolall of A-Z Pharmaceutical Medical Supplies and Equipment Inc were 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

Attorney-at-Law James Bond

of Parliament and money was paid over to him.

The businessmen also claimed that Bond received $60 million from each of them.

Bond, who was detained and interrogated by the Police in November, had staunchly denied this, and had claimed that Jagnandan’s particular claim of paying these monies at a lawyer’s office can be refuted.

The leases were controversial in nature, since they were in contravention of the

stipulations regarding the disposal 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 each 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.

In spin-offs from the case, both Bond and for-

mer APNU/AFC Minister Jaipaul Sharma were sued

by Attorney General Anil Nandlall over libellous posts they made about him via Facebook. On November 17, 2020, Sharma, a former junior Minister of Public Infrastructure, referred to the PPP/C Government as “hypocritical” for going after Bond and others for questionable land deals using the office of the Attorney General.

In the publication, Sharma claimed that Mohabir A. Nandlall & Associates, in which Nandlall was the senior and managing partner before he was appointed Attorney General, was implicated in allegations of similar land transfers.

Nandlall has also said that shortly after Sharma had published the offensive posts, Bond published a post containing libellous remarks about him that were similar to what Sharma claimed.

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Dr Anthony charges psychologists’ association to revise Guyana’s Mental Health Ordinance — says country continues to suffer from high rates of suicide

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ealth Minister Dr Frank Anthony on Tuesday highlighted that the country’s Mental Health Ordinance of 1930 is too ancient to meet the needs of the modern society. As such, he called on the newly launched psychologists’ association to revise same.

He was at the time ad-

dressing the virtual launch of the Guyana Association of Professional Psychologists (GuyPsych) when he made the call.

“This is one of the first areas that I would like to reach out to this newly formed organisation to help us with; to give your inputs to review the documents that we currently have, and see how you can add your voice to what exists… We intend to move this process forward,” the Minister posited.

Dr Anthony explained that latest versions of the Mental Health Ordinance were drafted in 2009 and revised in 2011, but they were

never passed in Parliament.

He noted that, at the time, there were gaps that needed to be filled and facts needed to be clarified.

“I hope that, by the end of this year, we can have a new Mental Health Act passing through Parliament,” he said.

In addition, Dr Anthony said mental health issues

have been neglected and underfunded globally, and even locally, for a number of years.

As such, he noted that the country continues to suffer from high rates of suicide.

“We’ve been one of the countries with the highest rates of suicide. One can attribute that to us not being able to detect persons who are depressed, and perhaps because our systems are not able to detect those, there are high rates of suicide,” he detailed.

He further stated that based on statistics from a survey done by the World Health Organization in 2008, it is estimated that, locally, between 75,000 and 112,500 Guyanese

Ex-cop arrested for fraud

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former Policeman was on Tuesday arrested for obtaining money by falsely pretending that he was in a position to assist an individual to obtain a firearm licence.

Paul Watson of Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo had previously been charged by the Police for matters of a similar nature. At time of this current offence, he was said to be working with a private security firm.

The Police are asking others who may have been defrauded by Watson under similar circumstances to come forward and report the matter

Arrested fraudster Paul Watson

to the nearest Police station.

Investigations are ongoing, and charges are expected to be laid shortly.

suffer from mental health disorders.

“This is a large number of people, and they have been underserved because we don’t have enough mental health professionals in the country.

We need to train more people” he explained.

Guyana’s Minister of Health has called on GuyPsych to collaborate more with the Ministry to combat the issue.

“There is a lot of work to be done,” he explained.

Meanwhile, on the aspect of licensing of psycholo-

gists, Dr Anthony noted that psychologists are required to be licensed under the Allied Health Professional Council.

However, he noted that the Medical Council has not been functioning as it should.

“That’s an area that we would certainly like to encourage you to look at… One of the things we must certainly look at is that it does not cater to clinical psychologist and other types,” he explained.

He furthered that the Ministry would work to amend the act appropriately,

in order to meet the needs of the association.

Dr. Anthony added he believes that yearly licensing for these professionals would ensure continuous education, thus making them updated in the field.

The Guyana Association of Professional Psychologists was conceptualised in August 2018, and was officially registered in August, 2020. On March 30, the Association officially launched its services.

The mandate of the 26-member association is to address complex psychosocial

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony

issues, and to impact the lives of Guyanese positively.

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TAU introduces free online platform to help students prepare for CXC

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he Texila American University (TAU) has launched an online platform that would assist students to prepare for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination by enhancing their learning and providing a mock review of multiple-choice questions.

The initiative, dubbed ‘CXC Academy’, is free of cost to all Guyanese students as well to teachers wanting to use the platform.

CXC Academy focuses heavily on Paper One training in seven subject areas, namely: Mathematics, English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Principles of Business and Principles of Accounts.

During a virtual launch on Wednesday, Chief Executive Officer of Texila American University Guyana, Syam Kumar, explained that this initiative is part of the Texila consortium’s corporate social responsibility, and is a way of giving back to Guyana and

Education Minister Priya Manickchand

its people for their support over the years.

“We have further plans to enhance the portfolio and add more subjects and more questions over a period of time with the Academy… I sincerely hope that this initiative will pave way for further technological advancement in the field of education in Guyana, not only in higher education, where we focus on, but also at the level of secondary and post-second-

ary education,” Kumar posited.

The ‘CXC Academy’ platform was developed in partnership with Texila Group’s homeschooling project – SmartLab – in Texas, United States, and also with contributions from local teachers and experts in creating the content.

It has been noted that this initiative had been in the works for several years now, but materialised only over the last two months.

“Texila’s parent company also operates an online university system where we have graduated thousands of students across the globe, and that is one area where we believe that we can further support initiatives of the Government of Guyana where it is needed… We are there to support, in any way we can, the Government and people of Guyana as much as possible within our capacity, and CXC Academy is a good testimony of our intentions and our plans for the people and government of Guyana,”

TAU CEO Syam Kumar

the TAU CEO contended.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Priya Manickchand has lauded the University for responding to the needs of Guyana’s education system, which, like those around the world, was thrown into chaos due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“One of my first questions after hearing a very impression presentation of how they were going to roll out this online lesion for innumerable and incalculable

number of students (was): how much is this going to cost our students? Is it going to be free? Are you going to add more questions? Are you going to add more subjects?

And for every question we asked, we got exactly the answer we were looking for…

Texila is leading in this,” Manickchand asserted.

She added that since coming to Guyana, Texila has pioneered offshore teaching, and has now stepped up to not only assist Guyanese students, but also those in the Caribbean region.

To this end, the Education Minister implored other private institutions to emulate Texila’s actions.

“While you may have started with good intentions for education, we often get caught up with the fiscal nature or benefits that a university can offer, and the fact that it is coming at no cost to our country and our students is hugely commendable and really something to emulate… I encourage others, not only educational

institutions like Texila, corporate bodies in this country and in the region, to contribute to education as best as you can, and I guarantee you you will see rewards, perhaps not tomorrow, but you will see rewards in the long term,” she stressed.

Minister Manickchand further encourage students, especially those preparing to write CXC exams later this year, to take advantage of this facility.

The platform is targeting students in Grades 10 and 11 but can also be access by other Grades as well as persons who are rewriting the examinations. No age limit has been set for the programme.

In fact, the Education Minister noted that event prisoners who sometimes write CXC as part of their rehabilitative programme can also access the platform.

Persons will have to register to access the content, which features unlimited attempts to answer the questions.

57 more persons test positive for COVID-19 Man wanted for – curfew, other restrictions extended for another month murder of WCB G pensioner surrenders

uyana has recorded 57 new cases of COVID-19 from some 944 tests conducted over a 24h period.

According to new statistics provided by the Health Ministry, the total number of confirmed cases in Guyana now stands at 10,249 – 5243 males and 5006 females.

Of this number, however, 920 cases are currently active. Those include 12 patients in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and 908 persons in isolation; that is, 59 in institutional isolation and 849 in home isolation.

There are also another 13 persons in institutional quarantine.

Nevertheless, the country’s COVID-19 death rate has skyrocketed to 231, with the latest facility being a 56-year-old man and a 79-year-old woman, both from Region Four (DemeraraMahaica), who died on Monday while receiving care at a medical facility.

In total, some 34 persons died from COVID-19 in March.

To date, some 9098 persons have recovered from the life-threatening disease – 100 more recoveries than the figure recorded the previous day.

Guyana has tested some 89,958 persons for the novel coronavirus since its first case was detected in March 2020.

Of the 57 new cases recorded on Wednesday, one was in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); nine in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara); 18 in the Demerara-Mahaica region; another nine in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne); 15 in Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni), and five in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper

Suspect: Mark Anthony Henry

Dead: Surijdeo Deochand

ours after the Guyana Police Force (GPF) had issued a wanted bulletin for Mark Anthony Henry for questioning in relation to murder, he surrendered in the company of his lawyer at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarter at Eve Leary on Wednesday.

Mark Anthony Henry, the brother of Joel Henry and cousin of Isaiah Henry – the two teens who were brutally murdered in West Coast Berbice – has been wanted for questioning in connection with the murder of 68-year-old Surijdeo Deochand, called “Sarjie”.

The pensioner’s bloodied body was discovered in his home at Number Three Village, West Coast Berbice (WCB) on Tuesday with multiple chop wounds.

It was reported that a relative had gone to check on Deochand, who lived alone, after she received information that he had been chopped and needed to be taken to the hospital to seek

medical attention. When the relative arrived at the elderly man’s house, she reportedly called out to him, but there was no answer.

The woman then pushed open the main door and found Deochand lying in a pool of blood with several chops to his body.

He was taken to the Fort Wellington Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Police later confirmed that there was one wound on the left side of his face, one to the back of his head, one to the side of his left hand, and one on the right hand which completely severed three fingers.

Deochand had been among a group of men initially arrested in September last year after the mutilated bodies of 16-year-old Isaiah and 19-year-old Joel Henry were discovered in the backlands of Cotton Tree, WCB – almost two days after they had left their Number Three Village home to pick coconuts, but never returned.

H Berbice).

The figures in the other four regions – Region One (Barima-Waini), Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) and Region Nine (Upper Essequibo-Takutu) – remained the same.

Meanwhile, as the local authorities continue to battle the pandemic and spiking COVID-19 cases, the COVID-19 EMERGENCY MEASURES (NO16) have been extended for another month, and will now be in effect until April 30, 2021.

Persons are urged to observe all the guidelines which were published in the Official Gazette on Wednesday and which remain unchanged.

Among those measures is the 22:30h to 04:00h (10:30pm to 4am) national curfew.

Restaurants and places of worship are still allowed to operate at 40 per cent capacity until 21:30 (9:30 pm).

Gyms are to operate at 50 per cent capacity, while sporting events are only permitted with approval from the Health Minister.

In addition, restrictions on a number of social activities also remain in effect.

Specifically, the guidelines state that no person shall host or attend a cinema (except for a drive-in cinema), a private party, a reception, a public or hotel swimming pool, a wake or vigil, a club, a meeting, or any other social activity. The order further stipulates the need for correct and consistent use of a face mask when leaving your home; the importance of maintaining the six-foot physical distance

from others, and the need for good hand-hygiene to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

In addition, this month’s COVID-19 guidelines cater for the continuation of Lethem crossing to be opened on Thursdays, and “…only to facilitate the crossing of essential goods and supplies…” between the two border towns.

Guyana’s suspension of air travel to and from Brazil following the detection of new variants of COVID-19 there remains in effect.

In relation to the Moleson Creek crossing, travels between Guyana and Suriname will continue three days per week.

The measures also reminded that persons caught flouting these restrictions would be held liable.

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CH&PA to allocate 700 house lots at Onderneeming, Charity by mid-April – Min Croal

…urges residents to take advantage of economic spin-off of housing drive al development in the area for the next six months.

On this note, he stated that residents should use the opportunity to generate incomes within the region during the developmental phase.

The housing drive, he noted, will see a spin-off in economic activities in all sections of society, including street vendors.

In addition, the Minister highlighted that major investments would be made to install water treatment plants to rectify the poor quality of water

Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal interacts with a resident during the outreach on Wednesday

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ousing and Water Minister Collin Croal during a visit to the Essequibo Coast, Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) on Thursday announced that the Ministry would make 700 house lots available to residents along with 30 street lights by mid-April.

He was at the time addressing concerns of residents and laying out Government’s plans for the region at a meeting at the Onderneeming Primary School.

He promised residents that by April 16 and 17,

a team from the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) will allocate the 700 house lots in Region Two – 350 at Onderneeming and another 350 at Charity Housing Scheme.

He noted that the engineering team was coordinating to map out the layout of the house lots.

Croal also assured residents that the Housing and Water Ministry was working to reduce the number of backlogged house lot applications. He explained that millions of dollars would be injected into infrastructur-

A section of the gathering on Wednesday at the Onderneeming Primary School

within the region. on this note, he added that 99 per cent of residents will receive purified potable water.

Minister Croal also dealt with several other issues outside of his portfolio, but promised to engage the relevant Ministers and agencies of Government.

The meeting was attended by Region Two Chairperson Vilma De Silva, Regional Vice Chairman Humace Oodit and Prime Minister Representative Arnold Adams.

WBD businessman attacked, robbed of $2.3M by gun-toting bandits

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West Bank Demerara (WBD) businessman was on Tuesday evening robbed of $2.3M as he was about to exit his car in front of his home.

In addition to the cash, he was robbed of his cellular phone and two bunches of keys by two men armed with guns.

The businessman reportedly operates two Super Bet outlets and manages five other locations, all of which are located on the West Bank of Demerara.

Based on reports received, on the day in question, the businessman had just arrived at his home af-

ter collecting money from the Super Bet locations.

Police have said that as he was about to exit his car, he was confronted by two men, both of whom were wearing black jerseys and dark-coloured pants. They

were also wearing masks.

One of the bandits reportedly placed a firearm to the man’s abdomen, while the other placed a gun to his head and told him, “Don’t say anything! Where is the money?”

One of the perpetrators then entered the car and collected two bags that contained the cash and a bunch of keys. Not satisfied, the second bandit took away the victim’s cellular phone and his car and house keys.

After committing the robbery, the men made good their escape in a black wagon. Duo to the traumatised state the businessman was in, he was unable to observe the registration plate on the bandits’ vehicle.

A report was made to the Police, and an investigation has been launched into the robbery.

Doctor, landlord could face charges Body of missing for recklessly dumping expired drugs labourer found floating in Corentyne River

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These boxes containing medical supplies were dumped at the corner of Oronoque and Forshaw Streets, Queenstown on Wednesday

medical doctor who was evicted from his place of abode and his former landlord are expected to face charges for the reckless dumping of expired drugs along Oronoque and Forshaw Streets in Queenstown, Georgetown on Wednesday.

Speaking with the media, Solid Waste Director Walter Narine explained that the city doctor had been evicted from the premises, and had left the items on the property. However,

on Wednesday, the landlord took it upon himself to dispose of the drugs in an improper manner. As such, Narine explained, both the doctor and the landlord are being sought by the City Constabulary and the Police, so that charges can be instituted against them.

Narine recalled that at about 7:30h on the day in question, a staff member attached to the Solid Waste Department observed the boxes being dumped and attempted to stop the process,

but failed. The staff member reportedly contacted the Mayor and City Council, and a team was dispatched to the area.

Narine said he had also gone to the scene, and upon his arrival there, those who were dumping the boxes ran into the yard and locked the gates.

The City official confirmed that the boxes contained expired medical supplies and other documents belonging to the Georgetown Public Hospital. The doc-

tor’s name was also attached to the documents.

Narine has explained that dumping of expired drugs has serious implications, and he said he is happy that none of it had reached the hands of vagrants, since that could have presented some potential danger. The waste was eventually removed from the area.

An investigation has been launched into the dumping of the expired drugs.

ays after a labourer had gone missing following a fishing trip, his body was found floating in the Corentyne River in the vicinity of Orealla on Tuesday.

Nazim Shamshudeen, 58, aka “Nosey”, of Springlands, Corriverton, had on Sunday gone missing. It was reported that the labourer had reportedly left on one of his usual fishing trips, but his boat was found drifting in the Corentyne River without him.

The missing man had been working on a farm owned by “Global Tex”, located some 40 miles up the Corentyne River and about ten miles from Orealla.

John Domond, owner of the farm, told detectives that at about 00:30h on Sunday, Shamshudeen left with his seine in a small paddle boat. After some time had elapsed and the man did

Dead: Nazim Shamshudeen

not return, Domond went out to check, and it was then that he found the boat drifting without any sign of the labourer, and the matter was reported to the Police.

Shamshudeen’s body has been taken to the Skeldon Hospital mortuary to await a post mortem.

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GPSU writes President Ali on salaries, wages negotiation for 2020, 2021

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mphasising that the time for negotiations on wages, salaries, and allowances for public servants is overdue, the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) has written to President Dr Irfaan Ali on the issue.

This was disclosed by GPSU First Vice President Dawn Gardener during a press conference on Wednesday at the Union’s Secretariat.

Gardener said that negotiations on wages, salaries, and allowances for 2020 and 2021 were a “crucial matter” affecting members of the GPSU. According to her, in early March, the GPSU penned a letter to the Permanent Secretary of the Public Service Ministry, Soyinka Grogan requesting a meeting to commence negotiations. That approach, Gardener noted, was taken in keeping with clause six of the legally-binding agreement between the Government and the GPSU. To date, Gardener said that the GPSU has not received a response from the Permanent Secretary. As a result, a reminder was dispatched on Wednesday, and a copy was sent to President Ali. Copies of the reminder were also sent to Prime Minister Mark Phillips; Public Service Minister Sonia Parag; Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh, and Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC. In the reminder letter dated March 30, 2021, the GPSU writes, “The Union is therefore giving a gentle reminder that the last salary increase to public servants was with effect from January 1, 2019, thus making it more important and urgent to commence negotiation for wages,

President Dr Irfaan Ali

salaries and allowances for the years 2020 and 2021.”

“The GPSU is most concerned with the Government’s conduct in dealing with this essential and urgent matter that is devastating the livelihoods of public servants and their families,” the Union’s First Vice President noted.

During a statutory meeting held on Wednesday, the GPSU revealed that extensive deliberations on the matter resulted in several unanswered questions.

According to Gardener, “the situation that prevails for public servants [is that] they are providing quality services for the two years without any meaningful economic improvement in their earnings and [are] being pressured to perform in an increasingly deadly environment.”

Agitated Meanwhile, GPSU President Patrick Yarde disclosed that in keeping with regulations, the relevant authorities have at least two weeks to respond to the letters. He said that he believed there was a motive behind the delay in the commencement of the negotiations.

“Our members are rest-

less and worried about this.

They are agitated to take various forms of action. We are at the moment emphasising some restraint and we are hoping that good sense would prevail… we do not want to be hasty in doing disruptive things,” Yarde related.

According to him, some of the workers affected by the delay are the staff of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA); the Judiciary, nurses, air traffic controllers, drainage and irrigation personnel, sea defence staff, public health inspectors, and law enforcement officers.

GPSU President Patrick Yarde

Taking this into consideration, Yarde noted, “You could understand what would be the impact if there is a reaction from our to-

tal membership. So, we are not anxious to deal with this. We are reminding the Administration that they have been acting in conflict with the agreement and they should take action to correct it.”

He, nevertheless, stated that the GPSU was governed by rules and to take other forms of action, a meeting would have to be called “and the members, in keeping with the democratic process, will give the mandate to the leadership”.

“At the moment, the mandate that we have is to make a very concerted effort to see how best we could im-

GPSU First Vice Dawn Gardener

President

press upon the Government to be humane … to stop this type of punishment they are putting public servants through,” Yarde added.

2700 + Goed Fortuin residents to receive treated water by June

M

ore than 2700 residents (658 households) in Goed Fortuin, Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) will soon have treated water flowing through their taps for the first time, following an intervention by Minister within the Housing and Water Ministry, Susan Rodrigues.

Residents are currently connected to the Goed Fortuin well; however, during a community meeting with the Minister last December, they complained about the water quality.

Acting on their request, Minister Rodrigues at the time instructed the Guyana Water Inc (GWI) to conduct a feasibility study to determine the possibility of the community being connected to the Pouderoyen Water Treatment Plant.

“That study is complete and according to our analysis, Goed Fortuin can receive

Minister Susan Rodrigues along with GWI officials and regional reps at the Pouderoyen Water Treatment Plant on Wednesday

treated water for the first time from the Pouderoyen Water Treatment Plant…

In fact, works have already commenced to have the systems interconnected,” the Minister told elated residents during a follow-up meeting in the community on Wednesday.

She further explained

that the connection to the treatment plant comes on the heels of Budget 2021 and was merely one aspect of her three-fold plan to improve their water service.

“The second thing is to address leakages; we have to reduce the loss so that your water pressure could increase and by doing this,

we are also reducing the chances of sediments and other impurities getting into the water,” Rodrigues explained.

GWI will also be installing meters in the community to monitor water consumption. All of these works are expected to be completed

by June 2021.

Following her announcement to residents, Minister Rodrigues also toured the Pouderoyen Water Treatment Plant, which serves several areas including Versailles, Malgre Tout, and Vreed-en-Hoop.

She was accompanied by Regional Manager Aggrey Anderson, Revenue Manager Nicholas Dawalat and Engineer Joseph Fraser of the utility company .

Region Three officials, including Regional Chairman Ishan Ayube and Regional Executive Officer Jagnarine Somwar, were also present at the meeting.

1 year later, family of missing fisherman wants closure

A

lmost one year ago, the family of 29-yearold Lalbachan Bhagwandat, also called “Jagan”, of Lot 11 North Section, Canal Polder Number Two, West Bank Demerara (WBD), asked for the public’s assistance to locate him after he allegedly went missing.

Bhagwandat is still nowhere to be found, and his sister, Yaswanti Bhagwandat, is seeking closure.

Initial reports stated that on April 17, 2020, family members were at an aunt’s home when the now missing man started to behave in a delusional manner claiming that someone wanted to kill him.

His family had told Guyana Times that the man then ran out of the house and into the backlands and was never seen again.

The missing man’s sister said relatives ran after

Missing: Lalbachan Bhagwandat

him, but they were unable to keep up. She further stated that prior to her brother’s disappearance, he complained of hearing voices, but it had never reached the extent of him running away.

Since Bhagwandat’s disappearance, his family has continued to look for him, but to no avail.

“We received a lot of calls that persons saw him, but it was not him. It was people who looked very similar, we

paid taxis and went almost everywhere… but when we got there, it wasn’t him… I guess it is very puzzling too, because a lot of people look like him. One thing that makes him stand out is the tattoo on one set of his fingers that marks "Jagan" – the five fingers have one letter each,” the sister told this publication on Wednesday.

The man’s family claimed that since his disappearance, the Police have paid no interest to the matter. His sister said sometimes they would have to beg the Police to follow up her brother’s disappearance.

“They were never helping from the beginning, they never followed up and they did not pay attention at all.

One of my other brothers went to station and brought them in the vehicle himself and then he had to take them to the place he was last seen and all of that,”

she said.

Yaswanti related that her family remained optimistic that Lalbachan was alive although a year has elapsed.

“This very puzzling… mostly mother she is stressed about it every single day; she cries almost every day. From a mother’s perspective, it is a very painful process, because she just wants to know where he is. Even if something did go wrong, maybe it can bring us closure,” the woman said.

“We would still like to send tons of appreciation to all the persons that contacted us. And whoever can provide credible information that leads us to find my brother will be rewarded,” she added.

Anyone who has information on the whereabouts of “Jagan” is asked to contact 630-5006, 676-6588, 662-8211 or 696-4959 or the nearest Police Station.

NEWS

19

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Govt concludes consultations with stakeholders on draft Local Content Policy

T

he Ministry of Natural Resources has concluded a series of strategic engagements with various stakeholders on the revised draft Local Content Policy (LCP) – a policy initiative for Guyanese to play a greater role in the advancement of the petroleum sector.

The revised policy document seeks to put into context the current and evolving state of Guyana’s oil and gas sector, and to enable an improved level of local business participation therein through addition of value, access to opportunities, and capacity building for Guyanese within the energy sector.

The sequence of consultations occurred over the course of three weeks, wherein more than 180 public and private sector agencies involved directly or indirectly in the growth and development of Guyana’s hydrocarbon sector were facilitated. These included operators, subcontractors, and local suppliers in the industry; workforce enhancement facilitators such as education agencies, labour union and regulatory bodies; manufacturing and fabrication services; business development and support services; financial services; audit and accounting services; shipping, warehousing and onshore services; hospitality, housing and infrastructure services; regional and international

trade; and environmental and civil defence services, among others.

“The general focus of the stakeholders' response to the draft document fixated primarily on the state of the current capacity of Guyanese (businesses and) skills and expectations for better participation and benefits from the sector, the identification of opportunities that exist for Guyanese to participate in the industry, and the need for transformation in key related sectors, such as education and finance, to support business enhancement that will cater for the needs of the growing petroleum economy,” the Ministry said in a statement.

The Ministry is encouraging all interested stakeholders in the draft Local Content Policy to submit their comments and feedback by Wednesday, 31 March 2021.

All contributions received would be taken (into) constructive consideration for the preparation of the next phase of the work on the policy.

“Stakeholders will be re-engaged on completion of the policy, to ensure that the final document is aligned to our national objectives of local participation, benefits, enhancing business growth, increased revenue-generating systems, and local ownership along the value-chain of the oil and gas sector.”

After assuming office in August last year, President Ali established a High-Level Local Content Panel to review policy initiatives on local content in the petroleum sector, and provide guidance for the development of Guyana’s Local Content Policy and Legislation.

The panel, chaired by Shyam Nokta, has compiled and submitted the Local Content Report. Among those who were on the panel were Carl Greenidge, Carville

Duncan, Anthony Paul, Kevin Ramnarine, Floyd Haynes, and the Ministry of Natural Resources’ Legal Officer Sasha Rajkumar-Budhan.

Government is likely to hire experts to examine and incorporate comments and suggestions emanating from these stakeholders’ consultations into the final policy document that will be presented in the National Assembly.

However, during his inaugural address to the 12th Parliament last Thursday,

President Ali noted that his Government would be introducing a slew of legislation in the National Assembly, including the Local Content Policy, which must first undergo public consultation.

According to the Head of State, Guyanese must not be second-class citizens in the oil and gas sector in their own country. He insisted that all Guyanese must be principal beneficiaries of the sector, ahead of all, and second to none.

Moreover, the President noted that for the benefit of this generation and those yet unborn, his Administration would ensure there is an arm’s length approach to the Sovereign Wealth Fund to insulate it from political interference.

“Legislation will be enacted to define how finances will flow from the Fund into the budget, and the purposes for which they will be used. My Government also intends to account to the nation for every cent earned from the industry, and for every cent that is

WHO calls for further studies, data on origin of SARS-CoV-2 virus

PAHO steps up COVID-19 surveillance, vaccine procurement to fight surging infections — PAHO Director

Director of the Pan American Health Organisation, Dr Carissa F Etienne

D

irector of the Pan American Health Organization, Dr Carissa F. Etienne, on Wednesday said the organisation has increased virus surveillance, vaccine procurement, and supply of equipment to assist countries in the Americas combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the virus continues to take a heavy toll, with 19.7 million cases and 475,000 deaths reported in the first three months of 2021, she said.

“All countries should be on high alert. In this pandemic, complacency leads to more cases,” Dr. Etienne said during her weekly media briefing. “We urge our Member States to reinforce surveillance and act at the first sign that cases are rising. Don’t wait until you are overwhelmed. The risks for your people and health systems are too high.”

In a hopeful sign, “Almost all of our Member States are rolling out vaccines,” she

said. “As at yesterday, 124 million people have received at least one dose of vaccines in the Americas, and more than 58 million have completed their vaccination schedules. Haiti will soon follow suit, as the first shipment from COVAX arrives in the coming weeks,” she said, referring to the global alliance to ensure equitable access to vaccines.

Over the last 30 days, more than 2.5 million vaccine doses procured through COVAX have reached 17 countries

lays in production, as manufacturers rush to scale-up capacity. But we are also seeing far too many examples of vaccine nationalism, which limits global availability even further.

“The current system is hard-wired for inequity, and that is not acceptable,” she continued. “Vaccines should be available to all who need them, regardless of where they live.”

During the first three months of 2021, PAHO fought the pandemic on two

The COVAX vaccines upon arrival in Guyana on Monday

due to an effort coordinated

by PAHO’s Revolving Fund, the recognised procurement agent for COVAX, Dr. Etienne reported. This week, Guyana, Belize, Bahamas, and Trinidad and Tobago received their first shipments.

“But as we celebrate progress, we cannot close our eyes to the fact that vaccine supply continues to be our greatest challenge,” she said. “A large part of this is due to de-

other fronts.

PAHO has “significantly expanded” its COVID-19 Genomic Surveillance Network to identify and track variants of SARS-Cov-2, Dr. Etienne said. Twenty-one countries are now participating in the network, “giving us a much better picture of the variants circulating in our region.”

At least one of three variants of concern has been

identified in 32 countries and territories of the Americas, according to PAHO’s most recent Epidemiological Update.

The variants may increase transmissibility and virulence of the virus, or decrease the effectiveness of public health and social measures or diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics, although much remains to be learned about them.

In addition, PAHO has helped procure more than 3 million units of medical masks for regional countries.

“And we are actively supporting governments every day to find solutions for oxygen and other supply limitations,” she said.

Still, until vaccines are more widely available, preventive measures are the region’s best option, Dr. Etienne has said. She is urging countries to follow public health measures such as physical distancing, wearing masks, practising hand hygiene, and avoiding mixing with people from other households.

“Without preventive action, our region could face an upsurge even larger than the last one,” she said. “So let me be as clear as possible: my main guidance for places experiencing surges in transmission can be summarised in two words: Stay home.

“We all have a role to play in following the public health measures put in place to protect our communities,” she continued. “This is how we save lives; this is how we beat COVID-19.”

spent,” the Head of State has been quoted as saying.

To accomplish this, President Ali told Members of Parliament, legislation will be introduced to make the Finance Minister and the Finance Secretary responsible for publishing details of all revenue and expenditure in the Official Gazette, allowing the people to track all transactions. Failure to do so would be punished severely under the law.

Among the key objectives of the Local Content Policy are to enhance the skills and competencies of Guyanese citizens; promote maximum use of Guyanese in the petroleum sector workforce; maximise the use of locally sourced goods and services in the petroleum sector; enhance the capacity of Guyanese businesses and supply chains to become internationally competitive; enhance and make world-class the training, technology, innovation and research and development base of Guyana just to scratch the surface.

Director General of the World Health Organization, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

D

irector General of the World Health Organization, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has called for further studies into the novel coronavirus (COVID-19 or SARS-CoV-2), following a report that was completed and sent to Wuhan, China for investigation.

That report stemmed from a Member State resolution adopted by consensus at the World Health Assembly, calling for it “to identify the zoonotic source of the virus and the route of introduction to the human population, including the possible role of intermediate hosts, including through efforts such as scientific and collaborative field missions.”

On Tuesday, the DirectorGeneral said the findings advance understanding in important ways, while raising questions that would need to be addressed by further studies, as noted in the report.

“As far as WHO is concerned, all hypotheses remain on the table. This report is a very important beginning, but it is not the end. We have not yet found the source of the virus, and we must continue to follow the science, and leave no

stone unturned as we do,” said Dr Tedros. “Finding the origin of a virus takes time, and we owe it to the world to find the source, so we can collectively take steps to reduce the risk of this happening again. No single research trip can provide all the answers,” Dr Tedros has claimed.

From the very beginning of the pandemic, WHO had stressed the need to understand the origin of the virus in order to better understand the emergence of new pathogens and possible exposures.

A few weeks into the outbreak, the IHR Emergency Committee of independent experts had recommended that WHO and China pursue efforts to identify the animal source of the virus.

Throughout 2020, WHO continued to discuss with China and other Member States the need to study and share information about the origins of the virus. Work has continued with the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and countries as part of the One-Health Approach to identify the zoonotic source of the virus and the route of introduction to the human population, including the possible role of intermediate hosts.

In July 2020, WHO sent a small team to China to plan a joint study comprising Chinese and independent international scientists. It was agreed that WHO would select the international scientists, and the team consisted of persons from Australia, China, Denmark, Germany, Japan, Kenya, Netherlands, Qatar, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Vietnam.

20

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2021

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ARCHIE

Spend less and accomplish more. Put a budget in (March 21place and bring about changes April 19) that will make you feel good about yourself. Romance and self-improvement projects are favored. You can do it!

ARIES

Open up, discuss matters that concern you and (April 20look for solutions that work May 20) for all involved. Compromise will help you dismiss uncertainty and confusion. Focus on the future.

TAURUS

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Be aware of what's going GEMINI (May 21- on around you and the limitaJune 20) tions you face if you let others make decisions for you.

Do your own thing, and make your decisions based on how you feel and what you can do.

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Be imaginative; put a unique spin on whatever job you are assigned. If you go the extra mile, success is sure to follow. A partnership looks promising. Don't be afraid to make the first move. Use your money sparingly and effectively.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Learn from someone you look up to. Your efforts to make a difference will lead to gratifying opportunities to get ahead. Romance is on the rise and will enhance your personal life.

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Choose your battles wisely. You'll be much further ahead if you concentrate on bringing about the changes that will make your life better. Don't get angry; get moving.

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Connecting with people who have similar ambitions will help you reach your goal.

A partnership looks inviting, as long as you keep things equal. Discipline and hard work will pay off.

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Focus on what matters to you. Take care of money matters so you are free to do the things you want to do.

Personal growth, educational pursuits and getting back to your roots will turn out well.

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(Oct. 24Nov. 22)

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Put your heart into someSAGITTARIUS thing that matters to you.

(Nov. 23Personal and domestic imDec. 21) provements will pay off. Refuse to let an outsider interfere in what you are trying to accomplish.

Share your thoughts, feelings CAPRICORN and desires. Building a strong (Dec. 22base with people heading in a Jan. 19) similar direction will give you the strength, courage and resources to reach your destination.

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SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

Look at what you are capable of doing, and you'll find a way to use your skills to advance. Be inventive, and do your own thing.

Physical fitness will ease stress and help you look and feel good.

Stick to the truth to avoid PISCES an awkward moment. Put (Feb. 20March 20) your energy into self-improvement, fitness and a healthy diet, and it will help you avoid overindulgent behavior and combat temptation.

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2021

21

Part of the current training session

Stanton Rose Jr has been signed with St Mary’s College in 2020

A

By Timothy Jaikarran

s we all know, GUYANA will be the highest-ranked team in El Salvador when they travel to compete in the first round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup – Americas Pre-Qualifier in the city of San Salvador. This tournament has been set for April 14-18.

The Guyana team have been pushing in that extra preparation, and will receive a boost from experienced players locally and internationally to take them over the line.

One such player is

– aims to use skills to his advantage

Stanton Rose Jr, a household name that is strange to none in this beautiful land of Guyana. As the team prepare to jet off, Rose in particular has been giving his all on and off the court, as he refuses ‘to let anything stop him’.

In an interview with this publication, Rose was asked how team training was coming along, and he said, “We’re getting a little better every training session. I can see improvements, but there is a long way to go with this short time we have left.

“In terms of training and the experience I bring to the team, I see myself at 60% right now, but the extra work I’m putting in will take me to 100%. My experience is in a good place, and I’ll use that to my advan-

tage.”

Rose is convinced that the team would be boosted by Delroy James, who is said to be arriving today. He noted that it is great to have James in the team, and his presence is a blessing, because there is so much the entire team can learn from him, as he has got the best experience at the highest levels of basketball.

Rose reiterated that, despite the ongoing pandemic, he is making some necessary changes in his life, to make up for lost time. “I’m about to start staying in town so I can put in a lot more work, and I’ll get to where I want to be, the pandemic won’t be a problem anymore, because I now have access to the Sports Hall from 7-9 pm every day” Rose added.

Rose is requesting one thing from

his fans and supporters of the Guyana team: that they show love like never before and continue to keep the team in their prayers.

Guyana is ranked at 100 in the latest FIBA World Rankings presented by Nike, and is grouped with host El Salvador (133), Nicaragua (116) and Costa Rica (106). The round robin tournament will see the top three teams advancing to the second round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup – Americas Pre-Qualifier in July 2021.

WIPA announces launch Reggae Boyz defender Kemar Lawrence accuses of mentorship initiative JFF of "cutting legs" from under Head Coach

T

he West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) is pleased to announce the launch of its mentorship initiative.

WIPA strongly believes that the rich knowledge and wealth of experience that endures in West Indies cricket is crucial to the development of our present and future cricketers. The mentorship initiative will connect former West Indies cricketers with current West Indies cricketers with the aim to assist in empowering players to unlock their full potential on and off the field, a process that will be open to all West Indies players.

WIPA will play an active role in coordinating the exchanges between former and current players, being mindful of the unique experiences and skillsets of mentors. An impressive cadre of former players has already agreed to partner with us as mentors, among them are Clive Lloyd, Ian Bishop, James ‘Jimmy’ Adams, and Merissa Aguilleira.

Jimmy Adams in conveying his support, stated, “WIPA’s mentorship

J

amaica Reggae Boyz Kemar Lawrence has accused the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) of cutting the legs out from under the team’s head coach Theodore Whitmore.

Whitmore, who signed a new four-year contract with the JFF in 2018, has largely stayed on the sidelines as some members of the national squad and the JFF have wrangled over contractual negotiations for the past few months.

initiative is a timely effort that I fully endorse. Any process that will enable a transfer of knowledge in an encouraging and supportive environment can only be a positive one which will benefit our young players, and which I am happy to support.”

WIPA President and CEO Wavell Hinds expressed, “I am excited about the opportunities that this initiative brings. I would like to thank all the former players who have agreed to partner with us, and I encourage our present players to make the most of the access being made available to them.”

T h e coach has, however, on occasion made his frustrations known, mostly as it relates to dissatisfaction with the lack of organisation and lack of resources available

for the national programme.

In addressing the ongoing issue during a recent interview with YouTube channel “Reggae Boyz Commentary”, Lawrence highlighted a few of the issues that also impacted the coach. The defender pointed to the fact that the team has only one physiotherapist and one equipment manager as some of the issues that have impacted the unit. Whitmore has, in addition, requested a video analyst as part of his technical staff, but, to date, no such post has been created.

“What Tappa has been doing with the limited number of resources that he has you want to break that up? Tappa is getting it right, and we have a short space of time and he is doing his best to make everything work, and the Federation is cutting his legs from under him,” Lawrence said.

“We want them to understand where we are coming from and just be honest. They share things in TV interviews that are nowhere close to what is the truth. Tell the Jamaican people what is going on!” he added.

“The players reach a level where they are fed up. If the (JFF’s) approach is “hol this”, then bring who wants to go to the Gold Cup (to play) without 2 or 3 medical staff, physio or a technical coach, because these are the things that will get us to win in the finals, not just being there.

“It’s a difference between us and the USA, because every time they do well, they look at what they have done and they bring more to the table in terms of video sessions; anything to help.”

Whitmore led the team to the 2017 Gold Cup final, the second time the team has been there in its history.

(Adapted from Sportsmax)

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Bowlers cement West Indies’ strong position on rain-hit Day 3

O

n a day when rain intervened multiple times, the West Indies found themselves in the ascendancy at stumps on Day 3 of the Antigua Test. Sri Lanka were 250 for 8, still behind by 104 at close of play.

Alzarri Joseph and Jason Holder took two scalps each.

Just over 42 overs were bowled on the truncated day, with the West Indies pacemen Jerm

ealing

ood app

ckw aine Bla

making their presence felt by taking wickets at regular intervals.

The day began with Shannon Gabriel bowling a fiery spell to trouble the overnight pair of Dhananjaya de Silva and Dinesh Chandimal.

In the opening over itself, Chandimal fended a nasty short delivery from Gabriel that fell just in front of the FSL field-

er. The tall fast bowler then went fuller to tempt Chandimal to edge one towards the slip cordon, only for Rahkeem Cornwall to drop a sharp chance at gully.

Gabriel, though, didn’t have to wait for long, as he forced Chandimal to pull, with the fielder at deep square leg grabbing an easy catch.

J e r m a i n e Blackwood then won an LBW appeal against de Silva, to leave the tourists in a spot of bother.

To make matters worse for Sri Lanka and de Silva, the ball-tracker showed it would have missed the leg-stump.

The umpires then had to call for early lunch due to rain.

The afternoon session was also marred by rain, with the hosts getting the chance to bowl only 10 overs.

Jason Holder

and Alzarri Joseph, though, made the short session count by bowling with good discipline to send Niroshan Dickwella and Suranga Lakmal back to the hut.

Rain intervened once again as more overs were lost. When play resumed, Holder and Joseph troubled the lower order batsman Dushmantha Chameera with a slew of short balls and the fuller length delivery. The ploy worked, with

Chameera eking out an edge in the 98th over.

At the other end, Pathum Nissanka, playing in only his second Test, was a picture of calmness. He showed solid front foot defence, alongside cracking the occasional cut shot. He also steered Sri Lanka to stumps, with rain and damp patches ensuring that only around 12 overs were bowled in the third session. (Adapted from cricbuzz)

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SCOREBOARD Sri Lanka

First Innings

Dimuth Karunaratne (c) c Bonner b Joseph . . . . . . . . 1 Lahiru Thirimanne b Roach 55 Oshada Fernando lbw b Mayers . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Dinesh Chandimal c sub (HR Walsh) b Gabriel . . . . . . . 44 Dhananjaya de Silva lbw b Blackwood . . . . . . . . . . 39 Pathum Nissanka not out . . 49 Niroshan Dickwella † c †Da Silva b Holder . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Suranga Lakmal c Brathwaite b Joseph . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Dushmantha Chameera c †Da Silva b Holder . . . . . . . . . 2 Lasith Embuldeniya not out . 0 Extras (b 4, lb 5, nb 6, w 1) . 16

TOTAL (8 wickets; 103.1 Ov, RR: 2.42) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 Yet to bat: Vishwa Fernando Fall of wickets: 1-18 (Dimuth Karunaratne, 8.1 ov), 2-64 (Oshada Fernando, 29.4 ov), 3-77 (Lahiru Thirimanne, 35.3 ov), 4-152 (Dinesh Chandimal, 65.5 ov), 5-177 (Dhananjaya de Silva, 79.1 ov), 6-203 (Niroshan Dickwella, 87.4 ov), 7-214 (Suranga Lakmal, 90.2 ov), 8-231 (Dushmantha Chameera, 97.5 ov) BOWLING: Kemar Roach 16-4-54-1; Shannon Gabriel 14.1-3-33-1; Alzarri Joseph 22-4-64-2; Jason Holder 21-3-39-2; Kyle Mayers 11-7-10-1; Rahkeem Cornwall 15-5-25-0; Jermaine Blackwood 4-0-16-1

Narayan Ramdhani receives 3rd MVP award C anada-based Guyanese Badminton champion Narayan Ramdhani has this week received his third consecutive Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for his university’s badminton team.

The Kings University Eagles athlete (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) has been a standout player since his arrival there, and has copped a number of coveted accolades.

Commenting on his achievement, the 22-year-old noted that the award is reflective of the hard work he has been putting in.

“Getting the MVP for the badminton team is a great accomplishment. This is the third year in a row I’m getting it, and it shows how hard I’m working,” Ramdhani told this publication.

Highlighting that this particular award was not his main focus, but rather excelling at every competition he attends, he went on to say, “The MVP wasn’t that important to me, it was getting a gold medal at provincials and getting a medal at Nationals. I think that’s the biggest goal for me when I’m here in Canada.”

According to the Guyana Badminton Association (GBA), even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Narayan has been trying to keep up with his training as a ‘badminton hopeful’ for the Tokyo Olympics.

The games are set for July 23 to August 8.

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NOW!

Among Narayan’s major achievements to date are:

Guyana Current National Ranking No.1 Guyana’s Junior Sportsman of the Year (2016) AB Canada Current Kings University Ranking No.1 AB Canada Current ACAC Ranking No.2 Canada Current CCAA National Ranking No.4 4-Times Athlete of the Week Kings University (Canada) 2019 & 2020 2-Times ACAC All Conference Award (Canada) 2019 & 2020 3-Times MVP Kings University (Canada) 2019. 2020 & 2021 Athlete of the Year Kings University (Canada) 2018-19 ACAC Championship Gold Medalist (Canada) 2019 CCAA Championships Bronze Medalist (Canada) 2019 Yonex Alberta Series #1 Gold Medalist (Canada) 2019 VCR Jack Under-Hill Tournament Gold Medalist (Canada) 2018 VCR Remembrance Day U-23 Tournament Gold Medalist (Canada) 2017 Caribbean International Bronze Medalist (Suriname) 2018

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THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2021

“Try understand and see the positive side” – Maximo slams critics

Omari Glasgow celebrating his first international goal for the Golden Jags

G

olden Jaguars Head Coach Marcio Maximo is pretty confident about the team’s chances going forward after their 4-0 win on Tuesday afternoon. However, what the coach is not pleased about is the criticism that the National Team programme has been receiving.

Visibly elated that Guyana’s Senior Men’s National Team was able to bounce back from an initial loss to Trinidad and Tobago, Maximo took the opportunity, at a virtual post-match press conference on Wednesday, to address much more than the team’s performance.

“Sometimes I don’t understand why people want to create cries or destroy the programme; because don’t destroy myself, it destroys the programmes! It destroys the players; that’s more important than anything.

That’s why sometimes I would

like to understand, because everything that we are doing here we are doing clearly, totally clearly. Nothing is moved, nothing is behind,” Maximo lamented.

The Head Coach proceeded to plead with persons to see the positive aspects of the programme by stressing, “Try understand and see the positive side. Try understand and see what you are doing, what the players are getting, especially players that never had opportunity like now. Try see the positive side; because any system, any programme, any situation has another side too, but if you give priority for bad part or bad side, you never grow up!”

Nonetheless, with two more World Cup Qualifying games coming up in June and the remainder of the CONCACAF Nations League, Maximo highlighted that selection is not subjective, and

he is confident that the team would do well.

“Coach just select players, but players should show themselves that they have conditions to be selected! It is more important. And I think that they understood the message, and I hope that they follow for next rounds,” the National Team boss shared.

Maximo added, “I repeat: you have three finals, two against St Kitts and Puerto Rico, and one against Guatemala, and I’m sure that the group will do well.”

What can be expected of the Golden Jaguars in June? It is a young team, but Maximo believes this is a working trend in the Region.

“For play football today you should be fast, you should be dynamic. All teams everywhere, even in the Caribbean, they reinforce their groups with young players. We cannot be different,” the Head

Iconic basketball trio touch down to represent Guyana – James brothers, Moe to boost squad

National Men’s Basketball Coach Junior Hercules

T

he potency of Guyana’s National Basketball Team has further been boosted with the arrival of professional players Delroy James and his brother Gordon James, alongside semi-professional player Anthony Moe. The trio arrived yesterday, and will seek to continue training as they prepare for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Pre-Qualifiers which are scheduled for April 7-11 in El Salvador.

When asked his thoughts on the arrival of this iconic trio, National Men’s Basketball Coach Junior Hercules said, “I am elated! I am excited!

It is a momentous occasion! I hope we will make full use of the resources we have, to ensure we get the full use of the skill set and experience at our disposal.

“Anthony Moe is here in Guyana to train.

He is no longer going directly to El Salvador.

The GABF has brought him to Guyana to train, as this is within the team’s interest to have the entire team training before the tournament.”

Delroy James is a 6’10” Power Forward who won both the FIBA Basketball Champions League (BCL) and FIBA Inter-Continental Cup with the

Delroy James (right), Anthony Moe (centre) and Gordon James (left)

Greek Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupóleos (Athletic Union of Constantinople) – AEK Basketball Club (BC) based in Athens, Greece.

Gordon James, Delroy’s brother, is a professional basketball player who has had stints in Japan and Argentina, and has represented Guyana in the 2015 CBC Senior Championships in Tortola, BVI and FIBA AmeriCup 2022 PreQualifier in 2019 in Tunja, Colombia.

Moe is by no means a stranger to these shores. The 6’10” forward has done it all. He has had international experience, and this would benefit the Guyana team.

Moe is a deadly 3-point shooter and a great finisher who plays above the rim. He is a great defender and shot blocker, great post presence, and can put the ball on the floor and get to the rack.

The Guyana Men’s National Team is expected to arrive in San Salvador on April 12th and depart April 19th. The competition format will be Round Robin, and the top three (3) teams would advance to the second round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup – Americas PreQualifier in July 2021.

Coach divulged.

Meanwhile, for National team debutant Omari Glasgow, the two-game experience has been a refreshing one.

“It has been great so far!

Atmosphere has been great, and I love the challenge with the team,” the 17-year-old shared at the same media engagement on Wednesday.

In anticipation of Guyana’s next set of games, Glasgow campaigned for more support, and promised the team would excel.

“I just want to say thanks for all the support from the fans and my family in Guyana.

Although we didn’t get a win against Trinidad, we still got a bounce back against Bahamas, so I just wanna say thanks for the support. Continue supporting the team and we’ll make you proud in the upcoming matches in June,” Glasgow declared.

The Golden Jaguars will complete their Group games on June 4 and 8 against St Kitts and Nevis and Puerto Rico at a yet to be determined location, in hopes of making it to the next round of the competition.

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

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Sanasie not automatically disqualified after GCB elections

– CWI Vice President Shallow clarifies that independent candidates eligible to contest

C

ricket West Indies (CWI) Vice President Dr Kishore Shallow does not expect the recent Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) elections to affect the candidacy of former GCB Secretary Anand Sanasie, as independent candidates are allowed to run for the post of the presidency.

The GCB elected Guyana businessman Bissoondyal Singh to the post of president of the association on Monday, with Rabindranauth Saywack and Hilbert Foster set to serve as vice-presidents, and Ronald Williams named to serve as secretary. Sanasie did not contest the elections.

Sanasie is part of a twoman slate set to challenge incumbent CWI President Ricky Skerritt, with Calvin Hope of Barbados set to challenge Shallow for the vice-presidency. Following the election, however, Sanasie is no longer a member of the GCB, and, as such, speculation has arisen regarding the future of the challenge. Shallow, however, expects Sanasie to be on the slate when the election takes place on April 11.

CWI Vice President, Dr Kishore Shallow

“Independent persons can be nominated for the post of president and vice-president, so he is not automatically disqualified,” Shallow explained. “You don’t have to be a voting member or a shareholder to be eligible to be a candidate, and that means both his and the nomination of his running mate would stand at this point,” he added.

The CWI elections were scheduled to be held last weekend, but were postponed after a quorum could not be reached, following the absence of representatives from Guyana and Barbados. (Adapted from Sportsmax)

Mohabir Baljeet Memorial 46mile cycle race set for Sunday

T

he ancient county of Berbice will have its first race of the 2021 cycling season when the 46-mile Mohabir Baljeet Memorial race pedals off on Sunday, April 4.

This race, which would be open to Berbice cyclists only, will start at 8:30h at Sukhpaul Gas Station in New Amsterdam and head to the Sukhpaul Gas Station in Corriverton, Upper Corentyne.

A total of 10 sprint prizes will be up for grabs, while prizes will be awarded to the first five finishers in the senior category and the first three junior finishers.

Approximately 20 Berbice cyclists will be vying for the top spot. The likes of Balram Narine, Romello Crawford and Andrew Hicks would be among others who are expected to set ablaze the Corentyne highway, transforming that roadway into their playing field as they battle into the breeze.

The juveniles will be riding from the Number 51 gas station towards the finishing line at Sukphaul’s Gas Station in Corriverton.

This exciting contest would be held under strict COVID-19 guidelines, and all participants are asked to be masked up and practice social distancing

The grandson of the late Mohabir Baljeet making a presentation to Coach Randolph Roberts

before and after the race.

Presentation of prizes would be made immediately after the race.

This is the ninth death anniversary of the late Mohabir Baljeet, but this is the first memorial cycling race.

Cycling Coach and President of the Flying Ace Cycling Club, Randolph Roberts, has expressed gratitude to the COVID-19 Task Force for allowing the event to be held, and will be looking forward to the protective services of the ‘B’

Division Police.

Cycling has continued to gain approval from the COVID-19 Task Force, and since its return, all races held have been a success. The most recent race, a 50-miler, was held on Sunday last, and many of Guyana’s top riders in the senior, junior, and masters categories participated.

That race began at Carifesta Avenue and headed to Mahaica, East Coast Demerara. Cyclists for this Sunday’s race are asked to be prompt for a scheduled start.

(Brandon Corlette)

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2021

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

Narayan Ramdhani receiving his accolade from Head Coach Naeem Haque

“Try understand Narayan and see the positive Ramdhani side” receives 3rd – Maximo MVP award slams critics Sanasie Bowlers cement West Indies’ not automatically strong position on rain-hit Day 3 disqualified after GCB elections Pg 22

Pg 23

Pg 22

– CWI Vice President Shallow clarifies that independent candidates eligible to contest Pg 23

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