Guyana Times - Thursday, January 10, 2019

Public Health Ministry P14 assists Berbice fire victims

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

Issue No. 3800

THE BEACON OF TRUTH Thursday, January 10, 2019

PRICE

No-confidence resolution meeting

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Govt, Opposition Chief Whips to meet with GECOM

See stories on pages 3, 7&9

…to check readiness for elections in constitutional time frame

Govt lacks P9 comprehensive job creation policy – Gaskin

2018 gold declaration lower than P2 2017

Region 2 refugees centre

No consultations held with P11 regional administration – Chairman

...President refuses to withdraw legal challenge …Opposition Leader expects courts to accelerate hearings to prevent crisis …Court must act swiftly – Sir Ronald Sanders …says Guyana could come under scrutiny for not upholding Constitution

Essequibo Coast man charged for killing Toshao Cop struck Several sexually down while abused children directing contracted HIV, traffic STDs – ChildLink

Local Govt Commission abruptly cancels P11 meeting

Page 8

Page 2

Page 12

SOCU charges discriminatory, abuse of court’s process – Ali ...as High Court P10 challenge halts magistrate’s courts case

2 news

thursdAY, January 10, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

2018 gold declaration over 6% Several sexually abused lower than 2017 children contracted …Gold Board projects 651,000oz exportation for 2019 HIV, STDs – ChildLink

T

he Guyana Gold Board (GGB) has projected that for 2019, declarations and exportations are to be pegged at 651,000 ounces.

This estimation was established in retrospect to the outcome from 2018, which turned out to be an “encouraging year” for the organisation.

According to the Gold Board, plans are on stream to manage and enhance existing emission control mechanisms, obtain a permanent operation base and fulfilling the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force and National Risk Assessment AntiMoney Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism standards and reduce legacy deficit on the Bank of Guyana and the Finance Ministry.

Pending capital projects are also expected to be completed during the next 12

months as well as continued training for staffers of the facility, the entity said.

As of December 31, 2018, total declarations from all sources amount to 613,073oz, which was 6.22 p e r cent low-

er than the figures from 2017. Additionally, the foreign exchange value of exports processed on behalf of dealers and the GGB came to US$443,961,666.

According to the Board,

factors which led to the marginal differences between the two years were as a result of inclement weather, impassable roads, and depressed metal prices in the first three quarters of 2018.

In the last quarter, there was some “strength” generated by dealers which increased the projection score.

While the Gold Board had blamed inclement weather, impassable roads, and depressed metal prices as a for decline, Finance Minister Winston Jordan in August 2018 revealed in the Finance Ministry’s Mid-Year Report 2018, which was laid in Parliament, admitted that the gold sector also suffered a decline of 9.1 per cent for the first half of the year.

This is equivalent to a decrease of 288,114 ounces in

gold declaration. The report also revealed that this represented a 19.4 per cent shortfall (below the original projection set by Government).

The Minister in his report also noted that there are a number of downside economic and fiscal risks to the economy, both domestic and external, which can frustrate the achievement of the various revised targets.

Meanwhile, Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman acknowledged licensed dealers – Mohammed’s Enterprise and El Dorado Trading – who placed first and second respectively in the total declarations and gold export.

Following these entities were contributions from Pure Diamond, Dinar, Excel, Adamantium Metals, Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) Property Holdings Incorporated and Gold Bar Development.

A

recent study conducted by ChildLink has found that a number of children have suffered from ruptured uteruses, as well as the most dreaded sexually transmitted disease, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

In this specific research, 338 victims were screened and at least four were discovered to have ruptured uteruses, among other health implications.

The report said that many of the children had to be hospitalised as a result of the extent of the abuse, while some even required surgery for their injuries.

On the other hand, some children bacame pregnant while others contracted HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, or other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

According to the docu-

gretted that they were unable to complete their CSEC and possibly even go on to further their studies or pursue tertiary level education.

Often, CSA precipitated school cessation or failure.

We must eliminate CSA so every Guyanese child can reach his or her academic potential,” the report noted.

When asked what would be different in their lives if they had not been abused, the victims described completing the activities they were entitled to and enjoying the peace that should be every child’s birth right.

Many said that they would have finished school, continued living with their families, been happy, had friends, and would have been able to make something of their lives.

One said she “Would have had a proper job and a normal life.” A number

ment, “Child sexual abuse [CSA] must be seen as an important path for the transmission of HIV, Hepatitis C, and other STIs including the virus that causes cervical cancer. Left untreated, some of these infections will lead to infertility and even death. A person who is abused in childhood and does not receive adequate medical attention, including STI screening, is at risk of suffering irreparable harm and innocently transmitting infections to others”.

When it comes to other effects of child sexual abuse, ChildLink found that victims complained more of being sad, getting angry easily, feeling bad, thinking about the abuse “all the time,” crying a lot, feeling down or depressed, and “spacing out a lot.” Participants described feelings of loss of control over their emotions and their lives. Many reported new or nearly constant anxiety.

Victims even reported that they are affected by nightmares, problems with sleeping or eating, flashbacks, numbness, irrational fears, incessant crying, and suicidal feelings, including significant suicide attempts.

Important to note is that those victims also encounter difficulties in school, as they were usually unable to focus. “Many said their school performance suffered; several said they began getting into trouble at school; many stopped attending school; several re-

of teens expressed their sadness at not being able to finish school and write the CSEC, which they felt would interfere with their ability to get a job for the rest of their lives.

One girl whose abusive stepfather kept her isolated at home and did not allow her to play with other children, said she “would have been playing more as a young child,” the report said.

Some victims complained of being faced with hardships such as raising a child, on her own, through her victimisation, disputes with parents and other family members which led to them being cast out.

All abusers threatened the children implicitly, by demonstrating their power in a variety of ways. Some children reported that the abusers also issued specific threats to make them comply with the abuse and keep it secret. Some abusers threatened to kill the child’s mother, to kill the child (e.g. “I was crying and screaming and he raised his voice and said, ‘Shut your ****ing mouth before I kill you.’”) Children were also threatened that their parents would put them out if they found out, while others were told that they would make the family unhappy, the report stated. According to the report, children were even told that if they spoke out the abusers would tell people they have contracted AIDS.

news

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thursdAY, January 10, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Thursday, January 10 – 05:00h-06:30h and Friday, January 11 – 05:00h-06:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Thursday, January 10 – 06:30h-08:00h and Friday, January 11 – 07:05h-08:35h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

Sunny intervals are expected to prevail throughout the day, while clear skies in the evening, with overall temperatures ranging between 20 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-easterly between 2.23 metres and 4.91 metres.

High Tide: 07:00h and 19:14h reaching maximum heights of 2.43 metres and 2.51 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 00:34h and 12:48h reaching minimum heights of 0.68 metre and 0.79 metre respectively.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2019

LOTTERY NUMBERS 02 08 14

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FREE TICKET

16 Bonus Ball

DAILY MILLIONS

11 13 17 19 20 LUCKY 3

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DRAW DE LINE

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President refuses to withdraw legal challenge …Opposition Leader expects courts to accelerate hearings to prevent crisis

By Vahnu Manikchand

WEATHER TODAY

C

No-confidence resolution meeting

T

he much-anticipated meeting between Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo and President David Granger on Wednesday was said to be a fruitful engagement during which the two sides entered into agreements on several areas including jointly approaching the courts to expedite the legal proceedings filed in reference to the no-confidence resolution.

This is after the Head of State insisted that his Administration will continue to pursue the legal proceedings, which challenges the validity majority of the 33 votes that was used to pass the motion instead of an “absolute majority” of 34.

Speaking at a media briefing following the meeting, which lasted nearly 90 minutes, Jagdeo told reporters that Opposition sought clarity on whether Government would have accepted the constitutional provisions outlined in Articles 106 (6) and (7) of the Constitution.

“The President said “No”, they will continue to pursue the legal route as a remedy to this situation,” the Opposition Leader revealed, while explaining however that “This legal remedy could take forever, it could take maybe a year and what happens in the meantime? We would have defeated, first of all, the purpose of the Constitution – the intent of [Article] 106 (6) and (7) – and what if at the end of the year, the court rules in our favour or two years, the court says yes it was validly upheld. So we made it clear that this legal situation, we don’t support it but that’s a reality because the Government will pursue it.”

Accelerate process

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Against this backdrop, Jagdeo disclosed that he suggested during the meeting that the court be approached to expedite these matters so that there will be no breach of the Constitution which stipulates that elections beheld within three months of the passage of a motion of no-confidence.

“That is one thing that I think we agreed on, that some approach could be made to the court jointly or through a public statement to have this matter expeditiously determined since the Government is going to pursue this remedy, it will not withdraw… So I expect if the court see that [urge to expedite from both sides] and they know this is a constitutional matter, and given what has happened in the region – we have had the CCJ (Caribbean Court of Justice) meeting over a week-

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo greeting President David Granger at the Ministry of the Presidency on Wednesday

end to resolve an issue in sever matters – we can deal with this issue continuously.”

He added that Guyana’s case is not just an ordinary matter, “this is a question of the Constitution and also the timeline imposed by the Constitution is ticking and so the need for that urgency we’re pushing for must dawn on the court themselves… and now they’re getting the Government and the Opposition saying we want you to hear it continuously, expeditiously get the hearing so that we can move it and get that out of the way,” he posited.

Govt’s reneging

On December 21, 2018, the Opposition’s No-confidence Motion against Government was passed after Alliance For Change (AFC) parliamentarian took a conscience decision and voted in favour of the motion. Following the passage

both the President and Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo had given assurances that the Administration will uphold the Constitution.

Despite this commitment, Government went ahead and unsuccessfully sought to have the Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr

Barton Scotland, reverse his decision on the passage of the resolution.

The Speaker acknowledged that while he does have the authority to revisit and reverse rulings in the National Assembly, he must always act in conformity with the Constitution.

As such, Dr Scotland informed the chambers that their questions must first be settled outside of Parliament and that any court ruling would guide future actions of the House.

Since the passage of the no-confidence resolution, Jagdeo has been calling for a meeting with the President to have talks on the way forward. On Wednesday, he posited that, though this engagement was held much later than anticipated it was nevertheless a good one. turn to page 7

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guyanatimesgy.com

thursdAY, January 10, 2019

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

Pain and anguish

J

ust recently, two brothers were brutally killed by bandits in Corentyne, Berbice. It is just one of many horrific incidents of crime that continue to plague the country. More so, gauging from reports, there is a spike in criminal activities across the country; particularly in Berbice. Watching the mother of those two brothers lamenting her loss and pain is heartbreaking and extremely worrisome, for no one knows who next will be pounced upon as their safety appears insecure.

None would want to or should be made to suffer like her and the families of the two deceased. Just before the two lives were snuffed out, they were, like most Guyanese, preparing with their loved ones, to usher in the New Year in a festive spirit. One can safely assume they may have looked forward to the New Year with renewed hope for success. In their wildest imagination, surely losing their lives that night would not have been contemplated.

Such dastardly acts have rendered life cheap at the hands of criminals who kill with impunity. The ensuing shock that suddenly reverberated will be felt for a very long time, with the haunting memories embedded permanently. The emotional devastation left in the aftermath is indescribable as fear overwhelms not just the survivors but citizens throughout. With mindsets saturated with fear, lifestyles and routines are forced to be curtailed with many made to feel like prisoners in their own homes.

With every reported crime, there are many unreported ones.

These daily occurrences have caused many to ask what the authority is doing to curb the escalating situation. From their standpoint and having seen the Police received additional resources, including vehicles, there is little or no excuse for the rampant crime. Their expectation is for swift responses, apprehension of the perpetrators and increased and effective patrols within their neighbourhoods.

Such actions will go a far way in helping to build citizens’ confidence in the Police which is tasked to serve and protect. While the reality may be different due to holistic resource constraint, the perceived lack of mitigating policy will further diminish whatever semblance of confidence may exist. While this is not suggesting that there is an absence of necessary policies by law enforcement, the realities of the current crime spate create the environment for suggesting otherwise or failure to effectively implement.

This once again brings into focus one of the Government’s campaign mantras which boasted of making the country safer from crime. Stacked with a number of security experts in its line-up, many Guyanese bought into it having little or no reason to doubt that capacity to deliver. The President was a Brigadier in the Army; two officials were once its Chief-of-Staff; and a Minister, a former Commissioner of Police. This is aside from the number of other former Army officers who are part of the Government structure.

This is a reflection of what may have been an unquestionably capacity through experience within the Administration to share knowledge and derive polices to effectively combat crime. Under its watch, crime appears to have drastically increased. Given what unfolds every day, the Government must feel some sense of embarrassment over not being able to deliver on its campaign boast of securing the nation despite its composition of security experts. Some would see it as an indictment on its behalf.

Whatever the feeling on that is, the bottom line is that ordinary and hard-working citizens are made hapless victims by rampaging and merciless criminals. Many poor people with modest means are also not spared. Naturally, the focus would be on the subject Public Security Minister. Many have voiced discontent with his performance. During his tenure, criminal activities continue unabated, 17 inmates were killed following a prison riot, the Camp Street Prison was destroyed by fire and escapees from the Lusignan penitentiary reported.

When all of that and the prevailing fear are taken into consideration, one can fairly conclude that the Government through the Public Security Ministry has failed to curb the ongoing crime situation. This does mean there weren’t moments of success as some bandits were either killed or apprehended. From this, one can posit a lack of consistency, probably resulting from a deficiency in policymaking. This is a prevailing view along with what appears to be a lack of focus from the executive branch on crime.

While Ministers generally multitask, this ability has seemingly escaped the subject Minister. He has been prominent and vociferous in his public pronouncements following the vote of no-confidence against the Government. This is evident in one way from his numerous appearances on television. To date he hasn’t commented on the current crime situation and, at least not publicly, offer any sentiment of comfort to that grieving mother from Berbice; the county from which he hails.

That could suggest a lack of compassion and understanding of the realities on the ground. That could also give fodder to the argument of a lack of suitability for the position. Surviving and anguished victims may have little doubt.

Troupes parade through the streets of Cape Town in South Africa as the Cape Minstrel bands hold their traditional carnival (BBC)

Banks back Saudi bond issue after Khashoggi’s death – Kingdom makes first foreign debt issuance since killing of Journalist

By Simeon Kerr in Dubai and Katie Martin in London

S

audi Arabia has tapped international investors for US$7.5 billion of new bonds, with several heavy-hitting western banks stepping forward to manage the deal despite international outrage over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and deep concern over the Kingdom’s war in Yemen.

Less than three months after professing alarm at the gruesome death of the Washington Post columnist and scaling back their presence at a showcase economic forum in Riyadh in response, BNP Paribas, Citigroup, HSBC, and JPMorgan are all managing the deal alongside NCB Capital – Saudi Arabia’s largest asset manager.

Each bank has broad interests in the kingdom and across the region. None had any comment on the decision to participate in the deal, but Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan’s chief executive, has said that business relationships with Riyadh would continue.

Saudi Arabia has been reeling from western condemnation of the violent killing of the critical journalist last year, which has been blamed on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s main policy driver.

Last week, 11 suspects

Jamal Khashoggi

were put on trial for his alleged murder, with the government denying Prince Mohammed’s involvement.

A supplement to the bond’s prospectus makes a fleeting reference to the Khashoggi case.

While some inward investment deals have been put on hold given growing uncertainty, investors are likely to be more receptive to sovereign debt exposure, bankers said.

The dollar bonds sold on Wednesday mature in both 2029 and 2050 and attracted US$27 billion of orders.

Saudi Arabia will pay a yield of 4.48 per cent on the bonds maturing in 2029, and 5.328 per cent on the 2050 debt.

That is a small premium on the existing benchmarks of the same maturities.

Bankers say that the heavier price tag for the kingdom reflects jittery market conditions and higher borrowing costs across the board. “The entire market is wider than last year,”

said one banker following the deal.

Factors such as a lower oil price, higher US interest rates and general market sentiment would likely feed into the bond’s pricing. “I don’t think there is any political impact,” he added.

Saudi Arabia’s 2019 budget pledged to boost expenditure by seven per cent as the Government seeks to kick-start a private sector bruised by years of lower state spending since the 2014 oil crash and the impact of structural reforms, including higher energy prices and fees on expat workers.

Another dip in oil prices could also complicate the Finance Ministry’s aim of balancing the budget deficit, forecast at 4.2 per cent this year, by 2023. The Saudi budget for this year forecasts public debt of 678 billion riyals, or 21.7 per cent of gross domestic product, compared with 560 billion riyals, or 19.1 per cent of

GDP in 2018.

As well as raising debt to fund the deficit, state-related entities are also likely to tap bond and loan markets to raise cash. One Dubaibased global asset manager said the Saudi Government and related entities may require around US$100 billion of financing over the next year.

“Raising these amounts in the international capital markets will be challenging but it would be a grave error to rely too much on domestic sources of capital,” he said.

Saudi Aramco, the state oil giant, is expected to raise up to US$40 billion in debt, perhaps in two tranches, to help fund an expected US$70 billion transaction to acquire petrochemicals firm Sabic, bankers say.

The deal, hatched after the postponement of the Saudi Aramco IPO, aims to transfer cash to the sovereign Public Investment Fund, the crown prince’s principal investment vehicle tasked with diversifying the oil-dependent economy.

Saudi Arabia’s energy minister, Khalid al Falih, who is also chairman of state oil giant Saudi Aramco, said on Wednesday that the company would also issue Shariah-compliant sukuk bonds in the second quarter in a move that would likely require further disclosure of the oil giant’s finances.

(Financial Times)

guyanatimesgy.com

thursdAY, January 10, 2019

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

There seems to be no hope for City Hall Dear Editor, Well it seems as though we are in for another sidesplitting, waste of time circus, better known as a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) in Guyana.

Our beloved country over the last few years has become renowned for spending large sums of money, and enormous amounts of time to conduct a plethora of Commissions of Inquiry from Lindo Creek to the Guyana Sugar Corporation and from the public education system to circumstances surrounding the death in an explosion of the late Dr Walter Rodney and then having them all left on some shelf in a back room gathering dust.

Now reports have surfaced that the Chairman of the Local Government Commission (LGC) has illegally and indecorously kicked one of the Commissioners out from committee meetings being held to discuss the findings of the CoI which the LGC requested and commissioned into the goings on at the Georgetown Municipality.

This course of action apart from being unlawful, puts on full display another horrendous example of the clear disregard for women by some men in Guyana, and the level of the impactful political ‘bully culture’ that is raising its ugly head once again in our country.

Why is the other former municipal employee and union leader not being forced to recuse himself from the proceedings as well? What’s good for the goose must be good for the gander.

Each and every one in Guyana, or as they say here Tom, Dick and Harrylall, are well aware that the Georgetown Municipality is the most tainted, rotten and morally debased institution in the country and possibly the region. Corruption, embezzlement, cronyism and nepotism are regular pastimes at City Hall and everybody and their grandmother know that.

It was therefore the expectation of all decent mind-

ed Guyanese that the entire top layer of the administration of the Council and some of the political directorate would have been removed years ago, with some of them being handed over to the various law enforcement agencies, that there would have been forensic audits into the finances of that institution held over the decades which were not, and that the bloated payroll would have been halved a long time ago getting rid of

all of the friends and family who were illicitly recruited.

Finally, however, a CoI was held, and the citizens were given hope of some redemption in the city when they saw the recommendations of its Chairman. Alas!

Instead of quickly implementing those recommendations and possibly going even further, the folks at the LGC seem to be pussyfooting, playing politics and seeming to want to give their duplicitous comrades

at City Hall, golden parachutes that would allow them to parascend honourably into retirement with their saddlebags full of the ill-gotten loot they snatched brutishly from the citizenry.

Regrettably, there seems to be no hope for City Hall, as it has been business as usual at the Council with the offenders who were identified by the CoI in criminal enterprise being allowed to carry out

their routine tasks at their desks as though nothing irregular has happened, with Councillors who were complicit with the wrongdoings over the years have been given key positions in significant committees in the new Council, and now with a major effort underway to exonerate the culprits who have been found guilty of major wrongdoings.

Sincerely, Shanta Singh

Cabinet took care of itself while punishing our children Dear Editor, The A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) was defeated in a no-confidence motion on December 21, 2018. They were defeated because they took care of themselves, enriching themselves and their friends and family, at the expense of Guyanese children and their parents, while neglecting the Guyanese people. Now, with an impending election – within 90 days of December 21 – APNU/AFC is in a frenzied electioneering mode, pretending they care much for our children. Senior Ministers are insisting that Government must invest in our children. We agree one of the most important investments any Government can make is its investment in children. Parliament and the people lost confidence in APNU/AFC for many reasons, but one of the standout reasons is the total neglect of Guyanese children.

For three-and-a-half years, children were victimised because APNU/AFC

wanted to remove any of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) footprints of public good that Guyanese children benefited from.

One of the first acts of the APNU/AFC after they assumed control of Government in May 2015 was the termination of the “Because We Care” programme.

This programme, funded by the PPP Government, with about $1.5 billion in 2014 was a cash transfer programme that ensured parents received $10,000 per child in school. When the programme was rolled out in 2014, the PPP guaranteed the programme will be an annual cash transfer to be increased annually until the sum of $50,000 per child was achieved. When the PPP started the program in 2014, it was an instant lifeline for parents, many of whom were single-parent mothers.

In 2015, these mothers and parents around the country looked forward to not just receiving their grants, but to

receive an increased amount from the $10,000 they received in 2014. However, the PPP was replaced and APNU/AFC cruelly and immediately terminated the programme.

Why was the popular “Because We Care” programme terminated by APNU/AFC? The answer is very simple. It was too steeped in the PPP footprints. In a depraved, reprehensible act of vengeance, APNU/AFC terminated the programme, punishing innocent children and parents, because of their vile wish for vengeance against the PPP. To hide its shame, APNU/ AFC falsely and irresponsibly excused themselves claiming the Government was bankrupt, because the PPP bankrupted the country.

But this patented lie was exposed when APNU/AFC simultaneously increased the salaries and benefits for Cabinet members by between 50 and 100 per cent.

Suddenly, the President’s

salary was a hefty $4 million per month, and the Prime Minister’s salary was a bountiful $3 million per month, with generous benefits, even though APNU/AFC tried to tell the Guyanese people that the Government was broke. APNU/AFC also selectively and discriminately increased the pension of Hamilton Greene, who was Prime Minister before 1992, to more than $20 million annually. APNU/ AFC also began to vulgarly hire super-salaried contracted workers costing billions of dollars annually. The fact is that the APNU/AFC Cabinet looked after themselves, at the expense of citizens, like our children, like the parents of these children, particularly like the single parents.

This is not the only way, APNU/AFC demonstrated they did not care for our children. The school feeding programme has been reduced and hundreds of millions from the school feeding programme have been diverted

to other useless and meaningless initiatives. Almost a billion dollars for the school feeding programme was unutilised. In the meanwhile, parents of children in the sugar belts are unable to send their children to school because sugar estates, the main employer in the sugar belt, were closed, without the Government making provisions to help the parents and their children. It is these kinds of uncaring government responses that have caused an erosion of confidence in the APNU/AFC Government. These are the reasons why APNU/AFC is desperately, illegally trying to hold on to Government, because they know they have lost any chance of winning an election in Guyana.

The parliamentary no-confidence is widespread in the communities across Guyana and APNU/AFC is painfully aware of it.

Sincerely, Leslie Ramsammy

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THURsdAY, january 10, 2019

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ost teens need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night. Getting the right amount of sleep is essential for anyone who wants to do well on a test or play sports without stumbling. Unfortunately, many teens don’t get enough sleep.

School is out. And getting enough sleep is one of the tips for success

Why don’t teens get enough sleep?

Until recently, teens often got a bad rap for staying up late, oversleeping for school, and falling asleep in class.

But recent studies show that adolescent sleep patterns actually differ from those of adults or kids.

Experts say that during the teen years, the body’s circadian rhythm (sort of like an internal biological clock) is temporarily reset, telling a person to fall asleep later and wake up later. This change might be due to the fact that the brain hormone melatonin is produced later at night for teens than it is for kids and adults. This can make it harder for teens to fall asleep early.

These changes in the body’s circadian rhythm coincide with a busy time in life. For most teens, the pressure to do well in school is more intense than when they were kids, and it’s harder to get by without studying hard. And teens also have other time demands – everything from sports and other extracurricular activities to working a part-time job to save money for college.

Early start times in some schools also might play a role in lost sleep. Teens who fall asleep after midnight may still have to get up early for school, meaning that they might squeeze in only six or seven hours of sleep a night. A few hours of missed sleep a night may not seem like a big deal, but it can create a noticeable sleep deficit over time.

Why is sleep important?

A sleep deficit affects everything from someone’s ability to pay attention in class to his or her mood. According to a National Sleep Foundation Sleep in America poll, more than 25 per cent of high school students fall asleep in class, and experts have tied lost sleep to poorer grades. Lack of sleep also damages teens’ ability to do their best in athletics.

Slowed responses and dulled concentration from lack of sleep don’t just affect school or sports performance, though.

More than half of teens surveyed reported that they have driven a car while drowsy and 15 per cent said they drove drowsy at least once a week. The National Highway Safety Traffic Administration estimates that more than 100,000 accidents, 40,000 injuries, and 1500 people are killed in the US every year in crashes caused by drivers who are simply tired. Young people under the age of 25 are far more

likely to be involved in drowsy driving crashes.

Lack of sleep also is linked to emotional troubles, such as feelings of sadness and depression.

Sleep helps keep us physically healthy, too, by slowing the body’s systems to re-energize us for everyday activities.

Am I getting enough sleep?

Even if you think you’re getting enough sleep, you might not be. Here are some of the signs that you may need more sleep: difficulty waking up in the morning inability to concentrate falling asleep during classes feelings of moodiness and even depression aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa How can I get more sleep?

Here are some things that may help you to sleep better: Set a regular bedtime. Going to bed at the same time each night signals to your body that it’s time to sleep.

Waking up at the same time every day also can help establish sleep patterns. So try to stick as closely as you can to your sleep schedule, even on weekends. Try not to go to sleep more than an hour later or wake up more than two to three hours later than you do during the week.

Exercise regularly. Try not to exercise right before bed, though, as it can rev you up and make it harder to fall asleep. Finish exercising at least three hours before bedtime. Many sleep experts believe that exercising in late afternoon may actually help a person sleep.

Avoid stimulants. Don’t drink beverages with caffeine, such as soda and coffee, after 16:00h (4pm).

Relax your mind. Avoid violent, scary, or action movies or television shows right before bed – anything that might set your mind and heart racing. Reading books with involved or active plots may also keep you from falling or staying asleep.

Unwind by keeping the lights low. Light signals the brain that it’s time to wake up. Staying away from bright lights (including computer screens!), as well as meditating or listening to soothing music, can help your body relax.

Try to avoid TV, computers and other electronics, and using your phone (including texting) at least one hour before you go to bed.

Don’t nap too much. Naps of more than 30 minutes during the day and naps too close to bedtime may keep you from falling asleep later.

Avoid all-nighters. Don’t wait until the night before a big test to study. Cutting back on sleep the night before a test may mean you perform worse than you would if you’d studied less but got more sleep.

Create the right sleeping environment. Studies show that people sleep best in a dark room that is slightly on the cool side. Close your blinds or curtains (and make sure they’re heavy enough to block out light) and turn down the thermostat (pile on extra blankets or wear PJs if you’re cold). Lots of noise can be a sleep turnoff, too. Use a nature sounds or white-noise machine (or app!) if you need to block out a noisy environment.

Wake up with bright light. Bright light in the morning signals your body that it’s time to get going. If it’s dark in your room, it can help to turn on a light as soon as your alarm goes off.

If you’re drowsy, it’s hard to look and feel your best.

Schedule “sleep” as an item on your agenda to help you stay creative and healthy. (kidshealth.org)

Questions and Answers

L

ast year, I bullied this boy. (I’m a girl.)

I attacked him even though he’s stronger, because I knew he wouldn’t hit a girl. I insulted him.

I humiliated him every chance I got. I want to start over. I want to apologise, but I don’t know how. I feel awful for doing this. He doesn’t trust me. How do I show him I changed?

– Jess First, be proud of yourself for changing. It’s not easy to admit that you bullied someone or to stop once you start. And it takes a lot of courage to try to make up for past bullying behaviour.

Offering an apology to someone you’ve bullied is a great first step toward starting over. If you can, take him aside and say, “I want to apologise for my actions last year.” Being authentic and speaking from the heart can help.

Tell him, “I feel really bad for what I did. It’s been on my mind.”

People who are bullied

often have difficulty trusting others, especially the people who have bullied them in the past. So don’t expect the other person to automatically accept your apology. For instance, he might ignore your apology, yell at you, or even tease you.

Be patient. You’ve probably heard that “actions speak louder than words”.

So after offering words of apology, you then need to show him that you’ve really changed: Be kind and helpful to him and others. Over time, he should get the hint that you’ve changed – then you can both move on.

This will take time.

To get past any ups and downs, it can help to focus on two things: First, what you’re doing takes courage and you can take pride in the fact that you are taking real steps to change.

Second, whatever happens, you’re building some good skills and learning more about yourself and the kind of person you want to be. (kidshealth.org)

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thursdAY, January 10, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Govt, Opposition Chief Whips to meet with GECOM

...to check readiness for elections in constitutional time frame

Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira

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o date was set for General and Regional Elections during Wednesday’s meeting between President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, but coming out of that meeting is an agreement for teams from both sides to meet with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to determine its operational readiness to host General and Regional Elections.

This meeting, according to the Opposition Leader, is likely to be held today and will be led by the Chief Whips from the Opposition and Government – Gail Teixeira and Amna Ally respectively.

“We agreed that GECOM has to be ready and we have to start urgently… We have indicated from our side Gail Teixeira and they have indicated that Amna Ally will be leading their team, and the two person – and maybe other members who may wish to join them – would meet with GECOM to determine its operational readiness,” Jagdeo told reporters at a mid-afternoon briefing post following Wednesday morning’s meeting with the Head of State.

However, when probed as to whether there were any agreements on the hosting of elections in three months’ time as stated in Article 106 (7) of the Constitution, Jagdeo posited while no direct discussion was held in this regard, it was Government who included GECOM’s readiness for elections on the meeting’s

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo displaying the agenda provided by Government for discussion during Wednesday’s meeting which includes among other things ‘Operational Readiness of GECOM’

agenda.

“Elections will have to be held this year, the Constitution says that. I believe the President and the others would not have put on the agenda for this meeting, which is a meeting to dis-

President refuses to...

from page 3

Meeting

For Wednesday’s highly anticipated meeting held at the Ministry of the Presidency, Jagdeo led the Opposition’s delegation which included some of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) top ranking members, most of whom are contending for the party’s position of Presidential Candidate. These include: Anil Nandlall, Dr Frank Anthony, Gail Teixeira and Irfaan Ali along with Juan Edghill, Pauline Sukhai and Odinga Lumumba.

Meanwhile, the Government’s team led by President Granger included: Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Govt Chief Whip Amna Ally, Minister of State Joseph Harmon, Attorney General Basil Williams, Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge, Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman and Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan.

According to the Opposition Leader, during the meeting he raised several issues and reiterated his concerns about certain events taking place such as Government functioning as though nothing happened when in fact it should be operating in a caretaker role.

However, he disclosed that President Granger responded saying that there is nothing like caretaker responsibility in the Constitution. At that point, Jagdeo said he reminded the coalition that it was A Partnership for National Unity and AFC who introduced the concept of “caretaker responsibility” back in 2014 when they were the combined parliamentary Opposition and had tabled a no-confidence motion

against the Donald Ramotar regime.

Nevertheless, in the end, a consensus was arrived on this matter.

Strong and mature actions

“The President made it clear that you cannot have a country without a Government and we agreed with this 100 per cent. And I made it clear that our job is not to stymy the functioning of the Government, and so where public order is concerned and public services etc, those have to continue,” the Opposition Leader stated.

Furthermore, the two sides also shared the view that strong and mature actions from both the Government and Opposition is important to ensure that the Constitution is respected, and that confidence is given to the public about the country’s future.

“I shared the President’s view that it was a good meeting and that both sides shared the view that we want stability in our country. We don’t want our country to go into a constitutional crisis. The President said

he doesn’t want Guyana to be seen as a failed state… we don’t want the same. If we go pass the constitutional deadline that is where we’re headed. We don’t want that and we’re glad we had the meeting, although late.

We will continue to work, hopefully, together to overcome some of these issues,” the Opposition Leader stated.

Meanwhile, in a short video released by the Ministry of the Presidency moments after Wednesday’s meeting, President Granger called the meeting successful. He noted that it dealt widely with the functions of the National Assembly and the Government, noting that neither of the two important institutions – the Legislative and Executive branches – could be allowed to fail.

“Both the Leader of the Opposition and the President are concerned about the situation. We would like to assure the public in Guyana that we’re working to solution which they will be satisfied with. The public interest in our paramount concern,” the Head of State asserted.

cuss the consequences of the passage of the No-confidence Motion, operational readiness of GECOM. So I think they also share our views that elections will have to be held,” he posited.

In a video released by the Ministry of the Presidency following Wednesday’s meeting, President David Granger said, “We’ve agreed that the two sides will continue to work together to engage GECOM to ensure that elections are held within the administrative capabilities of the Guyana Elections Commission.”

Well prepared

Meanwhile, Public Relations Officer of GECOM, Yolanda Ward, last month told Guyana Times that the electoral body is well prepared to rise to the challenge and deliver on the impending General and Regional Elections.

“If that is the decision that we will have to conduct elections within a short period, then we will have to ensure that those elections are held as required, because it’s our constitutional mandate.

I’m sure that our Standard Operating Procedures will click into gear and we will be prepared to execute elections at a time we have been asked to do,” Ward had stated.

Voter’s list

Opposition Gail Teixeira ers during press briefing

Chief Whip told reportWednesday’s that while

she will have to discuss with her counterpart on the Government’s side their agenda going into a meeting with GECOM, she noted that the general interest is to get a detailed “timeframe of GECOM’s readiness within the constitutional timeline of 90 days”.

Nevertheless, Jagdeo had revealed that also on the agenda for discussion during Wednesday’s meeting was the national registration process. He explained that the current list of electorates, which was used for the November 2018 Local Government Elections (LGE), is valid up until April 30; and as such, there is no need for a new registration process since elections is expected in March.

“We pointed out that both sides never had a problem with the list for Local Government Elections and so there shouldn’t be a problem now,” he said.

In Article 106 (7), it is stated that elections shall be held within three months of the passage of a Noconfidence Motion or “such longer period as the National Assembly shall by resolution supported by not less than two-thirds of the votes of all the elected members of the National Assembly determine”.

According to Jagdeo, while this timeline is adequate now to hold elections and have GECOM ready, there is still enough room to push back the polls between the stipulated timeline (midMarch) and up to the validity period of the list. To this end, he asserted that the Opposition is willing to head to the National Assembly to extend the timeframe for the hosting of the elections.

“A two-week or a threeweek difference, if we all have to go together to the Parliament to extend the timeline by that, in the great scheme of things that will not harm anyone in Guyana and it will not harm us in the People’s Progressive Party.

But if the Government refuses to honour the passage the of the No-confidence Motion and they refuse to define a timeline for elections and the constitutional period ex-

Govt Chief Whip Amna Ally

pires, the Government then becomes unconstitutional, illegal, illegitimate,” he contended.

Further, the Opposition Leader went on to outline that the $3 billion budget allocation to GECOM for the national registration process had preceded the Noconfidence Motion and so with no need for this to be carried out again, then the money can be used in another area to help the elections body in its preparation for polls.

According to Jagdeo, if this sum is not sufficient to pull off elections, then the National Assembly can be approached for additional monies. This, he noted, is catered for under Article 106 (7) of the Constitution.

“Any issues relating to elections, the Parliament could legitimately be convened, and we will attend.

So if GECOM needs new laws, we can pass those; if GECOM needs supplementary provisions, then those could be passed or any other matter,” he asserted.

Nevertheless, the Opposition Leader, who is also the People’s Progressive Party’s General Secretary, posited that the Party is ready for elections to be held in three months’ time. In fact, he noted that the Party has even started ground work on its manifesto as well as building its candidature at the regional level for the geographical and national top lists.

“We are putting all our structures in place… we are ready to take this,” the Opposition Leader stated.

(Vahnu Manikchand)

8 news Essequibo Coast man charged for killing Toshao thursdAY, January 10, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Dead: Solomon Lewis

D

ays after the brutal murder of an Indigenous village leader in the community of Kurutuku, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), his sonin-law, who is accused of committing the act, was on Wednesday slapped with a murder charge and arraigned before the courts for the capital offence of murder.

Murder accused Addison Benjamin stood before Magistrate Sherdel IsaacsMarcus, who read the indictable charge which stated that on January 1, 2019 at Kurutuku, he killed Solomon Lewis.

The 27-year-old man, of Lima, Essequibo Coast, was represented by Attorney

Dexter Todd, who informed that his client acted in self-defence after he was physically abused by the now deceased man, his son and other men in the community.

Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield informed the court that the dead Toshao and Benjamin were involved in a heated argument over the abuse of Lewis’s daughter.

It was further stated that the accused armed himself with a cutlass and dealt the now deceased man a severe chop to the neck, after which he inflicted grievous wounds on Lewis’s son, Marvin Lewis.

Benjamin was later arrested and charged, Prosecutor Mansfield said, adding that more charges were expected to be brought against the accused.

Benjamin was remanded to prison with the case expected to continue on January 28, 2018.

Guyana Times had previously reported that the community in the Cuyuni River, was sent into a state of shock on New Year’s Day when the Toshao was beheaded by his son-in-law after he intervened in a domestic dispute.

Reports are the incident occurred about 04:00h on January 1. This publica-

A

Murder accused: Addison Benjamin

tion was told that Toshao Lewis and his son attempted to stop his son-in-law from beating his daughter.

Annoyed at the two men’s intervention, the suspect allegedly armed himself with a cutlass and reportedly dealt several chops to his father-in-law, severing his head in the process.

He then reportedly turned his attention to his brother-in-law, dealing him several chops also which reportedly severed one of the man’s hands. Following the incident, the suspect fled the

scene in a boat.

The team of law enforcement officers who were dispatched to the area to probe the murder arrested the suspect on January 3, 2019.

When contacted, former National Toshaos Council President Joel Fredericks related that security has been a concern of many village leaders from riverine and hinterland communities. In some cases, villages are vulnerable to attacks because some homes are isolated from the community proper.

“Sharky” slapped with murder, robbery charges

A

22-year-old miner of Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara (EBD), who evaded Police for more than a year in connection with the 2017 murder of a French Guiana national on Wednesday appeared in court where he was arraigned for murder.

Wayne Chester, also called “Sharky”, stood before Magistrate Sherdel IsaacsMarcus at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts after he was charged for killing 42-year-old Purcell Moore on December 20, 2017 at Old Road, Craig, EBD, during the course of a robbery.

The accused was not required to plead, and was remanded to prison. The case will continue on January 25, 2019.

Meanwhile, Chester faced other charges, which were read to him by Magistrate Faith McGusty.

The first of these charges

Accused: Wayne Chester being escorted by Police

stated that on January 6, 2019 at Lot 1 Conciliation

Drive, Tucville, Georgetown, while being in the com-

pany of others and armed with a gun, he robbed Quett Cromwell of a quantity of jewellery and cash, valued in total $512,600.

Another charge read that Chester unlawfully and maliciously damaged one front windscreen and a front bumper both valued at $85,000, property of Cromwell.

The defendant also faced another charge of discharging a loaded firearm at Cromwell with intent to maim, disfigure, disable or cause grievous bodily harm. Additionally, he was charged for having an unlicensed .32 pistol along with one .32 spent shell without being the licensed firearm holder at the time.

Chester denied the charges after they were read to him by Magistrate McGusty. He was remanded to prison.

Cuban remanded on fraud, conspiracy charges

A

33-year-old Cuban on Wednesday made an appearance before Georgetown Magistrate Faith McGusty facing two charges of fraud and conspiracy to commit a felony.

The first charge against Georley Ruiz Veliz detailed that on January 4, 2019, at the Central Immigration Passport office, Georgetown,

with intent to defraud, he presented a Republic of Cuba passport to an immigration officer with forged Guyana ImmigrationCheddi Jagan International Airport departure and arrival stamp of 2018 knowing same to be forged.

The other charge stated that on October 24, 2018 at Georgetown, with intent

After…

to defraud, he conspired with person(s) unknown to forge the immigration departure and arrival stamp dated 2018, purporting to show both was issued by the Central Immigration Passport Office.

The unrepresented Veliz, by way of a translator, told the Magistrate that he did not know what to say; as a

result, a not-guilty plea was entered for both charges.

Police Prosecutor Seon Blackman objected to bail, informing the court that the foreigner has no fixed place of abode locally.

Magistrate McGusty remanded Veliz to prison.

The case will continue on January 30, 2019.

…THE meeting ll across Guyana, there was a pregnant pause in the national pulse as Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo met President David Granger yesterday to discuss the “consequences” of the no-confidence vote that was affirmed by the Speaker of the National Assembly as a done deal. After a heady moment of elation when the Government agreed that they’d lost the vote and elections had to be held in 90 days, they backpedalled furiously after coming up with a host of “cock and bull” stories designed to derail their imminent demise.

They petitioned the courts with the specious claims – but more dangerously, spread the canard in their constituency that the no-confidence vote – sanctified by the Constitution and used regularly in all parliamentary democracies – was a dastardly “coup”!! PPP’s bribery of the AFC MP was announced as an article of faith, even though there wasn’t a shred of evidence to support the claim! Not surprisingly, the political temperature climbed alarmingly – especially after old-line PNC strongman Aubrey Norton was brought out from some cage he must’ve been locked away in!! It was widely feared an explosion was imminent.

All of this was done after PNC leader Granger had gone off to continue his chemotherapy in Cuba and many Guyanese hoped that at the meeting between the two leaders, Granger would put country before party and “do the right thing”. Well, your Eyewitness is at least pleased by the obvious effort of both leaders to at least attempt to lower the temperature through their body language, via the photos of the meeting that were released. The only sour note was Moses Nagamootoo staring daggers at Jagdeo – who was seated slightly oblique across from him!!

But what of the substance of the meeting?? Sadly, your Eyewitness isn’t impressed because the PNC refused to make a definitive statement that elections will be held at least before the expiry date on the present list of voters – which is in April 2019, and a good month and a half, AFTER the three months demanded by Article 106 (6). With both sides agreeing that elections will be held WHEN GECOM SAYS THEY’RE READY, the ball’s still in the hands of the PNCled Government.

That the Government placed on THEIR agenda the item, “National Registration”, clearly TELEGRAPHS that in their eyes, a new list will have to be created. Which will take at least ONE YEAR!! While the two Whips of the Government and the Opposition will look into the operations of GECOM to determine its “readiness” – the PNC’s in control of the mechanism – and will ensure that it’s NOT ready!! Not to mention the health of the 85-year-old GECOM Chairman, specially chosen by Granger.

The PNC has simply moved the goalposts

…the President’s report Just to make sure that we don’t misreport the President’s position on the hope that he was not au fait with his “hardliners” truculence, your Eyewitness will quote him on the backtracking initiative they took while he was away: “As you know the Government has had legal recourse to the courts in order to determine the validity of the vote in the National Assembly on the 21 of December.”

There…you have it!! Granger isn’t saying that whatever the court decides will be PROSPECTIVE, ie, apply to future circumstances – as Jagdeo said the Speaker had advised, when he affirmed the no-confidence. No siree Bob!!

Granger’s position is that the court will “determine the validity” of the December 21 no-confidence vote!!

Meaning no way in hell will he go along with elections in three months. Unless the courts – all the way up to the CCJ – can go back in time to for Parliament dissolved – and elections be held within three months by Article 61!! …the Indigenous threat After nudging NUG, the PNC’s working overtime to have the Indigenous Peoples’ Party– the Liberal and Justice Party (LJP) – be stillborn.

After slinging copious mud at leader Shuman, the party’s rental – with payment – of the Umana Yana for its launch was nixed with an, “Oops, it’s rented!!”

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

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thursdAY, January 10, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

No-confidence resolution

Court must act swiftly – Sir Ronald Sanders …says Guyana could come under scrutiny for not upholding Constitution

By Samuel Sukhnandan

N

ow that both Government and the Opposition through President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo have met to discuss the way forward on the no-confidence resolution, and have agreed to ask the court to expedite the court proceedings, Guyanese diplomat and academic, Sir Ronald Sanders says the Court must act quickly to approve the request of both parties.

In an interview with Guyana Times on Wednesday, Sir Sanders said there is nothing wrong with going to court to seek a solution to the current problem facing the country, as it relates to the no-confidence resolution, but it must be understood that it is a matter of grave national importance.

As such, he said based on the situation and given what is at stake, the court must pronounce on these matters in the shortest possible time. “No more than one week, because every day the court delays this

Sir Ronald Sanders

matter, the political tension and anxiety grows and that is not a good thing,” he opined.

Sir Sanders asserted that the court should not delay justice but should seek to make both a fair judgement and within a considerable time. He reminded that the court cannot change the Constitution, but only interpret it by law. “And that should not take any competent court a lengthy time to do,” he added.

In cementing his argument, the Guyana-born diplomat said the country’s future is at stake and nothing

should allow the supreme law to be vilified. He noted that the political and economic future of Guyana is also at stake, if this issue it not addressed soon, it could have several negative implications.

While nothing is set in stone based on the meeting between the two parties based on the holding of elections, Sir Sanders emphasised the need for all involved to arrive at a mature political position which puts the interest and economy of Guyana before narrow political considerations.

“This is not a time, in Guyana’s history, when it is on the cusp of becoming the wealthiest countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, and when it is faced with a hostile neighbour, Venezuela, for there to be any evidence of disunity and division in the Guyanese nation,” he told Guyana Times.

According to him, there are many who will seek to exploit the political differences in Guyana for their own benefit. He said it is therefore in Guyana’s best interest to put aside politi-

cal considerations and differences, in favour of a politically negotiated solution to this current problem.

Scrutiny

However, Sir Sanders who is the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the United States and to the Organisation of American States (OAS); and also non-resident High

Nicaragua, Honduras and even Guatemala, are under scrutiny for not following the constitutional process,” he said, pointing out that Guyana could head there if this matter is not addressed fairly and within the provisions that are available.

In commenting on the vote that took place in Parliament on December 21, 2018 which saw the toppling of the coali-

“No more than one week, because every day the court delays this matter, the political tension and anxiety grows and that is not a good thing,” – Sir Ronald Sanders Commissioner to Canada for Antigua and Barbuda, said that the basis of the issue facing Guyana has to do with constitutionality.

“And that has a great importance in terms of Guyana’s membership with the OAS and the United Nations, where the issue of constitutionality has come to the fore in recent years.

It is why for instance for the present time, countries such as Venezuela,

tion Government, Sir Sanders said the Guyana Constitution appears to be clear that if there is a no-confidence vote, the Government falls, and an election are to be held in 90 days.

As a practical matter, he said because of some issues, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) may not be fully prepared as it may have otherwise been had it been 2020; but

negotiation for an extension could only determined by way of negotiation between the President and the Opposition Leader.

However, he said this does not take away from the fact that elections should by all means be held within the 90 days as stipulated in the Constitution. “It cannot be longer than the 90 days and it has to be agreed to, if there is any extension.

That is the constitutional position of other countries which are aid donors, friends… that would expect the Government and the Opposition to move in this direction.”

Again, Sir Sanders urged that both Granger and Jagdeo put the Guyanese people’s interest first. He said, “The people of Guyana are the people who must decide this matter. And the best way to end this constitutional impasse is to put the question to the people of Guyana in an election and the sooner that happen the better. If both sides believe they are popular, they shouldn’t be afraid to go to an election.”

Govt lacks comprehensive job creation policy – Gaskin

W

ith the downsizing of the sugar industry leaving over 7000 workers without jobs, Guyana’s employment rate could see a dramatic increase. This is according to outspoken political commentator and economist Ramon Gaskin who on Wednesday said Government has no comprehensive policy for job creation. His comments are being made as the Guyana National Bureau of Statics (GNBS) gears up to release its unemployment numbers for 2018, which will serve

as a marker to the economic status of the country. The quarterly Labour Force Survey for July to September 2017 had revealed that the unemployment rate for persons aged 15 and above was 12 per cent, with the situation for women being substantially worse than that for men.

At that time, thousands of now dismissed East Demerara, Rose Hall and Skeldon sugar workers were employed up to December 31, 2017 and taking into consideration of their contention relating to

Outspoken political commentator Ramon Gaskin

inconsistent employment, Gaskin’s estimation of an increased unemployment is likely to reflect the reality.

However, as the official numbers are being finalised, Gaskin from his assessment of the economy, intimated that youth unemployment is also significant with reference to the magnitude of persons present at the recent job fair at the soon to be opened MovieTowne Guyana establishment earlier this week.

“The unemployment rate is quite high, there are no jobs in this place; people are

coming out of school and are looking for work; nobody opening any jobs, besides MovieTowne; there are no other jobs available...the Police, Army, public service are employing people but in the Private Sector there are no jobs,” Gaskin suggested.

No concrete policy

In this light, he was questioned on the need for a shift in Government policy should the employment drop. Gaskin thereafter indicated his dissatisfaction with the presentation of Finance Minister Winston

Jordan’s 2019 Budget wherein he contended that there was no concrete policy for job creation.

“The Government has no policy for job creation; the Finance Minister Budget had no provision for job creation – he talked about entrepreneurship, training people in the interior and small business enterprise programme but there are no jobs available for employees. He cannot tell you where jobs are being created,” Gaskin pondered.

Turn to page 14

10 news

thursdAY, January 10, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

SOCU charges discriminatory, abuse of court’s process – Ali

...as High Court challenge halts magistrate’s court case

PPP Executive Member and former Housing Minister Irfaan Ali

A

fter being handed 19 fraud-related charges in November 2018 by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU); Magistrates’ Courts proceedings against former Housing Minister Irfaan Ali have been put on hold as he moved to challenge the merit of the State’s case at the High Court.

Ali in his writ filed, among several citations, contends that the case, re-

lated to the sale of lands at Plantation Sparendaam (Pradoville Two), East Coast Demerara is tantamount to an abuse of the court’s process. He is represented by Senior Counsel Neil Boston, Anil Nandlall, among other attorneys while the respondents in the matter are Police Commissioner, Leslie James, Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack and Police Detective Corporal Muninlall Persaud.

In a writ seen by Guyana Times, the Parliamentarian made a multiplicity of applications to the court consequent to the charges on the 19 individual case jackets. His position is that the charges are “irrational, arbitrary, capricious, whimsical, malicious, biased, without any proper evidential basis, made in bad faith, influenced by irrelevant and improper considerations and motives, unreasonable, discriminatory, unlawful, null, void and of no

Police Commissioner Leslie James

effect.”

In his application, Ali is seeking two orders of Certiorari - one quashing the decision of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to charge him with the offence of Conspiracy to Defraud Contrary to Common Law. The second seeks to quash the oath of SOCU rank Corporal Persaud he gave at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts in respect to the 19 charges.

The applicant has

sought an order to prohibit the chief magistrate or any other Georgetown magistrate from attempting to hear the matter or take any further steps following the Corporal Persaud’s oath. Ali had also sought an interim order preventing the case being heard until the determination of the High Court challenge.

Moreover, the former minister desires to secure a declaration that the particulars of the charge do not constitute an offence known to law and contravene Section 144 (4) of the Constitution and that there is not statutory or common law that requires a valuaton prior to the sale of property.

Ali further wants the court to declare that the decision to lay the charges is vague and unconstitutional. Additionally, he is seeking costs, general damages, exemplary damages, aggravated damages all amounting to not less than $100,000 and whichever other directions the court views as just.

SOCU is alleging that Ali defrauded the State of over $174 million but the Leonora, West Coast Demerara resident denies the allegations in the charges, which stated that he committed a criminal act without first obtaining a valuation.

“I deny selling any lands to any persons. Moreover,

DPP Shalimar Ali-Hack

assuming arguendo that the facts as alleged in the Charges are true, which is denied, 1 have been informed by counsel and verily believe that the particulars as contained therein do not amount to any offence known to law, which even if proven, are impossible to yield a conviction for the offences charged,” an excerpt of the case file argues.

He has also highlighted that the charges have been laid nine years after the fact and furthermore said that the case is prejudicial to him.

“It is an open and notorious fact that I am being actively considered as a presidential candidate for the People's Progressive Party…and the respondents' failure to act swiftly and without delay in prosecuting the Charges

has caused and is causing me grave and irreversible damage, prejudicing my eligibility,” he said in his proceedings.

He added that the allegations have caused him loss and damage and if not punished, “may result in other frivolous charges being filed against the public at large.” He also appealed for an urgent hearing which is slated to be heard on Friday.

When Ali reappeared before Chief Magistrate McLennan, the matter was adjourned to February 6. However, in light of Ali’s pending High Court challenge, those proceedings will have to be put on hold. On Monday when the matter was called at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, State Prosecutor Patrice Henry, informed the court that additional statements are outstanding and as such more time is needed to obtain these.

SOCU is accusing the former minister of selling 19 plots of land located at Goedverwagting and Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara, below their valued prices. According to the charges, SOCU is contending that the plots of land were sold at $39.8 million when they were actually valued $212.4 million.

The High Court challenged is expected to be heard on Friday.

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thursdAY, January 10, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Region 2 refugees centre

Local Govt Commission abruptly No consultations held with regional cancels meeting administration – Chairman …was scheduled to meet with City Hall employees

Region Two Chairman Devanand Ramdatt

A

mid the announcement by the National Multi-Sectorial Coordinating Committee to establish a relief centre in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) to support Venezuelan migrants, the region’s Chairman has ascertained that no consultations were facilitated with the regional administration before making this decision.

Speaking with Guyana Times on Wednesday, Regional Chairman Devanand Ramdatt said, “I don’t know anything about that. As far as I know, the regional administration was never consulted on a support centre to be built here. This is something that I’m unaware of.”

Initial reports from the Multi-Sectorial Committee suggested that Monday’s meeting facilitated discussions on the project, whereby it was affirmed that a two-storey building was

identified by the “regional administration” to serve as a support centre for refugees within the area.

The Ministry of the Presidency stated that migrants will have access to a wide range of support services, such as documentation and immunisation assistance at that location.

In fact, International Organisation for Migration (IOM) has injected funds to rehabilitate an existing building, which will materialise shortly.

The Regional Chairman explained that persons within the region are still facing constraints from issues affecting the region. Just a few weeks ago, farmers were placed in a predicament after the seed paddy which they obtained –GRDB 10 – did not germinate, causing additional financial burden to replant acres of land.

“To the best of my knowledge, no support was given and the situation remains the same and its really affecting the industry. Those farmers would have had to bear the expenses of replanting the paddy,” Ramdatt said.

The cost for one bag of seed paddy is about $5000.

Since the seeds did not germinate, a loss is incurred while additional money is spent to buy new seeds and replant. Some farmers have bought over 100 bags of seeds which they had to return.

Meanwhile, Citizenship Minister Winston Felix expressed that the Guyana

Citizenship Minister Winston Felix

Police Force (GPF) will conduct joint operations along Eteringbang and communities in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) for immunisation processes.

Ranks were also tasked with ensuring that boats ferrying passengers to the region from Venezuela report to immigration authorities stationed at key areas along the Pomeroon River.

The number of documented Venezuelan migrants in Guyana is a significant 3868. However, the influx is heavily concentrated in Region One (BarimaWaini), where support is always needed for materials and food supplies.

In 2018, the Government admitted that immigration authorities have limited capacity in tracking immigrants after they arrive in Guyana, even though data is collected when many of them enter Guyana through the borders.

Commissioner Carol Sooba

T

he Local Government Commission (LGC) cancelled meetings slated for Wednesday, when City Hall employees were supposed to present themselves for questioning on the Commission of Inquiry’s findings.

Informed sources related to Guyana Times that the discussions were abruptly called off since some of the Commissions were unavailable for the proceedings.

“They called the meeting off and rescheduled it for Friday and it was said that the Commissioners would not be available because of the issue that they had during the last meeting,” a source told this newspaper. The issue referred to was the barring of Commissioner Carol Sooba from the meetings. At the last meeting, Sooba was barred from discussions on the CoI’s report findings. The source explained that the Commission received information that Sooba was planning to attend the meeting on Wednesday; and as such, thwarted any fur-

ther talks on the matter.

Vice President of the Commission, Andrew Garnett was once President of the Guyana Local Government Officers Union, which also raised concerns as to whether the officers would be fairly judged for their respective misdemeanours.

“I don’t know what this has to do with the Local Government Commission. I think they’re trying to get the meeting out to deal with the City Council people. We have to have a position on how we will deal with this. It seems as though the Chairman and Andrew Garnett who is the President of the Guyana Local Government Officers Union, is trying to protect these people from the City Council,” the source related.

Sooba was asked to recuse herself from attending meetings where her benefits would be discussed, having been a former Town Clerk at City Hall.

Consequently, she was told afterwards that she cannot attend any of the other meetings by the Commission upon the persistence of the Chairman Mortimer Mingo and Vice Chairman Andrew Garnett.

Meanwhile, commenting on the matter, former Attorney General Anil Nandlall said that the no one from the Commission can prevent a constitutionally elected Commissioner from preforming respective duties.

“I reject such a notion because the Local Government Commission is simply engaged in considering the report and possibly, to recommend or implement these recommenda-

Chairman Mortimer Mingo

tions. The Commission is not making any findings. Those findings have already been made by the CoI. I cannot imagine how Sooba’s presence can influence our prejudice,” said Nandlall.

This was backed by Sooba’s fellow Commissioner, Clinton Collymore, who further indicated, “There are other reasons for this. One of the reasons is that she was at the municipality for a very long time and she has some institutional knowledge as to what is going on and they don’t want that exposed.”

Some of the officers were requested by the LGC to present their side of the story which was presented in the Inquiry’s final report, inked with 31 recommendations.

Disciplinary actions were instated for Town Clerk Royston King, Acting Town Clerk Sharon Harry Munroe, Internal Auditor Omadeily Newton, City Constable Andrew Foo, Human Resources Manager Paula Braithwaite, among others.

12 news

thursdAY, January 10, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

No-confidence resolution

Opposition, Govt meeting considered “sign for cooperation” – GTUC

GTUC General Secretary Lincoln Lewis

A

s Guyanese eagerly anticipate word on whether they will head to the polls in the coming months, the dialogue that has begun between the two opposing sides is being seen as a welcoming sign for cooperation. This position was affirmed by the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) following a State House meeting between the Opposition People’s Progressive Party and Government on Wednesday.

While hailing the meeting as a position sign, the union urged that the Constitution of Guyana be respected.

“Both Opposition and Government have a responsibility to ensure the dayto-day administration of the State where peace and order prevail, and the governmental functions are executed,” the union body observed.

The December 21, 2018 Opposition filed no-confidence vote saw the effective toppling of the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change Government, but the Administration is holding out that the majority vote requires a minimum of 34 seats for successful

passage, which is before the court. After the Government fell, the 34-majority argument was postulated by Attorney Nigel Hughes, husband of Government Minister, Cathy Hughes.

Since then, Government has held onto the argument as a lifeline. This was even as the resolution was certified

by Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland.

Nevertheless, GTUC outlined that it is reassured by President David Granger’s statement that neither the

presents an opportunity to demonstrate political maturity and willingness to settle political dispute over the drawing table in a sensible manner. Both sides of the fence have an opportunity right here and now to break out of the path of pursuit of conflict instead of working for the common good,” the Union stressed.

More than that, GTUC opined that this dialogue allows for future generations to see that a peaceful process and resolution of differences was pursued in the

“It has opened the door for continued dialogue, presents an opportunity to demonstrate political maturity and willingness to settle political dispute over the drawing table in a sensible manner. Both sides of the fence have an opportunity right here and now to break out of the path of pursuit of conflict instead of working for the common good,” – GTUC function of the National Assembly or Government, Legislative or Executive arms of Government, can be allowed to fail and that the two sides will continue to work together and engage the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

GTUC said it takes note of the President’s statement that Government has no intention to derail the Constitution or legislative process and the Opposition Leader was quoted in the media as saying that ‘it was a good meeting so far.’ The Union views this as “good news” having expressed that Wednesday’s meeting was a step in the right direction.

“It has opened the door for continued dialogue,

main in power beyond the provision of Article 106 (7)”.

According to the political party, the current situation presents “another test of the political maturity of our leaderships – one that should not end in any major political fallout”. The party also said it agrees with other stakeholders who have observed that the passage of motion puts Guyana in unchartered territory since this is the first time there has been such an outcome of a no-confidence motion.

Having acknowledged that it was briefed by the Government’s Cabinet

sub-committee on its actions to date, the WPA pointed out that it is not surprised by the political division that has since occurred.

The group further said, “President Granger’s statement that “all constitution-

al requirements will be met” and his assurance to “the Guyanese people that this is not a crisis which could dissolve into any type of confrontation” is very important, particularly in this fluid period of great uncertainty.”

Cop struck down while directing traffic

vein of interpreting the validity of the confidence vote.

In this light, the Judiciary was called upon to pronounce clearly on matters pertaining to the confidence vote as the GTUC called on the Opposition to remain vigilant in keeping with its elected mandate.

Another test of political maturity

M e a n w h i l e , Government’s coalition partner, the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) in a statement on Wednesday stated that the matter should be resolved quickly in the court.

“WPA is cognizant of the political consequences of the challenge by the Government side that could be read as an attempt to re-

A

The injured rank lying on the roadway as his colleague calls for help

male traffic rank who was on duty on Wednesday afternoon at Eccles, East Bank Demerara, was struck by a

female driver.

The incident was confirmed by Traffic Chief Linden Isles, who told this newspaper that the rank

was not seriously injured.

Isles was unable to say whether or not the driver was under the influence at the time of the accident.

13 GNBS launches national quality policy consultations T news

thursdAY, January 10, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

he Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) on Wednesday launched the National Quality Policy consultations, which is intended to ensure that local products, to be exported, meet the standard requirements as well as those entering the country.

The National Quality Policy, which falls under the project ‘Enhancing the National Quality Infrastructure for Economic Diversification and Trade Promotion’ is currently being developed by consultants and other members of the GNBS. The five-and-a-half-year long project is being funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to the tune of US$9 million.

The Project Manager, Nandram Persaud, explained the objective of the project is aimed at enhancing the national quality infrastructure for the economic diversification and trade promotion.

“As a shortened version we would refer to

A section of the gathering at the launching of the GNBS National Quality Policy consultations at Hermanston Lodge, Georgetown

the National Quality Infrastructure Project is to support economic diversification exports through the enhancement of the National Quality Infrastructure and through a National Export and Promotion Strategy,” he stated.

The project also hopes to enhance the capacity of the national quality infrastructure, capability of Go-Invest for Export and Investment

promotions.

The project manager went on to explain the outcome of the project, which include an increase in average annual flow of exports of non-traditional products for exporters, increase in average annual flow of tones of exports of non-traditional products and decrease in rejection rates for fruits and vegetables to other countries, among others.

The NQI programme has three sub-components which include the modernising of institutional framework, improving laboratory facilities and equipment for the GNBS and implementing the National Export and Investment Strategy.

Consultancy services for the project is being provided

by Arca Consortium.

Chairperson of the National Standards Council,

Carole Fletcher said she believes the launching comes at an opportune time.

“The National Quality Policy comes at an opportune time as the global picture is changing as it relates to the standardisation. The Guyana National Bureau of Standards has recognised the need to prepare itself to meet the emerging needs of all stakeholders and has embarked on crafting a National Quality Policy,” she explained.

According to her, the process of crafting the policy seeks to involve every organisation responsible for testing, certification, inspection and standardisation, exports and manufacturing.

In fact, Fletcher said such agencies will be consulted with in the coming weeks relating to the crafting of the NQI. Meanwhile, Business Minister Dominic Gaskin during his remarks said Guyanese have ignored the issue of quality standards for an extensive period.

“In Guyana we have been able to ignore the is-

sue of quality standards for a very long time without really understanding the consequences. This is perhaps because our economy for the most part was driven by a few commodities which we exported in bulk and in return we have been reporting most of what we consume from the cheapest possible sources, so we have not traditionally been very standard conscious or quality conscious,” he acknowledged.

The Minister said he is confident that the project once concluded will increase the number of local products and services being traded internationally.

A website was also launched on Wednesday which will be open to the public in a few weeks, as it is being finalised.

The website will be helpful in providing users with a list of agencies’ regulation standards which can be used as an information hub for persons seeking what is required of them before they can export their products.

DSL “free groceries” winners receive prizes W

inners in the DSL Cash and Carry December “Free Groceries” promotion received their prizes amid great excitement on Friday.

Copping the first prize was Aneila Zamaluddin of Lot 6 Dowding Street Kitty, Georgetown, who won for herself one entire year worth in free groceries. The second prize winner was Parmeshwar Netram, who won three months of free groceries, while five other customers all won one month's free groceries.

Additionally, another five customers all won back their purchase for the day.

Zamaluddin along with 11 other customers

Winners along with DSL executives at the ceremony

won prizes in the promotion which was drawn in the DSL Cash and Carry’s

Sheriff Street’s parking area.

Customers shopping

Govt lacks comprehensive job...

Moreover, he indicated that the public service payroll has increased, saying that large contingents of persons are seeking employment with the State.” It’s packed up with people; all of them going there to see if they could get lil work.”

Gaskin also related that Chinese-contracted building projects such as the one near the Chinese embassy have a majority of foreign workers in addition to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) expansion Project.

He called for more locals to garner employment on such projects. After seven years, the CJIA expansion remains incomplete due to several delays.

The 2017 survey was done from a total population of 550,831 – persons 15

years and above, with some 72.2 per cent living in urban areas. From this figure, only 271,068 comprised the total employed population during the time of the quarterly survey, with males having accounted for 166,873 and females 104,195. The survey’s findings had revealed unemployment among women was 15.3 per cent and among men 9.9 per cent.

The youth unemployment rate among 15 to 24-yearolds was almost twice that of adults, with 21.6 per cent.

Young women had seen 28 per cent of them being unemployed.

The employment rate for persons 15 and above was 49.2 per cent, with 62.1 per cent being males and 36.9 per cent being females. It had been also noted that

From page 9

the percentage of employed people in time-related underemployment was 4.2 per cent, with 72.2 per cent of the underemployed being based in urban areas.

The survey also found that 28.4 per cent of the labour force is underutilised, while between 48.3 per cent and 52.6 per cent of the persons employed hold informal jobs.

Prior to the 2017 estate closures, the Wales Sugar Estate was shuttered in December 2016 and many workers in that community say they have faced a decline in finance. Given the decrease of jobs in rural areas over the two-year period, it remains to be seen what the numbers in the 2018 survey will reflect.

during the months of November and December

2018 were given a coupon for every $5000 spent at

the DSL Cash and Carry Diamond, Ruimveldt, and Sheriff Street locations.

A very excited Zamaluddin noted “I am so happy about winning the grand prize. I always support DSL Cash and Carry, and I enjoy using my discount card. The staff are always courteous and very helpful. I love shopping at DSL Cash and Carry and will continue to do so.”

General Manager of Distribution Services Limited, Bryan Prittipaul, in brief remarks congratulated the winners and noted that DSL Cash and Carry was very pleased to give back to its shoppers in 2018.

14 NEWS

thursdAY, January 10, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Decomposed body of Public Health Ministry assists Berbice fire victims Corentyne man found T T

he badly decomposed body of a man was found at his Bush Lot, Corentyne, Berbice home on Wednesday morning.

Dead is Denish Ashram, also called “Chubby”. He lived alone in the two-storied house. He was found in the kitchen of the lower flat.

Guyana Times was told that Ashram was the caretaker of the property and had been missing for five days.

The discovery was made by a family member after worshippers at a nearby Mandir reported a strong stench coming from the building.

The dead man’s brother, Raymond Ashram said he saw Denish about a week ago.

According to Raymond,

Residents gathered outside the house where the body was found

after not seeing Denish for a few days, he thought that he was at another brother who is currently visiting from

overseas.

“Usually when that brother come, he would go and spend some time so since

we didn’t see him, I thought he was at Port Mourant,” he explained.

Police are investigating.

he Public Health Ministry, in collaboration with the Regional Health Services, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) on Wednesday distributed aid supplies to the three Limlair Village, Corentyne families who lost their homes to a fire of unknown origin on December 26, 2018.

The families received complete bed sets, cooking utensils, stoves, couch, and groceries.

Director of Regional Health Services, Jevaughn Andrew Stephen made the donations and shared words of encouragement with the families who were left homeless throughout most of the festive season. He reassured them that much more help was in store for them.

The fire destroyed two homes and left 12 persons

homeless.

The two-storey building was occupied by a nurse, Claudia Ross, in the upper flat and a farmer in the lower flat.

Flames were initially seen about 04:30h. Several persons were living next door in a wooden building, which was badly damaged.

Dale Kyte, who lived in the building along with six others, including her 76-yearold mother and a two-yearold baby, noted that the Fire Service arrived minutes after the alarm was raised, but was unable to save anything.

Ross, who is attached to the Port Mourant Hospital, expressed her gratitude to both Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence and Regional Health Services Director Jevaughn Stephen for the assistance.

Mysterious radio signals from deep space detected A stronomers have revealed details of mysterious signals emanating from a distant galaxy, picked up by a telescope in Canada.

The precise nature and origin of the blasts of radio waves is unknown.

Among the 13 Fast Radio Bursts, known as FRBs, was a very unusual repeating signal, coming from the same source about 1.5 billion light years away.

Such an event has only been reported once before, by a different telescope.

"Knowing that there is another suggests that there could be more out there," said Ingrid Stairs, an astrophysicist from the University of British Columbia (UBC).

"And with more repeaters

and more sources available for study, we may be able to understand these cosmic puzzles - where they're from and what causes them."

The CHIME observatory, located in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley, consists of four 100-metre-long, semi-cylindrical antennas, which scan the entire northern sky each day.

The telescope only got up and running last year, detecting 13 of the radio bursts almost immediately, including the repeater. The research has now been published in the journal Nature.

"We have discovered a second repeater and its properties are very similar to the first repeater," said Shriharsh Tendulkar of McGill University, Canada.

"This tells us more about the properties of repeaters as a population."

FRBs are short, bright flashes of radio waves, which appear to be coming from almost halfway across the Universe. So far, scientists have detected about 60 single fast radio bursts and two that repeat. They believe there could be as many as a thousand FRBs in the sky every day.

There are a number of theories about what could be causing them.

They include a neutron star with a very strong magnetic field that is spinning very rapidly, two neutron stars merging together, and, among a minority of observers, some form of alien spaceship. (BBC)

news

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thursdAY, January 10, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

People’s Choice Award expands Republic Bank, Scotia meet with St Kitts PM to Mash Soca, Calypso, Chutney competitions

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itizens will now be able to vote for their favourite artiste to win prizes in Mashramani’s major singing competitions this year.

Director of Culture, Tamika Boatswain told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that while this option had been offered for the juniors’ competition, the Ministry also recognised the need for citizens’ inclusion in the determination of other deserving participants in the Soca, Calypso and Chutney competitions.

“We are giving the participants another chance to earn something because at times the Judges’ decision is final, but the view of the public has a greater liking to a different person which may not necessarily be the person who won,” she explained.

Polls are open on the Ministry’s official Facebook Page and will run until the day of the competition.

Voting will be closed before the competition ends to accommodate the prize-giving ceremony.

According to Boatswain, the Ministry will also aim

Discussing Republic Financial Holdings' Scotiabank acquisition (left to right) David Parks, Scotiabank's Managing Director for the Eastern Caribbean; Sherelle Hobson, Director in the Office of the Prime Minister; Ronald Harford, the Chairman of Republic Financial Holdings Limited; Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of St Kitts and Nevis, Dr Timothy Harris; Brendan King, Scotiabank's Senior Vice President of International Banking; Hilary Hazel, the Financial Secretary in the Government of St Kitts and Nevis, and Ian De Souza, Principal Advisor at Advice Financial Company Limited (AdFIN)

Director of Culture, Tamika Boatswain

to promote newcomers and their songs to the public, as it will not only enable them to gain followers but also much-needed crowd participation during their performance.

She explained that those who participate are at times unknown to the public; hence, the lack of crowd participation, which is a critical criterion and affects the judges’ decision.

This, she hopes, will be

changed with intensified promotion so that all can compete on the same level this year.

Last year, Onika Joseph dethroned Diana Chapman and became the Adult Calypso Monarch with her song – “Woman is Boss” while Brandon Harding became the Soca Monarch with his song – “Alive”. The Adult Chutney Monarch was won

by Chaitsingh Mohanlall.

Mexico prepares for arrival of next Central American migrant caravan

M

exican authorities will meet with Central American officials to prepare for the arrival of a planned new caravan of migrants headed to the United States next week.

The head of Mexico’s immigration office, Tonatiuh Guillen, left on Wednesday on a trip to El Salvador and Honduras to meet with his counterparts and other authorities, said Interior Ministry spokesman Hector Gandini.

Mexico hopes to discourage a mass exodus from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, and wants Central Americans who decide to migrate north to do so in an orderly way and through legal ports of entry.

“The doors to Mexico are open to anyone who wants to enter in an orderly fashion,” Gandini told Reuters in a telephone interview. “But whoever wants to come in illegally will be deported.”

Previous Central

American caravans became a flashpoint in the debate over US immigration policy.

That was intensified by the recent deaths of two migrant children in American custody and a partial US government shutdown over US President Donald Trump’s demand for US$5.7 billion in funding for a wall along the border with Mexico.

There are 12 legal ports of entry for Central Americans on Mexico’s southern border, but Mexican authorities have identified an additional 370 illegal points of entry on that frontier, Interior Minister Olga Sanchez said this week.

Mexico borders in the south with Guatemala and Belize.

The illegal entry points will be “monitored and controlled to avoid undocumented access of people to our territory,” Sanchez said.

Guatemala’s deputy foreign minister, Pablo Cesar Garcia, met with Mexican authorities on Tuesday to

discuss the caravan and to “provide all the necessary support to the migrants,” said Guatemalan Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marta Larra.

“In Honduras, they kill us,” read an appeal circulating on social media for people to assemble in the violent Honduran city of San Pedro Sula next Tuesday to start the long trek north to the United States.

While other social media posts invite people to leave from nearby Santa Barbara on January 20, US authorities hoped to dissuade Central Americans from making the journey.

“The risks of illegal immigration are serious. Don’t waste your time and money on a trip destined to fail.

The road is long and very dangerous. Thousands of Hondurans who participated in the caravan came back sorry,” Heide Fulton, the US chargé d’affaires to Honduras, said on Twitter on Wednesday. (Reuters)

S

enior representatives of Republic Financial Holdings Limited (RFHL) and Scotiabank met on Wednesday to discuss the bank’s purchase and to obtain regulatory approval for Scotiabank’s operations in St Kitts and Nevis.

St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Dr Timothy Harris, had cordial and productive discussions with senior RFHL and Scotiabank representatives on RFHL’s purchase by Republic Financial Holdings of Scotiabank’s operations in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU).

The RFHL delegation is comprised of Chairman, Ronald Harford and Advice Financial Company Limited (AdFIN )Principal Advisor Ian De Souza, at. Scotiabank was represented by Senior Vice President of International Banking, Brendan King; and Managing Director for the Eastern Caribbean, David Parks. Dr Harris was supported at the meeting by Hilary Hazel, the Financial Secretary in the Government of St Kitts and Nevis, and Sherelle Hobson, Director in the Office of the Prime Minister.

Last November, RFHL announced that it had entered into an agreement to acquire Scotiabank’s operations in Guyana, St. Maarten and the Eastern Caribbean territories of Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda,

Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

During the discussions, RFHL told Dr Harris it is committed to welcoming all Scotiabank’s staff into the Republic Group. This would increase the group’s staff complement to more than 6,000 people.

“Not one single staff member of Scotiabank will be displaced,” De Souza said. “They will not be affected in any form or fashion. Their remuneration will remain whole.”

“It was very important to us that our customers and employees be handled with care,” King explained. “This was important in order to ensure that there is no disruption of any kind.”

King stated that Scotiabank and RFHL “share the same core values,” and added , “Our reputation is very important to us.”

“It is very necessary to protect our reputation,” Harford said. “We will practice those high standards that Scotiabank has practiced.”

Harford said RFHL is very skilled at anti-money laundering and knows Scotiabank’s customer procedures. He said RFHL has correspondent banking relationships with an extensive range of major international banks in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and elsewhere.

Harford said the acquisition would create “a strong regional champion” with US$15 billion in assets up from US$10.5 billion. Profits would also increase, post-acquisition, from US$198 million to US$270 million.

The Republic Group has served the Caribbean for 181 years, having opened its first office in Port of Spain, Trinidad, with the establishment of Colonial Bank in 1837. It has branches in Grenada and St Lucia.

Since 2001, RFHC has financed over US$268 million in support of significant nation-building projects across the Caribbean; this sum includes US$7.4 million for the Carifesta Housing Development in St Kitts in 2005.

“The future of these islands is bright,” Harford told Prime Minister Harris.

“We are seeing an influx of high-end tourism and I see you’re ahead of the game,” Harford told Dr Harris. “It [high-end tourism] has brought the executive jets and the mega-yachts to you.”

Harford commended Prime Minister Harris on his expert management of the economy.

“Based on the state of the roads and infrastructure that he has seen while here, as well as the high level of construction,” Harford concluded. “There appears to be lot of faith in the future of your country.” (The St

Kitts & Nevis Observer)

TT: Inmates protect prison officers during fracas

F

our prison officers were wounded during a confrontation with inmates at the remand facility at the Golden Grove Prison, Arouca, Trinidad and Tobago on Wednesday morning.

Newsday understands inmates became irritated during a search of cells between 10 am and 11 am and refused to allow the officers entry.

The inmates were reportedly angry because they were asked to leave their cells during the search.

Some threw objects, including flower pots at the officers, injuring them.

Other inmates came to

Prisons Commissioner Gerard Wilson

the defence of the officers before more prison officers could arrive.

While only four officers were injured in the fracas all 11 that conducted the search were sent to the infirmary as a precautionary measure.

Newsday spoke to Prisons Commissioner Gerard Wilson this evening who said he visited the remand yard and commended the inmates for defending the officers.

He said the inmates involved in the confrontation would have disciplinary charges brought against them but said he had not received a list of those involved. (T&T Newsday)

16

guyanatimesgy.com

thursdAY, January 10, 2019

Regional

Military personnel, relatives Guatemala court blocks tortured in Venezuela – HRW government’s bid to

V

enezuelan intelligence agents have detained and tortured military personnel, accused of plotting against the government, according to an international rights group.

In a new report, Human Rights Watch and Foro Penal, a Venezuelan NGO, said authorities have also detained and tortured the family members of some suspects in an effort to determine their whereabouts.

In most cases, members of the country’s General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM) or the Bolivarian National Intelligence Services (SEBIN) carried out the arrests, according to the rights groups.

In the report, published on Wednesday, detainees described being strangled, deprived of food and hav-

ing the soles of their feet cut with razor blades.

“The Venezuelan government has brutally cracked down on members of the military accused of plotting against it,” said Jose Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch.

The two groups analysed information about cases involving a total of 32 people.

Victims include military officers accused of plotting against the government and civilians accused of collaborating with Oscar Perez, a rogue police official who was killed in January 2018 after opposing the government.

Several detainees did not have access to their families, lawyers or adequate medical treatment during their detentions, the report said.

The individuals were arrested for crimes including “treason” and “instigating

rebellion”, however lawyers representing the accused said the charges were fabricated and not supported by any real evidence.

Human Rights Watch received no response from the Venezuelan government on the abuse allegations, which the rights groups said followed a widespread pattern of torture and abuse of detainees by Venezuelan police officers, intelligence agents and members of the Bolivarian National Guard.

More than 12,800 people have been arrested since 2014 in connection with anti-government protests, according to Foro Penal, with more than 7,500 since conditionally released.

The report’s release comes a day before President Nicolas Maduro is due to be sworn in for a second sixyear term after a contro-

versial win in an election largely boycotted by the opposition last year.

Many countries have dismissed the vote as a sham, with a bloc of a dozen Latin American countries and Canada, known as the Lima Group, saying on Friday that they would not recognise Maduro’s new mandate.

The Organization of America States (OAS) is also due to meet in the coming days to discuss Venezuela and Nicaragua.

In a lengthy press conference on Wednesday, Maduro reiterated that his re-election had been democratic, adding that “the world is bigger than the Lima Group”.

In recent months, Maduro has ramped up efforts to strengthen Venezuela’s ties with backers outside the region, most notably China and Russia. (Aljazeera)

Suriname authorities seize record amount of cocaine at port

A

uthorities in Suriname have made their largest ever seizure of cocaine, found hidden in containers filled with rice waiting to be exported from a port in capital Paramaribo, the small South American country’s top law enforcement official said on Wednesday.

Local media reported that at least 2300 kilograms

(5070 pounds) of cocaine had been found. In an interview with local radio station ABC, Prosecutor General Roy Baidjnath Panday declined to confirm the exact amount, but said it was likely “well above a thousand to at least two thousand” kilograms.

Local media also reported that a rice exporter in Suriname’s western Nickerie district and a work-

er at a private company that helps companies deal with customs were arrested in connection with the case.

Suriname, a former Dutch colony with a population of less than 600,000, has long struggled with drug trafficking. Current President Desi Bouterse was convicted in absentia by a court in The Netherlands of drug trafficking in 1999. He

denies the charges.

In 2013, his son Dino was arrested in Panama on US charges of importing more than five kgs (11lbs) of cocaine into the United States.

He was sentenced to 16 years in prison after admitting to drug trafficking and firearms charges, as well as trying to offer a home base to Lebanese paramilitary group Hezbollah. (Excerpt from

expel UN team

G

uatemala’s constitutional court has suspended a decision by the Government to kick out a UN body that was investigating the country’s President.

The International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) has been running for more than a decade.

On Monday, politicians informed the body it had 24 hours to leave.

The commission was investigating President Jimmy Morales over alleged funding irregularities during his 2015 election campaign. He has accused it of acting illegally and undermining Guatemalan sovereignty.

Last year, the president said he would not extend the body’s mandate, which is due to expire in September 2019. But on Monday, his Foreign Minister Sandra Jovel announced that the

decision had been brought forward.

During a meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in New York, Jovel handed over a letter confirming the Government’s intention to terminate an agreement which established the commission.

Guterres said he strongly rejected the letter’s contents, and called for Guatemala to fulfil its obligations. On Tuesday, members of the UN commission began leaving “until further notice”, citing security.

A vigil was held outside the organisation’s headquarters in Guatemala City, protesting against the president’s decision.

But in the early hours of Wednesday, the country’s top court suspended the government’s decision. The Judges reached the decision after eight hours of deliberation overnight. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Trump’s move to send Haitians home goes on trial in New York

Reuters)

Bolton to headline Tobago Jazz 2019

G

rammy Award winner Michael Bolton is expected to headline at the Tobago Jazz Experience 2019. The surprising announcement was made via the Tobago Festivals Commission’s Facebook page on Tuesday afternoon.

It stated: “With 2019 mere days away, how are you supposed to live without your past for the next Tobago Jazz Experience? Here’s some motivation to get you excited and ready! We reveal one of the headline acts for 2019, Grammy Award Winning Musician Michael Bolton.”

Michael Bolton

Although the budget for next year’s event has not yet been disclosed, the commission promised to announce several other jazz acts in January at the media launch for the event.

The Tobago Jazz Experience is scheduled to take place from April 25 to 28.

This year, more than TT$4.5 million was spent on artistes for the two-day event which had a budget of TT$7.3 million. Total revenue earned from ticket sales for the 2018 Tobago Jazz Experience was TT$1,668,600.

(Trinidad Guardian)

T&T President: Scholars need to help reform twin-island

T

he President’s Medal awardees were on Tuesday reminded by President Paula-Mae Weekes that they are the future of the nation who have benefited from the education system and must now think of giving back as Trinidad and Tobago can only be as good as they make it.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony held at the National Academy for the Performing Arts in Port of Spain, Weekes said: “Go to school and learn well, understanding that the real

purpose of education is to equip you to make a useful contribution to society and it is never too early to begin thinking how.”

The students were reminded that education is more than simply examinable subjects but instead a culmination of the knowledge, skills, attitudes, principles, and values that they acquire over their lifetime.

To do this, she advised the students to take responsibility for educating themselves, keeping at their books but broadening their

horizons.

“Explore the arts – music, poetry, art and design, engage in volunteering, there are dozens of options, keep current with local news and developments, there is an election next year follow the campaigns, analyse the manifestos. You are not too young to have informed opinions,” Weekes said.

She told them society was filled with multi-degreed people who are selfish, inconsiderate, greedy, uncaring and amoral, and lacked the empathet-

ic bonds necessary to make them valuable people.

In her address to the students, Weekes called for a restructuring of the nation’s education system.

“From my vantage point as President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, it would seem that it is time to do a complete overhaul of the education system if we are to have any chance of producing the individuals that we want and need to lead this country into the future.” (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

In this January 26, 2018 file photo, Haitian activists and immigrants protest on City Hall Plaza in Boston

A

trial in New York over the Trump Administration’s move to cut off permission for thousands of Haitians to live in the US is spotlighting emails between officials downplaying health and safety crises in the Caribbean nation as they tried to justify the change.

The case centres on the Temporary Protected Status program, which has allowed about 50,000 people from Haiti to live and work in the US temporarily since a devastating earthquake in 2010. The emails, filed with documents in the case, bolster the argument by migrant advocates that the Trump administration was so bent on ending TPS that it ignored the US government’s own research showing that Haiti was in no shape to take people back.

The non-jury trial in federal court in Brooklyn stems from one of seven lawsuits

filed by immigrants and advocates over the 2017 moves to end TPS. The program has allowed about 300,000 people from Haiti, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Sudan and other countries to stay in the US for years after their home countries were upended by natural disasters or violence.

In October, a California judge hearing another of the lawsuits temporarily blocked the changes covering people from those four countries, forcing the Administration to maintain their TPS status for now.

Previous administrations periodically reviewed conditions in countries beset by war and catastrophe before deciding whether to grant, renew or expand temporary protected status, lawyers for Haitian migrants contend. But they say the Trump Administration followed a very different path this time. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

17

thursdAY, January 10, 2019

guyanatimesgy.com

Around the World

Trump storms out of talks on shutdown, Iran confirms arrest of US Navy veteran bemoans “total waste of time”

U

S President Donald Trump stormed out of talks with Democratic congressional leaders on Wednesday over funding for a border wall with Mexico and reopening the Government, complaining the meeting at the White House was “a total waste of time”.

On the 19th day of a partial Government shutdown caused by the dispute over the wall, a short meeting that included Trump, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer ended in acrimony with no sign of a resolution.

“Just left a meeting with Chuck and Nancy, a total waste of time,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “I asked what is going to happen in 30 days if I quickly open things up, are you going to

Michael White

I

Exasperated Democrats called President Donald Trump’s behaviour a “temper tantrum”

approve Border Security which includes a Wall or Steel Barrier?”

Trump wrote. “Nancy said, NO. I said bye-bye, nothing else works!”

Exasperated Democrats called Trump’s behaviour a “temper tantrum” and

said the meeting broke down when they refused to commit to funding his proposed southern border wall.

Trump’s desire for a wall between the United States and Mexico was a central theme of his 2016 presidential campaign.

The breakdown in talks could strengthen the possibility that Trump will declare a national emergency to build a wall on the southern border if no deal with Congress can be reached on his request for US$5.7 billion for the project. (Excerpt from Reuters)

ran’s Foreign Ministry confirmed on Wednesday that an American citizen had been arrested in the city of Mashhad, but denied reports he had been badly treated, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi was quoted by the news agency as saying that Michael White, a 46-year-old US Navy veteran, was arrested “some time ago” in Iran’s second largest city.

Ghasemi said the US Government, through the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, was informed of the arrest during the early days of the incident.

US interests in Iran are handled by the Swiss diplomatic mission, as the two countries have had no diplo-

matic relations since 1980.

White, 46, from Imperial Beach, California, was arrested in July after visiting his girlfriend in Mashhad, his mother told The New York Times earlier this week.

The US State Department said Tuesday it was “aware of reports” of his detention, but declined to release details, citing privacy considerations.

Ghasemi said reports in the US media that White was being held in poor conditions were “false and inaccurate”.

“The case of this person is being handled by the relevant authorities and at the conclusion of this process they will issue the necessary information,” Ghasemi was further quoted as saying on his Telegram account. (Excerpt

from Al Jazeera)

EU nations reach deal on stranded Opposition Leader Felix Tshisekedi wins Congo's presidential election – election board migrants, Malta announces

D

M

alta has reached a deal with eight European Union (EU) countries to divide up and take in 49 migrants stranded at sea for weeks.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat named them as Germany, France, Portugal, Ireland, Romania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Italy.

The deal means the 49 migrants, who have been stranded on charity-run boats amid a row over who would take them, can now disembark in Malta.

The deal also decides the future of another 249 rescued migrants already in the island nation.

The 49 migrants were on

emocratic Republic of Congo’s electoral commission on Thursday declared Opposition Leader Felix Tshisekedi the winner of a disorganised and contentious December 30 presidential election.

The result could lead to Congo’s first democratic transfer of power since Independence from Belgium in 1960, with longtime President Joseph Kabila due

Migrants on the Sea Watch 3 cheered when they heard they might soon disembark

two ships refused permission to dock by both Italy and Malta.

Thirty-two people were picked up off Libya on December 22 by the Dutchregistered vessel Sea Watch

3, operated by a German humanitarian group, while the Sea-Eye – a second ship run by a different German charity – rescued another 17 people on December 29. (Excerpt from

BBC News)

Man accused of stealing roommate’s US$10M lottery ticket

C

alifornia Police have arrested a man accused of stealing a winning US$10 million lottery ticket from his roommate as he slept.

Vacaville Police say Adul Saosongyang, 35, was taken into custody as he attempted to claim the prize on Monday.

“That’s definitely not the prize he was expecting,” they wrote on Facebook on Tuesday after the suspect was charged with grand theft and booked into jail.

Police say the winner has yet to receive any of his winnings.

Police in Vacaville, about 56 kilometres (35 miles) outside Sacramento, detailed the man’s alleged plot against his now-former roommate in their viral Facebook post.

They say the victim, who

to step down in coming days.

But vote tallies compiled by Congo’s Catholic Church found that another Opposition candidate, Martin Fayulu, clearly won the election, two diplomats said, raising the spectre of a standoff that many fear could lead to violence.

Election commission (CENI) president Corneille Nangaa said Tshisekedi had received more than seven

million votes, compared to about 6.4 million for Fayulu and about 4.4 million for Kabila’s hand-picked candidate, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary.

The result is certain to fuel further suspicion that Tshisekedi, who the last opinion polls before the election showed running well behind Fayulu, struck a power-sharing pact with Kabila. (Excerpt

from Reuters)

UK Parliament inflicts fresh defeat on PM May over Brexit

B

ritish legislators have slashed the time Prime Minister Theresa May’s Government will have to formulate a plan B if her widely criticised Brexit deal is rejected in a crucial parliamentary vote next week.

Members of Parliament (MPs) in the United

Kingdom’s House of Commons voted 308 to 297 on Wednesday to back a motion demanding the Government puts forward a revised plan within three days should May lose the vote on January 15.

MPs will have the right to amend any second plan brought forward by May, po-

tentially opening the way for several different outcomes, ranging from a so-called “managed no-deal” exit to another referendum.

May, who is struggling to win approval for her Brexit plan, previously had 21 days to report back to the Commons in the event of a defeat next Tuesday. (Excerpt from

Al Jazeera)

South Korea: Co-founder of the Soranet site jailed

A Adul Saosongyang was taken into custody after trying to claim the prize

has asked not to be identified by Police, purchased a US$30 scratch-off ticket at a Lucky Grocery Store on December 20 “with hopes of winning a little extra cash for the holidays”.

The man, who had mistakenly thought he had won US$10,000 at first, “returned home and shared

this wonderful news with his two roommates”, according to investigators.

He went to collect his fortune the next day, but was told that his lottery ticket was not a winner.

Suspecting that his roommate had swapped it, he immediately called Police to report the theft. (Excerpt from

BBC News)

co-founder of one of South Korea’s largest pornography websites has been sentenced to four years in prison by a court in Seoul.

The woman, surnamed Song, was found guilty of aiding and abetting the distribution of obscene material.

Soranet had more than a million users and hosted thousands of illegal videos, many filmed with spy cameras and shared without the consent of women featured.

Producing and disseminating pornography is ille-

Women have led huge street protests against spy cam porn featured on sites like Soranet

gal in South Korea.

Last summer, women organised huge street protests across South Korea, calling

on the Government to take more serious action against illegal pornography. (Excerpt from

BBC News)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

THURsdAY, January 10, 2019

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

dilbert

Someone will mislead you intentionally. Do your own fact-finding and rely on your smarts to help you solve any issue that crops up. Trust in your ability, not in someone else’s.

CANCER

Do what you want. Your intuition will help you determine whom to trust and what to do next. A partnership looks promising, and an unusual opportunity will be rewarding.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Calvin and Hobbes

WORD GAME

Use your imagination, be innovative and focus on what you can accomplish.

Your ability to piece things together will come in handy.

Your insight will be remarkable.

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

(June 21July 22)

Peanuts

Be careful when dealing with someone in a higher position than you. Listen, ask questions and work to avoid being used as someone’s scapegoat.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Taking action and getting things done will prove successful. Extra effort will lead to personal and professional changes. Love and romance are highlighted.

Be careful how you deal with an important partnership. Listen carefully and don’t jump into something new until you feel comfortable. Joint ventures need to be monitored carefully.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Do something that makes you happy. If someone puts demands on you, deal with what you feel responsible for and move on quickly. Don’t let anyone take you for granted.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Take a break, experience something new and make positive lifestyle changes.

If you follow your heart and intuition, you can avoid getting involved in someone else’s poor choices.

SUDOKU

Put your time and monSAGITTARIUS ey into romance, your home (Nov. 23- and family. A suggestion Dec. 21) will encourage you to make positive physical and lifestyle changes.

solution for LAST PUBLISHED puzzle

Consider how best to CAPRICORN use your skills to get ahead.

(Dec. 22- Don’t spend money that you Jan. 19) don’t have. Aim to earn more and spend less. Don’t try to impress someone with extravagant actions.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Concentrate on your appearance and make subtle changes that will give you a professional and experienced look to help you get ahead. Romance is on the rise.

Emotions will fluctuate in the wake of certain revelations. Be skeptical of anyone making promises or spouting off about a product or service that seems too good to be true.

thursdAY, January 10, 2019

19

CWI asked to "rescind" Pybus appointment

C

Francois Erasmus, Dave Cameron, David Peever and Chris Nenzani attend the ICC Board Meeting

ricket West Indies (CWI) has been asked to "rescind" the appointment of Richard Pybus as national coach, with the Leewards Islands Cricket Board (LICB) saying he was "handpicked" by Dave Cameron, the CWI president, through an "unacceptable" process.

"It is unfortunate, unacceptable and unethical for the CWI President to single-handedly recruit a person of his choosing, and to proceed with salary negotiations without the prior knowledge of the Board," the LICB email, signed by its directors Enoch Lewis and Denrick Liburd, and accessed by ESPNcricinfo, said.

The LICB asked for a response from CWI by the end of Tuesday. ESPNcricinfo understands CWI did not meet that deadline, but a response will be sent next week.

Pybus was announced as interim head coach of West Indies last week. His tenure is set to start with the home series against England from January 23 and end soon after the home series against India, in September 2019.

Pybus takes over from Stuart Law, who opted out of his contract prematurely last year.

According to the LICB, one of many members that make up CWI, Cameron announced Law's resignation at a board meeting on September 22 and said he would leave by the end of 2018. Jimmy Adams, the director of cricket, was then asked to present a list of potential candidates from within the Caribbean who could perform the role of interim head coach while a process to appoint a longterm coach was put in place.

The LICB said Adams submitted *11 names including Nic Pothas, who was appointed stand-in coach for the Bangladesh tour in November 2018. The others were Roddy Estwick, Floyd Reifer, Gus Logie, Desmond

Haynes, Toby Radford, Andre Coley, Esuan Crandon, Stuart Williams, Rayon Griffith and Robert Samuels.

Adams shortlisted Pothas based on recommendations from Law and Jason Holder, West Indies' Test and ODI captain, who wanted "continuity" and stability in the coaching staff.

The CWI board agreed, putting Pothas in charge while also advertising for longterm candidates. Adams, the LICB pointed out, had already penned a five-step process to hire the new head coach.

According to the LICB, Adams also recommended that Pothas work alongside Law in Bangladesh to get acquainted with the increased workflow.

However, on September 26, the 17 directors that comprise the CWI board were told that Law was resigning at the end of the India tour and wouldn't be going to Bangladesh. As a result, Pothas, who was due to take charge only in January 2019, and work through till September, was pressed into the job two months in advance.

Also, CWI was yet to finalise a compensation package for Pothas. On November 28, Cameron told the CWI board in an emergency teleconference that Adams had left for Bangladesh to conduct negotiations. Eventually, a onetime offer of USD 12,500 per month was made to Pothas, who "countered" by asking for USD 22,000 (the amount CWI paid Law for his services).

According to the LICB, CWI had "blundered" by not entering into "good faith negotiations" with Pothas before he took over as interim head coach. "The president, Dave Cameron, reported that he received an email from Mr. Pothas in which the interim Head Coach sought to justify why the job was worth more than the CWI's offer of $12,500, and made the determina-

tion that the matter was at a stalemate. Discussion with Mr. Pothas was then terminated."

Cameron then told the CWI directors that he got in touch with Pybus and "concluded a deal, including a salary of USD

16,000 plus other unspecified benefits to become the next interim head coach."

The LICB cited "grave concerns" that Cameron went to Pybus without seeking inputs from Adams, the cricket committee, the technical cricket committee or

the CWI board. It also pointed out that the salary given to Pybus was "significantly" higher than Pothas'.

At the quarterly CWI board meeting, when Pybus' appointment came up for ratification, the LICB directors objected strongly. They said Pybus had not "formally expressed an interest", had "limited" experience considering he hadn't coached an international team in five years, and had not been part of Adams' shortlist of candidates.

While noting that Cameron's decision received "majority" support from the 17 CWI board directors, the LICB called the issue "divisive."

"While the recommendation piloted by the President to hand-pick Mr. Pybus

eventually received majority support at the meeting, the records would show that the handling of this matter provoked heated debate and proved a very divisive issue amongst the Directors.

This is evidenced by the equal split of votes amongst Directors from the shareholder territories. This is a clear indication that there are concerns."

As a way forward, the LICB suggested negotiating a new compensation package with Pothas, who it said should continue as the interim head coach until September 2019. It also made the "demand" that "the recent decision to handpick Richard Pybus as interim Head Coach be rescinded." (ESPN cricinfo)

CWI Regional 4-Day Tournament…

Bravo’s return boosts Red Force line-up D

arren Bravo looks set to return to the West Indies Championship for the first time in years when only two matches in the fourth are contested, starting

scene three of the round today.

The Windiesleft-hander is likely to give a huge boost to the batting of the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force, as they face the Jamaica Scorpions on the road at Sabina Park in the supporting match of

the round.

Meantime, Barbados Pride and Leeward Islands Hurricanes – the other two teams in the Championship – have had their fourthround contest rescheduled to March.

Bravo and Jamaican fast bowler Odean Smith replace leg-spinner Bryan Charles and Windiesfast bowler Shannon Gabriel in the Red Force line-up.

Charles will be on duty

Darren Bravo opened the bowling against CCC in 2014

for the President’s XI and Gabriel has been rested, as expected, ahead of him travelling to Barbados for the start of the England Tour.

Red Force will be hoping that Bravo can give the edge to their batting lineup which has let them down in the second innings of two losses on home soil against the Volcanoes and Leeward Islands Hurricanes, and familiarity will bring success for Smith on the bowling side.

The Scorpions and Red Force both had a delayed start to the season, due to unavailability of venues, and they have both lost their first two matches of the season.

Scorpions lost their two matches in similar circumstances – allowing the Pride and Volcanoes to come from behind and defeat them.

Recent history is kind to both teams: Scorpions have won four of the eight matches between the two sides in the PCL era, but Red Force won two of the four contests at Sabina Park in the same period and earned hard-fought draw in the corresponding contest last season.

Scorpions’ pair of Jermaine Blackwood and John Campbell will be missing from this match, due to playing duties for the President’s XI against England in Barbados, and WindiesTwenty20 International star Fabian Allen has been sidelined with a leg injury.

Andre McCarthy, Barbadian batting all-round-

er Kenroy Williams and his unrelated namesake Oraine Williams have been drafted into the squad.

Ramdin fined for breaches of Code of Conduct Cricket West Indies confirmed on Wednesday that Trinidad & Tobago Red Force captain Denesh Ramdin was fined for a breach of the Code of Conduct during the third round of matches which ended on Monday in the West Indies Championship.

Ramdin admitted to the offence and accepted the imposition of the proposed sanction from match referee Michael Ragoonath, so there was no need for a formal hearing.

The Red Force captain was reported by on-field umpires Danesh Ramdhanie and Patrick Gustard along with reserve umpire Kashi Sandy for Level 1 breaches of the Code of Conduct during the match between his side and Leeward Islands Hurricanes at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad.

His breach was upgraded to Level 2, due to this being his second breach within a year, and the match referee imposed a fine of 50 per cent of the player’s match fee.

Ramdin breached paragraph 1.2 of the Code of Conduct by showing dissent at an umpire’s decision, when he raised his hands in the air in a show of obvious disappointment after being adjudged lbw in the 32nd over of the Red Force’s second innings.

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

thursdAY, January 10, 2019

CWI sets new benchmark for Windies men’s fitness C

ricket West Indies (CWI) has hailed the improvement of fitness levels of the WINDIES Men over the last year and introduced a new benchmark for testing of players’ stamina and endurance.

Of all teams under its care, including the six territorial franchises, which were evaluated using a battery of tests with the Yo-Yo Endurance Test being a key metric, the WINDIES Men showed the greatest improvement during the last year.

This was revealed

by CWI Head of Sports Medicine & Science, Dr. Oba Gulston, during the regional governing body’s last board of directors’ meeting held on December 8 and 9 in Trinidad.

“WINDIES Men’s fitness has improved by over 30 per cent in the last year” said Dr. Gulston in a report to the directors.

“We continue to work hard with all the franchises to improve the fitness level of all players across the region, especially out of the cricket season, the most important time to improve fitness and conditioning. We’ve set a minimum benchmark for all players to obtain as an indication of greatly improved fitness levels.”

The Yo-Yo Endurance Test is part of a series of fitness testing method developed in Denmark by football physiologist, Dr. Jens

Bangsbo. It is a key measure used to evaluate a player’s stamina and endurance.

The benefits of the test include helping players to recover faster during the matches by increasing their aerobic capacity.

“Player fitness at elite international level is a key ingredient of successful teams.

To maintain and improve fitness standards, the CWI Board has now set a benchmark standard that is tied to eligibility for selection, using the Yo-Yo Endurance Test following the recommendation of our Sports Medicine & Science team,” said CWI Chief Executive

Officer, Johnny Grave. “It has also mandated that this benchmark must be achieved for players to be eligible for selection to the squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 England & Wales. The CWI Board has also agreed that any exceptions would be subject to its approval through its medical panel.”

Grave said the new fitness benchmark is a part of a suite of measures that the CWI Board has approved to help improve player performance across the board.

“With the match calendar and the different formats of the game being practically a

year-round pursuit, optimal fitness must be achieved,” he said. “Irrespective of a player’s cricketing ability, a minimum fitness level is the bedrock for success for any contemporary sports professional.”

Grave said: “The West Indies used to set the benchmark for fitness in cricket and it was one of the hallmarks of the great WINDIES teams of the 1980s and 1990s. International teams have taken our lead and set new standards. We are investing in all players’ fitness to give our cricket the best chance of success.”

Halep loses to Barty in return at Sydney International

W

orld number one Simona Halep's first match in more than three months ended in defeat by Australia's Ashleigh Barty at the Sydney International.

The Romanian, who cut short her 2018 season with a back injury, was beaten 6-4 6-4 by the world number 15 in the second round after a first-round bye.

French Open champion Halep, 27, who was runner-up at last year's Australian Open, has started 2019 without a coach.

The first Grand Slam of the year starts in Melbourne on Monday.

Barty fired 26 winners on her way to her first victory over a world number one.

She will face Belgian 10th seed Elise Mertens in the next round.

Despite the defeat, Halep was pleased that she had played "a good level of tennis" and was not troubled by her back.

"No pain at all, that is a great sign," she said. "The tennis is good, I just have to believe in myself more."

Former US Open champion and fourth seed Sloane Stephens followed Halep out of the tournament after a 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-0 defeat by Kazakh world number 44 Yulia Putintseva.

Murray to face Djokovic before Australian Open

Britain's Andy Murray will face world number one Novak Djokovic in a practice match on Thursday as part of his preparations for the Australian Open.

Murray has lost four times to Djokovic in the Australian Open final.

Three-time Grand Slam champion Murray missed most of last season after hip surgery and has tumbled down the rankings to 230th.

Australian Open organisers said the match on the Margaret Court Arena show court would be open to the public.

Murray, a five-time runner-up at Melbourne Park, played just six tournaments in 2018 and has used his protected ranking to enter the first Grand Slam of the year.

The Scot will not be seeded in Thursday's draw (from 07:00 GMT) for the opening Grand Slam of the year and so could face a top-ranked player in the first round.

Murray's first tournament since September ended last week with a second-round defeat by Russian world number 16 Daniil Medvedev at the Brisbane International. The Australian Open starts on Monday and runs until 27 January. (BBC Sport)

Windies Women’s squad confirmed for

camp ahead of Pakistan series C

ricket West Indies (CWI) Selection Panel named a strong and experienced Windies Women’s squad for a two-week training camp in Antigua.

They are preparing for the upcoming series against Pakistan and will start net sessions from Wednesday at the Coolidge Cricket Ground.

The 20-member squad includes 14 of the 15 members

of the team which reached the semi-finals in last year’s International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s T20 World Cup in the Caribbean.

There is one newcomer, Rashada Williams, a

Shemaine Campbelle

21-year-old opener from Jamaica.

Chairman of Selectors, Courtney Browne outlined the squad’s plans.

“After a decent and competitive run at the ICC T20 World Cup 2018, the Windies women will be expected to build on that momentum going into the One-Dayers and T20 series against Pakistan.

The team needs to improve its showing in ODI cricket, especially, and we want to see marked improvement in this format,” said Browne.

“The women have been involved in a number of strategic camps over the last year and we have seen improvements as reflected during the T20 World Cup, particularly in the fielding.

“Coming into the squad for the first time is young opening bat Rashada Williams, who impressed the selectors with her solid technique and her ability against spin bowling. The panel believes with help from the

coaching staff, she can develop into a very good player that can add solidity. We want to wish Stafanie Taylor and her team all the very best for this tour and throughout 2019.”

The full squad reads: Merissa Aguilleira, Reniece Boyce, Shemaine Campbelle, Shamilia Connell, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Shabika Gajnabi, Sheneta Grimmond, Chinelle Henry, Qiana Joseph, Kycia Knight, Hayley Matthews, Natasha McLean, Anisa Mohammed, Chedean Nation, Akeira Peters, Karishma Ramharack, Shakera Selman, Stafanie Taylor, and Rashada Williams.

NOTE: Stafanie Taylor will not be attending the camp due to her participation in the Women’s Big Bash League in Australia.

(CWI)

Hayley Matthews

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BCB/Ivan Madre 100-ball

Young Warriors’ victory inspired

by Shimron Hetmyer – says Captain Suresh Dhanai

By Brandon Corlette

I

t was an inspirational victory by the Young Warriors team Saturday last when they humbled Rose Hall Town Gizmos and Gadgets by seven wickets.

At the post-match presentation, Young Warriors Captain Suresh Dhanai explained how important the victory against Rose Hall Town was. Dhanai told this reporter that prior to this match, Young Warriors had only 13 players in the squad. When the players heard Shimron Hetmyer was available to play, over 18 players joined the squad.

The Young Warriors team that were once dormant in 2018 vibrantly played First-Division tour-

naments and dominated teams across Berbice except the powerful Rose Hall Town Gizmos and Gadgets.

A Young Warriors team that were in the process of finding their feet again were in need of a tournament win, after losing two matches to the same opponents.

Owing to the inclement weather in Berbice, the 100-ball final that was scheduled for December 2018 was only played the following month. The Dhanai-led team that consisted of national players with experience beneath their belt played with confidence. It was the perfect birthday present for the Captain, as he witnessed an inspirational team performance.

The year 2019 will continue to be a rising year for the Young Warriors team, with Hetmyer taking his game to another level, the promising Young Warriors players are seeking to follow in his footsteps. National Under-19 batsman Alex Algoo is currently dominating the Under-19 tournament, scoring back-to-back centuries, and the experienced players in Ishwar Singh, Vishaul Mohabir and Devandra Ramoutar have made themselves available to play.

In the recently-concluded 100-ball tournament, Ramoutar, a left-arm fast bowler, was the only bowler with a five-wicket haul.

The consistent bowler told this reporter that he was

working hard to play in the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Franchise League.

Dhanai expressed gratitude to the Hilbert Fosterled Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) for restoring cricket in Berbice that was absent for two years.

The Young Warriors will be aiming to continue playing posi- tive cricket in the hectic BCB season.

tune of US$10.5m. The economic impact is a measure of the organiser’s spend, visitors spend and jobs created.

The Tallawahs create about 250 jobs each season and have 12 full-time employees. The two games they played in Jamaica last year generated 2400 hotel room nights.

Meanwhile, Miller said the government wants to keep the Tallawahs in Jamaica but they will have

to find a way to keep the franchise, who is being wooed by other Caribbean islands desperate to be the new home.

Miller said a partnership with the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) and offering other concessions such as a discount on the US$35,000 they pay to Sabina Park Holdings for each match played at Sabina Park should be considered to ease the fi-

Suresh Dhanai (Brandon Corlette photo)

Jamaica sourcing support for Tallawahs – Sports Minister J

amaica Sports Minister Olivia Grange has confirmed that she has been in discussions with the owners of the Jamaica Tallawahs with the aim of finding a way to keep the franchise in the country.

Tallawahs CEO Jeff Miller told Sportsmax.TV last week that it is likely that they will drop Jamaica at the end of the month in favour of another Caribbean island should the government fail to provide them with the necessary support that will enable the franchise to remain viable.

The annual operating budget of the Tallawahs is somewhere in the region of US$2.5m which covers players’ wages, hotel and airfare and per diem.

However, the Tallawahs barely get any corporate support from Jamaican businesses with Foska Oats being the only local sponsor.

The government has only contributed US$35,000 over the past two seasons. As a result, the Tallawahs suffered massive losses of US$1.8m in 2018 and US$1.5 the year

before.

“We just can’t continue in the way we have in the past. We have no support,” Miller told Sportsmax.tv.

“The government just doesn’t see the value of the Tallawahs. I’ve been getting a lot of talk for the last two to three months about having discussions with the sports minister and the prime minister and they haven’t come to anything.”

Minister Grange confirmed that she has been in dialogue with the franchise owners but revealed that there are limits to what the government is able to do to support the franchise.

“Yes, as minister of sports I am in discussions with them and hope to find a way to give some support,” she said.

“There are challenges identifying funding in light of financial constraints but we continue to work towards finding a solution.”

A recent report showed that for the two games the Tallawahs played at Sabina Park in Kingston in 2018, Jamaica benefitted to the

GUYANA Hamilton to lead CWI President’s TIMES XI against England in your area?

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ricket West Indies (CWI) selection panel today named the CWI President’s XI squad to face England.

Jahmar Hamilton, the wicket-keeper/batsman, has been named as captain and the squad includes six players with Test match experience.

These are batsmen: Sunil Ambris, Jermaine Blackwood and Vishaul Singh; all-rounder Raymond

Reifer; and fast bowlers Alzarri Joseph and Miguel Cummins.

The teams will meet in two two-day matches at the 3Ws Oval at the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies. The first match will be played on January 15 and 16 and the second match on January 17 and 18. First ball on each day is 10am (9am Jamaica Time).

FULL SQUAD - Jahmar

Hamilton (captain), Sunil Ambris, Jermaine Blackwood, John Campbell, Bryan Charles, Miguel Cummins, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Chemar Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Raymon Reifer, Vishaul Singh, Devon Thomas

(CWI)

Jahmar Hamilton

nancial burden the owners face to keep the Tallawahs, two-time CPL champions, alive. (Sportsmax)

22

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

thursdAY, January 10, 2019

Regional Chairman steps in to help repair MSC backboard A

s a number of organisations, institutions, companies and individuals have made several promises to lend support to advancing sports in Guyana, one individual has committed to continue building on the very impressive track record that he has already built in the mining town of Linden.

Regional Chairman Renis Morian, who is known for a number of community-oriented and sporting projects, has come to the rescue of basketball players in Linden. Recently, the backboard at the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) Ground was completely destroyed, thus resulting in there being no possibility of games being played there until a new board is secured.

However, while the basketball fraternity in Linden was busy and desperately seeking help, Morian took a tour of the basketball facility where he made a commitment to secure the backboard for the players. The board, according to basketball officials, will cost some $375,000 and is expected to be acquired within the next two weeks.

Regional Chairman Renis Morian inspects the damage done to the backboard at the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground

Chairman Morian disclosed that he was a passionate supporter of not only youth development but sports, and reaffirmed his commitment to continue lending support as he believed that this would foster greater community development.

“Ensuring that our youths remain on the positive track requires great-

er participation of everyone and that is why we at the Regional Democratic Council is fully committed and dedicated in assisting the youths wherever and whenever we can. The basketballers in Linden need the board so as to continue playing the sport and as the Regional Chairman, I am giving my commitment that I will continue to support the youths

of this region,” he declared.

The Regional Chairman noted that sports would remain one of the vehicles of growth for the residents of Linden. He stressed that like in previous years the RDC would collaborate and assist several groups and organisations, with sport being a top priority. “We have recognised the importance that sport plays within our

society, and that is why we will continue to lend valuable support and assistance.

Each year, we are discovering more and more youths with unbelievable talent and skills and as part of our role in nurturing them, we will give all the support required,” Morian said.

He, however, expressed disappointment over the damaging of the backboard, pointing out that it wasn’t done by the players but persons who were on the ground recently when a concert was held. “Recently, there was a concert and apparently, some of the persons who were here destroyed the board. My office will get a brand new one and put measures in place to ensure that there isn’t a repeat of what happened,” he assured. Morian noted that in an effort to further demonstrate his region’s commitment and dedication to sport and sports development, they have included some major projects as part of their 2019 budget so as to ensure that every single sector of the Region 10 community benefits in some way or the other. “Linden is a community known for its togetherness and invaluable support

that is why whenever we have anything here whether it’s sport, cultural activities or community oriented, the support is always overwhelming because residents recognise that everything that we are involved in, we will support it to the fullest,” he declared.

The Regional Chairman thanked the basketball community for what he described as their continued dominance of basketball and for ensuring that basketball remained alive and well in Region 10.

“A number of youths are getting into the sport and this is possible because those who have been involved are making ways for the youths to get involved and I am forever grateful for that, as you can recognise that we have an active basketball community, thus ensuring that residents’ appetite can be satisfied with a number of programmes and competitions so we at the RDC level remains proud and pleased,” he added. He was careful to note, however, that basketball was not the only sport that would be greatly assisted by the Region 10 RDC in 2019.

World University T20 Tournament bowls off today Amir Jangoo

T

he Frank Worrell Cricket Ground at the University of West Indies (UWI) Sport and Physical Education Centre at the St Augustine campus in Trinidad and Tobago will be home to explosive cricket action as the first-ever international T20 tournament at the University level is hosted over the next 10 days.

The competition, which will feature tertiary teams from around the world and two from the Caribbean, was organised through the combined efforts of Cricket West Indies (CWI); Caribbean Professional League organisers and the University’s Faculty of Sport.

Speaking on behalf of the organising trio, CWI Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Johnny Grave noted that the Board was pleased to be a part of the tournament, which runs from January 10 (today) to January 20.

“CWI is pleased to continue its long-standing partnership with the UWI, now through its Faculty of Sport, to advance the development of the game,” Grave stated.

“This collaboration provides a great opportunity for West Indies’ future talent to test themselves against university teams from around the World, gaining experience and building team relationships in a pressure en-

vironment. We hope that the players grab this chance and enjoy a great tournament.”

Meanwhile, according to the organisers, the tournament will showcase students and universities, in full view of their loved ones, the media and spectators-at-large, on a launch-pad to professional sporting excellence and the rigours associated with tournaments of this nature.

“The UWI Faculty of Sport is dedicated in expanding opportunities to young athletes,” said UWI Dean of the Faculty of Sport, Dr Akshai Mansingh.

“Through this competition, University students will have the chance to com-

pete with their peers from around the world. The interaction extends beyond the field as they can share experiences from the classroom to life in general.

“All have to cope with managing the demands of academics, sport and the realities of life, and how better to assist them, but through living and playing with similar students from around the world.”

Three teams sourced from the United States and United Kingdom will compete alongside the Caribbean squads from UWI and Combined Campuses & Colleges.

The World University T20 was given the goahead by the CWI Board of

Keron Cottoy fields his own bowling

Directors at its last meeting on December 8 and 9 in Trinidad, as part of the longterm strategic plan to increase the quality and quantity of cricket accessible and supported for the next generation of players.

It was indicated that the tournament has been created to allow university student players to access critical tour experience and exposure in a competitive environment to bolster their preparation for the professional level of the sport.

It was designed with the intention to engage young, aspiring international and First-Class players, as well as students of the game, and provide them with a once-

in-a-lifetime opportunity for them to play against their peers on a global stage.

In addition to this, the Caribbean Premier League has also given its approval for the tournament as part of the T20 sanctioning and staging agreement with the regional governing body.

What makes the tournament even more exciting is the fact that five of the most outstanding players will be given an opportunity to train and play alongside teams in the CPL. All matches are open to the public and are scheduled to start at 14:00h (2pm) and 18:30h (6:30pm) daily.

Tickets are available at the gates for TT$25.

guyanatimesgy.com

thursdAY, January 10, 2019

23

Hetmyer, Paul, Griffith return to Jaguars squad for 4th round clash at Providence

– Hemraj, Reifer, Singh summoned by President’s XI

By Brandon Corlette

T

Keemo Paul

hey are presently seen as the regional giants – the powerful Guyana Jaguars team led by Leon Johnson, will play their first of five matches at home.

The National Stadium, Providence, Guyana will see the best regional players today, January 10, 2019, compete in high-quality cricket from 09:30h.

After defeating the

Barbados team, Guyana Jaguars made three changes to the squad that will play the Windward Islands Volcanoes. The talismanic Shimron Hetmyer, fast-bowling all-rounder Keemo Paul and opening batsman Trevon Griffith are the latest additions to the squad.

Fresh from his career-best knock of 144 against Barbados Pride, duty calls for Chandrapaul Hemraj, who will represent Windies President’s XI team, along with Raymon Reifer and Vishaul Singh, Guyana Jaguars leading run scorer this season. Singh, who has accumulated 177 runs in the first three rounds of this tournament, among them two half-centuries, including a knock of 90, continues to impress while Reifer continues to show his worth at the regional level with both bat and ball.

Changes are often made to the Guyana Jaguars team, with players being absent owing to international duties.

The strong bench of the Jaguars has ensured that this does not affect their unbeaten run in the Regional 4-Day Tournament. Hetmyer and Paul are both international players who will only strengthen the formidable Jaguars

Devon Smith

Shimron Hetmyer

unit. Griffith has a similar attacking approach as Hemraj and the top order will not be affected by his selection.

Hetmyer, who is looking forward to playing this match against the Windward Islands Volcanoes, is rated as one of the better batsmen currently in the Caribbean and will want to score some heavy runs for his country.

After a great 2018 playing international cricket, Hetmyer will want to transfer his form to the First-Class arena to obtain maximum preparation for the England series, starting January 23.

Paul, who has recently recovered from a finger injury, is set to play his 17th First-Class match. The Essequiban all-rounder, who

scored a century on home turf, will further add to the batting depth in the Jaguars team. Paul took a five-wicket haul against Bangladesh in his most recent T20 match, and will be looking to kick up some good pace and add to his 57 wickets at the FirstClass level.

Speaking to the Guyana Times Sport on the eve of the much-anticipated match, Windward Islands Volcanoes Assistant Coach Fernix Thomas said his team were fully prepared for the Jaguars challenge.

Volcanoes have won two matches after they suffered a defeat at the hands of the Guyana Jaguars. When this reporter asked Thomas how important Devon Smith was to the squad, he replied,

“Devon Smith is w e l l capable, and when you see his name, expect centuries.”

The Volcanoes team are expecting a spin-dominant encounter since the pitch at Providence is dry.

Sunil Ambris and Shane Shillingford are the notable losses from the Volcanoes squad, but they are still confident of putting up a good challenge. Thomas further added that the strength lies in the Guyana’s bowling with the likes of Veerasammy Permaul, who continues to be a threat to all regional batsmen. The Volcanoes team, which will be led by Barbadian and former West Indies batsman Kirk Edwards, have Windies

fast bowle r s in Obed Mc Coy and Test quick Sherman Lewis. Guyana Jaguars full squad for the fourth round reads: Leon Johnson (Captain); Shimron Hetmyer; Keemo Paul; Veerasammy Permaul; Anthony Bramble; Trevon Griffith; Tagenarine Chanderpaul; Christopher Barnwell; Sherfane Rutherford; Keon Joseph; Gudakesh Motie; Clinton Pestano and Romario Shepherd.

Archery Guyana moves closer to Olympic qualification F or Wayne Gerald DeAbreu, his love of archery began when he was a mere child. The fascination was sparked when DeAbreu’s parents presented him with a small Indigenous bare bow and three arrows. Although his love for the sport was there, DeAbreu did not take it seriously un-

Wayne DeAbreu scoring his target after shooting the 70m distance in Canada

til his late thirties. Similarly to his childhood, he was given another gift, but this time around, it was a traditional bow. Reminding him of his old love for archery, this gift provided the impetus for his renewed interest in the sport and the rest is now history.

Now, the Guyana-born archer who resides in Canada has made the bold move to join Archery Guyana.

Having started his shooting in 2010, DeAbreu is currently ranked as number 17 in the Province of Ontario, Canada and number 21 in Canada.

His official stats are as follows: Ontario ranking (17) DeAbreu, Wayne - M, ON Ranking Total 3057.84 Total Points 2017; Canadian ranking (21) DeAbreu, Wayne - M, ON Ranking Total 3018.00 Total Points. As such, he is well on his way to qualifying for the 2020 Olympics, representing the Golden Arrow Head.

Evolution

Over time, DeAbreu became one of the top traditional shooters in Ontario; however, he longed for more. DeAbreu felt then that the tradition-

al archery world was a great start, but it was time to evolve. As a result of this urge, he then upgraded to a Hoyt recurve bow (The Eclipse), which then put him in a new category of competition, the Olympic Recurve shooting. This fuelled his desire to progress to great- DeAbreu’s practice session in er heights, as he Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada realised how natural instincts in the rankings in Ontario and Canada. This combined with technology made for greater achievement is remarkable considering the consistency and accuracy. fact that he entered the sport relatively late The Guyanese archer invested heavily while all the programmes and resources were in the sport and even sought to remodel his aimed and designed for younger archers. house to facilitate indoor practice. With time Archery Guyana stands to benefit from and training, he progressed to be in the top DeAbreu’s tremendous experience as it three best in Ontario and in his final year moves forward in developing the local prowith the bare bow, he set the Canadian bare gramme. bow record at 70 metres.

As such, Archery Guyana is enthused at The following year, DeAbreu transferred the prospect of Guyana qualifying for the to the Olympic recurve with a very aggres2020 Olympics which loom in the near fusive goal of making it to the Olympics. His ture and stands behind DeAbreu as he seeks aggression and discipline in researching and to fulfil not only his personal dream but retooling himself to becoming a great archer Guyana’s. began to pay dividends, as he began to rise

THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019

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

guyanatimesgy.com

Hetmyer, Paul, Griffith return to Jaguars squad for 4th round clash at Providence – Hemraj, Reifer, Singh summoned by President’s XI

Page 23

Windies Women’s squad confirmed for camp ahead of Pakistan series

Archery Guyana moves closer to Olympic qualification Page 23

Page 20

DeAbreu at the Canadian Nationals, Ontario, Canada

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