Guyana Times - Thursday, January 28, 2021

Cutting down of P12 historic Mabaruma “rubber trees” halted

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

Issue No. 4542

THE BEACON OF TRUTH THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021

US condemns Venezuela's intimidatory tactics against Guyana See story on page 3

…as OAS SG demands Venezuela respect Guyana’s territory Venezuelan border provocation

Int’l community demands Venezuela release Guyanese fishermen Page 7

Foreign Minister, APNU/AFC MP meet on border controversy

Page 9

…Govt, Opposition stand as one on Venezuela's bullyism CJ’s order

Page 11

Lowenfield hands over SoPs, SoRs to High Court

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

P12 Region 5 pensioner latest COVID-19 victim …34 new cases recorded

Guyana likely to be part of COVAX's "1st wave" rollout of COVID-19 P14 vaccination Businessman, P10 labourer robbed by armed bandits

CANU unearths cocaine in coconut biscuits, mittai, chicken foot at Ogle P13 Airport

South Ruimveldt man nabbed for bashing vagrant to death with P10 stone Lindener jailed for breaching P10 COVID-19 guidelines Butcher jailed for killing cattle P13 farmer

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

NEWS

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Thursday, January 28 – 04:00h-05:30h and Friday, January 29 – 04:30h-06:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Thursday, January 28 – 16:00h – 17:30h and Friday, January 29 – 05:05h-06:35h.

US condemns Venezuela’s intimidatory tactics against Guyana …as OAS SG demands Venezuela respect Guyana’s territory the controversy between the two countries must be settled by the international court, and not by unilateral and aggressive actions on the part of Venezuela. The OAS also reminded that “any attempt to derail this international legal process, such as the decree issued by the Maduro regime, is contrary to international law and standards, and has no legal bearing or significance.”

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Sunshine will prevail during the day. There will be clear skies during the night. Temperatures should range between 20 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Northerly to East North-Easterly between 1.78 metres and 4.91 metres.

High Tide: 16:34h reaching a maximum height of 2.65 metres.

Low Tide: 10:08h and 22:36h reaching minimum heights of 0.73 metre and 0.54 metre.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2021

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

Acting US State Department Assistant Secretary Julie Chung

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he United States (US) on Wednesday threw its support behind Guyana, with a senior State Department official condemning Venezuela’s recent acts of aggression and demanding that the Spanish- speaking country release the Guyanese ships and crews it illegally detained recently.

According to a statement released on her social media post, acting Assistant Secretary for the United States Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, Julie Chung, condemned the Nicholas Maduro regime’s acts of intimidation against Guyana. She also expressed support for the Organization of American States’ (OAS) own statement on the issue.

“The US supports a peaceful resolution of the maritime boundary controversy between Venezuela and Guyana, and condemns Maduro’s intimidation through the seizure of fishing vessels and detention of crew. We echo the OAS Secretariat’s call for their release without delay,” Chung said in her statement.

During a meeting of the OAS Permanent Council on Wednesday, Venezuela formed an integral part of the discussion, as several countries on the council, including the US, Canada, Belize, Trinidad and Brazil, condemned Venezuela’s recent actions.

OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro took the opportunity to demand that Venezuela respect Guyana’s sovereignty.

Venezuela was also exhorted to settle its longstanding border controversy with Guyana at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which is the proper forum.

In his remarks at the meeting, Almagro reminded Venezuela of its need to adhere to international norms and settle its grievance with its boundary at the ICJ. While Almagro acknowledged that Venezuela has so far refused to participate in the court process, he noted the importance of a peaceful settlement at the ICJ, for the sake of regional peace.

“It is an issue that has been around for more than a century. We trust international justice will oversee this, despite the fact that we are looking at certain powers in Venezuela.

Any unilateral move when it comes to the EEZ is not the way to resolve,’ Almagro said.

“And in the final analysis, respecting the territorial integ-

OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro

rity goes to respecting international mechanisms to resolve controversies,” he said, as he went on to urge both parties to resolve the controversy in the arena of the ICJ.

OAS demands

On Wednesday, Almagro condemned Venezuela’s recent actions in a statement in which the OAS demanded that the Spanish-speaking country release the Guyanese fishermen and their vessels.

“The General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS) condemns the illegal detention by the Venezuelan dictatorship of two Guyanese-registered fishing vessels and their crews, who were located within the Cooperative Republic of Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ),” Almagro said.

“The General Secretariat demands that the Guyanese citizens are released promptly and safely to Guyanese authorities, as well as the two detained vessels. Moreover, the General Secretariat reiterates its support for the rules and processes set by international law regarding ongoing territorial conflicts.”

The OAS made clear that

Belize The Government of Belize also issued a statement of its own, expressing its concern over the news that Venezuela has detained Guyanese fishing vessels and crew. And much like in Trinidad, Belizean Foreign Minister Eamon Courtenay summoned Venezuelan Ambassador Gerardo Argote to Belmopan for a meeting to explain his country’s actions.

“Minister Courtenay took the opportunity to condemn this latest flagrant violation of Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity by Venezuela.

Belize called for the immediate release of the illegally detained Guyanese nationals and their vessels, and urged the Government of Venezuela to respect international law and ensure a peaceful resolution of this incident,” Belize said in its statement.

“Minister Courtenay has remained in close contact with his colleague, Hon. Hugh Todd, Foreign Minister of Guyana, on this matter. Belize reiterates its unequivocal support for Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the process underway before the International Court of Justice to finally and peacefully resolve the controversy between the two countries,” the statement added.

The two Guyanese-

Belize Foreign Minister Eamon Courtenay

registered fishing vessels, with combined crews comprising 12 men, were operating off the coast of Waini Point in Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) when they were intercepted by the Venezuelan naval vessel Commandante Hugo Chavez GC 24 on January 21.

The crew of one of the ships, the Lady Nayera, is headed by Captain Richard Ramnarine and comprises crew members Ramlakan Kamal, Nick Raghubar, Javin Boston, Michael Domingo and Joel Joseph.

The other ship, the Sea Wolf, is captained by Captain Toney Garraway, and comprises crew members Errol Gardener, Orland Roberts, Christopher Shaw, Shirvin Oneil and Randy Henry.

These Guyanese fisherfolks have since been brought before a Venezuelan court, and reports indicate they will be kept in custody for some 45 days pending an investigation.

The detention of the two vessels comes on the heels of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro’s recent presidential decree which reinforced his country’s illegal claim to Guyana’s Essequibo region. (G3)

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021

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

Changing lifestyles and climate change

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ver the past few years, there has been much talk about climate change, and the devastating impact it is having and is likely to have on communities and the world as a whole. However, while governments and policy makers are busy debating the issues at the national and international levels, many believe that enough is not being done in terms of designing and implementing critical projects at the community level to encourage and sensitise individuals about the need to play their part in mitigating the effects of climate change.

In fact, it could be argued that, on the global level, not many persons are educated about the issue, especially as it relates to the kind of impact climate change has on the environment and on individuals themselves. Citizens still do take the issue for granted, and do not pay much heed to the various messages about the need to change lifestyle patterns and so on.

Scientists have argued that the planet is indeed threatened by lifestyle patterns of individuals, and if persons continue to use resources the way we currently do, the planet’s reserves would be exhausted at an increasingly rapid pace. For many countries, there is still the challenge of getting everyone to not only understand and appreciate the idea of the need to work towards sustainable consumption, but also to take practical steps to move in this direction.

Certainly, Governments can set the framework with their policies; set targets, define standards, give incentives to make companies go green. Businesses and industries, together with researchers, can provide the solutions, but, in the end, the consumers have the power of the purse, whether they buy green products or not. The highly touted ‘green model,’ reduces our ecological footprint, emits less greenhouse gases, uses less energy and raw materials, and can create new sources of growth and employment.

In essence, achieving economic growth and sustainable development requires that we urgently reduce our ecological footprint by changing the way we produce and consume goods and resources. As stated by UNDP, the efficient management of our shared natural resources, and the way we dispose of toxic waste and pollutants are important targets to achieve this goal.

Based on statistics, the world’s population is growing rapidly, as more than a billion new people will enter the middle class by 2050. Experts have predicted that if citizens do not change their consumption patterns, the global use of resources will be multiplied by 15, which is considered dangerous for our planet, as it would not be able to satisfy the needs of everyone.

At the individual level, every individual does play a crucial role in defining his/her own consumption patterns, and can in a way also contribute to the fight against climate change.

For example, we can reduce the level of energy utilized, and the money that is saved on energy could instead be used to develop climate-friendly technologies and appliances.

Official records show that, on a global level, more than 70 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions are related to household consumption. While it is accepted that it is not an easy task to get persons to change lifestyles and to work towards a climate- friendly environment, the task would be much easier if they are educated about the role they can play and the benefits of their own action.

Here, in Guyana, we still continue to dump garbage carelessly. For example, persons continue to dispose of plastics and Styrofoam items in a reckless manner, resulting in the clogging of drains and trenches, thereby leading to flooding etc. The 2005 floods exposed our vulnerability, and should have served as a big wake-up call for us to treat the environment differently.

For sure, there is need for more effective public education campaigns on climate change, and to highlight the effects of poor environmental practices. There is also need for more green projects to be implemented at the local levels, to encourage communities to work towards achieving a cleaner and healthier environment.

A traffic rank stationed at the Lethem Police Station Traffic Department interacting with students of the St Ignatius Secondary School, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) sensitising them on road safety rules (Guyana Police Force photo)

I’ve said goodbye to ‘normal’. You should, too.

By Roy Scranton

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he other night, I went to pick up takeout at a local Irish pub. It was a gray and rainy evening at the end of a long week, and my partner and I were suffering from Zoom fatigue. We love this pub not just because it has good food, but because it’s a living part of our community. Pre-COVID, they used to have Irish traditional music sessions, and any cold and snowy night you’d be greeted with a burst of cheer, a packed house, friends and families all out for a cosy good time.

Now it’s a ghostly quiet. Social distancing rules mean that even at max capacity, it still only has a tiny fraction of its usual clientele.

Standing in that empty pub, haunted by the sense of what we were missing, I felt an ache for “normal” as acute as any homesickness I ever felt — even when I served in the Army in Iraq. I still feel the twinge every time I put on my mask. I want our normal lives back.

But what does normal even mean anymore?

It’s easy to forget that 2020 gave us not just the pandemic, but also the West Coast’s worst fire season, as well as the most active Atlantic hurricane season on record. And, while we were otherwise distracted, 2020 also offered up near-record lows in Arctic sea ice; possible evidence of significant methane release from Arctic permafrost and the Arctic Ocean; huge wildfires in both the Amazon and the Arctic; shattered heat records (2020 rivalled 2016 for the hottest year on record); bleached coral reefs; the collapse of the last fully intact ice shelf in the Canadian Arctic, and increasing odds that the global climate system has passed the point where feedback dynamics take over and the window of possibility for preventing catastrophe closes.

President Biden has re-

committed the United States to the Paris Agreement, which is great except that it doesn’t really mean much, since that agreement’s commitments are voluntary.

And it might not even matter whether signatories meet their commitments, since their pledges weren’t rigorous enough to keep global warming “well below” two degrees Celsius, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above preindustrial levels to begin with.

According to Climate Action Tracker, a collaborative analysis from independent science non-profits, only Morocco and Gambia have made commitments compatible with the goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, and the commitments made by several major emitters, including China, Russia, Japan and the United States, are “highly insufficient” or “critically insufficient”.

It’s also worth noting that the two degrees Celsius benchmark is somewhat arbitrary and possibly fantastic, since it’s not clear that the earth’s climate would be safe or stable at that temperature.

In the words of a widely-discussed research summary published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, even if the Paris Agreement targets are met, “we cannot exclude the risk that a cascade of feedbacks could push the Earth System irreversibly onto a ‘Hothouse Earth’ pathway”.

More alarming, recent observed increases in atmospheric methane, a greenhouse gas more than 80 times stronger than carbon dioxide over the short term, are so large that if they continue they could effectively overwhelm the pledged emissions reductions in the Paris Agreement, even if those reductions were actually happening. Which they’re not.

Meanwhile, the earth’s climate seems to be changing faster than expected. Take the intensifying slowdown in

the North Atlantic current, a global warming side effect made famous by the film “The Day After Tomorrow.”

According to the climatologist Michael Mann, “We are 50 years to 100 years ahead of schedule with the slowdown of this ocean circulation pattern, relative to what the models predict … The more observations we get, the more sophisticated our models become, the more we’re learning that things can happen faster, and with a greater magnitude, than we predicted just years ago.”

In 2019, the Greenland ice sheet briefly reached daily melt rates predicted in what were once considered worst-case scenarios for 2060 to 2080. Recent research indicates that rapidly thawing permafrost may release twice as much carbon dioxide and methane than previously thought, which is pretty bad news, because other recent research shows very cold Arctic permafrost thawing 70 years earlier than expected.

Going back to normal now means returning to a course that will destabilise the conditions for all human life, everywhere on earth. Normal means more fires, more category 5 hurricanes, more flooding, more drought, millions upon millions more migrants fleeing famine and civil war, more crop failures, more storms, more extinctions, more record-breaking heat.

Normal means the increasing likelihood of civil unrest and state collapse, of widespread agricultural failure and collapsing fisheries, of millions of people dying from thirst and hunger, of new diseases, old diseases spreading to new places and the havoc of war.

Normal could well mean the end of global civilisation as we know it.

I remember last March, in the first throes of the pandemic, when normal was upended. Everything shut down. We hoarded toilet paper and pasta. Fear gripped the nation.

I was afraid, too: I was afraid for my mother, who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. I was afraid for my sister, whose husband works in a prison. I was afraid for my cousin, who’s a nurse.

I was afraid for my country, under the leadership of an incompetent and seemingly deranged president.

But along with the fear, I remembered a lesson I’d learned in Iraq. I’d been a soldier in Baghdad in 20032004, where I saw what happens when the texture of the everyday is ripped apart. I realized that what we call social life was like a vast and complex game, with imaginary rules we all agreed to follow, fictions we turned into fact through institutions, stories, and daily repetition.

Some of the rules were old, deeply ingrained and resilient. Some were so tenuous they’d barely survive a hard wind.

What I saw in Iraq was that every time you shock the system, something breaks.

Sometimes those breaks never heal. There’s no way we can undo the damage we did to Iraq or bring back the lives lost to COVID. But sometimes those breaks are openings. Sometimes those breaks are opportunities to do things differently.

As the pandemic has worn on, the desire to get back to normal has increased, and I worry that the hope for radical positive change has subsided. But we must not let it dissipate. We can’t afford to.

Because we won’t see “normal” again in our lifetimes.

Roy Scranton is the author of several books, including “Learning to Die in the Anthropocene” and “We’re Doomed. Now What?” He teaches English and environmental humanities at the University of Notre Dame, where he is director of the Notre Dame Environmental Humanities Initiative.

(Excerpted from New York Times)

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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

Physical punishment and psychological aggression: harmful effects on children Dear Editor, In view of the recent incident at Canje, Berbice, in which a young child was brutally beaten by her mother, I thought it necessary to shed some light on the harmful effects of physical punishment (e.g., beating with a belt or stick, slapping with hands to the body, shoving and dragging children, pinching, pulling hair, twisting ear) on children’s well-being and early learning skills.

Physical punishment is used as a common method of disciplining children across the world. In

Caribbean countries, parents fully endorse and use physical punishment at unacceptably high rates. Over the past decade, my colleagues and I have conducted several studies on the effects of physical punishment and psychological aggression on childhood development across the Caribbean and other countries. Let me share some of what we know about physical punishment among families in high-income and the low- and middle-income countries of the Caribbean. The physical harm parents can afflict on children through physical

punishment is well documented, and in some cases constitute child abuse. The goal here is to focus on the effects of physical punishment on different aspects of childhood development.

Although a fair number of adults in Guyana vouch that physical punishment at home and school steered them toward a good path in life, research findings show that physical harshness is quite harmful to children’s development. Here is what we know about the effects of physical punishment. From an analysis of 88 studies conducted in high-income

countries, physical punishment was linked to: • Childhood aggression • Antisocial behaviour and social adjustment difficulties • Delinquency • Lower vocabulary, literacy, and cognitive stimulation scores (intellectual functioning) • Lower internalisation of moral standards • Poor mental health outcomes in general Our studies on physical punishment in Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, and those by other social

Biden should lift sanctions on Cuba Dear Editor, President Biden has had a very busy first week in office. In that time, he has been confronting the immediate task facing us, the world, head on, i.e. the COVID-19 virus. He has given hope that he is following sound scientific and technical advice on this score, unlike President Trump, who lacked the appreciation of the dangers.

He has been dealing with other matters that have impacted negatively on the US, and doing so boldly.

The private prison fiasco, the Nuclear agreement with Russia, among others.

However, the Trump administration did another great injustice in our region; that is, the re-imposition of the blockade against the people and Government of Cuba. This has caused great hardship on the most

vulnerable in that island republic. It needs to be treated seriously, and be reversed immediately!

It is one on the most unjustified acts, and to me it is extremely immoral.

Little Cuba, with limited resources, has done more for the world’s poor than many of the big developed countries with an abundance of resources.

It bombs no country. It has not gone anywhere to instigate violence or overthrow any democratically elected Government. It is an enemy of international terrorism, and has always sided with the oppressed in the world.

What is typical of Cuba and Cubans is the willingness of its professionals to be at the forefront of the fight against natural disasters, diseases and other humanitarian causes.

Their doctors could be found in the epicenter of events whenever they erupt.

In the fight against AIDS, Ebola, and now COVID-19, Cuban doctors are at the forefront. When a natural disaster hits anywhere in the world, Cubans are the first to volunteer real assistance.

Cuban teachers have helped to educate people in many Third World countries, Nicaragua etc.

The specialists of Cuba can be found among the poorest in Latin America, Africa and wherever else they are required. In many places that they have gone, they were the first doctors/ teachers ever seen.

Cuba gives poor countries an opportunity to build their human capital. Thousands of students are given the opportunity to study in that country

free of cost. Guyana and the Caribbean have benefited greatly from Cuba’s sacrifices. We have managed to build a competent cadre of sound professionals.

History has hardly seen such generosity and such real selfless assistance to humanity from a country that has been damaged by economic blockade.

President Biden would be doing one of his most humanitarian acts if he lifts the measures that his predecessor placed on Cuba.

Immediately, it would be taking Trump’s knee from Cuba’s neck!

This would be a good deed not only for Cuba, but for the whole of our Region.

The Cuban people deserve nothing less!

Sincerely, Donald Ramotar Former President

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he Lord is now worshipped by offering Him all things that you crave for, by treating Him with all the honour you like to be done to yourself. The idol is bathed and washed, bedecked with jewels, fed and fanned, surrounded with fragrance, etc., since these are things you desire. But the Lord is pleased only when you do things the Lord desires! How else then can you win His Grace? How else than by nursing and nourishing, succouring and saving His children? How else than by helping them to realise Him as their Lord and Guardian, and cultivating faith in Him through your own straight and sincere living! You must look upon all as limbs of your own body, and just as you try to heal any bruise or wound on any limb as quickly and as efficiently as possible, you must heal the woes and pains of others to the best of your ability and as far as your means allow! (Divine Discourse, Feb 19, 1970)

Shri Sathya Sai Baba Organisation

scientists in Jamaica, also demonstrate similar harmful effects of physical punishment on childhood development. In a national study of 1,500 families from African Caribbean, Indo- Caribbean, and Mixed-ethnic Caribbean backgrounds across Trinidad and Tobago, physical punishment was directly linked to behavioural problems in children. Likewise, there was a direct negative link between the harshness of physical punishment and preschool-age children’s prosocial behaviours (e.g., helping, cooperating, and sharing) in Indo-Guyanese families in the Corentyne area. That is, the harsher the physical punishment, the less likely children were to engage in sharing, helping, and cooperating with others, behaviours deemed essential for the development of social skills and behavioural adjustment. In a subsequent study, physical punishment had a negative effect on early literacy skills, such as reading words, counting/naming, and recognising symbols in Guyanese children from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

In related work, we assessed the impact of physical punishment and psychological aggression in 25 African countries. Across countries, physical punishment and psychological aggression were associated with more behavioural difficulties, such as biting, hitting, and kicking other children and adults. At the

same time, parental use of explanations and redirection was positively linked to children’s early literacy skills.

The consensus around the world is that physical punishment is harmful to children’s psychological well-being and cognitive functioning. Avoid using it!

Use explanations and reasoning, redirect the child to some other activity, or model appropriate behaviour for the child. By the way, psychological aggression, which involves berating/demeaning, belittling, and calling names (e.g., stupid, stubborn), has similar harmful effects as physical punishment on children’s psychological well-being and cognitive functioning.

I strongly recommend that physical punishment be banned in the home and school in Guyana. There is good evidence that there is less aggression in schools in countries that have banned the use of physical punishment in the home and school, compared to those that have not. As I noted in a recent blog (https://www. childandfamilyblog.com/ author/jaipaul-l-roopnarine/ ) for the University of Cambridge, it is rather difficult to teach children appropriate social behaviours and to show moral concern for others when we hit and humiliate them.

Sincerely, Jaipaul L Roopnarine PhD

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Foundation ◄ Math as art

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ook at the curve puzzles pictured . They merely skim the surface of the connection between Maths and art.

Example: In the family of symmetrical curves above, one of them is a “mystery curve”: Each of these curves has an ordered pair of numbers associated with it, shown at the lower left of the curve. These two numbers determine the type of symmetry and complexity exhibited by the curve, and a simple mathematical relationship between the two numbers is required to generate the curve’s pleasant symmetry. Without looking ahead, ponder these numbers and try to get an intuitive sense of how the curves change as the numbers do. Then look at curves A and B above and see if you can match them to the correct pairs of numbers, from the 10 choices given. Give your reasons for choosing your particular pairs and describe what you think the relationship is between the two numbers.

Choices: 1. (5, –19) 2. (6, –19) 3. (7, –17) 4. (7, –12) 5. (7, –19) 6. (8, –20) 7. (8, –12) 8. (8, –13) 9. (8, –19) 10. (6, –24) How are the numbers related to the curves, and how can we generate other similarly graceful curves?

The “mystery curve” is the second one (6, –14) The “mystery curve” has a fivefold symmetry, which you can clearly make out in the image. Here’s the expression that generated this curve: (cos(t) + cos(6t)/2 + sin(14t)/3, sin(t) + sin(6t)/2 + cos(14t)/3).

Note that this is a parametric equation — the first half gives the

Æsop’s Fables

FOR CHILDREN

x-coordinate and the second part the y-coordinate as the parameter t goes from 0 to 2π.

Exercises: 1) Regarding the “mystery curve” the mystery is this: What do the coefficients 6 and 14 have to do with generating fivefold symmetry?

Why did we use –14 instead of 14 in the example?

(Adapted from quantamagazine.org)

Wednesday’s answer: The graph should look like this

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young fawn once said to his Mother, “You are larger than a dog, and swifter, and more used to running, and you have your horns as a defence; why, then, O Mother! do the hounds frighten you so?”

She smiled, and said: “I know full well, my son, that all you say is true. I have the advantages you mention, but when I hear even the bark of a single dog I feel ready to faint, and fly away as fast as I can.”

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Venezuelan border provocation

Int’l community demands Venezuela release Guyanese fishermen …condemns aggressive actions at OAS Permanent Council

By Jarryl Bryan

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number of countries on the Organization of American States’ (OAS’) Permanent Council on Wednesday condemned the recent acts of aggression by Venezuela against Guyana, and called for the immediate release of the Guyanese fishermen being illegally held in Venezuela.

During the Permanent Council’s virtual meeting, Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the OAS, Riyad Insanally, informed the council about the recent actions of Venezuela. According to Insanally, Venezuela President Nicholas Maduro’s actions, including the recent decree reiterating that country’s illegal claims, are disturbing.

Insanally, who also serves as Guyana’s Ambassador to the United States, informed the Permanent Council that Venezuela’s actions pose a threat to security in the entire region. He told the Council that the Venezuelan vessel that detained the fishermen was illegally manoeuvring in Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The diplomat also noted that Venezuela’s decision to assert its illegal claims to Guyana’s territory by use of force is regrettable.

“It is regrettable that Venezuela has chosen to resort to the unilateral use of military force to assert its maritime claims, which Guyana regard as entirely baseless, rather than honour its commitment under the 1966 Geneva agreement to have the controversy resolved in a peaceful and binding manner,” Insanally said.

The diplomat took the opportunity to also urge Venezuela to accept the jurisdiction and ruling of the World Court, as it is bound to do, and noted Guyana’s reliance on the international community for support. A number of countries registered their displeasure with Venezuela.

End aggression

Trinidad’s Representative to the OAS, Anthony PhillipSpencer, reiterated Caricom’s statement on the controversy. He also read a statement from Trinidad’s Foreign Minister Amery Browne, who had summoned Venezuelan’s Ambassador for a discussion on the matter.

Antigua and Barbuda Representative to the OAS, Ambassador Ronald Sanders, also expressed concern over Venezuela’s actions of detaining Guyanese fishermen.

Sanders, who is of Guyanese descent, also threw his support behind the Caricom statement and the OAS statement, and called for an end to Venezuelan aggression against Guyana and the immediate release of the fishermen.

“The Antigua and Barbuda delegation joins other Caricom Governments and indeed the OAS Secretariat in calling for an end to any aggression against Guyana by Venezuela, and for the immediate release by Venezuela of the civilian crew and vessels

Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the OAS, Riyad Insanally

they are now detaining.

“Further, we remind that the border between Guyana and Venezuela was settled 121 years ago by an 1899 arbitration of distinguished jurists, and was accepted by all parties, including Venezuela, as a full and final settlement.

And that continued until the eve of Guyana’s independence,” the diplomat said.

Sanders noted that the issue is now before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), where it belongs. He therefore urged both parties to pursue a resolution to the controversy through the ICJ. The US Representative to the OAS, Bradley Freden, meanwhile condemned the seizure of the fishing vessels and called for the immediate release of the crew members. Expressing similar sentiments were the Brazilian, Belizean and Canadian envoys.

“The United States condemns the January 23 seizure and detention of two Guyanese fishing vessels by the Maduro regime’s navy.

And we call for the immediate release of the Guyanese vessels and crew.

“The United States supports a peaceful resolution to the maritime boundary controversy. We welcome the December 18 judgement concerning jurisdiction of the ICJ, and we will continue to follow this case closely,” Freden said.

Peaceful resolution

Brazil’s OAS Representative, Ambassador Fernando Simas Magalhães, also urged that Guyana and Venezuela’s territorial dispute be resolved peacefully.

According to him, it is important for both parties to avoid provocative actions.

“The Brazilian Government reasserts its commitment to favour a peaceful solution to the territorial dispute between Guyana and Venezuela, underscoring the principle of respect for territorial integrity within the framework of international law, and the need for parties to avoid any actions that would jeopardize peace and security in the region,” he said.

Meanwhile, Venezuela’s Representative, Gustavo Tarre Briceno, sought to defend his country when given a chance to address the OAS

US Representative to the OAS, Bradley Freden

Antigua & Barbuda OAS Rep, Sir Ronald Sanders

Brazil’s OAS Rep, Fernando Simas Magalhães

Permanent Council. He said Venezuela has a right to protect its ‘territory’. According to him, other means of conflict resolution should be resorted to, other than the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

However, Insanally rejected Tarre’s intervention, and reminded of Guyana’s provision of humanitarian assistance to Venezuelan refugees fleeing that country’s economic crisis, and made it clear that Guyana’s friendship must not be abused.

“We have given refuge and succor to tens of thousands of Venezuelans who have fled their country, at great cost but with no complaint, in the spirit of good neighbourliness and as the decent, humanitarian thing to do. We will not, however, stand for any abuse of our friendship. Mr Tarre’s way is not the way to make friends.”

The Permanent Council is one of the two main political bodies of the OAS, the other is the General Assembly.

The Permanent Council keeps vigil over the maintenance of friendly relations among the member states, and for that purpose, effectively assists them in the peaceful settlement of their disputes.

This is not the first time the OAS Permanent Council has met to discuss the embattled Venezuela. The Nicholas Maduro regime pulled out of the organization effective in 2019, but, through Tarre, a nominee of Venezuela’s interim President Juan Guaido, Venezuela retains a presence in the OAS.

had firmly repudiated any acts of aggression by Venezuela against Guyana, Caricom urges Venezuela to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Guyana and to desist from aggressive acts that will seriously undermine the peace and security not only of Guyana and Venezuela but the entire Caribbean region.”

meeting comes just days after two Guyanese-registered fishing vessels and crews comprising a total of 12 men, who were operating off the coast of Waini Point in Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), were intercepted by the Venezuelan naval vessel Commandante Hugo Chavez GC 24.

In fact, a statement from the Foreign Affairs Ministry said the Venezuelan vessel

Caricom demands

Meanwhile, the Caribbean Community (Caricom), in a statement of its own, urged the immediate release of the crew members and the vessels by the Venezuelan Government, while demanding that Venezuela desist from its aggressive actions which undermine the stability of the Region.

“Caricom expresses grave concern at the escalation of tensions between Guyana and Venezuela caused by the interception and detention in Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone of two Guyanese fishing vessels by a Venezuelan naval vessel on January 21, 2021,” the regional bloc said.

“Recalling its statement of January 12, 2021 in which it

Venezuelan aggression

The Permanent Council

was illegally sailing within Guyana’s EEZ and contiguous zone when it intercepted and boarded the vessels, whose captains were instructed to chart a course to Port Guiria, where they were detained.

According to the Ministry, the Guyana Government was not notified of the detention of its nationals, in contravention of established norms.

The crew of one of the ships, the Lady Nayera, comprise Captain Richard Ramnarine and crew members Ramlakan Kamal, Nick Raghubar, Javin Boston, Michael Domingo and Joel Joseph. The other ship, the Sea Wolf, is captained by Toney Garraway, and its crew members are Errol Gardener, Orland Roberts, Christopher Shaw, Shirvin Oneil and Randy Henry.

They have all since been brought before a Venezuelan court, and reports indicate they would be kept in custody for some 45 days, pending an investigation.

The detention of the two vessels comes on the heels of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro’s recent presidential decree which reinforced his country’s illegal claim to Guyana’s Essequibo region.

8 NEWS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Court upholds jail time for pensioner found guilty of sexual activity with young girl

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enrick Morrison, a man in his mid-70s, was on Wednesday sent back by the Guyana Court of Appeal to complete serving a seven-year jail sentence he had appealed following a conviction for engaging in sexual activity with a young girl.

Following a trial in 2015, Morrison was found guilty of engaging in sexual activity with a girl under age five on February 12, 2013 in the county of Demerara.

According to the facts of the case, Morrison is known to the young girl, as he is her grandmother’s fiancé. On the day in question, the girl left for her grandmother’s home to have her school bag mended. While going there on her bicycle, she met Morrison, whom she called ‘Ken’.

The little girl inquired from him if her grandmother was at home, and he told her the woman had gone to the hospital. Morrison accompanied the young girl to her grandmother’s home. When they got there, he held, dragged her inside of the house, and begun rubbing her shoulders. The elderly man then put the girl to sit in a chair, and stuck his tongue down her mouth while feeling her breast and vagina.

The girl managed to escape, and

Convicted: Kenrick Morrison

went home and told her mother what had occurred. Investigations were conducted, and Morrison was arrested and charged for the offence.

He has always denied touching the young girl. While leading his defence during the trial, he had testified that he met her on the road, followed her to the house, where he opened the door for her, and then left to feed his chickens.

Dissatisfied with the sentence imposed by Justice Jo-Ann Barlow, Morrison, through his lawyer Mark Conway, filed an appeal. He was placed

on bail pending appeal in 2017.

The grounds of appeal the convict had proffered had included the following: the verdict of the jury was unreasonable and could not be supported based on the evidence adduced at the trial; the trial judge had misdirected the jury on matters of fact; the trial judge had not sufficiently addressed the jury on the inconsistencies of the evidence of the victim and her mother; and the indictment was bad in law.

This appeal was heard by Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards, and Justices of Appeal Dawn Gregory and Rishi Persaud. Senior State Counsel Mercedes Glasford had appeared on behalf of the State.

Delivering the court’s ruling, the Chancellor informed that the contention that the verdict was unreasonable was without merit. According to Justice Cummings-Edwards, both the victim and her mother had given evidence, and were subjected to cross-examination by counsel for Morrison. From the records of appeal, the Chancellor noted that the trial judge, in her summing to the jurors, had gone through the evidence, and had told them of their duties.

TURN TO PAGE 10

Contempt…

Y

…for Guyanese morality our Eyewitness believes that the Guyanese people really have to draw a line in the sand on this “gifting” scandal. This should not come down to partisan loyalty. If it does, we might as well pack up our bags and return to that state of nature where life was “nasty, brutish and short”. Let’s unpack this mess one more time, since by sticking to Patterson’s flip-flopping defence, Joseph Harmon, the Leader of the Opposition (the LOO, as the PNC would say!) is saying that the supporters of the coalition really want to go that route.

Your Eyewitness doesn’t think so.

Patterson at first absolutely and categorically denied that he received the half-a-million-dollar gold bracelet.

Then, after he was shown definitive proof that he had in fact accepted it for his birthday, he then threw one of his staff under the bus. He said he doesn’t deal with financial matters!! And this is what your Eyewitness wants our LOO, Mr Harmon, to deal with frontally.

Whatever the PPP might or might not have done in the past, present or future on accepting gifts, does he condone a former Minister of his Government lying to the Guyanese people??

In our long trek from the “nasty, brutish and short” life in the state of nature, we invented mechanisms of government so that we could go on with our lives and sleep at night, because we could trust those we put in charge to do the right thing. And these are respectively the Government, led by the President, and the “Loyal” Opposition (the LO), led by the LOO. The LO is the government in waiting, since, for instance, with just the passing of a No Confidence Motion (NCM), the Government can fall. As such, the LOO must hold himself and the rest of his party to the very highest standards of morality and probity.

The LOO must ask himself, “Does each and every one of the members of my LO expect me to be there to tell them that accepting a five-hundred-thousand-dollar bracelet – bought by taxpayers’ money - is a betrayal of the people’s trust”? Wasn’t the LOO himself caught in a similar fix when a pic of his being transported around China in a private jet circulated some time ago?

At that time, Raphael Trotman, co-leader of Patterson’s party, admitted, “Let us be real, of course, they say pictures tell a thousand words…there are levels of comfort and levels of discomfort, and I think the picture by itself is a very uncomfortable one to look at.” Doesn’t the LOO feel even a smidgen of discomfort in seeing pics of Patterson with the bling on his wrist after thrice denying receiving it?

Patterson must go! …of PNC’s City Hall The people who live in, or have to enter, Georgetown gotta be echoing Henry II and screaming, “Will no one rid us of this troublesome Mayorality?” After more than two decades of putting up with PNC-Mayors and City Councils, don’t the citizens of our once “Garden City” demand some kind of accountability and performance?

All the new Local Government Minister is asking is that a “forensic audit” be done on the finances of City Hall. These finances come from rates and taxes paid by city residents. Out of their pockets!! Don’t they want to know where those dollars are going? They know for sure it ain’t going towards providing services for them!! Don’t they want to know how come so many PNC insiders at City Hall became so filthy rich in just the last five years?

Do they remember that Big One who bought that $30 million house in Happy Acres? He’s certainly living happily right now.

Does it have to be “ever after”? …for Guyana Maduro really takes his eyes to pass us Guyanese.

Not only has he seized our fishermen and their boats while they were in our waters, he’s now holding them in jail after a mock “trial”.

We should expel the Venezuelan Ambassador!

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

NEWS

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Foreign Minister, APNU/AFC MP meet on border controversy …Govt, Opposition stand as one on Venezuela’s bullyism

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oreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd on Wednesday met with his shadow counterpart, Opposition Member of Parliament, Amanza Walton-Desir on Guyana’s border controversy with Venezuela in a rare show of bipartisan solidarity.

According to a statement from the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the meeting was convened to discuss the recent actions of Venezuela including its illegal detention of two Guyanese fishing vessels and their 12 crew members.

“The Foreign Minister provided an update on the detainment of the crew and vessels and the Government’s efforts to ensure their safe return…

Minister Todd and Ms Walton-Desir echoed the need for a bipartisan approach between Government and the Opposition, on matters related to the GuyanaVenezuela border controversy and welcomed continued dialogue on the matter.”

According to the statement, Walton-Desir also expressed the support of the parliamentary Opposition – the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance

For Change (APNU/AFC) – for the Government on the Guyana-Venezuela border controversy while registering her concerns for the welfare of the fishermen.

“Further, the Foreign Minister reiterated the Government’s position on inclusive governance and called for similar engagements from other shadow ministers to their subject Ministers,” the statement added.

Cordial meeting

Meanwhile on her own social media page, WaltonDesir released a statement in which she described the meeting, which she requested, as a cordial one and disclosed that one of her suggestions was for the Government to embark on a public education campaign.

“At today’s meeting, Minister Todd outlined the actions that the Government has taken to date which include protest notes to several international organisations and direct engagement with his counterpart Minister in Venezuela. He also restated that his Ministry is in direct contact with the affected families as we await what must be a diplomatic solu-

Opposition MP Amanza Walton-Desir (left) during the meeting with Foreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd

tion to the issue.”

“Importantly, I underscored the need for the Administration to embark on a public education campaign so that every Guyanese man, woman, and child can understand and properly articulate Guyana’s position as it relates to Venezuela’s preposterous claims,” the MP explained.

The meeting between the two politicians from opposing parties echoes the solidarity displayed by Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon, who released a statement one day after President Dr Irfaan Ali’s address to the nation condemn-

ing Venezuela’s January 7 decree which renewed its il-

licit claims to Guyana’s maritime space.

Last week, the two Guyana-registered fishing vessels that were operating off the coast of Waini Point in Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) were intercepted by the Venezuelan naval vessel Commandante Hugo Chávez GC 24, which was illegally traversing Guyana’s waters.

The Venezuelans boarded the vessels and the captains were instructed to chart a course to Port Guiria where they were detained, to this day. The crew of one of the vessels, the Lady

Nayera, include Captain Richard Ramnarine and his crew members Ramlakan Kamal, Nick Raghubar, Javin Boston, Michael Domingo, and Joel Joseph.

The other ship, the Sea Wolf, was captained by Captain Toney Garraway, while the crew members included Errol Gardener, Orland Roberts, Christopher Shaw, Shirvin Oneil, and Randy Henry. They have since been brought before a Venezuelan court, and reports indicate they will be kept in custody for some 45 days pending an investigation. (G3)

10 NEWS Businessman, labourer robbed by armed bandits A THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

32-year-old businessman of Gap Road, La Jalousie, West Coast Demerara (WCD) and a 40-year-old labourer of Old Road, La Retraite, West Bank Demerara (WBD) were both robbed by armed bandits on Tuesday at separate locations.

Reports are that at about 19:20h on Tuesday, businessman Junior December was robbed of $60,000 in cash, one gold ring valued at $20,000,

one Redmi Note 8-pro valued at $65,000, and a quantity of Digicel and GTT phone cards valued at $15,000. This incident occurred at Cornelia Ida, WCD. Police say December was in his minimart at Cornelia Ida when the armed men pounced on him. The man told Police that he observed two males enter his business place, and immediately one whipped out a hand gun and told him to remain

South Ruimveldt man nabbed for bashing vagrant to death with stone

A

27-year-old man is now in Police custody after he allegedly bashed a vagrant to death with a rock outside the Teleperformance Building at the junction of Camp and Robb Streets, Georgetown.

The dead man has been identified only as “Curl up toe”, 45. He was killed at around 03:30h on Wednesday by the suspect, who hails

from Toucan Drive, South Ruimveldt, Georgetown.

Reports are that the suspect approached the man, who was sleeping on a cardboard at the time, and dealt him several blows to his head using a rock. Shortly after, he was seen running from the scene.

Security officers from a popular security company who were performing duty

at the time told investigators they saw when the man struck the vagrant and ran away.

One officer said that after the suspect left, checks were made on “Curl up toe” and he was found lying motionlessly, bleeding profusely from his head. Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) were summoned to the scene, and they pronounced him

dead.

The body was subsequently taken to the Lyken Funeral Home, where it awaits proper identification and a post mortem examination.

Meanwhile, the suspect was arrested at Charlotte Street, Georgetown. CCTV footage in the area is currently being reviewed by Police. (G9)

silent. Shortly after, the second suspect began relieving him of his valuables, after which they both made good their escape.

The armed man fired a shot while escaping.

And 40-year-old John Benjamin was attacked by two armed bandits on Tuesday at about 20:30h on the La Retraite Public Road, West Bank Demerara.

Reports are that while sitting under a shed on the La Retraite Public Road, the labourer was robbed of his Alcatel cellphone valued at $27,000. Police say two men approached him and asked about a man named “Devon”, to which he responded that he does not know anyone by

that name.

One of the men then grabbed the labourer by his neck and pulled the phone out of his hands. The victim reported that he attempted to resist, but the other bandit whipped out a knife and slashed him under his chin.

Both suspects then ran to a motorcar that was waiting nearby, and made good their escape.

The victim managed to raise an alarm, and was escorted to the Wales Police Station, where he reported the matter. He was subsequently taken to the West Demerara Regional Hospital for medical attention. Investigations are ongoing. (G9)

Lindener jailed for breaching COVID-19 guidelines

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live Nobrega of Christianburg, Wismar, Linden was on Wednesday sentenced to two weeks’ imprisonment by Magistrate Wanda Fortune after he was found guilty of the offence of breach of restriction on social activities.

Nobrega, who made his final appearance at the

Linden Magistrate’s Court, was charged with hosting a private party on January 24, 2021 at Blueberry Hill, Wismar, Linden.

Nobrega, who previously appeared before Magistrate Wanda Fortune on January 25, had pleaded not guilty to the charge and was placed on $30,000 bail.

Court upholds jail time...

“She [the trial judge] explained to them what they had to look for, and told them it was their duty to scrutinise the evidence of the victim, because it was from her evidence that they would have to decide whether they are satisfied, so that they feel assured that there was sexual activity…”

Moreover, the Court of Appeal rejected Morrison’s argument that the trial judge did not address the inconsistencies and omissions in the evidence. Justice Cummings-Edwards highlighted that Justice Barlow explained to the jury how they ought to treat those inconsistencies and omissions.

“The verdict of the jury was not ambiguous; it was not unreasonable, it was supported, having regard to the evidence. This appeal is dismissed. The sentence im-

FROM PAGE 8

posed by the learned trial judge is affirmed,” the appellate court ruled.

In the circumstances, Morrison was ordered to surrender himself to the authorities to complete serving his sentence. The two years he spent incarcerated following the conviction and before bail was granted would be deducted from the initial seven-year prison term. The offence for which Morrison was convicted carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment upon indictment.

Before passing the sentence, Justice Barlow had reprimanded Morrison while noting the strict view the law and society take regarding such offences against children. The Judge had also firmly upbraided the convict for the position of trust which he breached in committing the crime.

NEWS

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 28,, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

CJ’s order

Lowenfield hands over SoPs, SoRs to High Court C

hief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield on Wednesday handed over the original copies of the Statements of Poll (SOPs) from the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections, as well as the Statements of Recount (SORs), to the Registrar of the Supreme Court.

This was in keeping with a court order made by Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George last week, instructing the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to have all the SOPs and SORs submitted to the Registrar for “safekeeping” before January 29.

On Wednesday, Lowenfield turned up at the High Court in the company of heavy security and handed over the contentious documents to Registrar Sueanna Lovell.

Also present at the High Court for the handing over was GECOM Chair, retired Justice Claudette Singh, along with Commissioners Sase Gunraj, Vincent Alexander and Desmond Trotman.

The lodging process was a tedious one that lasted all day into the evening. There are 2339 SOPs and another 2339 SORs that had to be recorded individually.

Lowenfield told reporters that he was there to hand over all the SOPs that were forwarded to him following the tabulation of votes at each polling station across the country, and also the SORs that were derived from the subsequent 33-day national recount exercise.

The embattled Chief Elections Officer further disclosed that while he handed over the original documents, he also kept copies as a matter of record.

Guyana Times spoke with Supreme Court Registrar Sueanna Lovell throughout Wednesday, during which she indicated that they were still processing the documents.

When contacted around 18:30h, Lovell told this newspaper that they had about 30 minutes more before they wrapped up the exercise.

Later that evening, she told Guyana Times, “Yes, the process was completed”.

Asked whether there

Supreme Court Registrar Sueanna Lovell

were any glitches, Lovell responded, “Nothing of the sort.”

The order for GECOM to hand over the documents for safekeeping was made at the hearing of one of the two election petitions filed by the APNU/AFC, which is seeking to vitiate the results of the March 2020 elections.

PPP/C Attorney, Trinidadian Senior Counsel Douglas Mendes, reminded the Court that the Representation of the Peoples Act allows the CEO to destroy all elections documents after a 12-month period has elapsed. That 12-month period would be up on March 2, 2021.

This position was supported by Attorney Kashir Khan, who is representing two of the small parties. He, too, had asked for the contentious SOPs and SORs – which amount to just over 5000 pages – to be placed in the custody of the Registrar, as a guaranteed safe place.

At that hearing last week, the Chief Justice dismissed one of the Coalition’s election petitions on the grounds of improper service.

Petition 99 of 2020, filed on September 15, 2020 by APNU/AFC agents Monica Thomas and Brennan Nurse, had asked the court to order the Chairman of the GECOM, Retired Justice Claudette Singh, to declare David Granger as President.

However, Justice George dismissed the petition on the ground that it was not properly served on former President Granger.

Granger, who is also the

leader of APNU/AFC’s List of Candidates and is named as the second respondent, was served on September 25, ten days after petition 99 of 2020 was filed on September 15 and five days outside of the legal timeframe outlined in the National Assembly Validity of Elections Act. The lawyers for the petitioners had argued that Granger is not a necessary party to the proceedings and that late service cannot be a ground for dismissing the petition. In fact, Granger had given the court a notice of intention not to oppose the petition.

But the Chief Justice found that Granger was properly named and a necessary party, since he not only represents himself but also everyone on the list he heads. She added that by filing the notice of no contention, though done prematurely, Granger accepted himself as a proper

Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield

party but also pointed out that while respondents may conclude they are proper parties, the court can disagree.

Nevertheless, APNU/ AFC has since signalled its intention to appeal this decision.

During a virtual press

conference on Monday, Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon noted that the party believes it has solid grounds for the petition, hence it would appeal the dismissal.

“We shall appeal the decision of the Chief Justice with regards to petition 99, which she ruled was

not permissible. We do not agree with her ruling, and as the law provides, we will appeal that decision,” the Opposition Leader said.

According to Harmon, the petitions address key questions that pertain to the March 2 General and Regional Elections.

Nevertheless, in the meantime, he noted that they would be making submissions to the court regarding the surviving petition in time for the April 7th hearing.

“While they address separate issues, they will establish that fraud was prevalent in the March 2020 elections… With respect to petition 88, we expect a hearing of that petition in the courts in early April. In the interim, the parties will be providing submissions to the court every two weeks, leading up to that date. So, we already have a timeline.”

(G8)

12 NEWS

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Region 5 man is latest COVID-19 victim …34 new cases recorded

T

he Health Ministry has revealed that another person who tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has died.

This now takes the total number of deaths from the viral illness in Guyana to 175.

According to the Ministry, the latest fatality is a 65-year-old male from Region Five (MahaicaBerbice) who died on Wednesday while receiving care at a medical facility.

Only on Tuesday, Guyana recorded two more COVID-19 deaths after a 74-year-old man from Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice) and a 58-yearold man from Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) died.

The week began with the COVID-19 death toll at 172.

New cases

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry also reported on Wednesday that 34 new nov-

el coronavirus cases were recorded in the last 24 hours from some 262 tests conducted.

According to the Ministry’s updated COVID-19 dashboard, the total number of confirmed cases in the country is now 7380 – 3791 males and 3589 females.

But only 718 of these are currently active cases.

These include six patients in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the remaining 712 persons in isolation – 49 persons in institutional isolation and the other 663 in home isolation.

There are also 11 persons in institutional quarantine.

To date, some 6488 persons have recovered from the life-threatening virus here, with 33 more recoveries recorded Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Guyana has tested some 47,358 persons for the novel coronavirus thus far.

Of the new cases re-

corded on Wednesday, one was detected in Region One (Barima-Waini), seven in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), a whopping 21 cases in Demerara-Mahaica, one in Mahaica-Berbice, three in Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni), and one in Upper Demerara-Berbice.

The figures in the other four regions – Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne), Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) and Region Nine (Upper Essequibo- Upper Takutu) – remained the same.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), as of Wednesday, some 99,864,391 confirmed cases were reported globally with 2,149,700 deaths.

WHO also reported on Wednesday that in the Region of the Americas, that is, Latin America and the Caribbean, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases

has increased to 44,197,482 while the death toll has gone up to 1,015,534.

Since taking office, the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government

has embarked on a massive testing drive to ensure that all positive cases, especially asymptomatic cases, are detected.

Nevertheless, health authorities are reminding all Guyanese to observe the protocols of the COVID-19 Emergency Measures (NO.13), which are in effect until January 31, 2021.

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

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

Cutting down of historic Mabaruma “rubber trees” halted

The century-old rubber trees that line the Philbert Pierre Avenue, Mabaruma, Region One (Barima-Waini)

F

ollowing mounting public outcry, Local Government and Regional Development Minister Nigel Dharamlall on Wednesday told Guyana Times that he has instructed the Mayor and Town Council of Mabaruma and the Regional Administration to halt the cutting down of the century-old “rubber trees” in the Region One (BarimaWaini) township.

During a brief interview with this publication, Minister Dharamlall explained that the cutting down of the historic trees was to facilitate the construction of a road project which was started under the previous A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government. He informed that officials in the town related that following a consultation process with residents, it was agreed to have the trees removed.

According to the Minister, he has further instructed the Mayor and Town Council and the Regional Chairman to publish the consultation report and to engage the

Public Works Ministry to have the engineers come up with a solution to have the road constructed with the trees intact.

Reports are that the construction of the roadway has already started. The process has not yet reached the Philbert Pierre Avenue where the trees are located. Despite protests from residents, the Mabaruma Mayor and Town Council had informed road users in the town that the tree cutting exercise would begin on Wednesday morning and end around 14:00h. This led to an online petition urging the township’s Mayor and Town Council to reconsider what was described as a “poor decision” of having the trees removed. The original petitioner stated that the trees are iconic and meaningful to Guyanese everywhere, as well as foreign visitors.

More than 3500 persons have already signed the online petition. They say that there is another route to facilitate the desired road expansion without cutting down these trees. (F1)

NEWS

13

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

CANU unearths cocaine in coconut biscuits, mittai, chicken foot at CJIA

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anks from the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) on Wednesday unearthed cocaine stashed in a box at the Eugene F Correia International Airport, Ogle, East Coast Demerara (ECD), destined for Brooklyn, New York, United States.

According to CANU, a 30-year-old woman of North Road, Bourda, Georgetown posted the box with 534 grams of cocaine stashed at the bottom of the cartoon.

Reports are that a CANU officer checked the box before it was loaded on a flight destined for New York and found two parcels each wrapped in carbon and concealed in a false wall to the bottom.

At the top of the box, CANU said, there was a quantity of coconut biscuit, mittai, chicken foot, and one packet of uncooked vermicelli. Several persons have since been questioned in relation to the matter, and the woman who posted the box has been detained.

The box of locally-made snacks and concealed cocaine that were intercepted at Eugene F Correia International Airport, Ogle

Butcher jailed for killing cattle farmer Lalman subsequently made contact with the younger Hamid to enquire about the outstanding money, and was invited to his home. It was there that Hamid killed the cattle farm-

Dead: Henry Lalmam

Jailed: Asif Hamid

ustice Simone MorrisRamlall has imposed a 15-year jail term on Asif Hamid, a butcher of Lot 34 Kingston, Corriverton, Upper Corentyne, Berbice, after he was convicted of killing a cattle farmer and burning his body at the back of his house.

The sentence was handed down on the 27-year-old man at the Berbice Assizes on Wednesday. The butcher is convicted of killing 76-year-old Henry Lalmam of Number 56 Village in August, 2015.

After pleading guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter last week, Justice Ramlall had asked for a probation report on the convict.

In her report delivered to the court on Wednesday, Probation and Welfare Office Felicia Gordon said Hamid had a sound secondary education and obtained seven subjects at CSEC. She noted that shortly after leaving school, Hamid took up his father’s trade as a butcher.

According to Gordon, she spoke with several family members of the accused to find out about his character.

Some, she revealed, referred to Hamid as being a good person. However, one family member described him as having a problem. She said he was a habitual gambler.

Defence Attorney Mursaline Bacchus, SC, in A plea of mitigation, cited several other cases of a similar nature and the penalty im-

posed in each of those cases. Bacchus argued that no weapon was used in committing the murder.

However, State Prosecutor Tuanna Hardy said Hamid’s hands were as lethal as any weapon. She reminded the court that Hamid used his two hands to strangle the cattle farmer. She argued that it was as a result of his gambling habit and greed that Hamid committed the act.

Also, she asked the court to take note that the deceased had trusted Hamid and had gone to his home alone. The prosecutor submitted that sentencing should reflect a punishment that would act as a deterrent for those who would want to attack the vulnerable.

In handing down the sentence, Justice Ramlall said Hamid took advantage of the elderly man, and lured him into his yard.

The deceased, the trial Judge added, did not fight back, and had trusted Hamid.

Reports in 2015 are that Hamid had been taking animals from the cattle farmer on a credit arrangement just as his father had done with the now deceased man.

However, Police were able to unearth evidence which suggested that Lalman had spoken to Hamid’s father about an outstanding bill, and the elder Hamid had expressed alarm, since he did not send his son on such an arrangement.

J

er. Worried about the cattle farmer’s whereabouts, his family reported him missing.

It was then that a close relatives of Hamid’s informed Police about the debt issue.

However, when ques-

tioned at the time, the younger Hamid had said he had not seen Lalman.

Investigators searching the yard for evidence discovered a recently-dug-up area behind the house. It was later

found to contain the remains of the cattle farmer.

The younger Hamid later confessed to killing his father’s friend so as to avoid having to pay his bill. (G4)

14 NEWS Guyana likely to be part of COVAX’s “1st wave” rollout of COVID-19 vaccination THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

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uyana is likely to receive its first set of COVID-19 vaccines much earlier than anticipated as part of a “first wave” rollout by the COVAX Facility.

This was revealed

by Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony during Wednesday’s COVID-19 update.

Dr Anthony explained that while the developed countries were rolling

out their vaccination programmes, the rest of the world was looking to follow suit. However, he noted most of the latter countries, like Guyana, were dependent on the COVAX Facility to access the vaccines.

“COVAX has recognised that and COVAX has been making attempts to see how fast they can procure the vaccines and be able to give to countries. They have also, at its most recent meeting,

consider doing a first wave of vaccines for various countries and Guyana was one of the countries that were asked to submit proposals to COVAX to participate in this first wave,” he stated.

According to the Health Minister, Guyana has already submitted all the necessary documentation and was now awaiting an answer from COVAX. “Once we get that answer, there is that possibility of getting vaccines a little bit earlier. It would not be in large quantities, but certainly, we would be able to get some vaccines earlier, but it all depends on COVAX,” he revealed.

Guyana was initially scheduled to receive the COVID-19 vaccines in the second quarter of this year through the COVAX Facility – a body of organisations including the World Health Organisation (WHO) that will ensure there is

Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony

equal access to and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines when they become available on the market.

However, Dr Anthony had previously disclosed that Guyana could get the vaccines as early as next month through the first wave rollout.

“They have told us that they would like to start [vaccine rollout] earlier… If they’re able to roll out ear-

lier, we’ll expect that some countries would start receiving vaccines as of next month. This would be in very small waves and in small quantities perhaps to test the system to see how the logistics and everything are working. Once that is verified, then we will see larger quantities being rolled out in the second wave,” the Minister explained during Tuesday’s update.

Last week, COVAX announced that it signed an advance purchase agreement with Pfizer for up to 40 million doses of the PfizerBioNTech vaccine.

COVAX had also confirmed that it would exercise an option – via an existing agreement with the Serum Institute of India (SII) – to receive its first 100 million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford University-developed vaccine manufactured by SII. Of these first 100 million

doses, the majority are earmarked for delivery in the first quarter of this year, pending WHO Emergency Use Listing.

Despite this, however, Minister Anthony pointed out that it was unclear which of the vaccines Guyana would be getting, since COVAX was still in negotiations with manufacturers.

“This is an ongoing thing… But they haven’t said to any of the countries these are the sets of vaccines that you’ll be getting and the date when you’d be getting,” he pointed out.

Through COVAX, Guyana is set to receive 20 per cent of the COVID-19 vaccine with the first three per cent to be given to frontline workers and then the second to the elderly population and at-risk persons who have underlying conditions.

Since signing onto the COVAX Facility last year, Guyana has been preparing for the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccines.

Regional vaccination centres are being upgraded in every region to accommodate additional freezers and refrigerators for storage of the vaccines. In addition, training is ongoing.

The Health Minister noted that they have recruited a lot of people who would be part of the immunisation team. (G8)

NEWS

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

GWI working to provide water access in Moblissa, Bamia

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he long wait by some 250 residents of Moblissa on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway for access to potable water will soon be over as the Guyana Water Inc (GWI) will be rehabilitating a water supply system in the community.

GWI Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Shaik Baksh and a technical team on Tuesday visited the sparsely populated community to

assess the water situation, the Department of Public Information (DPI) reported. This follows a recent visit to the community by the Minister within the Housing and Water Ministry, Susan Rodrigues, during which residents decried their situation.

Having assessed the situation, GWI will be examining the productive capacity of the existing well within the next

two weeks. If this proves successful, a photovoltaic system will be installed.

Additionally, a trestle which was constructed in the community but never utilised will be equipped with black water tanks as part of the rehabilitation works. This facility will serve as a central location for residents to access potable water, bringing much-needed relief.

Chief Justice quashes orders for deportation of Haitian nationals …cites breach of natural justice, fundamental rights

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hief Justice (ag) Roxane George, SC, on Wednesday quashed the orders for the deportation of 26 Haitian nationals who came to Guyana last November, agreeing that it was a breach of natural justice and the fundamental rights provided under the Constitution of Guyana.

“Based on the application before this court, there was a breach of natural justice regarding the issuance of the deportation orders,” Justice George held.

According to the Chief Justice, from her understanding of Sections 16 and 28 of the Immigration Act, “the subjects [Haitian nationals] should have been taken to court so that they could be heard,” before any further action was taken against them.

Justice George found that Article 139 of the Constitution which provides for the protection of liberty and Article 148 which guarantees protection of freedom of movement were breached, having considered how the Haitian nationals were detained and subsequently ordered deported.

Based on the other fundamental rights provisions, namely Articles 141, 142, 143, 144, and 149, the acting Chief Justice said that insufficient evidence was led to support a finding of a breach.

All the other orders sought

by Allandres Archer, who filed the application on behalf of the Haitians challenging the constitutionality of the deportation orders, including one seeking a referral to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) to ventilate issues regarding the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas and another seeking damages were refused.

Given that the foreign nationals have been released from State custody, the acting Chief Justice made no orders for court costs. Earlier this month, Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC, filed an application on behalf of Archer and the State asking the court to dismiss the challenge mounted by Archer.

In his grounds in support of the application, Nandlall submitted that a video was circulating in which Archer stated that he did not authorise Attorney-at-Law Darren Wade to file legal proceedings on behalf of himself against the State challenging the deportation of 26 Haitian nationals.

Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George

Nandlall had argued that since evidence has surfaced indicating that Wade filed the action without Archer’s consent, it is fundamentally flawed as it breached certain sections of the Civil Procedure Rules 2016 and amounts to a nullity, and ought to be dismissed.

Guyana and were arrested.

Those arrested were 10 males, nine females, and seven children (two boys and five girls).

They were detained by Police, who, at the time, said it was discovered that they had entered the country illegally via Suriname. Police said that the foreign nationals were en route to neighbouring Brazil at the time of interception.

They were escorted to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown, where they were questioned and later taken into custody at the State-owned Hugo Chávez Centre for Rehabilitation and Reintegration after officials suspected they were victims of people smuggling.

The Haitian nationals outside the city hotel (newssourcegy photo)

However, having considered the evidence disclosed by Nandlall, including the video of Archer, Justice George pointed out that if the applicant [Archer] was disputing the authenticity of the application, he could have done so himself, since “he clearly understands that he could have sought legal advice to withdraw the application”.

“He [Archer] was on one of the Zoom calls, so it is not like he is not aware of what was going on…” In this regard, the acting Chief Justice expressed that it was “passing strange” that Archer said one thing in the video and did to the contrary.

For his part, Wade told the court that he has never been instructed by his ‘client’ to withdraw the matter. “If the applicant wanted to withdraw the application, then he should have done so himself,” Justice George said to the Attorney General.

Having regards to the foregoing, Justice George told Nandlall that his application to strike out Archer’s action was unmeritorious and dismissed it.

On November 7, 2020, the 26 Haitians arrived in

On December 1, 2020, they were taken before a City Magistrate who granted orders to the Guyana Police Force (GPF) for their deportation. It was reported that the Haitians were deported for lying to immigration officers about where they would be staying while in Guyana which violates the Immigration Act. The next day, the Chief Justice granted a conservatory order halting their deportation until she heard and pronounced on the challenge brought by Archer. One week later, the Government released the foreign nationals from custody with their passports at a city hotel of their choice pending the hearing and determination of the case.

The Haitians later vanished from the hotel while the court proceedings were still ongoing, leading officials to suspect they had fled the country. The Government had initially said that they were clearly victims of people smuggling, since the children were without their parents, the immigration laws were breached, and they all gave an address that did not exist.(G1)

GWI CEO Shaik Baksh, along with a technical staff, examines the flow of water at Moblissa on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway

One of the residents, Thelca Neblett, who lives in close proximity to the existing well, has installed her own pipes to access water from there, for which she was commended.

Another resident, Tangamu Ngquondo said that he was grateful for the visit by the GWI team and even assured that the community members were willing to lend their support in the form of self-help to ensure potable water access.

Residents in the communi-

ty primarily access water from the Moblissa Creek or via rainwater harvesting.

Clinical attendant Debra Cornelius said that they would be most grateful for the intervention since water is life and without it the health centre could not function effectively.

Meanwhile, the CEO highlighted that the community was mainly agricultural-based, hence other interventions will have to be done, but not necessarily by GWI. He alluded specifically to an intervention to bring water from

the creeks so that residents can have access to water for their cattle and farming.

At the community of Bamia, which is also sparsely populated, a further study has to be done by the utility company to determine how the community will gain access to potable water. Baksh explained that drilling a well was a large investment and the company would, therefore, have to determine the feasibility, give the scattered housing and the small population in the community.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

“Our citizens must never again live in fear” — PM at Lusignan memorial

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rime Minister Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips, on Tuesday evening was adamant that the dark days which resulted in the senseless massacre of innocent lives at Lusignan, East Coast Demerara must never be repeated.

He, along with several Ministers of the Government, joined residents of the community and relatives of the deceased at the 12th annual memorial service in remembrance of the victims who lost their lives during the carnage which occurred on January 26, 2008.

In a Department of Public

Thomas, 48; Vanessa Thomas, 12; Ron Thomas, 11; Mohandan Goordat, 32; Seegopaul Harilall, 10; Seegobin Harilall, four; Dhanwajie Ramsingh, 52; Seecharran Rooplall, 56; Raywattie Ramsingh, 11; Shazam Mohammed, 22, and Shaleem Baksh, 52.

Prime Minister, Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips

saying.

He recalled that less than one month after the massacre at Lusignan, 13 persons, including three Police officers, lost their lives during a similar

Residents of Lusignan at the memorial on Tuesday

Information report, it was stated that the PM, who empathised with the community, said the lives of those brutally murdered during the period of wanton killing in the country will forever serve as a reminder of the evil that exists, and the need to counteract such.

“We are reminded of these dark times, not to dwell on them, but to be guided by the lessons learnt as a nation and as a Government, that such a time must never recur; that all our efforts and our resources must be plugged into ensuring that our citizens must never again live in the fear that had been cast over that era,” the Prime Minister was quoted as

massacre in Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

“Even as we protect our citizens, our unity as a people must accompany those efforts.

Strife and interpersonal confrontations must be set aside, so that we can focus our energies on healing… We must build this nation on a foundation of these painful but sturdy lessons; lessons that will guide us on how not to repeat these mistakes.”

On Saturday, January 26, 2008, gunmen stormed several homes in the community of Lusignan, East Coast Demerara, killing 11 persons – five children and six adults.

The victims were Clarence

Survivor of the Lusignan massacre, 32-year-old Howard Thomas, who was just 18 years old when the tragedy occurred, lost his father and two siblings during the ordeal. He said he hid under his bed to avoid the killers, but was still shot twice in his right arm.

“All I could remember after I got shot is you were hearing people screaming and other gunshots in the area, but I couldn’t recognise anyone because I hid under the bed. I came out an hour after, when friends came into my home and rushed me to the hospi-

tal,” Thomas said.

Also present at the memorial were Legal Affairs Minister Mohabir Anil Nandlall, SC; Public Works Minister Bishop Juan Edghill, and Minister within the Local Government and Regional Development Ministry, Anand Persaud.

$4.4B for housing infrastructure works on the ECD – Minister Croal S ome $4.4 billion will be spent on infrastructural development works for several housing areas on the East Coast of Demerara, where lands have already been allotted.

Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal made this disclosure yesterday during an outreach to Annandale, East Coast Demerara.

Last year, house lots were allotted at Strathspey, Bladen Hall, Vigilance, Plantation Annandale, La Bonne Intention, and Cummings Lodge.

“Those are the areas we are developing the infrastructural work now, to ensure those persons who were allotted for those areas can access and start building. It is intended we will be spending $4.4 billion on infrastructure work alone for those communities on the East Coast for which we have made allocations for house lots.

“Construction for those areas that we have made allocations have already commenced, and by the latter half of this year, all of those infrastructure works

Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal speaking with a resident of Annandale, East Coast Demerara during an outreach on Wednesday

will be complete and you will be able to have a fully developed area for which you can do your construction,” he is quoted by the Department of Public Information as saying.

The work, which falls under the Ministry’s 2021 work programme, includes the construction of roads and drainage channels and access to water and electricity.

“When we give you communities, we want to give you complete communities, so that you will not have an excuse as to why you are not able to access your fa-

cility,” Croal noted.

The Government, he added, is committed to clearing the backlog of house lot applications in the system, and is looking to acquire more lands for development.

This, he pointed out, would be done with assistance from President Dr Irfaan Ali, the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, the Guyana Sugar Corporation, and the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited.

The PPP/C Administration has

pledged to allocate 50,000 house lots over five years, as outlined in its manifesto.

To date, through the President’s Dream Realised initiative, over 3,600 house lots have been delivered within the period of over four months across three regions.

In the 2020 Emergency Budget, the Government implemented several measures to make homeownership affordable for all. This includes the reversal of the value-added tax on building materials, to make building homes more affordable. The Government also increased the mortgage interest relief ceiling from $15 million to $30 million.

Also in attendance at the meeting were representatives from the Guyana Water Incorporated and the Ministry’s Community Relations Department, which deals with issues concerning encroachment and squatting.

The Government is hosting outreaches countrywide to ensure it has continuous engagement with residents and communities.

NEWS

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

John Kerry: UK climate summit Biden Administration pauses weapons’ sales to Saudi Arabia, UAE is world’s ‘last best chance’

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S climate envoy John Kerry has told the BBC a UN climate summit in the UK this November is “the last best chance” to avert the worst environmental consequences for the world.

He said years were lost on the climate issue under President Donald Trump, “who didn’t believe in any of it”.

Dozens of world leaders will attend the COP26 conference in Glasgow, Scotland.

Kerry spoke as President Joe Biden signed a flurry of executive orders designed to address climate change.

His latest edicts include a freeze on new oil and gas leases on public lands and set out to double offshore wind-produced energy by 2030.

Biden - who re-entered the US into the 2016 Paris climate accord in one of his first acts as president - said America must lead the response to the crisis.

The newly appointed US climate tsar said: “Glasgow will be extremely important.

“In fact, I would say that in my judgment, it is the last best chance the world has to come together in order to do the things we need to do to avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis.

“Three years ago, we were told we have 12 years to avoid those consequences. Three of those years

were lost because we had Donald Trump, who didn’t believe in any of it. And now we have nine years left to try to do what science is telling us we need to do.”

But at a White House news conference on Wednesday, Mr Kerry acknowledged it would make little difference in the global climate change fight even if the US reduced its emissions to zero.

He said: “He [Mr Biden] knows Paris alone is not enough. Not when almost 90% of all of the planet’s global emissions come from outside of US borders.

“We could go to zero tomorrow and the problem isn’t solved.”

During his four years in office, Trump rolled back environmental regulations as he sought to maximise the nation’s fossil fuel production.

The Republican president also claimed credit for the US achieving a level of energy independence, becoming a net petroleum exporter, midway through his term.

Trump - who once called climate change a hoax withdrew the US from the Paris pact, arguing that it unfairly left the world’s other two top polluters India and China - free to use fossil fuels.

Nearly 200 countries signed up to the accord, which aims to keep the global temperature rise this century well below 2C

above pre-industrial levels.

By making John Kerry his Climate Envoy, Joe Biden isn’t just appointing one of America’s most experienced and senior politicians, he is also getting a man who is very deeply invested in making the process of international climate diplomacy work.

John Kerry was President Obama’s Secretary of State and was instrumental in negotiating the landmark Paris climate agreement, the first time virtually all the nations of the world agreed they needed to act to tackle climate change.

No surprise then that he sees the Glasgow COP26 conference in November as the crucial forum for the world to come together to avoid really damaging climate change.

His tone is emollient, however. He knows the US’s virtual absence from climate talks during the Trump administration means he has to approach other world leaders with a sense of humility.

America hasn’t yet earned the moral authority to demand other nations take action.

It is clear, however, that this veteran and wily political operator has every intention of using his formidable negotiating skills to try to ensure the world makes the most ambitious deal possible in Glasgow in November. (BBC)

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he United States is reviewing weapons sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorised by former President Donald Trump, a move that Secretary of State Antony Blinken said was “typical” of a new administration.

In his first press briefing on Wednesday, Blinken said the review aims “to make sure that what is being considered is something that advances our strategic objectives and advances our foreign policy”.

“That’s what we’re doing at this moment,” he told reporters.

The Wall Street Journal first reported on Wednesday that the Biden administration has imposed a temporary freeze on billions of dollars in weapons sales to the two countries, including the sale of precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia and F-35 fighters to the UAE. The move comes one week after Biden, who has promised to “reassess” Washington’s relationship with Riyadh, was inaugurated. Since taking office, he has signed a string of executive actions to review or

reverse some of Trump’s key policies. “That’s what we’re doing at this moment,” he told reporters.

The Wall Street Journal first reported on Wednesday that the Biden administration has imposed a temporary freeze on billions of dollars in weapons sales to the two countries, including the sale of precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia and F-35 fighters to the UAE. The move comes one week after Biden, who has promised to “reassess” Washington’s relationship with Riyadh, was inaugurated. Since taking office, he has signed a string of executive actions to review or reverse some of Trump’s key policies.

Trump oversaw a closeknit US relationship with both the UAE and Saudi Arabia, in line with his staunch support for Israel and “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran.

In May 2019, the former US president declared a national emergency over tensions with Iran to sidestep objections from Congress about the sale of $8bn worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, the

UAE and Jordan.

The Trump administration also authorised $290m worth of small munition sales to Saudi Arabia at the end of December of last year.

The Trump administration notified Congress in November that it had approved the sale of more than $23bn in advanced weapons systems, including F-35 fighter jets and armed drones, to the UAE. That announcement came shortly after the Emirati government agreed to normalise relations with Israel in a USbrokered deal.

“This is in recognition of our deepening relationship and the UAE’s need for advanced defense capabilities to deter and defend itself against heightened threats from Iran,” then-US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement at the time. Rights groups denounced the sale, saying it could fuel regional conflict, notably in Libya and in Yemen, where the UAE and Saudi Arabia have waged a devastating war against the country’s Houthi rebels.

Republican and Democratic lawmakers also slammed the weapons transfer, saying it would “facilitate a dangerous arms race”.

Legislators put forward bipartisan joint resolutions seeking to stop the deal, but their efforts failed in the US Senate, where two procedural votes did not gain a majority in the chamber.

Trump had threatened to veto any congressional effort to halt the sales, as well. (Al Jazeera)

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guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021

Regional

COVID-19 death toll in Americas Tobagonians on election reaches 1 million; situation in result: A change was coming Brazil particularly worrying

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ore than one million people in the Americas have now died from complications from COVID-19, the Head of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), Dr Carissa Etienne has said.

There is growing pressure on hospital capacity throughout North America. In some US states, nearly 80 per cent of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds are being used to treat COVID-19 patients, and similar rates are seen in many Mexican states, she warned.

The hospital situation in Brazil is particularly worrying, with three-quarters of ICU beds occupied in many Brazilian states, she said.

Deaths in Mexico jumped nearly 37 percent between January and August as the pandemic swept the country and 184,000 more people died than during the same period in 2019, Mexico’s statistics institute (INEGI) has said.

INEGI reported 108,658 deaths from COVID-19 during the first eight months of the year. That compares to 64,414 COVID-19 deaths

Gravediggers burying a COVID-19 victim while surrounded by relatives at the Nossa Senhora Aparecida cemetery in Manaus, Amazonas state, Brazil [Michael Dantas/AFP]

reported by Mexico’s health department during the same period.

INEGI’s President Julio Santaella told local media that the two agencies rely on different sources for the data, with INEGI’s count based on death certificates, whereas the health department’s figures were based on hospital data.

COVID-19 was the second leading cause of death nationwide during the eightmonth period, after heart dis-

ease, it said, adding that the largest increases in deaths occurred in Mexico City and the surrounding urban sprawl, as well as in the states of Veracruz and Jalisco.

More than 100.5 million people around the world have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and some 2.1 million have died, according to a tally by the Johns Hopkins University. More than 55.6 million patients have recovered. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

obagonians are not surprised by Monday’s unprecedented 6-6 tie in the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) election.

As the unofficial results broke on election night, the People’s National Movement (PNM) headquarters in Scarborough was like a wake. In contrast, Roxborough was buzzing with excitement ,with People’s Democratic Party (PDP) supporters dancing in the streets.

On Tuesday, at almost every corner throughout the island, the discussion on everyone’s lips was about the

result and the significant inroads made by the PDP. The PNM won the 2017 THA election 10-2 and swept the Tobago East and West seats in the 2020 General Election.

Many of those who gave their reactions to Newsday said they were frustrated by the failed promises and the lack of accountability and transparency within the Assembly.

Asked if they are willing to return to the polls, most, including those who didn’t vote on Monday, said yes.

The PDP has made it clear it is not in favour of fresh elections to break the

Jamaica is open for business, says PM Holness

Peru orders lockdown to fight rise in cases

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eru has announced a two-week lockdown covering a third of the country, including the capital Lima, amid a significant rise in COVID-19 cases.

President Francisco Sagasti said the increase in infections had pushed hospitals close to collapse.

The lockdown will run from January 31 to February 14, covering 10 regions.

The new restrictions

include a closure of all non-essential shops, a ban on domestic air and land travel and the extension of a ban on flights coming from Europe to flights from Brazil in an attempt to curb new, more contagious strains of the virus.

The country has reported more than one million cases and about 40,000 deaths related to COVID-19, according to data from Johns Hopkins

University.

At the start of the pandemic, Peru imposed one of the earliest and strictest lockdowns in Latin America to stop the spread of the virus. But the measures had limited impact because of the country’s poor healthcare system and several social and economic factors, including the lack of social distancing in overcrowded cities. (Excerpt from BBC News)

deadlock.

Recounts have been called in four electoral districts.

PDP leader Watson Duke has asked the PNM to support deputy leader Farley Augustine for Chief Secretary.

Although the EBC was yet to officially declare the result a tie up until Tuesday, Tobagonians seemed inclined to let the PDP take charge of the THA. One Bethel resident believes Tobagonians have moved closer to the PDP because the island is desperate for change. (Excerpt from Trinidad Newsday)

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Prime Minister Andrew Holness

rime Minister Andrew Holness says the country is open for investor business even amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Prime Minister argued that while managing the pandemic, the Government must ensure a balance and so the country remains open for investor interest.

Holness was speaking Wednesday at the ground-breaking ceremony for the Red Stripe Experience at Rick’s Cafe in

Negril, Westmoreland.

“Now is the time to invest, now is the time to imagine a new landscape and get it done because we know that we will either overcome the pandemic and put it behind us, or we will learn to live with the pandemic,” he said.

According to the Prime Minister, the Government is very careful in its management of the pandemic as the society prides itself on its freedom. However, he said the public should ap-

preciate that in the midst of the pandemic, investors still saw Jamaica as a business opportunity.

“For the companies to launch this project at this time is indeed a reflection of their commitment to and confidence in Jamaica. It is also a reflection of their foresight and business savvy,” Holness said.

The Red Stripe Experience is a museum-type experience that will track the history of the company and some of Jamaica’s historical moments.

In the meantime, he said the Government continued to work towards a new normal as the country moves forward.

“We have said, we are protecting lives and we are protecting livelihoods and it is an incredible balancing act, but I believe so far, even though I can’t say we have reached equilibrium — we are certainly in that zone,” the Prime Minister said. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

Barbadian up for Commonwealth Youth Award Mexico’s richest man, Carlos

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arbadian youth leader Taahir Bulbulia is among 20 people from 18 countries who are finalists for this year’s Commonwealth Youth Awards.

The awards recognise outstanding young people in the Commonwealth whose projects are transforming lives in their communities and helping to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Bulbulia is founder of the Sports Science Society, a student-based organisation that promotes the holistic benefits of sport and provides mentorship to at-risk youth on mental health, sports law, and drug prevention.

The programme has trained 30 volunteers across 10 organisations and reached 500

Taahir Bulbulia

young people in the region, particularly helping to tackle bullying and mental health issues.

The others from the Caribbean are Grenadian Bevon Chadel Charles, Dawsher Charles of Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana’s Jubilanté Cutting.

More than 1000 entries

from 43 Commonwealth countries were received last year. The finalists were selected across each of the award’s regional categories following a rigorous judging process.

This year, the awards have expanded to include five regional categories: Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe and Canada and the Pacific.

The top finalist from each region will be announced as the regional winner at the official awards ceremony on March 10, 2021. The ceremony will be held virtually for the first time owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of these five regional winners, one outstanding young person will become the Commonwealth Young Person of the Year 2021.

(Excerpt from Nation News)

Slim, hospitalised with COVID-19

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exican businessman Carlos Slim, one of the world’s richest men, remains hospitalised with COVID-19, spokesman Arturo Elias said on Wednesday.

The 80-year-old telecoms magnate has been receiving treatment at the National Institute of Nutrition, a public health centre in Mexico City, since his son confirmed on Monday that he had tested positive.

“He’s in [the hospital] for analysis and monitoring, but he’s doing very, very well,” Elias said.

Slim is Mexico’s wealthiest man. His family controls America Movil, the

Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim addressing an audience during an event in Mexico City, Mexico, November 27, 2019

largest Mexican telecommunications provider, whose operations includes

mobile and fixed-line voice services, wireless, Internet, and fixed-data services. (Reuters)

guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Rating agency S&P warns 13 oil and gas companies they risk downgrade as renewables pick up steam

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ating agency S&P has warned 13 oil and gas companies, including the some of the world’s biggest, that it may downgrade them within weeks because of increasing competition from renewable energy.

On notice of a possible downgrade are Australia’s Woodside Petroleum as well as multinationals Chevron, ExxonMobil, Imperial Oil, Royal Dutch Shell, Shell Energy North America, Canadian Natural Resources, ConocoPhillips and French group Total.

S&P said it was also considering downgrading four large Chinese producers – China Petrochemical Corp, China Petroleum & Chemical Corp, China National Offshore Oil Corp and CNOOC. The rating agency said it had increased its risk rating for the entire oil and gas sector from “intermediate” to “moderately high” because due to the move away from fossil fuels, poor profitability and volatile prices.

It said it also had a negative outlook for two other big oil and gas companies, British multinational BP and Canadian group Suncor, but did not plan to immediately reassess their credit ratings.

“In particular, we note significant challenges and uncertainties engendered by the energy transition, including market declines due to growth of renewables; pressures on profitability, specifically return on capital, as a result of high-dollar capital investment levels over 20052015 and lower average oil and gas prices since 2014; and recent and potential oil and gas price volatility,” S&P said on Wednesday. (Excerpt from The Guardian)

Coronavirus: EU demands UK-made AstraZeneca vaccine doses

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Around the world

Biden signs “existential” executive orders on climate and environment

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S President Joe Biden has signed a series of executive orders designed to address climate change, including a new ban on some energy drilling.

The orders aim to freeze new oil and gas leases on public lands and double offshore wind-produced energy by 2030.

They are expected to meet stiff resistance from the energy industry and come as a sea change from Donald Trump, who cut environmental protections.

"Today is climate day at the White House," said r Biden on Wednesday.

"We have already waited too long," Biden told reporters at the White

Vice President Kamala Harris joined President Joe Biden for the signing ceremony

House. "And we can't wait any longer."

Biden said the US "must lead" a global response to the climate change crisis.

"Just like we need a unified national response to COVID-19, we desperate-

ly need a unified national response to the climate crisis, because there is a climate crisis," he said.

He added that neither challenge could be met by the US alone.

The series of executive

orders that Biden signed on Wednesday establishes a White House office of domestic climate policy and announces a summit of leaders to be held in April on Earth Day. Climate change, under Biden's plan, will become both a "national security" and "foreign policy" priority, officials say.

Biden is also calling upon the US director of national intelligence to prepare an intelligence report on the security implications of climate change.

Biden is using his presidential powers to make climate change a central issue of his administration.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

US issues “heightened threat” alert after transition U S security chiefs have warned of a heightened threat of domestic terrorism from people unhappy with the outcome of the November election.

The Department of Homeland Security said the January 6 attack on the US Capitol by Trump supporters may have emboldened some extremists.

In an advisory, it warned of a threat from "individuals frustrated with the exercise of governmental authority".

But it added that there was no information on a specific plot.

The attack on the US Capitol building came as Congress was meeting to confirm Joe Biden's election victory.

Outgoing President Donald Trump had earlier addressed thousands of his supporters outside the White House and repeated unfounded claims that the election had been stolen from him.

He told them: "If you

don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country any more."

A crowd then made its way to the Capitol, overwhelming security and storming the building.

Five people, including a Capitol Police Officer, died in the riot.

Trump has now been impeached by the House of Representatives for incitement and his trial in the Senate is due to start next month.

The advisory issued on Wednesday said that the

Department believed a heightened threat would persist in "the weeks following the successful presidential inauguration".

"Information suggests that some ideologically-motivated violent extremists with objections to the exercise of governmental authority and the presidential transition, as well as other perceived grievances fuelled by false narratives, could continue to mobilise to incite or commit violence," it said.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Renzi or bust? Italian parties' options narrow in Government crisis

I T

Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides

he European Union has urged pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca to supply it with more doses of its COVID-19 vaccine from United Kingdom plants, amid a row over shortages.

The company has infuriated the bloc by saying it can deliver only a fraction of the doses it promised for the first quarter of the year.

It blames production issues at European plants, but the EU says doses made elsewhere should make up the shortfall.

The EU has been criticised for the slow rollout of its vaccinations.

The contract between the EU and AstraZeneca contains a confidentiality clause, but the EU has asked the company to release the details nevertheless.

Reports said last week that the EU would get 60

per cent fewer doses of the vaccine than promised for January-March 2021.

The EU reiterated its position after the two sides met on Wednesday evening to try to resolve the issue.

Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides tweeted that the EU regretted the "continued lack of clarity on the delivery schedule".

"We will work with the company to find solutions and deliver vaccines rapidly for EU citizens," she said.

An AstraZeneca spokesman said the company had "committed to even closer coordination to jointly chart a path for the delivery of our vaccine over the coming months".

Pfizer/BioNTech, which has an even bigger vaccine-production deal with the EU, is also experiencing delays. (Excerpt from BBC News)

taly’s ruling parties are reluctantly coming to terms with the prospect of having to forge a new deal with the centrist Italia Viva party which quit the Government and forced this week’s resignation of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, political sources said on Wednesday.

The Government cri-

sis could hardly come at a worse time, with Italy in its steepest recession since the end of World War Two and having registered 86,000 deaths from COVID-19.

Conte, a lawyer with no direct political affiliation, still hopes to pull together a new administration to manage some 200 billion euros that Italy expects

from a European Union fund to help relaunch its COVID-battered economy.

Yet as the political crisis deepens, lawmakers from the main planks of the coalition, the 5-Star Movement and the Democratic Party, are pushing Conte towards negotiating again with Italia Viva’s leader and former Premier Matteo Renzi, de-

spite the bitter recriminations amid his walk-out last week.

Conte, now a caretaker Prime Minister after handing in his resignation to the Head of State on Tuesday, has got little response to his impassioned call for unaligned lawmakers to fill the hole left by Renzi and his party.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

DR Congo Parliament votes to remove Prime Minister

L

egislators in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have voted to remove Prime Minister Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba, collapsing the Government and handing President Felix Tshisekedi a chance to appoint loyalists to key ministries.

Wednesday’s vote marks the latest episode in a power struggle that has roiled sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest nation for months, pitching Tshisekedi against loyalists to former President Joseph Kabila, who ruled the DRC for 18

years.

Last month Tshisekedi moved to end a coalition formed with Kabila that has constrained his authority since he took office in January 2019.

This culminated in Wednesday’s no-confidence vote against the Prime Minister, one of the last vestiges of Kabila’s hold on Government. It passed with 367 of 377 votes.

Under the DRC’s Constitution, parliamentary censure requires the Prime Minister to step down within 24 hours.

PM Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba

“One of my missions is to control the executive which, if it does not meet the concerns of the people, must be removed,”

Member of Parliament and author of the no-confidence motion, Cherubin Okende, told Reuters news agency.

Kabila’s allies, including Ilunga, boycotted the vote, saying the interim Speaker of Parliament did not have the constitutional authority to oversee a motion of no confidence.

Tshisekedi’s new political alliance, known as the Sacred Union, is yet to be officially formed, but is likely to comprise more than 20 parties, giving him an overwhelming majority to pass legislation. (Al Jazeera)

20

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021

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(March 21April 19)

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DILBERT

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

Gather information, learn all you can and refuse to let anyone interfere with what you are trying to accomplish.

If you lay down ground rules and express your plans intelligently, you'll excel.

Tend to partnerships and money matters, and assign responsibilities. As long as you control spending and are receptive to expert advice, you'll get to where you want to be.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

You'll face problems with someone bullheaded. Before you take action, consider taking a peaceful approach.

How you handle others will make the difference between failure and success.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

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SCORPIO

SUDOKU

Take a chill pill before you engage with someone who is pushing your emotional buttons. If you back yourself into a corner, it will be challenging to find your way out. Keep the peace.

CANCER (June 21July 22)

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CALVIN AND HOBBES

The tide is turning, and things are falling into place.

Before you become complacent, take a closer look at the small but essential details. Play to win, not just to get by.

(Oct. 24Nov. 22)

If you want a change, be the one to make it happen. Uncertainty and confusion should be avoided.

Be responsible, do a bangup job and reap the reward.

Romance is on the rise.

Ideas you planted are starting to grow. Initiate a conversation with someone you'd like to work alongside.

A change can be useful as long as you are practical about it.

Accept the inevitable.

Keep an open mind and your emotions under control.

Tread carefully to avoid an no-win situation. Offer peace and love, not discord and chaos. A learning experience will include a friend.

Make last-minute chanSAGITTARIUS ges to documents, contracts (Nov. 23or financial deals. Refuse to Dec. 21) let anyone pressure you into something uncertain. Make decisions based on facts, figures and what's best for you.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19) TUESDAY'S WORD -- PLAUDITS

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

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Problems will mount if you can't get along with a partner, friend or relative.

Take a step back, assess the situation and look for a way to ensure that no one is taken advantage of.

Take your time. Don't feel pressured to act if you aren't ready or comfortable with others' requests. Be open about what you want and what you are willing to do.

Keep an open mind, but don't share your thoughts.

Time is on your side, and good decisions will lead to a better future. Don't act in haste. Gather information and solicit advice.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021

21

Joshua Da Silva preparing for his time in the limelight J

oshua Da Silva refused to take an easy single through square-leg when he was on 49 on his Test debut. It was off the first ball of the over. West Indies required 36 runs to make New Zealand bat again, but they had only two wickets in hand. At the other end was No. 10, Chemar Holder, a fellow debutant whom Da Silva didn't want to expose to Trent Boult for five deliveries.

The move surprised those watching Da Silva's impressive innings, even Ross Taylor, who made it a point to walk from the slips to remind the young batsman what was at stake.

"A few moments later, Ross Taylor comes up to me and says, 'Josh, it's a Test fifty. Get that run and whatever else happens after that, then you do it. Don't be a hero'. I'm like, ‘Alright, no problem’," narrates Da Silva on his YouTube channel.

Da Silva eventually reached the milestone, the first by a West Indian debutant in five years. Refusing the single was a notable sacrifice for a 22-year-old batsman who knew that a debut Test fifty goes a long way in cementing a Test spot.

But these moments give a window into the cricketer's mindset, that even on debut, the thought of protecting the tail-ender and prolonging the team's innings should have precedence over a personal achievement.

Da Silva has faced several such small but meaningful challenges in his short cricket career, which began with the decision to choose cricket over football. After making it into the Trinidad and Tobago Under-19 side, Da Silva was sent on the Kieron Pollard scholarship to play club cricket in England.

A year-and-a-half later, and a few pounds

We have been talking a bit (about batting in the sub-continent), but mostly with the batting coach Monty Desai, and getting the knowledge he has from playing in these conditions," Da Silva said.

While Simmons has helped calm down the young Da Silva, former West Indies captain Jimmy Adams has also guided him from an early age.

"Both (Simmons and Adams) have been a huge help to me. During the last Super 50, Jimmy told me that the only currency in cricket is runs.

That really stuck with me. He still checks up on me from time to time.

"Coach Phil, ever since I came into the set-up, has made me feel like I belong. That does a huge part in motivating me, and helps me to play with a calm mind," he said.

Da Silva made his debut on the New Zealand tour, but already seems a frontrunner

lighter, Da Silva broke into the T&T first-class and one-day sides, before getting on the plane to England again, this time as West Indies' reserve player on their tour last year.

A century in one of the practice matches got him further notice. When Shane Dowrich got injured during the third day of the Manchester Test, Da Silva, donning a white hat, was sent on as substitute wicketkeeper.

He remains their primary wicketkeeper-

batsman choice in the Test side, which is a new responsibility for the youngster. He is spending a lot of time in the nets, as well as speaking regularly to coach Phil Simmons and batting coach Monty Desai.

"Definitely it's a new challenge for me, playing in Bangladesh; but I'm really excited to take what I have been learning in training into the matches.

The pitches are slower and spin a lot more, but I don't think that much needs to change.

"It's just about putting in the work before the games, and getting accustomed to the conditions.

"It's a huge jump. The work load, intensity and competitiveness (are) on another level, and just show me how much more I need to do to have a long, successful career.

"The Test (debut) felt surreal for the duration of the match and for days after. However, it was a good challenge. I faced some of the best bowlers in the business. I just wanted to bat long and do well for the team.”

He takes inspiration from watching Steven Smith's good and bad days, and how the Australian sticks to his work ethic regardless of his performance. "Right now, I look at Steve Smith a lot. He shows how hard work pays off, and why you should never stop grinding. Even when he fails, he just continues to trust the process and tries again. That is very inspiring," said Da Silva.

"By the end of 2021, I'd like to cement a place in the West Indies squad and to have achieved some other goals, which I won't reveal at this time. I want to have a long career wearing the beautiful maroon," he said. (ESPNCricinfo)

CWI’s CG Insurance Super50 Cup to feature exciting line-ups

— Captains and coaches talk up their chances of taking title

S

T JOHN’S, Antigua — Cricket West Indies (CWI) today confirmed a host of top West Indian players who will participate in February’s CG Insurance Super50 Cup, as all six teams finalised their 15-member squads. The six major cricketing rivals will go head-to-head in 19 action-packed 50-over matches starting from Sunday, February 7. The tournament will come to an exciting climax when the new champions are crowned on Saturday, February 27.

West Indies white ball skipper, Kieran Pollard will be at the helm of the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force, while Test captain Jason Holder will be in charge of theBarbados Pride. The cream of West Indies cricket and a host of exciting young talent will be taking part including players such as Roston Chase (Barbados Pride), Shimron Hetmyer (Guyana Jaguars), Sheldon Cottrell (Jamaica Scorpions), Hayden Walsh Jr (Leeward Islands Hurricanes), Nicholas Pooran (Trinidad and Tobago Red Force) and Andre Fletcher (Windward Islands Volcanoes).

Whilst COVID-19 related constraints mean that 2019-2020 Champions, the West Indies Emerging Players, are unable to defend their title, eight of those talented young winners from the 2019 tournament have found spots in the competing franchise teams, including Keon Harding, Dominic Drakes and Justin Greaves (Barbados Pride), Kevin Sinclair (Guyana Jaguars), Ashmead Nedd (Leeward Islands Hurricanes), Jayden Seales (Trinidad and Tobago Red Force) as well as, Kimani Melius and Roland Cato (Windward Islands Volcanoes).

The tournament is expected to bowl off to an exciting start when home team Leewards Islands

Hurricanes host arch rivals Windward Islands Volcanoes at the picturesque Coolidge Cricket Ground on Sunday, February 7.

FROM INSIDE THE CAMPS Jason Holder (Barbados Pride Captain): “We are really looking forward to the first tournament of the year. It’s great to be back and there is a lot of excitement in our camp. We are focused on winning. It will be important to hold our nerve under pressure and execute under pressure. The team that is most consistent alway wins, and we have to look at being consistent and win for our country and our fans.”

Esuan Crandon (Guyana Jaguars Head Coach): “We have a very well-balanced squad.

We are boosted with the presence of Shimron Hetmyer and Romario Shepherd, two players with international experience and who can be matchwinners for us. Our training has been going quite well and we know we have to play fearless cricket and take it one game at a time. We will look to put it all together...we are very confident.”

Andre Coley (Jamaica Scorpions Head Coach): “It is very important that we start well. It is a shorter tournament than last time so we must hit the ground running and build from there. We have put together a strong squad which we believe can be a championship-winning team. Everybody is really ready to go and eager to play. It is great to be back playing regional cricket for the first time since last year, so this CG Insurance Super50 Cup is a big deal for us.”

Andrew Richardson (Windwards Volcanoes Head Coach): "Our preparations have been good.

The players have put in a lot of work and we are in a much better physical and mental state … they are definitely looking a lot better than six months ago .. we are in fine spirits. Our batting in looking good and one important factor is that we have to make use of the power play overs when we are at the crease and not have to play catch-up cricket.

We are looking to win … we always to play to win.”

Kieron Pollard (Trinidad and Tobago Red Force Captain): “I believe we have a very good team in terms of youth and experience and we can go that step further and make it to the finals. In the last few years we missed out, reaching the semi-finals and being beaten, once by CCC and once by Leewards.

Hopefully we have all the energy and all the gas in the tank and go all the way. This promises to be a really good tournament and I know players will be aiming to impress and improve their careers.”

Stuart Williams (Leewards Hurricanes Head Coach): “The players look really sharp and energized in training. They are enthusiastic and eager to go one better than last tournament, where we reached the final but lost to the Emerging Players. This year, we are preparing well … we are leaving no stone unturned, and with local knowledge that should work in out favour as well. We have some really bright talents and want to see them grow as a team and as individuals."

22 NBA roundup: Banks DIH supports John Wall guides Golden Jags’ FIFA Rockets past Wizards World Cup preparation

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021

B

anks DIH has partnered with the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) to provide water and energy drinks to the Senior Men’s National Team as it prepares for 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in March.

Following the green light from the National COVID-19 Task Force, the domesticbased Golden Jaguars squad is currently in training at the GFF National Training Centre at Providence, with a focus on rebuilding fitness following a prolonged period without competitive football.

Banks DIH has kindly contributed a supply of Powerade drinks and its Rainforest brand water to support players and staff as part of the national effort to help Guyana succeed in its World Cup qualification run this year.

“We know that football is a very important sport for us. This is a pleasure for my company, on behalf of Banks DIH, we want to support this and partner in continuing to see this sport grow.

“We thank the GFF for reaching out to us and we will be happy to support in any way possible to ensure that we go from strength to strength,” said Banks DIH Waters Beverage Brand Manger Colin King.

King donated the drinks at the GFF headquarters in Campbellville, Georgetown on Wednesday.

GFF Executive Committee member Dion Inniss, Senior Men’s National Team Head Coach Marcio Maximo, and GFF Marketing Committee Chair Lisa Ahmad received the donation on behalf of the Federation.

“I want to say, ‘Welcome’ back to Banks DIH. Banks DIH is a natural partner for the GFF and football. Banks DIH is a national institution that we are all extremely proud of. It contributes significantly to the economy in Guyana,” said Inniss.

“I would like to see us progress to a very fruitful

partnership in the future, as you [King] said, that may just be the beginning of a longstanding relationship.

My hope is that we can solidify once again the relationship we once had.

“We welcome this contribution to the national team,” Inniss continued. “Any success for a national team has to involve the corporate sector in collaboration with Government and the national association, if you are serious about it.

Enormous resources have to be expended to prepare a national team, especially for a journey like the World Cup qualifiers. We can’t do it alone, so we’re very thankful to Banks DIH for this contribution.”

In March, Guyana faces Trinidad and Tobago and the Bahamas in Group F of the first round of CONCACAF’s qualification process.

The Golden Jaguars will also play Puerto Rico and St Kitts and Nevis, with only the team that finishes top of the group proceeding to the second round.

“It is very important for football to have support from all areas, especially from drinks companies coming to join us. I am sure they will be a great partner in our future achievements,” said Maximo.

J

ohn Wall scored a team-high 24 points in his first matchup with his former team as the host Houston Rockets earned a 107-88 victory over the shorthanded Washington Wizards on Tuesday.

Eric Gordon and Victor Oladipo added 20 apiece for Houston, which extended its season-best winning streak to three games.

DeMarcus Cousins tallied 19 points, 11 rebounds and five steals for Houston, which played without center Christian Wood (ankle).

Washington’s Bradley Beal, the league’s leading scorer, tallied 33 points on 12-of-28 shooting, while Russell Westbrook, traded for Wall in the offseason, added 19 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. The Wizards were missing six players due to league health and safety protocols.

Utah Jazz: 108; New York Knicks: 94 Royce O’Neale scored a career-high 20 points and Rudy Gobert dominated the interior as Utah defeated New York in Salt Lake City for its ninth straight victory.

With leading scorer Donovan Mitchell struggling -- nine points on 3-of-15 shooting -- O’Neale connected on 7 of 12 attempts while also grabbing six rebounds.

Gobert hauled in 19 rebounds to go with 18 points

and four blocked shots, and Mike Conley scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half.

Austin Rivers led New York with 25 points, including hitting 5 of seven 3-point attempts, but he was held scoreless in the second half after going 10-for-10 from the floor in a red-hot first half.

Julius Randle added 18 points and 10 rebounds for New York, which wrapped up a fourgame Western trip with its third straight loss.

Atlanta Hawks: 108; Los Angeles Clippers: 99 Trae Young returned to the lineup and scored 38 points, helping host Atlanta defeat short-handed Los Angeles.

Young, who missed Sunday’s game at Milwaukee with back spasms, shot 12-for-23 from the floor as the Hawks won for the fourth time in five games.

Also returning for Atlanta was Clint Capela, who missed the last game with right hand soreness. Capela had 13 points and 18 rebounds, his third straight game with at least 18 boards. The Hawks’ De’Andre Hunter contributed 22 points.

The Clippers were playing without Kawhi Leonard and Paul George (health and safety protocols) plus Patrick Beverley (right knee soreness). Reggie Jackson led Los Angeles with 20 points and eight assists. (Reuters)

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Ramnauth, Heyliger slam selectors for non-inclusion of Beaton, Anthony Adams and Ricardo Adams

— Savory selected to replace Griffith

D

evon Ramnauth and Dillon Heyliger, two former national youth players, have expressed disappointment with Guyana's selectors after they did not include any player from Essequibo for the forthcoming Super50 tournament early next month in Antigua.

However, this all changed, as Trevon Griffith tested positive for COVID-19 and Kemol Savory was called up after many listed their concerns regarding the non-inclusion of key Essequibo players.

Nevertheless, key players Ronsford Beaton, Ricardo Adams and Anthony Adams, who have all done well at the highest levels, were not included in the squad.

According to Ramnauth and Heyliger, certain players should have automatically made the side because they had put in good performances over the years in the franchise cricket which is being used primarily to select players for the regional assignment. They are left-arm spinner Anthony Adams and all-rounder Ricardo Adams (unrelated), while fast-bowler Ronsford Beaton is a question mark as well.

None of these players was able to catch the eyes of the

selectors, as the touring party consisted of players from Berbice and Demerara only.

Guyana Jaguars are set to open their campaign against Barbados Pride in the six-team competition which runs from February 7-27. Ramnauth and Heyliger both played junior and senior cricket for Essequibo, but want greater representation for the players who were overlooked for the tournament. They believe the Essequibo Cricket Board (ECB) should really play a bigger role in ensuring their players are selected to represent the national team, because the players are talented enough and, more importantly, have put up good performances.

"Essequibo County players have long been neglected and our talented players are being stifled because of non-representation from the ECB. We need answers ECB!" I'm calling out the president of the ECB Fizul Bacchus and the other executives to publicly address this matter," Ramnauth disclosed.

Heyliger and Ramnauth are currently residing in Canada. Heyliger continues to ply his trade in North America, and is a member of

the Canadian international side. He also mentioned that the ECB can do better to make sure their players are well-represented at all levels.

“This is very disappointing to learn that these three players have done well but cannot find themselves in the Guyana Jaguars squad; the ECB have got to be more proactive and get their act together for the betterment of our cricket in Essequibo. They need to be more supportive of our talents,” Heyliger, a versatile all-rounder, lamented.

In 2019, Beaton was part of the team, as the other Essequibo cricketer Ricardo Adams made his debut in 2018 and did not play again, while Anthony has shown consistency with the ball in the Franchise cricket, and made a good impression in the four-day version.

Meanwhile, Beaton has been out of cricket for a while due to his bowling action, but was part of the camp in preparing for the tournament. According to reports, these players have not passed their fitness test, but both Ramnauth and Heyliger want to know what was the criteria to be fit, in an effort to make the team.

“We want answers to how you are going about selecting

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

the team. The selection must be justifiable and transparent, so the players would not suffer,” Ramnauth declared.

“We need the leader to come forward and give the

right representation. This has been going on and on for years now; the results are there, and these players should be selected,” Heyliger declared.

2237230-1

(Ext 55)

NOW!

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

23

Foo disappointed and : E V I S U L C EX hurt, but committed to working hard

By Brandon Corlette

T

ake a moment and imagine you had scored the second highest aggregate for your team in the last Regional Super50 tournament, and for the following tournament, you are dropped from the squad, not even listed on the stand-by.

Pain, that is the feeling that comes to one's imagination.

After scoring 334 runs from eight games at an average of 55.66 with a high-score of 97 in the last Super50 for Guyana Jaguars, Jonathan Foo has found himself out of the team for next month's Super50 in Antigua.

Foo's situation is a delicate one. he and others who made the 15-man squad were described as unfit by the selectors. But Foo was omitted and others made the cut.

In an exclusive interview with this publication, the 30-year-old Foo said he is disappointed and hurt about this omission, but would remain focused and is aiming to work hard on his fitness to make a return to the National side.

"To be honest, I'm very disappointed and hurt. Reason for my omission were the selectors call me unfit. I failed to reach the benchmark that was set, but I was also not the only one who didn't, but of course it's not an excuse for me to be unfit as well," Foo disclosed.

Not all sports journalists in the country can boast

the luxury of attending the recent Guyana Jaguars fitness test at Leonora, followed by the three practice matches and match simulations at La Bonne Intention (LBI). Fortunately, I was there, and witnessed the Jaguars players in action first hand.

Foo says he is still motivated and is fully committed and available for all cricket, once he is given that opportunity.

"Once I am given that opportunity to represent my country, I will try my very best to do what's required at that point, and make myself available for every situation given," the man from Albion Community Centre Cricket Club noted.

Reflecting on his 2019 season with the Guyana Jaguars, Foo described his stint as decent. "I am still hurt. I had sleepless nights when I failed to finish two games which would have get us a step closer to the championship. I think maybe it should have got me over the line with this year’s selection, but as the chairman of selectors mentioned, fitness is as important as performance," Foo explained.

The year 2020 has been a strange year

First track meet slated for February 6 …All meets to be hosted at Leonora

By Jemima Holmes

T

he most important athletics event, the Olympics is set to run off this year, even amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic. With the biggest stage in athletics in sight, it will be a busy one for the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG); this means the local Association will have lots on their plate if they should adequately prepare local athletes for the quadrennial event.

According to Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) President Aubrey Hutson, they are now tasked with adapting to the constraints of the global pandemic.

“For 2021, we are approaching track and field with the understanding that COVID-19 will be apart of our lives and we need to learn to live with it. Probably until a vaccine comes up and does something miraculous for us.

We need to just try to function within the frame work of COVID-19 being around,” During the exclusive interview with the Guyana Times Sport, Hutson shared that consultations with the Minister of Health and the COVID-19 Task Force have already been completed and a calendar drawn up.

However, the Association was forced to make some changes.

Hutson shared, “So, World Athletics would have given us a set of guidelines on how to conduct meet.

We would’ve shared those guidelines with the Ministry of Health, through the COVID-19 Task Force. Some of our meets they did approve like the South American 10K, while they did not approve the relay on the grass.”

“Outside of the Guyana Defense Force (GDF) we don’t think we’ll have

All of the AAG’s meets will be hosted at the Leonora Track and Field Facility, WCD

that kind of control, so in order to satisfy the COVID-19 Task Force we’re going to try to do all of our meets at Leonora,” the AAG Boss admitted.

As it concerns the initial calendar that the AAG had drawn up, Hutson related that they were forced to cut down on some of their activities.

“We would have since met with the Minister of Health and the Head of the Task Force jointly and their advice was ‘take it down to a minimum’.

Take it down to the meets that you really and truly must have,” he shared.

Hutson continued saying, “I would have already put the draft calendar out there on how we plan to get to Tokyo and Nairobi, Kenya; that’s for the World Junior Championships. But that had to be changed.”

“So, our new approach will be a revised calendar, with less events locally but once we get the blessings of free travel, we would see more of our athletes going to international competi-

tion and testing their skills out there in preparation for Tokyo and onward.”

Expressing his intention to give athletes a path to Tokyo and Nairobi for the World Junior Championships, Hutson shared the initial event on the athletics calendar.

“So, the 6th & 7th of February, we’ll start off with our developmental meet on the track and then we’ll do another one on the 20th and 21st. It is sad that we cannot go to the grass to do any meet because of our fear of not being able to control the crowd,” the AAG President revealed.

As it stands, the AAG is set on conducting a third developmental meet in February, calendared for the 27th and 28th. After which, the National Senior Championships will be held on April 17 &18 and the South American Senior Championships is slated for May 14 to 16.

for many. Foo did not play much cricket after his 2019 Regional Super50 season and he is not a contracted Jaguars player. During the practice matches, Foo looked dangerous with the bat.

Prior to the fitness assessment, Foo encountered a major setback. "I had a major setback leading up to the fitness assessment. Romario Shepherd tested positive for COVID-19. the entire set of players who were training with him had to undergo the testing, and I was also training with one of the guys who went in that training. I took no chances, and I also did the test and underwent quarantine for ten days.

“But as I said, it's not an excuse for me not to meet the required fitness mark," Foo added.

At age 30, Foo still has years of cricket in him, once he puts in the hard yards of work, his skill will coincide when he improves that fitness and he can show dominance as he did in the 2019 Super50. He said he is not seeing his age as an issue since some players in the current Guyana team are older than him.

Hayden Walsh Jr recovers from COVID-19, leaves isolation

H

ayden Walsh Jr has returned two negative COVID-19 PCR tests and has been released from isolation and cleared to travel.

The West Indies leg-spinner was diagnosed with the coronavirus ahead of the start of the OneDay International Series. He remained in Dhaka and underwent a period of selfisolation in accordance with medical protocols.

Following his recovery, Walsh was given the all clear to travel, and left Bangladesh on Tuesday with the other members of the ODI squad, following the end of the third and final match.

He will now travel back to Antigua and join the Leeward Islands Hurricanes squad as they prepare for the start of the CG Insurance Super50 Cup. Leewards play the opening match against W i n d w a rd Islands Volcanoes at Coolidge Cricket Ground on Sunday, February 7. The tournament runs until Saturday, February 27.

West Indies, meanwhile, are preparing for the upcoming two-Test series. The first match will be played at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram, starting Wednesday, February 3.

(Windies Cricket)

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021

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

Pg 23

Banks DIH supports Golden Jags’ FIFA World Cup preparation Pg 22

EXCLUSIVE:

Foo disappointed and hurt, but committed to working hard

First track meet slated for February 6 …All meets to be hosted at Leonora

CWI’s CG Insurance Super50 Cup to feature exciting line-ups Pg 21

— Captains and coaches talk up their chances of taking title

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