Guyana Times - Tuesday, April 2, 2019

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Issue No. 3882

THE BEACON OF TRUTH Tuesday, april 2, 2019

PRICE

Dual citizens in Parliament

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Future list of PPP candidates will be free of dual citizens – Jagdeo

P12 Son of businessman shot, robbed on Regent Street

Page 3

…commits to party leading change against status quo

5 in custody for murder of footballer P15

4900 child abuse cases recorded in 2018 P12

The Private Sector Commission (PSC) of Guyana on Monday evening hosted a dinner in honour of US Ambassador to Guyana, Sarah-Ann Lynch. The PSC discussed issues with the Ambassador, while enjoying the evening’s festivities. In attendance were Chairman of the PSC, Desmond Sears, members of the PSC, as well as other invitees

CJIA employee Pensioner killed, killed in set alight in 3-vehicle collision backyard 6 more sick workers medevaced out of Matthew’s Ridge Page 7

Page 10

– 2 patients tested positive for Leptospirosis – Matthew’s Ridge Hospital temporarily shuts down

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50-year- P10 old woman wanted for 2009 murder of fuel dealer

Rice cultivation in Region 2 P13 under threat due to dry spell

Kuwait writes off US$50M in debt owed by P13 Guyana – remainder to be paid off in 9 years

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BRIDGE OPENINGS

Dual citizens in Parliament

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

Tuesday, April 2 – a night retraction from 03:30h and a day retraction from 14:30h-16:00h and Wednesday, April 3 – a night retraction from 04:00h and a day retraction from 14:30h-16:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Tuesday, April 2 – 15:05h-16:35h and Wednesday, April 3 – 15:40h-17:10h.

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

Future list of PPP candidates will be free of dual citizens – Jagdeo – commits to party leading change against status quo

WEATHER TODAY

Sunny intervals are expected throughout the day, followed with sunny weather in the late afternoon.

Clear skies are expected in the evening, with overall temperatures ranging between 20 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

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

High Tide: 03:00h and 15:15h reaching maximum heights of 2.34 metres and 2.43 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 08:51h and 21:10h reaching minimum heights of 0.86 metres and 0.75 metre respectively.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

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espite the recent resurrection of dual citizens in the National Assembly as a trending topic, the problem has been around for a while. But at least one party is looking to change the status quo of dual citizens illegally sitting as Members of Parliament.

A commitment has been made that dual citizens on candidate electoral lists submitted by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) to stand for Parliament will be a thing of the past. This commitment was made by the PPP General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo.

Jagdeo was at the time appearing on the Jumpstart radio programme on Monday morning, when he laid down his party’s position on dual citizenship. He noted the effect a ruling on the no-confidence case in his party’s favour at the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) would have on the whole issue.

“If the no confidence (ruling) goes in our favour at the CCJ, there will be no need for a convening of the Parliament again unless there’s an agreement. Therefore, no dual citizen will attend the Parliament on our side.”

“When the new list is prepared for General Elections, no dual citizen will be on that list,” Jagdeo further explained. “If they want to be on that list, they have to give up their dual citizenship. That’s our position.”

In the interim, the Opposition Leader noted the difference between his party’s position and the Government’s approach.

Jagdeo pointed out that despite the High Court and Court of Appeal ruling that dual citizens cannot be members of the National Assembly; it has done little to faze the Government.

“This Government has said that not only are they going to keep dual citizens in the Government, but they’re going to attend Parliament.

We have made it clear. (Our dual citizens) will not attend. They will not be at

any sitting of the National Assembly.”

“The (Government dual citizens) have said they will attend a sitting of the National Assembly. That would be illegal, immoral and unheard of, that you want the Opposition to comply with a ruling, but you won’t do it yourself.”

In February, Chief Justice Roxane George had ruled on the case filed by Compton Reid over the dual citizenship of former Alliance For Change Member of Parliament (MP) Charrandas Persaud. In the case it brought to the Chief Justice, Government had argued that Persaud’s dual citizenship status invalidated his vote in support of the No-confidence Motion that brought the Government down.

This argument also formed part of the opinions presented to Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland in the hopes that he would reverse the ruling; something the Speaker ultimately refused to do.

According to the Chief Justice, by swearing allegiance to another State, a dual citizen is not qualified to be elected to serve in the National Assembly. But Charrandas is not the only one. In the Opposition camp, Chief Whip Teixeira has already indicated her willingness to renounce her citizenship.

In the case of the Government, Foreign Affairs

Working People’s Alliance Executive, Dr David Hinds

Chartered Accountant and Attorney Christopher Ram

Minister Carl Greenidge and Minister of State Joseph Harmon (who has US citizenship) have done little to address if they would choose Parliament or dual citizenship when the time comes.

Article 155 (1) of the Constitution of Guyana states, “No person shall be qualified for election as a member of the National Assembly who (a) is, by virtue of his own act, under any

acknowledgement of allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign power or State.”

Only recently, Chartered Accountant and Attorney Christopher Ram has said he believes the Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland, should not allow dual citizen parliamentarians back in the House.

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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

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Crime is no April fool’s joke

ust recently, a crew member of a visiting UK cruise ship was beaten and robbed by bandits in Georgetown. He was one of scores of tourists who visited here in keeping with efforts to boost Guyana’s tourism potential. Based on reports, it appears that he took the opportunity to experience the City’s vibrant night life, as tourists do during their stay in various countries.

Such outings are expected to be pleasant, allowing for encouraging tales and posts with memories -- factors in determining a possible return visit. Based upon that person’s experience, the tales and postings could be far from encouraging, and a return visit may not be within the realm of immediate consideration.

A few days after that incident, a teen footballer was gunned down, also in the City. In between those two incidents, a young mother was brutally murdered by her spouse in Berbice. Criminal activities continue unabated, despite public relations efforts to console, with promises to stem the flow of what seems an unstoppable wave.

Sometime last year, the Prime Minister was quoted in a release from the Government information arm as saying that “Guyana has never been safer”. The ordinary people are expected to interpret that as they and their families are much safer now under this Government, when compared to the situation that obtained under the last administration.

From what transpires through both reported and unreported incidents of criminal activities, that statement can be seen as grossly misleading, and as nothing short of a public relations stunt by the Government in an endeavour to convey the impression that its crime-fighting interventions are reaping success.

Reportedly, the statement of the country now being safer was echoed by the Minister of Public Security. Just to remind: under his tenure, seventeen prisoners died in a fire at the Camp Street Prison; months afterwards, the facility itself was completely destroyed, also by fire set by inmates. Subsequently, a number of prisoners escaped from the Lusignan facility; juveniles are breaking out from the New Opportunity Corps, and crime continues.

Those incidents strongly suggest that the subject minister has no ground to make such utterances regarding people’s safety.

Many have since called for him to resign, given what they believe to be his abysmal failure despite his not having to carry the full load of the Ministry, as his predecessor under the last administration had to do. Another minister is now entrusted with some of the responsibilities.

In the one case of the cruise ship member being robbed, the expectation and the believed traditional operational procedure is for increased security to be placed around the docking area, and for tours to be arranged for around the City. The length of stay of the ship would have been known in advance, allowing for necessary planning.

The heightened security in these circumstances is to ensure the prevention of the robbery in question, given the high stakes with regard to the nation’s tourism drive.

This is often done seemingly at the expense of the locals here, in an effort to safeguard the country’s image. From reports, the ship docked for three days, as per prior arrangement. What, then, may have been responsible for the perceived lack of security coverage? The embarrassment on the international tourism scene could lead to a reluctance of tourists to visit the country, and can therefore create a major setback. This begs the question of prior planning, or role played by the Ministry of Public Security.

From an international perspective, one may rightfully be tempted to ask if such tourism efforts are priorities of that said Ministry. From a local standpoint, questions pertaining to the security of residents also arise. The latter would clearly have more reasons to ask -- in the context that the current Government, while in the Opposition, openly boasted of its ability to effectively combat crime and to protect the citizens across the country. It was a campaign priority which may have won crossover votes, as people believed the boasts primarily because of the many security experts on the electoral ticket.

The current reality of high crimes may have rendered such boasts as an April fool’s exercise at the expense of the populace. Even if the Government were to try and say that the pronouncements of the Prime Minister and the Public Security Minister are vindicated by just one less incident of crime since its tenure, when compared to the previous Administration, its effect in combating crime would still be a tremendous failure in the context of its boasts. Its inability to curb the ongoing crime wave is an indictment of its policies, or lack thereof.

Guyanese continue to live in fear, and those overseas are in a constant state of worry for their loved ones here. Many who are seeking opportunities overseas have cited crime as a major factor to flee. From the standpoint of the ordinary citizens, the reality seems obviously different from that of the Government, as expounded by the two senior officials mentioned. The former is premised on pain, suffering, and being victims; the latter on a desire to stay in office, while remaining oblivious to the plight of the former. April fool’s jokes are eventually unravelled.

Minister of State Joseph Harmon on Monday met with the Mayor of Georgetown, Ubraj Narine, at the Ministry of the Presidency. During their meeting, the two sides discussed areas of collaboration, ways in which Government can lend its support to the municipality and plans for the development of the capital city

Venezuela’s Guaido pledges more protests over power, water shortages

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Opposition Leader Juan Guaido

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e n e z u e l a n Opposition Leader Juan Guaido on Monday called on supporters to continue taking to the streets to protest power and water shortages, as the government of President Nicolás Maduro appeared prepared to begin a rationing programme.

Scattered protests continued throughout several working-class neighbourhoods of the capital Caracas on Monday, with small groups of people blocking roads demanding water be returned after a week of intermittent blackouts that have left many areas without electricity.

That followed demonstrations around Caracas on Sunday night when Police fired gunshots after residents set up burning barricades, according to Reuters witnesses. The oil-rich South American country has been hit by two waves of crippling

blackouts since March 7.

“Every time the power goes out, or we do not have water, or we do not have gas, guess what we are going to do?” Guaido, leader of the Opposition-controlled National Assembly, said at a rally at the country’s Catholic University. “We are going to protest, we are going to make demands, we are going to take to the streets of Venezuela, because it is our right.”

Power outages over the weekend prompted Venezuela’s main oil terminal, Jose, to halt operations including crude exports, the lifeblood of its economy. It was the third time in a month that the port, which only restarted applications last Friday following last Monday’s blackout, had stopped operations due to lack of electricity.

Guaido invoked the country’s constitution to assume an interim presidency in

January, arguing Maduro’s 2018 re-election was illegitimate. He has been recognized by most Western and South American countries as the OPEC nation’s rightful leader.

Maduro, who calls Guaido a puppet of the United States, has said that he should “face justice,” but has not openly called for Guaido’s arrest.

The pro-Government Supreme Court on Monday reiterated a previous measure blocking Guaido from leaving the country, which he openly violated in February.

It added that the Constituent Assembly, an all-powerful legislature controlled by the Socialist Party, should discuss the issue of whether or not to strip Guaido of parliamentary immunity – a move that could pave the way for him being jailed.

But state institutions

loyal to the Socialist Party appear reluctant to act against Guaido, given his strong public backing and international pressure not to detain him.

The chief prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation of Guaido but has not ordered his arrest or officially charged him with anything.

Maduro on Sunday said the country would begin a program of “load administration,” which Venezuelans on social media interpreted as a programme of power rationing, without providing details on when it would start.

He has blamed both the US Government and the domestic opposition for “attacks” on the country’s main hydroelectric facility, which his government says have been causing the blackouts.

Electricity supplies have been intermittent in Caracas for several days, leading to the cancellation of school activities and a shortened workday on Monday.

On Monday morning, the power was on in some blocks but not in adjacent ones.

Blackouts and water shortages have long been common in Venezuela, especially in the interior. But the outages in March were more frequent, more widespread, and longer-lasting than previous incidents, particularly in the capital.

Maduro’s critics and local electrical engineers consulted by Reuters said the blackouts were due to years of underinvestment and lack

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

There should be no Parliament, Dis Boy Seh to Dem Boys await the ruling of the CCJ Dear Editor, In a previous letter, I outlined that there should be no sitting of the National Assembly until a full and final determination of all matters relating to the No-Confidence Motion currently before the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). Based upon the Case Management Conference (CMC) held on March 29, 2019, we can expect a ruling shortly after May 10, 2019.

The Government’s announcement of an April 11 sitting of the National Assembly must be rejected by all fair-minded, right thinking and objective Guyanese, which in essence should be all Guyanese. Accompanying that announcement was the declared intention to seek a supplementary budget for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and as we now understand, there have been instructions to several agencies in various Ministries to prepare requests for supplementary budgets which will be tabled at Cabinet for approval.

Without any difficulty, the conclusion can be made

that the above actions of this Granger-led APNU/AFC Government are to use this period for an assault on the Treasury, to draw down additional funds to support their current disguised but openly seen political campaign.

Accounting officers and heads of budget agencies must be aware, and I also use this medium to offer some advice to them, that should there be an upholding of the validity of the No-Confidence Motion by the CCJ, all actions of this Government of this nature post-December 21, 2018, and more so, post-March 21, 2019, would be illegal and voidable.

Just to remind that the only reason why this Government remained in Office after the successful passage of the No-Confidence Motion was for the sole purpose of conducting elections, which were mandated by the Constitution within three (3) months. This was in accordance with Article 106, specifically, Article 106 (7) of the Constitution.

One must wonder how is it that after this Government’s

inability to implement significant percentages of Budgets 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, that three (3) months into 2019, there is a need for supplementary budgets. What is being done in 2019 that was not envisaged and planned for in budget 2019, when it was debated and passed in December 2018?

Editor, the answer is a simple one. The coalition Government is using the Consolidated Fund and taxpayers’ monies for campaigning, electioneering and vote buying.

No amount of curry favouring, mamaguying and hoodwinking will work. The people do not have confidence in this insensitive, aloft and uncaring Administration.

The National Assembly must not be used as a conduit for campaign financing for the Government.

There should be no Parliament, await the ruling of the CCJ first.

Yours truly, Bishop Juan A Edghill MP

Dear Editor, Dem Boys in de waterfall paper seh a lot, but they need to member dat every rope gat two ends and they never called to get Guyana Goldfields end of the rope, when deh seh, “dem shareholders and Guyana Goldfields cussin one anodda”.

Dem aught to be careful wid who dey get their information from because not all skin teeth ah laugh. Dis boy is a serious boy and woulda not put two feet into Guyana Goldfields river without knowing how deep river is. We are a serious company tryin to do de rite tings, de rite way.

We are declarin all gold and de Government of Guyana is at de mine as de gold is pored. We are not sheddin dem Guyanese workers. We have 729 Guyanese employees and more dan 300 contractas at de mine site and hope to hire more.

I invite dem boys to come and visit de mine in person because if yuh eye nah see, yuh mouth nah must talk.

I promise you it is not de “Government of Guyana gettin play like a yo-yo”. I think dem boys will find dat nah every crab hole get crab and dem boys bein fed rotten crab by someone. We are a partna in Guyana’s development and have nuttin to hide from no one including de waterfalls pa-

Meaningful parental involvement is necessary for a child’s upbringing Dear Editor, Recently, video recordings have gone viral on social media of school children involved in unfortunate situations, some being violent and disrespectful. It must be noted that such events are not widespread across the education system. However, efforts must still be made to curb such behaviour.

The Education Ministry will continue to collaborate with parents and other stakeholders to address these issues. Editor, currently, the Education Ministry is strengthening its school support unit with the aim of addressing social and other challenges which have no place in the school system.

The Education Ministry is cognisant that more needs to be done by all parties in the education process if tangible outcomes are to be derived.

Editor, this is not the time to point fingers, but it

is an opportunity for greater collaboration between the schools and parents.

It is on this note Editor, that the MoE is urging parents to engage their children frequently when they are at home. Editor, the word “engage” was chosen deliberately because it encompasses a number of areas.

The MoE is asking parents to check frequently on how their children are doing in school. We must talk to our children, as parents they will tell you things in that informal setting that you would not have known ordinarily.

Parents, foster relationships with your child’s teacher(s), so that you can be swiftly updated on anything noteworthy that is happening at school or if you need to visit the institution.

Ask for the school’s telephone number and call randomly to be updated. When children are aware that you

are monitoring them they are less likely to become problematic. Most importantly, Editor, the evidence has shown overwhelmingly that with the involvement of parents in the education process, the child’s academic performance improves significantly.

Parents, you are at liberty to go to their schools and hear from their teachers as it relates to their academic performance and their general behaviour at school. No one can disallow you from visiting the school to check on your children’s welfare.

Parents, know who your children’s friends are so that you are aware of the company they keep. You need to keep track of the places they normally will go when they are socialising. This is by no means a form of infringement but rather necessary steps that are integral in raising children of good quality.

Parents and guardians, the Ministry of Education cannot do it alone, your support is vital. Additionally, it is important for parents to continue to impress upon children the importance of good manners, respect for themselves, their peers and any other person they interact with.

The Ministry of Education is aware of the sacrifices parents continue to make daily in ensuring that their children are in school.

The Education Ministry will continue to work with parents, communities and other stakeholders to ensure that our children become productive citizens contributing to the development of self and country.

Yours respectfully, Public Relations Department Ministry of Education

GPHC bent on enforcing lax or outdated requirements Dear Editor, In an article “Government cracks down on illegal medicine” published on March 22, 2019, in the Guyana Chronicle, Director of the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department, Marlon Cole said that “it is more than likely that Guyana has a higher rate of substandard and falsified medical products on its market”.

The article went on to say “that several distributors of pharmaceuticals and other medical supplies have not acquired marketing authorisation as required by law, and as such, are engaging in the sale and distribution of pharmaceuticals that are not approved by the Food and Drug Department”. Mr

Cole noted that efforts to aggressively enforce legislation mandating distributors to acquire marketing authorisation and drug registration have commenced since 2014, however, resistance to these efforts have continued.

It is interesting to note that The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation’s Procurement of Pharmaceutical 2019 Evaluation Criteria, at questions 19 and 20, exempt foreign businesses at the time of bidding from providing a valid import licence and valid marketing authorisations, provisions which directly contradict and undermine the efforts of the Government’s Food and Drug Administration. The

effects of this are ultimately felt by the consumers since this presents a direct route to unauthorised entry of drugs not subject to quality inspection by the authority.

Further, this places local importers and manufacturers at a disadvantage since they are required to invest time and resources into acquiring the import licence as well as preparing and sending off technical and voluminous documentation as well as products for marketing authorisation.

In the absence of evidence supplied by distributors that the product is certified to be sold in Europe and North America, and through CARPHA, Mexico, Cuba, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Columbia, there are obvious

questions about their quality.

It is disappointing that throughout the public health arm of the Government that such a wide disconnect exists in an area which is critical to ensuring the public’s safety. While the GA-FDD has undertaken significant investment in equipping themselves to raise the standard of drugs sold on the local market and ensure importers’ compliance with the law, the GPHC seems bent on enforcing lax or outdated requirements which, in effect, achieve the complete opposite and are also in violation of the law, as Mr Cole explained.

Sincerely, Vishal Sukhai

per. We take members of de press and de Government to the mine regularly.

For my friends in the diplomatic community and other foreigners, below is a translation of the above paragraph in English, plus one other paragraph with additional information you should read.

To the Guyanese, I apologise for my less than perfect Creolese and encourage them to listen to both sides of the story.

This Boy, Says to Dem Boys: Dem Boys at Kaieteur News say a lot, but they need to remember that there are two sides to every story and they never contacted Guyana Goldfields to get our side of the story when they printed, “The shareholders of Guyana Goldfields are cussing one another”. They should be careful with whom they get their information from because not everyone who smiles at you is your friend. I am a serious person and I would not join Guyana Goldfields without knowing the full situation.

We are a serious company trying to do the right things, the right way. We are declaring all gold and the Government of Guyana is on site as the gold is poured. We are not letting employees go.

We have 729 Guyanese employees and more than 300 contractors at the mine site, and we hope to hire more.

I invite Dem Boys to come and visit the mine in person because you should not talk bad without first getting all the facts. I promise you, it is not the Government of Guyana that, “is getting played like a yo-yo”. I think that Dem Boys will find that not everything turns out to be as you expect it to be, and in this case, Dem Boys are being fed misinformation. We are a partner in Guyana’s development, and we have nothing to hide from anyone, including Kaieteur News. In fact, we regularly take members of the press and the Government to visit the mine and its operations.

The Kaieteur News also ran an article on Sunday that implies that Guyana Goldfields is somehow taking advantage

of the Government and people of Guyana with tax concessions as part of our investment agreement. We are not taking advantage of anyone. We are a publicly traded company in Canada in good standing with all laws and regulations. Yes, we are a for-profit business and the business of a business is to make money for its owners, which in our case are our shareholders.

If you look at our publicly released financial information, you will see that for 2018, the Government of Guyana received US$14,983,000 in royalties and the company’s net earnings were US$5,367,000 after expenses. Government getting almost three times more than the company’s profit without investing a cent. Not a bad deal anywhere. Mining in remote areas is not cheap and the cost of transporting, feeding, and caring for 750 employees and more than 300 contractors, almost 1000 who are Guyanese, is not cheap and all of this money is spent with more than 255 local suppliers, contractors, and companies.

We pay payroll taxes on all these employees. We pay VAT on our local purchases. We have been here for 22 years and made no money for the first 19 years, yet we invested well over US$200 million of our money to get the mine operational. In fact, in total, we have invested more than US$400 million. There is no company in Guyana that could have done this in this remote part of the Essequibo, which is threatened by a foreign power to the west.

Concessions like VAT exemptions for Foreign Direct Investment in remote areas are very normal throughout the world; and frankly, without such incentives, the jobs and contributions to the economy these investments bring likely would never materialise.

Again, we are a serious publicly traded company that is under attack by a group of dissident shareholders. We look forward to the vote on May 22.

Nuff nuff sehd.

Perry Holloway, Snr Vice President, Guyana Goldfields

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Foundation Part 3

What is a friend?

Friends are people that you can have fun with. Friends share, hang out together, and laugh with each other. A friend likes you for who you are.

A good friend can cheer you up when you are sad, and keep you company when you are lonely. Friends stick up for each other when someone is mean, or being a bully. In fact, having a good friend can make it less likely that a bully will bother you. That’s because friends stand up for each other.

Your friends may change as you get older, but some friendships can last your whole life.

Where can I meet new friends?

You might have heard the saying “There are no strangers, just friends you haven’t met yet.” Friends are everywhere. Start by looking around your classroom or in the cafeteria. Other places you might find friends include: * school clubs, sports, and music groups * after-school activities like swim practice, karate, or soccer * pools and parks * camps * places of worship * social skills groups (these groups help people practice talking, listening, and building other friendship skills)

What should I look for in a friend?

It’s easy to make friends with someone who likes to do the same things you do. If you like to draw, try to find someone who likes to do that too. Maybe you love board games!

Whatever it is, try to look for a friend who likes what you like. When you have things in common, there’s more to talk about.

Liking the same things is important, but it’s even more important to find someone who is nice. A person who is mean, makes fun of others, doesn’t listen to the teacher, and gets in trouble at school is not a good choice for a friend. Choose someone who: * smiles at you * shares * let’s others join in * is interested in what you have to say * makes you feel good If you are wondering if someone could be a friend but you’re not sure, talk to your

mom, dad, teacher, or another trusted adult.

An adult can help you decide if someone might make a good friend.

What do I say?

Once you’ve found someone who you think would be good friend, look for chances to say “hi,” smile, and be friendly.

Here are some other tips: * Offer to share something, like a pencil in class if the person lost theirs. * Say “Do you want to sit here?” or “Can I sit with you?” in the lunchroom. * Give a compliment, like “Cool sneakers!” * Just as you like to talk about your favourite things, so do friends. So when you’re together, ask your friend questions about himself or herself. “What do you like to do after school?” or “What do you do for fun?” and “What’s your favourite band?” will make your friend feel special and keep the conversation going.

What else should I know?

When you’re making friends, it’s important to know when to end the conversation or say goodbye. People are ready to talk about something else, or do something else, when they give clues like these: * not looking at you * looking past you or around the room * doing something else, like looking in their bookbag * changing the subject If it helps, practise talking to a “new friend” with your mom, dad, or other trusted adult. This way, you’ll know what to say the next time you meet someone you like.

If someone doesn’t want to be your friend, that’s OK. But don’t give up! There will be other chances to meet new friends. (Excerpted from kidshealth.org)

Logical-Mathematical: understanding and using numbers effectively, as well as having good powers to reason well. Exemplars are mathematicians, scientists, computer programmers, and accountants.

These questions can determine if an adult has a strength in Logical-Mathematical Intelligence: • Have you always done Maths in your head easily?

• When you were in school, were Math and/or science your best subjects?

• Do you enjoy playing games that require logical thinking?

• Do you set up experiments to see “what if” in your course of jobs around the house or at work?

• Do you look for logical sequences and patterns, with the belief that almost everything has a logical explanation?

• Do you read science periodicals or keep track of the latest scientific developments?

• Do you like finding logical flaws in things that people say and do?

• Do you feel the need to have things measured, categorized, analysd, or quantified in some way?

• I think in clear, abstract, wordless, imageless concepts.

These are some questions to determine if children may be exhibiting a well-developing LogicalMathematical Intelligence. Does your child: • Demonstrate curiosity about how things work?

• Have fun with numbers?

• Enjoy Maths at school?

• Enjoy Maths and/or computer games?

• Play and enjoy strategy games such as chess and checkers, brain teasers, or logic puzzles?

• Easily put things into categories?

• Like to do experiments, either at school when assigned or on her own?

• Show an interest in visiting natural history or discovery-type museums and exhibits?

Musical: relating in a wide range of ways to music. This can take many forms, as a performer, composer, critic, and music-lover.

• These questions can determine if an adult has a highly developed Musical Intelligence: • Do you have a pleasant singing voice?

• Can you tell when a musician plays a note off-key?

• Do you frequently listen to music?

• Do you play a musical instrument?

• Was it easy for you to learn to play a musical instrument?

• Do you think your life would not be as rewarding without music?

• Do you usually have music going through your mind?

• Can you keep time to music?

• Do you know the tunes to many different songs or musical selections?

• Can you usually sing back a melody accurately after you hear a new selection only once or twice?

These are some questions to determine if children may be exhibiting a well-developing Musical Intelligence. Does your child: • Tell you when she recognises that music is off-key?

• Easily remember song melodies and sing them?

• Have a pleasant singing voice, either alone or in a chorus?

• Play a musical instrument?

• Speak or move in a rhythmical way?

• Hum or whistle to himself?

• Tap on the table top or desktop while working?

• Show sensitivity to noises in the environment?

• Respond emotionally to music she hears?

Naturalist Intelligence: excellent at recognising and classifying both the animal and plant kingdoms, as well as showing understanding of natural phenomena.

• These questions can determine if an adult has a strength in Naturalist Intelligence: • Do you like to spend time in nature?

• Do you belong to a volunteer group related to nature?

• Do you enjoy having animals around the house?

• Are you involved in a hobby that involves nature, such as bird watching?

• Can you easily tell the differences among species of flora and fauna?

• Do you read books or magazines, or watch television shows or movies that feature nature?

• On vacation, do you prefer natural settings to cultural attractions?

• Do you enjoy visiting zoos, aquariums, or other places where the natural world is studied?

• Do you enjoy working in your garden?

These are some questions to determine if children may be exhibiting a well-developing Naturalist Intelligence. Does your child: • Talk about favourite pets or preferred natural spots?

• Enjoy nature preserves, the zoo, or natural history museum?

• Show sensitivity to natural formations? (Note that in urban environments, this type of “formation” can include cultural icons.)

• Like to play in water?

• Hang around the pet in school or at home?

• Enjoy studying environment, nature, plants, and animals?

• Speak out about animal rights and earth preservation?

• Collect bugs, flowers, leaves, or other natural things to show to others?

Spatial: perceiving the visual-spatial world in an accurate way, so as to be able to work in it effectively. The people who do this cover a wide range of fields that, upon first glance, do not seem to have much in common. Compare, for example, hunters, sailors, engineers, inventors, and surgeons to interior decorators, architects, painters, and sculptors.

These questions can determine if an adult has a strength in Spatial Intelligence: • Have you always been able to reproduce clear images in your mind, even when your eyes are closed or the objects are not in front of you?

• Are you sensitive to colour?

• Do you take a lot of photographs or home movies?

• Do you enjoy jigsaw and other visual puzzles?

• Do you have vivid dreams?

• Do you usually have an easy time getting around, even if it’s your first time in a new place?

• Do you enjoy drawing or doodling?

• Was geometry easier for you than algebra?

• Do you have an easy time reading maps and translating their information into reality?

• Do you enjoy books and magazines with many illustrations, photos, and design elements?

• These are some questions to determine if children may be exhibiting a well-developing Spatial Intelligence. Does your child: • Recall visual details in objects?

• Have an easy time learning to read and understand maps and charts in books?

• Daydream a lot?

• Enjoy the visual arts?

• Demonstrate ability in using art materials and creating drawings, sculptures, or other three-dimensional objects?

• Enjoy visual presentations such as videos, television, and movies?

• Get a lot of information from illustrations in books she reads?

• Scribble, doodle, or draw on all available surfaces? (Excerpt from childdevelopmentinfo.com)

news

7

Tuesday, april 2, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Pensioner killed, set alight in backyard

Murdered: Bhagwandai Deonarain, also called “Deeda”

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he remains of a pensioner were on Sunday evening discovered burning in her backyard. It is suspected that the woman was murdered and set alight in her backyard by the perpetrator.

The dead woman has been identified as 73-yearold Bhagwandai Deonarain, also called “Deeda”, of Lot 5 Plantation Hope, West Coast Berbice.

Police in a release said they are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of the pensioner, whose burnt remains were discovered in a driedout pond at the back of her premises at about 19:45h.

A large portion of the victim’s estate (land) was

also discovered destroyed by fire, the release indicated.

Deonarain lived alone and the Police had to be called to the house to investigate since it was reported that at about 17:30h there were no lights on in the building which is highly unusual.

According to the now dead woman’s niece, Shanie Singh, she first contacted the Police and then family members went to check on the woman.

She explained that there were no signs of forced entry. “So we come downstairs and then we see smoke at the back and they (family

Singh said she only saw a part of the woman’s body when she rushed to the scene. “Just the head and shoulder part but beyond you cannot see anything else,” she explained.

Coconut branches and dried coconuts were used to fuel the fire, and with the prevailing dry weather conditions, the flames also spread to nearby vegetation but had been reduced to smoke by the time the Police arrived and ventured into the backyard.

Deonarain had been living there since 1988 with her husband who died in 2015.

A few years ago, she had

was also beaten during the robbery. Deonarain gave evidence against him in court, causing him to be jailed. He was however released from prison last year.

Police in a release said a man is currently in custody assisting with the investigation.

The dead woman’s sister, Chan Sukhra, told Guyana Times that her eldest sister had been living in fear. She explained that her sister lost four of her teeth as a result of the beating she received from the ex-convict. As a result, she The home belonging to the now dead pensioner

members) decide to go and check. Is then they call everybody to come and see where they found the body.”

a tenant living in the lower flat. He reportedly broke into the upper flat and robbed the pensioner. She

Future list of PPP candidates...

The Government has set April 11 for the reconvening of the sitting of the National Assembly and Ram is contending that the action by the Government to return with dual citizens to Parliament is “disgraceful, unbelievable (and) contemptuous”.

“It shows (utter) contempt and disregard for the Constitution by people of the stature of Carl Greenidge (Foreign Affairs Minister); (so) it’s hard to say how much lower we as a country can get”.

In addition, Working People’s Alliance (WPA) Executive, Dr David Hinds noted that, in the interest of “political morality”, dual citizens in the National Assembly should make a choice between renouncing their dual citizenship and

The area where the burnt remains of the woman were found

resigning from the house.

He labelled as ‘politics’ the fact that the coalition Government would pick and choose which parts of the recent Court of Appeal ruling it would adhere to (that the No-confidence Motion against it was not validly passed), and which to delay acting upon (that dual citizens cannot be Members of Parliament).

“Politicians think about

From page 3

power and what that means for them. Political morality doesn’t figure in too much…

I think political morality say’s that they should either renounce their citizenship or resign,” he said.

According to David Hinds, the Constitution is clear about dual citizenship.

However, he said, what some would call duplicity is actually politics.

underwent surgery to remove a clot from her brain.

Reports are Deonarain had sold all of her jewellery before her husband died and lived off of her pension and assistance from family members.

Sukhra referred to her sister as being very religious and kind. The pensioner’s remains are currently at Bailey’s Parlour awaiting an autopsy. She leaves to mourn four sisters and one brother. The Police are continuing their investigations.

(Andrew Carmichael)

8 News

TUESday, april 2, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Religious leader found guilty of raping 9-year-old appeals ruling

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hirty-three-year-old Nezaam Ali of Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, who was sentenced to 45 years’ imprisonment by Justice Navindra Singh for raping a 9-year-old boy in 2011, through his attorneys, has appealed the ruling.

Based on reports received, Attorneys Latchmie Rahamat and Glen Hanoman filed the appeal to overturn the decision and sentencing on Thursday last, claiming that the decision was a miscarriage of justice.

The charges allege that between December 2011 and January 2012, Ali, being a teacher attached to the Turkeyen Masjid, engaged in sexual activity with the children, abusing a position of trust.

During the trial, Ali pled with the jury for mercy, as he further denied committing the

Jailed: Nezaam Ali

offence by stating that he has erectile dysfunction and as such could not have raped the boy.

His attorney, Stanley Moore, in a plea of mitigation, further pled for mercy, revealing to the court that according

to evidence, the child involved in the rape allegation did not suffer any psycho-social trauma.

Ali is yet to answer to eight other counts of rape at the High Court. Those are expected to come up next month during the new session of the Demerara Assizes.

Ali, of Lot 268 Section C 5, South Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, was first charged back in 2012 with raping the nine boys. However, after being committed to stand trial in 2013, the matter was stalled for some time after birth and medical certificates for the lads had gone missing from each of the nine files.

The parents and relatives of some of the alleged victims had, in the past, publicly expressed their frustration at the situation. One parent had even claimed that there was a delib-

erate attempt to drag the matter out.

In 2017, however, there was a turn of events when the Director of Public Prosecution’s Chambers, in a letter, ordered that the case be reopened.

Ali was later re-committed to stand trial at the Demerara Assizes in 2018.

Ali is being represented

by Attorneys-at-Law Stanley Moore and Latchmi Rahamat The mother of three of the alleged rape victims had told sections of the media that persons had been taking photographs of her sons and she regarded this act as bullying.

Shortly after his previous committal, Ali’s then lawyer, Nigel Hughes, had filed in the High Court, an action to have the committal overturned. This was rejected by the court and it was ruled that the committal would remain.

Former GWI employee slapped with 18 counts of fraud

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ormer Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) Customer Experience Supervisor Dexter McKenzie was on Monday arraigned in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on 18 counts of fraud allegedly committed on the water company.

The 48-year-old father of three, of Lot 146 Sixth Street,

Alberttown, Georgetown, pleaded not guilty to all the charges; which stated that between June and October 2018, while being entrusted by GWI with a number of Republic Bank cheques totalling some $967,317 -- in order that he may give same to Shane Samuels, Corlette Clarke, Dexter Forde, Lana

James and Randy Hope -- he fraudulently converted same to his own personal use and benefit.

His defence attorney made an application for bail for his client, and this was not objected to by Police Prosecutor Adduni Inniss.

Bail was granted in the sum of $102,000 in one mat-

Dexter Mc Kenzie

ter, and Mc Kenzie was released on his own recognizance on the other charges.

He will make his next court appearance on April 15, 2019.

Mabaruma resident gets bail for ganja possession

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awle Ramsindo, a resident of Hopo Hill, Mabaruma, North West District (NWD) was on Monday arraigned for the possession of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

The 30-year-old stood before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan and pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to him. Police stated that on March 28, 2019, at Hopo Hill, Mabaruma, the poultry farmer had 170 grams of cannabis. The illegal substance was reportedly discovered in his bedroom by police ranks who conducted a search on his premises.

He was arrested and charged. Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield had no objection to bail provided that it is granted under the condition that the defendant reports to the Mabaruma Police Station.

Bail was granted in the sum of $200,000 and transferred to the Mabaruma Magistrate’s Court for May 21, 2019.

Confronting…

O

…PNC oppression pposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo received a firestorm of denunciation from the PNC and its partisans after he advised Berbicians to “chase out” ministers and lackeys of the Government if they come to “woo” them after their destruction of the Berbice economy, especially sugar. He was denounced as “uncouth” and not “civil” in his remarks!!

Even some supporters fell for the sophistry and felt Jagdeo’s call was “out of place”. Now, bear in mind that Jagdeo wasn’t calling for violence, just that oppressed Berbicians should express their frustration over the PNC’s callous and spiteful acts against them.

What was Jagdeo supposed to tell them? Offer Nagamootoo and Granger tea and cookies when they come around fishing for their votes?? Fool me once, shame on you: fool me twice; shame on ME!!

But the demand for civility from Jagdeo towards the Government and its minions -- after four years of unremitting marginalisation of his constituency -- is a tactic that has long been exposed for what it is: DEFENDING THE OPPRESSIVE STATUS QUO. Of course the oppressor would like you to be polite, and would encourage you to “go along to get along”; it reifies the unjust system in all its putridness. But when you are struggling for your survival – like Berbicians are – civility just won’t cut it!!

The PNC oppressors are trying to turn reality of its head and make themselves out as the victims being wronged

by Jagdeo, who is merely reacting to their betrayal of all Guyana. The people of Guyana must understand that the denunciation of Jagdeo’s call to the oppressed Berbicians and their call for civility is just to stifle their frustrations. But the struggle against an oppressor that is oblivious to your sufferings can never be civil – even though you are fighting for your “civil” rights.

As Frederick Douglass once remarked, “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did, and it never will.

Find out just what any people will quietly submit to, and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both.”

Jagdeo’s call for Berbicians to “chase the PNC out” was to choose words, and not “blows”. Protest has to be by definition uncivil. Even the great Gandhi and MLK had to be disruptive, and were jailed for their efforts. Jagdeo’s incivility, in fact, is an alternative to the violent protests the PNC launched whenever it decided its constituency was wronged.

Right now, the people of Guyana should be girding their loins to be “uncivil” to the PNC on April 11; that’s when their 4 dual-citizen, illegal MPs say they’ll enter Parliament …economic blindness Last week, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce as well as the Private Sector Commission reported that their members were experiencing a “decline in business” because of the political situation. “Not so!!” President Granger immediately declared. “That was just their perception, and in fact was a misconception.” And in that short but pithy statement we can see why the PNC can never run a free enterprise economy.

Granger painfully explained his actions after the NCM: “There’s no chaos or confusion or crisis in the political situation. Everything that has happened since the 21st of December has been logical and, on the part of the Government, it has been within the framework of the law.”

Well, it very well might be…but Granger misses the point when he dismisses it all as “perception”.

He’s obviously oblivious to the “Thomas Theorem”: If men define their situations as real, they are real in their consequences. If consumers and businessmen believe the Government’s actions would create political tensions, they’ll trim their spending.

It’s called declining “consumer confidence”! …Minister’s diagnosis Your Eyewitness doesn’t want to be an alarmist…but if the tests on the illness that struck eight Chinese, leaving one dead, aren’t complete, how can the Minister categorically rule out Swine Flu??

How’d she arrive at her “false negative”??

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

News

9

Tuesday, april 2, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

6 more sick workers medevaced out of Matthew’s Ridge – 2 patients tested positive for Leptospirosis – Matthew’s Ridge Hospital temporarily shuts down

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ess than two days after eight workers from the Bosai manganese mining site in Matthew’s Ridge were air-dashed to the city experiencing a “mysterious” illness with severe symptoms similar to those of the H1N1 virus (swine flu); six others were flown out of the area on Monday.

It is believed that the six workers were exhibiting similar symptoms. Those who were air-dashed to the GPHC on Saturday last have been transferred to the West Demerara Regional Hospital in Essequibo Islands-West Demerara (Region Three) and are expected to remain in an isolated area.

Reports are that a medical team from the Mabaruma Hospital had been deployed to the Matthew’s Ridge area following reports that some

In light of these phenomena, operations at the Matthew’s Ridge Hospital, Region One (Barima-Waini), have been temporarily shut down and the medical staff are presently working out of the community centre in that area.

Guyana Times was told on Monday that this latest development is due to the recent situation at the Bosai manganese mines. However, this undiagnosed illness has already claimed the life of one individual.

A senior source told this newspaper that the Matthew’s Ridge Hospital has been evacuated to allow for fumigation of the facility since the medical staff are still to determine the cause of the sickness that the men experienced over the past week.

However, there is some treatment of patients be-

folks have been exposed to, and that’s good, because it is worrying that medical staff and the Ministry don’t even know what this is.”

Although the results of the tests that have been conducted on the men so far are yet to be revealed, Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence stated that the public health specialists were still conducting “a battery of tests” to identify the virus blamed for the manganese miner’s death and the hospitalisation of eight others, including a solitary Guyanese who is an employee of the Guyana Manganese Inc (GMI) firm.

According to the statement, the Ministry noted that “there is no determination (as yet) of what the ailment is but all the patients displayed similar symptoms including pain, fever, headache and re-

Some of the medical personnel at the Eugene F Correia International Airport

persons were exhibiting signs and symptoms caused by contracting the deadly disease.

Although the results of the tests that have been conducted on the men so far are yet to be revealed, Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence in a statement to the media on Saturday evening refuted claims that the H1N1 virus has led to the death of the Chinese national.

ing done at the hospital, the source related.

“It is somewhat like a quarantine tactic, because persons who have come into contact with those men, or may have done so are being treated there presently.

However, other patients and the whole outpatient unit are at the community centre.

This is to avoid persons from catching whatever those

spiratory distress”.

However, days have passed and the Public Health Ministry is yet to conclude and publicise what the results of the tests are.

At about 14:30h on Saturday, four ambulances filled with medical staff who were all suited up with protective gear arrived at the Eugene F Correia International Airport to re-

Some of the workers boarding a flight en route to Georgetown on Monday

ceive at least eight males who had been transported from Region One after it was suspected that they may be infected with the H1N1 virus, usually referred to as swine flu here in Guyana.

Some were seen coughing and needed assistance from the plane to the ambulances.

When contacted on Saturday afternoon, Chief Medical Officer, Dr Shamdeo Persaud had said that it was too early to presume that the men have “swine flu, dengue, or any other deadly disease”.

“It would be crazy to say they have this or that because tests have to be conducted before any disclosure is made in this regard. What I can say is that we received reports that these men fell ill in that area (Region One) and they had to be brought to the GPHC. We are doing tests but have to wait on results before pronouncing and as soon as we

know what they have we will let the public know,” he explained.

But even as the hospital is yet to diagnose the men, Regional Health Services (RHS) Director, Dr Kay Shako denied that the men are suffering from swine flu.

Meanwhile, the public health officials have ruled out swine flu (H1N1), the Zika virus, Chikungunya virus, dengue and influenza A and B as possible causes of the recent spate of illnesses and death in Mathews Ridge.

In an issued release to the media, it stated that thus far, there has been no evidence of person-to-person transmission of infection. It is noted that only persons who were directly exposed to one common area became ill.

As of Sunday, March 31, a response team comprising the EPA, Surveillance, EH, doctors and nurses were dis-

patched to Region One to support the efforts taken in the region to address the illnesses.

However, a decision was taken to transfer all the patients with acute respiratory illness, rash and fever to our tertiary institution, GPHC, where critical care can be provided should the need arise.

While the specialists continue to work on the seven patients admitted on Saturday, results have shown that two patients tested positive for Leptospirosis, which is known to be spread by direct contact with rat urine or faeces.

Further tests are being conducted locally and samples will be sent overseas with support from PAHO and the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) to get further tests done to rule out other possible infections.

10 news

TUESday, april 2, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

CJIA employee killed in 3-vehicle collision

Dead: Collin Bourne

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three-vehicular collision along the Soesdyke Public Road, East Bank Demerara (EBD), on Sunday night has resulted in the death of a 23-year-old employee of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).

The dead man has been identified as Collin Bourne of Lot 91 Timehri Prison

Area, EBD, who worked as a “Red Cap” at the airport.

Based on information received, the accident occurred around 22:15h involving two minibuses (PHH 3467 and BVV 5802) and the motorcycle (CH 6758) that Bourne was driving at the time.

Reports are that the minibus, PHH 3467, was proceeding south along the eastern carriageway reportedly at a fast rate of speed whilst the other minibus, BVV 5802, and Bourne’s motorcycle were proceeding in the opposite direction.

Bourne was said to have been riding his motorcycle behind the minibus (BVV 5802) and while on the eastern carriageway, he collided with the other minibus (PHH 3467).

According to the police, as a result of the impact, the motorcyclist fell onto the western carriageway, into the path of minibus BVV 5802, and was subsequently struck down.

stated that he was at home when he received the devastating news that his third child was killed.

The young man, who attended the Diamond Secondary School, has been employed with the Civil Aviation Department (CAD) of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport for the past three and a half years.

He was described as an

The motorcycle the now dead man was riding at the time of the accident

Bourne was picked up in an unconscious state and rushed to the East Bank Demerara Regional Hospital at Diamond Village, EBD, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The young man’s body is presently at the Lyken’s Funeral Parlour awaiting a post-mortem examination.

Meanwhile, both minibus drivers are in police custo-

dy assisting with the investigation. The police have since confirmed that the two men underwent a breathalyser test and it was revealed that the driver of minibus PHH 3467 was found above the legal limit of alcohol consumption.

Speaking with Guyana Times, the young man’s father, who also works as a “Red Cap” was in a state of shock and disbelief. He

easy-going person. His distraught father is hoping that a thorough investigation is conducted into the accident which has left him mourning the loss of a child.

At the time of the accident, the young man was reportedly heading to Georgetown.

The young man leaves to mourn his father and five other siblings along with other relatives and friends.

50-year-old woman wanted for 2009 murder of fuel dealer – Police view killing as a “crime of passion”

Murdered: Ramzan Ali

Wanted: Milaimi Alli

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n July 12, 2009, Good Hope, East Coast businessman, Ramzan Ali, 43, was found in the trunk of a rented white Toyota Carina AT 212 on the Railway Embankment in the vicinity of Coldingen.

Police are viewing the killing as a crime of passion.

Nine years later, the police have issued a wanted bulletin for 50-year-old Milaimi Alli for questioning in relation to the murder which they say occurred between July 11 and 12, 2009.

Her last known addresses are said to be Lot 29 Good Hope, East Coast Demerara (ECD); Gordon Street, Kitty, Georgetown, and 107-15 110th Street, Richmond Hill, Queens New York.

Just a few days ago, Zaheed Mitchell, a 38-yearold driver of Foulis, ECD, was charged with the murder of the fuel dealer.

The indictment stated that Mitchell and others murdered Ali between July 11 and 12, 2009. Mitchell was remanded to prison until April 15, 2019. It was during investigations that Ali’s name surfaced, hence an arrest warrant was issued for her arrest.

Back in 2009, the businessman’s body was found by relatives who had launched a search for him after several calls to his mobile went unanswered.

At that time, investigators could not say if Ali was

shot but they informed that his skull was smashed in.

He was found with a paper bag sealed with duct tape over his head. Ali’s death came at a time when family members were preparing to hold a religious function in memory of his brother Akbar Ali, a scrap metal dealer from Enmore who was gunned down on Brickdam on July 24, 2008.

One of the dead man’s cousins, who assisted in the search, said he observed Ali’s locked car on the Railway Embankment.

Upon checking, he initially did not see anyone inside. He made further checks and observed that blood was dripping from the trunk onto the roadway.

The relative then broke the driver’s side window and unlocked the trunk where he made the shocking discovery.

“His head was bagged and taped,” the dead man’s relative had stated. The police were contacted and they quickly cordoned off the scene and commenced their investigations.

The detectives believed that Ali was killed somewhere else and his killers brought him in his car and left him in the desolate area.

There was what appeared to be a skid mark on the parapet near where Ali’s body was discovered, leading investigators to believe that the killers fled the scene in another car.

Several persons had recalled seeing the parked car at around 01:00h but they did not have the slightest clue that it contained a body in the trunk.

11 Kuwait writes off US$50M in debt owed by Guyana NEWS

TUESday, april 2, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

– remainder to be paid off in 9 years

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he State of Kuwait has taken the magnanimous step of writing off US$50.7 million in debt owed by Guyana to the country since 1975, when the then Government borrowed the money for balance of payment support.

It is understood from the Finance Ministry that the debt write-off was the product of an agreement signed

by Finance Minister Winston Jordan in the Middle East country on March 18, 2019.

According to the Finance Ministry, the monies saved through the agreement will be allocated to social projects set out in the national budgets. As such, the Ministry noted that the debt cancellation will allow an expansion of Guyana’s development agenda.

This debt write-off is only a percentage, as Guyana still owes Kuwait approximately US$26.8 million. According to the Finance Ministry, however, this money will be settled through a combination of cash payments over the course of nine years, and a debt swap arrangement, which will be worked out in

due course.

It is understood that Guyana’s debt from Kuwait originated from a Loan Deposit, contracted in 1975, from the Central Bank of Kuwait for US$10.3 million at the time. Since then, however, the debt accumulated arrears over the past four decades, coupled with high market interest rates.

It was only recently that the Government of Guyana received a grant of Kuwaiti Dinars (KD) 500,000 (equivalent to GY$344 million) from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development to undertake a Technical and Economic Feasibility Study for the Redesign of the Belfield to Rosignol Road Network.

The study will be carried out by the Public Infrastructure Ministry and will aim to solve the issues of deteriorating roads, poor drainage and road safety of Belfield to Rosignol.

Finance Minister Winston Jordan

It is understood that the residents of more than twenty-seven villages along Belfield to Rosignol will benefit from this road project upon completion.

The redesign of the network aims to ensure enhanced capacity of the roads, strengthen trade and

economic development and facilitate new and improved interactions among farming communities. It will also reduce delays and increase user satisfaction.

The Fund, one of Guyana’s developmental partners, has over the years, assisted Government to un-

dertake feasibility studies and designs for the upgrade of road networks within the country. A similar project was undertaken in 2011 for the upgrade of the Better Hope to Belfield road network.

The Kuwait loan is not the only debt Guyana accumulated dating back from the 70s. Another creditor is the Yugoimport-SDPR, which is a State-owned entity in the South-eastern European country of Serbia.

Government has been trying to negotiate the settlement of its debt with Serbia. According to the Public Debt Annual Report of 2017, Guyana owed Serbia US$1.3 million, including US$745,359 as penalty interest and US$587,719 as the principal arrears. This loan was contracted since 1976.

The report in fact states that Guyana’s total public debt has been increas-

ing over the past few years; going from $317.7 billion in 2015 to $344.9 billion in 2017. Of this amount, almost 75 per cent is owed to foreigners.

According to the report, in one-year Guyana saw a 4.4 per cent spike in its debt.

At the end of 2016, the total public debt was $330.6 billion. This included $240 billion in external debt and $90.5 billion in domestic debt. As of 2017, external debt was $256.1 billion, while domestic debt dropped to $88.8 billion.

But even though Guyana’s indebtedness to external creditors has increased, so has debt servicing (repayments). According to the Bank of Guyana Quarterly Report and Statistical Bulletin released last year, repayment of external debt grew by some US$24.3 million to US$85.3 million.

12 NEWS 4900 child abuse cases Son of businessman shot, robbed on Regent Street recorded in 2018 T TUESday, april 2, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

CCPA Director Ann Greene

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here has been a growing number of reported child abuse cases in Guyana and for last year, over 4900 such cases were recorded, an alarming number that is fuelled by neglect and other social ills.

According to the Ministry of the Presidency, over 4900 child abuse matters were reported last year to the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA). From this number, 2400 were as a result of neglect. Up to January, 400 cases were reported with 122 being of a sexual nature.

It further states, “According to the statistics, 60 per cent of child neglect occurs when a child is between the ages of 4-13 years old, while 83 per cent of child sexual abuse occurs when a child is between the

ages of 8-18 years old”.

But Director of the CCPA, Ann Greene is of the view that this number is far less than the actual statistics since abuse is a “hidden crime”.

“Child abuse is a hidden crime and particularly, sexual abuse is behind closed doors and some of the victims, they literally do not have a voice to report abuse, meaning many children are being abused and they can’t report. So even if we do get a report, that’s the tip of the iceberg,” Greene was quoted as saying.

Just a few days ago, ChildLink researcher Samantha Alleyne stated that she was very disturbed by the findings of a study that was conducted on child abuse.

“National statistics compiled by Child Care and Protection Agency confirmed that abuse of children, both physical and sexual, starts

from as young as zero to three (years old). The data indicates that the sexual abuse of girl children remains high in the country. The number of reported cases is as follows; 801 in 2018, 392 in 2017 and 616 in 2016. Similarly, cases reported for boy children were 179 in 2018, 442 in 2017 and 118 in 2016,” Alleyne told the gathering.

She added that during her research, it was also found that some parents were reluctant to accept the abuse story their children had told them. In such a case, she said a parent even blamed her child for what happened, saying that the child wanted to separate her from her spouse.

The interviews ran for one month with nine children and eight adults.

However, she found that children between the ages of 14 to 18 and eight to 13 were more vulnerable to these attacks.

he son of the owner of Pressy’s Enterprises was on Monday afternoon shot and relieved of an undisclosed sum of money that he was carrying in a briefcase at Regent Street, Georgetown, by armed bandits.

Selson Prescott was reportedly in the vicinity of Regent and King Streets at about 14:15h when he was approached by the suspects.

The men reportedly attempted to relieve him of the briefcase but he put up a resistance and it was at this time that he was shot in his groin.

Based on reports received, the bullet is lodged in his abdomen. After the shooting, the men grabbed the case and fled the scene on motorcycles. At the time of the incident, the young man was reportedly heading to the bank to make a deposit.

Selson Prescott

However, the injured man, who is said to be in his 20s, was assisted by public-spirited citizens and taken to a private medical facility where he was admitted.

An investigation has been launched.

Just a few days ago, a

crew member aboard the visiting cruise ship, MS Serenissima, was robbed of his belongings in the wee hours of Saturday morning at Lombard Street, Georgetown.

Based on reports, 40-year-old Neil Horrocks reportedly arrived at Lombard Street, Georgetown, in a taxi at about 01:00h after leaving a popular Main Street, Georgetown, nightspot.

After he exited the taxi, he was pounced on by two men who demanded that he hand over his valuables. The perpetrators made their escape with a quantity of cash and the tourist’s credit card.

During the encounter, Horrocks received injuries about his body and was treated by a doctor onboard the MS Serenissima. A report was filed with the police.

Man granted bail on assault charge

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hirty-four-year-old Ronald Seecharan on Monday appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to answer to the charge of unlawful assault.

Seecharan, a mechanic who resides at Number 4 Village, West Coast Berbice, pled not guilty to the charge which stated that on March 29, 2019, at Aranka, Aranga Junction, he maliciously assaulted Lester McKenzie, causing him to be hospitalised.

It was alleged that on the day in question, the two men

Charged: Ronald Seecharan

were involved in a heated argument. It was during the argument that Seecharan armed himself with a cutlass and dealt the virtual complainant several chops about his body.

Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield did not object to bail being granted, provided that is under the condition that the accused report to the Aranka Police Station on Friday.

Bail was granted in the sum of $70,000 and the matter was transferred to the Bartica Magistrate’s Court for April 11, 2019.

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News

tuesday, APRIL 2, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Rice cultivation in Region 2 under threat due to dry spell

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ice cultivation in Region Two is under severe threats due to the prolonged dry season which has had an impact on the water in the conservancy. As a result of this phenomenon, there is not enough water for the present crop.

Rice farmers told Guyana Times that they are frustrated with the constant disasters facing the crop. “If na blast, ah bug, if na bug ah dry weather, if na dry weather ah price”, one rice farmer exclaimed.

Rice farmers have been under severe pressure of late due to several issues and the Government seems not to care since no intervention to address the water woes is forthcoming.

The dry rice fields on the Essequibo Coast

When Retention

contacted, Field Officer of the Rice

Producers Association, Chowkat Ali explained that while he knows

that the long dry weather is the main factor for the water crisis

in the region, he also blamed the Drainage and Irrigation Overseers for not monitoring the water supply and securing the kokers of the conservancy in a timely manner.

He noted that presently, the southern end of the Coast can have some irrigation if water is pumped from the Supenaam Creek into the conservancy.

A visit to the backdam clearly shows the many dried up trenches and the very low water level in the conservancy.

The Pomeroon River, which is another source to tap into, has not been considered due to the salty water which has been affecting those who depend on the river for their daily water usage.

Works to soon commence on EBD/ECD bypass road

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ith all studies completed, as well as designs for the first phase of the new East Bank Demerara/East Coast Demerara (EBD/ ECD) bypass road, works are expected to commence soon, according to Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson.

The subject Minister, in a recent interview with this publication, related that the various studies, including the feasibility study, have been completed in addition to the final designs for Phase One of the project which will see the construction of the new road from Ogle, East Coast Demerara, to Diamond, East Bank Demerara.

According to him, designs for the second phase of the long-awaited project to pave the new road from Diamond to Soesdyke,

Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson

East Bank Demerara, will commence after the first phase of the project would have gone to the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) so that works can begin early, especially since the Government secured a loan for this aspect.

“So the first phase is finished, in two months’ time we will get the completed designs and we go to tender for Phase One and then immediately after that, so around June we will start the designs for Phase Two Diamond onwards. So Phase One will start and you know we have a loan for that and that will be completed and then we will start Phase Two immediately after,” Patterson stated.

The Public Infrastructure Minister related that the plan is to have the new road be a four-lane highway, which will also allow future modifications.

“It will be two lanes one way and two lanes the other way so, therefore, it is a dual cart way so it’s four lanes. The road will be designed in such a way that there is a great distance in between the two roads so,

2 arrested following high-speed chase

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high-speed chase between Police and a car bearing a fake number plate led to the apprehension of two men, one of whom was armed with an unlicensed gun.

Reports are that around 13:00h on Monday in the vicinity the Railway Embankment at Industry, East Coast Demerara, the Police, acting on information tactfully approached the motorcar.

The driver of the car upon realising that the ranks were approaching sped off the scene.

However, the Police gave chase and after a period of hot pursuit, the vehicle was intercepted.

One of the two males, who exited the car brandishing a handgun, quickly removed a ‘paste-on number

plate’ from the vehicle and ran into an empty plot of land.

According to the Police, the driver was promptly detained and so was his accomplice who was found hid-

therefore, in the future, we will look at rails and other amenities in the median in between them will be about 60 feet in between the two roads, 60 to 70 feet and we will do future upgrades there going forward,” he shared.

The first phase of the project will cost US$120 million. The Government, Patterson asserted, has already secured funding for this aspect of the project.

Phase Two is likely to be within a similar price range, he added. In January, Head

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Demerara.

The four books were reportedly in her luggage.

According to information received, the woman cut holes in the centre of the books and stashed the cocaine inside. She then used glue to past the pages together.

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Linden couple was killed on Monday evening after they were struck off their motorcycle by a SUV at Amelia’s Ward, Mackenzie, Linden.

Other reports suggest that the male involved in the accident, Oneil Deyounge, was admitted to the Linden Hospital Complex in critical condition but later died. The female victim has been identified as Sheshyka Etienne.

Both were flung onto the roadway following the impact and were reportedly crushed by the vehicle.

The accident reportedly occurred at approximately 21:00h. The driver of the vehicle was taken into Police custody where he is said to be assisting with investigations.

ing in a clump of bushes.

The unlicensed pistol with nine live rounds he was trying to hide were retrieved. Also, a mask was found nearby. Investigations are ongoing.

She was destined for the United States of America.

Up to late Monday evening, she was being questioned by members of the Narcotics Branch. She is expected to be charged for trafficking in narcotics later in the week.

approach its bilateral partner, in this case, the ExportImport Bank of India, for more funds.

This EBD-ECD bypass project is expected to be 26 kilometres of road constructed, linking two of the country’s main thoroughfares. This new road link will also be connected to key communities in Georgetown and along the East Bank of Demerara. These include Diamond, Mocha, Eccles – all on the East Bank – and Aubrey Barker Road in Georgetown.

Linden couple killed in accident

Woman busted with cocaine in book at CJIA anks of the Police Narcotics Branch have arrested a 24-year-old woman of West Coast Berbice, who had in her possesion in excess of 10 pounds of cocaine concealed in books at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, East Bank

of the Work Services Group, Geoffrey Vaughn noted that the feasibility study was due in March. According to Vaughn, all preparations for the construction phase will follow once that is completed.

When he presented the budget last year, Finance Minister Winston Jordan revealed that the projected cost of the East Coast/ East Bank road linkage project (Ogle bypass) had jumped from US$50 million to US$120 million. He noted that Government will

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

Dead: Sheshyka Etienne and Oneil Deyounge

14 NEWS 55 women honoured for outstanding achievement F TUESday, april 2, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

ifty-five women from Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) were on Sunday evening awarded for their achievements and contributions to society at a gala award ceremony organised by the National Congress of Women (NCW).

The event, which was organised by Minister within the Ministry of Communities Valerie Adams-Yearwood, was hosted at the Watooka Complex in Linden in honour of International Women’s Day which was observed on March 8.

It saw women, including taxi drivers, seamstresses, butchers, newspaper vendors, farmers, security officers and NCW Committee members being awarded trophies and gifts.

Speaking at the event, Social Protection Minister Amna Ally applauded Minister Yearwood and the NCW for recognising

Two of the women receiving awards on Sunday evening

the achievements of women-folk.

In this light, she said all must remember the importance of re-doubling efforts in making women’s equality a reality. This, she noted, should be done by ensuring that all women have access to education, decent work and equal pay.

“It means removing structural barriers, the dis-

criminatory institutions and gender stereotypes and practices which prevent women from fulfilling their economic, social and political rights,” the Minister stated.

She also made the call for more women to be involved in politics in order to have a voice in decisions which affect their lives. The Minister further stressed the importance of ensuring that wom-

en have freedom from violence, access to healthcare and the ability to make their own decisions regarding sexual and reproductive health.

Pointing to the important role of empowerment, she also noted that there is still a great deal to be achieved.

“We need more women to be trailblazers in order to build a more equal society...

As we press for progress, let

the challenge for this year be to make the women of the past proud, the women of the current inspired and the women of the future envisioned.”

Additionally, the Minister said International Women’s Day provides a great opportunity to reignite, inspire and channel women’s equality for the future.

“Let us press for progress...” she noted as she called on all women to stand up and be counted “Let us work to bridge the gap of rural and urban women,” she said.

Meanwhile, Chairman of NCW, Region 10, Denise Belgrave also stressed that empowering women is necessary in achieving gender equality. She noted that societies flourish when women are given equal respect and are not taken for granted.

In pointing to the achievements of women, she said

the face of the work arena has changed over the years since women are now taking up jobs in a wide variety of fields.

“Today’s women realise their strengths and abilities and step out to contribute immensely to their society...I feel that women should always be honoured because they are individuals with their own identity, they contribute equally to the betterment of society...

This day is significant as we celebrate the social, economic, cultural and personal achievements of women,” Belgrade said.

She stressed that every day should be dedicated to celebrating women.

The women were also treated to entertaining performances by Vision of All Female Band, Pastor Richard McDonald and singer Ronnel Gonsalves among others.

GTU, SASOD observe Transgender Visibility Day with public transport consultation

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n observance of International Transgender Day of Visibility, which was observed on March 31, the Guyana Trans United (GTU) and Guyana’s Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD Guyana) in collaboration with the Public Infrastructure Ministry hosted a Stakeholder Consultation on Violence and Discrimination in Access to Public Transportation for LGBTQ+ Persons at Fort Street Kingston.

The aim of the consultation was to share information, facilitate dialogue and formulate solutions with regards to the standard of respect and treatment required for all persons utilising public transportation.

The meeting discussed the effects of anti-LGBTQ discrimination in accessing public transportation and regulations and solutions aimed at preventing and punishing violence and discrimination against LGBTQ+ persons seeking to utilise public transportation services.

Participating in the stakeholders’ consultation were representatives from the United Minibus Union, Public Infrastructure Ministry, Business Ministry, Guyana Police Force, UNAIDS, USAID Advancing Partners and

Some of the participants at the recent Stakeholder Consultation on Violence and Discrimination in Access to Public Transportation for LGBTQ+ Persons. Seated from left: President of the United Minibus Union Eon Andrews; Traffic Chief, Senior Superintendent Linden Isles; and Executive Director of Guyana Trans United, Q Gulliver McEwan

Communities Project, GTU and SASOD Guyana.

In brief opening remarks, Managing Director of SASOD Guyana, Joel Simpson noted that the goal of the consultation was to find collective solutions to prevent the violence and discrimination some LGBTQ+ persons, especially transgender persons, suffer when using public transportation.

SASOD Guyana’s Human Rights Coordinator, Valini Leitch, pointed out the difficulties some LGBTQ+ persons encounter in accessing public transportation.

This, she said, subsequently affects

persons’ ability to access healthcare and basic needs and has been an ongoing problem, especially for transgender persons who face the brunt of the abuses simply because of their visibility.

On this note, Simpson emphasised that every citizen should be able to access public transportation without fear of violence or discrimination. The problem, he said, is not just limited to minibuses, but cuts across the local transportation sector, including taxis and speed boats. He also noted the limitations that LGBTQ persons encounter in accessing justice

while also pointing out that the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) struck down Guyana’s law against cross-dressing in November of last year.

The Traffic Chief, Senior Superintendent Linden Isles explained that the law is clear on the obligation to carry passengers. He recognised that cases of discrimination do occur and pointed out the importance of reporting swiftly to the police and giving a clear and detailed statement to the police when these infringements occur.

Director of Consumer Affairs at the Business Ministry, Muriel

Tinnis-Duke noted that the recently released Code of Conduct for Minibus Operators was prepared with the prevention of all forms of discrimination in mind.

Recognising gender as a prohibited category of discrimination in the code of conduct, Simpson noted that “sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression” needs to be expressly included in the list of grounds in the code’s non-discrimination provision. He expressed the need for broader consultations on future iterations of the document.

Planning Officer at the Ministry of Public Infrastructure’s Central Transport Planning Unit, Clive Williams related that his Ministry was in full agreement that persons should not suffer any discrimination in accessing public transportation.

He emphasised the need to engage transportation bodies to have sensitisation sessions. In closing, Simpson acknowledged the role of education going forward and expressed interest in further collaborations and bilateral meetings with the other stakeholders at the meeting. He also noted the need for GTU and SASOD Guyana to undertake community education so that LGBTQ+ persons can be informed of their role in the process.

news

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tuesday, april 2, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

5 in custody 2000 students to be facilitated in Money Smart workshop for murder …to budget, save and spend prudently of footballer F

Dead: Christopher Mansfield, also known as “Gully Bop”

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s investigations continue into the murder of 18-year-old Christopher Mansfield who was stabbed, chopped and shot in Albouystown, Georgetown on Sunday; five young men have been arrested and the Police are on the hunt for the sixth.

A Police source told Guyana Times that the five youths who are in custody are known for their involvement in gang-related activities. The sixth however, is

reportedly the ring leader.

Eighteen-year-old Mansfield, also called “Gully Bop,” of Lot 66 Barr Street, Albouystown, Georgetown, was reportedly killed while playing football in the village.

The dead teen reportedly left home on Sunday morning to play football, something he did on a regular basis.

Police in a statement related that the murder was committed by three young men on motorcycles; one was armed with a cutlass, a knife and a gun. It was reported that the suspects approached the victim and proceeded to attack him.

During the altercation, the suspect who was armed with the gun shot the teen to the right side of his abdomen, and the injured youth barely managed to seek refuge in a nearby yard before he collapsed.

Mansfield was taken to Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC), where he was pronounced dead on arrival. His body is at the GPHC mortuary awaiting a post-mortem examination.

inancial Literacy Month commenced on Monday with the launch of the Money Smart Kids workshop, designed by the Outliers Zone to assist children in making wise financial choices.

In collaboration with the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI), they are expecting some 2000 students from both the primary and secondary schools for the workshop on April 12.

Outliers Zone is a financial wellness institute that will engage the children on the dynamics of saving, investing, spending and donating.

Chief Executive Officer of the organisation, Athalyah Yisrael explained that this activity eliminates the scourge of financial illiteracy by providing useful information at an early age.

Yisrael explained, “Our force is radical towards our children…The primary students will be able to learn about finances on their level…What we don’t want is for them to be there and struggle paycheck-to-paycheck.”

Guyana to implement RBM system to manage performance

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s a member state of the Caribbean C o m m u n i t y (Caricom), Guyana, like other states, has been struggling to manage its regional performance and to let the general public know how well the country has performed in a specific area.

As such, a gender-sensitive Results-Based Management (RBM) system is currently being developed to mend the loopholes.

On Monday, Deputy Secretary General of Caricom, Manorma Soeknandan told the media that the new initiative will see key stakeholders, such as Government agencies and the Private Sector, being engaged to spread awareness on the RBM. She said, “This system is supposed to minimise or I would say even get rid of the so-called implementation deficit that we have in our community”.

The Caricom official stressed the importance of having such a programme implemented as many times persons claim not to know what areas monies are being spent on and why.

Soeknandan explained that the format of the RBM structure will be similar to that of a bank statement which will outline the cost of a project, timeline and areas of target among others.

“Instead of the per-

Deputy Secretary General of Caricom, Manorma Soeknandan

son’s name, that’s the project or the programme. This is what you’re supposed to do, this is how much in the end (or) the result that you want…now this activity, this action, this result, if you take that on a national level, that becomes a member state’s dashboard,” she expounded.

The Caricom Deputy Secretary General outlined the significance of the programme, saying that the public will benefit, as well as Ministries, Government and others as the software system will be available to the people.

By April month-end, an evaluation report of the performance management system will be uploaded for

the public to see the goals achieved by Guyana in Caricom’s Strategic Plan for the years 2015 to 2019.

She was keen to note that countries will be held accountable if certain goals were not achieved. “And in case activities have not been conducted, who did not do what was supposed to be done. Because often people think that it’s the Caricom Secretariat, but the Caricom Secretariat is not the implementation body. Implementation takes place in member states… so if there is still implementation deficit in member states, you’re not doing what you’re supposed to do, it will have a backlash,” she cautioned.

New Accounts Manager at GBTI, Frances Sahadeo

Since the 2017 launch of Outliers Zone, some 1000 persons have already benefitted from activities and discussions to control their spending habits.

Meanwhile, New Accounts Manager at GBTI, Frances Sahadeo stated that the financial institution has also been instrumental in providing saving solutions for all ages.

This is evident through their Early Savers programme, which has helped many children via the establishment of a saving deposit from a young age.

“At GBTI, we understand these needs and challenges, so we have developed solutions for customers at every level. We cater for the children, the retirees, small and large business people,” Sahadeo stated.

She added, “We believe that initiatives such as these should be endorsed and fully supported. We encourage parents to think of the kids’ future and we encourage our kids to get a piggy bank and start saving. It’s never too late to instil in our children, to start practising sound financial patterns”.

Tickets for the workshop will be sold at a number of schools. For the primary school level, the cost for one ticket is $500 and the workshop is slated for 09:30h to 11:00h. The secondary students are required to pay

Chief Executive Officer of Outliers Zone, Athalyah Yisrael

$600 and will be facilitated from 13:00h to 15:00h. Both sessions will be facilitated at the National Gymnasium.

Piggy banks are also available at the cost of $8995 but the children will be eligible to enter a drawing to win one of four such saving devices. The end goal is to enable 11,000 children from the various regions to be money smart.

Agro-processing sector outshines others – Business Minister

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uyana is making more progress in the agro-processing sector than it is in the manufacturing, or processing sector, but this does not mean that there is no improvement in any.

This was according to Business Minister Dominic Gaskin, who told Guyana Times that the manufacturing, or processing sector, usually has to do with the availability of raw materials but here in Guyana, agro-processing tends to come “naturally”.

“I think the agro-processing sector has come a little further than the wood processing sector, certainly the jewellery sector, and those other sectors because I think by and large that the investments to start agro-processing are not as heavy upfront as the investments in the equipment that you need for wood processing. But I am seeing in all those sectors, little by little, there is work being done, people are producing more, Guyana today is producing more than it was five years ago. I am seeing it and I think local consumers are seeing more and more locally produced products that make us all proud and we are happy,” the Minister stated.

He pointed out that with regard to timber, the Timber Expo held in 2018 was testimony to the better products that are being offered.

According to the Minister,

Business Minister Dominic Gaskin

what should be the next step pursued by all entrepreneurs is to ensure that pricing is competitive, as well as processes becoming as efficient as possible to advance the exportation process.

“So that we can be com-

petitive on international markets. Those are the markets that we need to grow our local industries.”

In relation to the cost that is incurred when entrepreneurs are faced with packaging their products to meet certain standards, Minister Gaskin noted that sometimes persons will have to invest more in their packaging than in their product, because that is “the reality of today’s world.”

“A lot of the fancy stuff that we import, it may surprise you to know that the bottle costs the manufacturers more than what is inside of the bottle. It might be an alien concept to us. But we have to be prepared to do whatever we need to do to compete with imported products in the first instance, the products in the export markets as we go,” he added.

(Kristen Macklingam)

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guyanatimesgy.com

tuesday, APRIL 2, 2019

Regional

Venezuela: Maduro calls on armed groups to keep order amid electricity rationing

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enezuela’s authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro has called on armed pro-government groups to help subdue unrest as he announced a 30day electricity rationing plan set to inflict further pain on the population.

In a televised address, Maduro said he had no choice but to take drastic measures while his government rebuilt key sections of Venezuela’s national Nicolás Maduro said, “We are grid following a succession facing a group of monsters who of crippling power failures want to destroy Venezuela”

since March 7.

Experts and Maduro’s political opponents say the repeated collapse of Venezuela’s electricity system – which has left millions without light or water – is a consequence of years of neglect, corruption and incompetence.

But in his late-night appearance Maduro repeated the Socialist party line that Venezuela had suffered a series of “brutish attacks” masterminded by his political opponents and their

supporters in the White House.

“We are facing a group of monsters who want to destroy Venezuela,” Maduro said, claiming their aim was to topple his government by “making the people and the country go mad”.

Amid growing fears that Venezuela’s crisis could be moving into a violent new phase, Maduro instructed “revolutionary and patriotic” government supporters and armed pro-government

gangs known as colectivos to mobilize “to defend the peace of every barrio, of every block”.

Last week Maduro’s second-in-command, Diosdado Cabello, appeared in a menacing video flanked by dozens of masked men and women who he referred to as “peace defenders” but who many fear have been tasked with violently repressing dissent.

There were signs on Sunday that such groups

had begun responding to the Government’s calls. As further blackouts struck Venezuela and citizens took to the streets to protest, photographs and videos circulated appearing to show armed men confronting demonstrators in the capital, Caracas. Two protesters were reported to have been shot after burning blockades were set up in streets near the presidential palace. (Excerpt from The Guardian)

Germany, CDB to build capacity for climate At least 17 killed in Peru bus fire change projects in Eastern Caribbean

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he Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has approved a €249,860 (US$279,980) grant from the German international development agency, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), to support OrganiSation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) member countries in their efforts to build capacity to develop robust climate change projects for financing.

“The grant from GIZ will

help our Borrowing Member Countries in the OECS tackle the effects of climate change and make the transition to resilient, low-carbon economies,” said Monica La Bennett, CDB VicePresident of Operations.

Following the Paris Agreement, the historic international climate change deal made at the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2015, the OECS countries

outlined their intended climate actions after 2020 to meet their obligations under the Paris Agreement.

The grant aims to assist Eastern Caribbean countries in developing bankable, financially viable projects to tackle climate change.

The venture will help Eastern Caribbean countries advance project ideas to the concept note stage so that they can be considered for funding by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Adaption Fund (AF) or CDB. It is planned that project concepts will be developed for four pilot countries – Dominica, Saint Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Thirty technical staff throughout the sub-Region will also be trained to use SOURCE, an online tool for project preparation and management. In addition, the OECS Commission will hold a workshop on priority investment projects. (Excerpt from

Caribbean360)

More than a dozen Haitians dead as boat capsizes in Turks and Caicos

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search and rescue operation has resumed in the Turks and Caicos Islands as authorities hold out hope of finding more survivors in an accident at sea in which at least 15 Haitians have died.

The twin-engine outboard boat was smuggling the migrants when it capsized and sank off the inhabited island of West Caicos, in shark-infested waters.

Fourteen Haitians have so far been rescued.

At least four more bodies

were still unaccounted for, said the United States Coast Guard which had been assisting the marine branch of the Royal Turks and Caicos Police in the search.

Acting Turks and Caicos Police Commissioner Trevor Botting said how long the search and rescue mission would continue would depend on “the number of recoveries we make over the next day or so”.

“This is a tragic loss of life. We offer our condolences and sympathies to the fami-

lies of those affected by this terrible incident. No journey is worth risking lives on the dangerous seas in these small vessels,” he added.

Less than two months ago, at least 28 Haitian migrants drowned in the waters off the northern Bahamian island of Abaco when the vessel they were travelling in capsized and sank. Seventeen survivors were rescued in that incident. (Caribbean360)

erned the country with a firm but fair hand and if the Council was to try and frustrate our progress, we would dismantle the council, abolish it, because at the end of the day Barbuda is just a constituency.”

The BPM now has control of the council of nine elected members and two non-elected members following an election which was held on March 27th.

Last week, Browne told Parliament that while the BPM may have a majority on the council, it is still a powerless body since the Antigua and Barbuda

Labour Party (ABLP) government has the final say in terms of the overall development of the twin island state.

He also took a swipe at the Member of Parliament for Barbuda, Trevor Walker, by telling him directly that he would retire him [Walker] in the public’s interest.

Meanwhile, as it relates to the ABLP’s defeat, the prime minister is of the belief that his party’s loss stems from the people’s anger over the rebuilding effort in Barbuda. (Excerpt from Antigua

Onlookers described scenes of panic and cries of terror as the blaze ripped through the bus

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eventeen people have been killed and eight more injured after a double-decker bus caught fire at an illegal transport terminal in the Peruvian capital Lima, a spokesman for the country's fire fighters said.

Witnesses said the fire on Sunday started in the bus's motor at the rear of the vehicle and quickly spread to its interior, spokesman Lewis Mejia told reporters, adding

that the cause of the first was under investigation.

Lima's Mayor Jorge Munoz said the bus burst into flames at the Fiori bus terminal that authorities had banned just weeks ago because it was located next to an illegal shop that sells fuel.

"It appears that on the second floor of [the] bus, where most of the victims were found, they were transporting fuel. That's a

very serious matter," Munoz told journalists in broadcast comments before visiting survivors at a local hospital.

Onlookers described scenes of panic and cries of terror as the blaze ripped through the bus. Much of the vehicle was reduced to a skeleton and the corpses of some victims could still be seen in the seats.

Others asphyxiated on the stairway connecting the upper and lower levels.

Four children were among the dead, but authorities have not said how many people were on board. Eight units of fire fighters were deployed to put out the fire on the bus, which had been headed to the coastal city of Chiclayo in Peru's north, according to local broadcaster RPP. TV images showed the scorched remains of the vehicle surrounded by crowds of people in the district of San Martin de Porres, on the outskirts of Lima. (Excerpt

from Al Jazeera)

Venezuela Judge seeks to strip Guaidó's immunity

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enezuela's Chief Justice is asking pro-government lawmakers to strip Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó of immunity from prosecution.

The request by Supreme Court Justice Maikel Moreno on Monday takes a further step toward prosecuting Guaidó for alleged crimes. Guaidó is seeking to oust President Nicolás Maduro with support from the United States among some 50 countries who declared Maduro's presidency as illegitimate. Moreno is a political ally of the Maduro.

Moreno asked the pro-Maduro National

Constituent Assembly to waive immunity Guaidó holds as a member of Venezuela's National Assembly. Officials loyal to Maduro have already said that Guaidó is under investigation for inciting violence against the government and receiving illicit funds.

Venezuelans struggled on Monday to understand an announcement by President Nicolas Maduro that the nation's electricity is being rationed to combat daily blackouts.

Office worker Raquel Mayorca said she didn't know if her lights were off because of another power fail-

ure – or whether it was part of the Government's plans.

A day earlier, Maduro said that he was instituting a 30day plan that would balance generation and transmission with consumption. He also called on Venezuelans to stay calm, but provided no further details.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó continued his calls for Maduro to step down and appeared to use the blackouts as political capital, saying years of neglect by the socialist Government had left the grid in shambles. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

Venezuela crisis: Opposition's Antigua PM threatens to abolish Barbuda Council Guaidó awaits Army support

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rime Minister Gaston Browne has issued yet another threat to the Barbuda People’s Movement (BPM) regarding how the sister isle’s affair are managed through the Barbuda Council.

He has threatened to “abolish or dismantle” the council if members of the BPM-led body “try to and frustrate our [the government’s] progress”.

He made the comment on Saturday while noting that: “The conditions in Barbuda are such that it does not make any sense to contest an election. We have gov-

Observer)

V

enezuelan Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó has acknowledged that there can only be a change of Government with the support of the armed forces.

Military chiefs have so far remained loyal to President Nicolás Maduro.

Guaidó declared himself interim leader in January and says he is supported by "almost 90 per cent" of Venezuelans. He also has US backing.

On Sunday Venezuelan authorities said they would shorten the working day and keep schools closed due to power cuts. Offices would stop working at 14:00 local time "to achieve consisten-

cy in the provision of electricity", Communications Minister Jorge Rodríguez said on state TV. Guaidó told the BBC's Leonardo Rocha that the frequent power cuts and water shortages – which have hit hospitals, public transport and other services – were driving intense public anger against Maduro's Government.

The Government has claimed the blackouts are the result of sabotage to force Maduro from office. However, Guaidó said Maduro could not be removed unless Venezuela's military switched allegiance.

"The support and the backing of the armed forces will be necessary in order to achieve democratic and peaceful change in Venezuela in all areas, including to protect protesters from the pro-government armed militias," he said.

Guaidó – who the Government says will be barred from holding further public office for 15 years – dismissed the recent reported arrival of Russian troops in Venezuela as a "provocation" by Maduro to "try to show some sort of support that he really doesn't have".

(Excerpt from BBC News)

guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2019

17

Around the World

Algeria’s Bouteflika will resign China to curb all types of fentanyl, following US demands

by April 28: State media

A

lgeria’s President Abdelaziz Bouteflika will resign before his fourth term expires on April 28, his office has said in a statement carried by the official APS news agency.

The President will take “steps to ensure State institutions continue to function during the transition period”, said the statement issued on Monday, adding, his “resignation would occur before April 28, 2019”.

Millions of Algerians have been holding weekly protests nationwide calling for the 82-year-old to step down after almost 20 years in office. He has rarely been seen in public since he suffered a stroke in 2013.

The move comes after Algeria’s powerful army chief proposed launching a constitutional procedure to have Bouteflika declared unfit for

Algeria’s President Abdelaziz Bouteflika office. That proposal prompted tensions between the army and the President’s inner circle.

The Constitutional Council had been meeting to consider whether he can be re-

moved from office because he is unfit to assume his duties.

Under Article 102 of the Constitution, the Council can make such a determination and, pending parliamentary approval, proceed to declare the presidency vacant.

The Algerian Constitution calls for the head of the upper house of Parliament to act as interim leader for a maximum of 90 days while an election is organised.

Algerian national television announced on Sunday night that Bouteflika and Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui had named a new Government after weeks of mass protests and political tensions in this gas-rich North African country.

The new Government must stay in place during the transition period. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

The illegal sale of fentanyl is fuelling the US opioid crisis

C

hina said it will crack down on all types of the synthetic opioid fentanyl, following a plea from the US. All fentanyl-related substances will be added to China’s list of controlled narcotic drugs from May 1, officials said.

It follows a pledge Beijing made during US-China trade talks in December.

The powerful painkill-

er, much of it believed to be made in China, is said to be driving a huge rise in drug addiction in the US. The number of deaths from painkillers such as fentanyl led to President Donald Trump declaring a national emergency in 2017.

China’s production of the drug has long been a source of tension between the two countries.

Deputy Director of China’s

Narcotics Control Commission Liu Yuejin said the claim that China was the main source of fentanyl “lacked evidence”, and instead blamed a history of abuse of prescription medicine in the US for fuelling demand.

Fentanyl itself is already on China’s list of controlled drugs. Expanding the list to all fentanyl-related substances is aimed at stopping smugglers from changing formulas to circumvent the law.

Fentanyl is estimated to be 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine and is usually only approved in the US for severe pain arising in cases like treatment for cancer.

The US said the synthetic drug is being sold on the internet and sent by post from China, fuelling the opioid crisis.

US authorities list all fentanyl-related products in the most dangerous class of drugs. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Facebook says removed pages linked to India’s Congress party ahead of polls Exclusive: US sends message to Turkey, halts F-35 equipment shipments – sources

F

acebook says removed pages linked to India’s Congress party ahead of

polls Facebook Inc said on Monday it was removing 687 pages and accounts linked to India’s main opposition Congress party, just days before voting begins in a general election, because of “coordinated inauthentic behaviour” on the social media platform.

The announcement marks a rare action from Facebook against a prominent political party in a country where it has more than 300 million users, the highest in the world.

Facebook said its investigation found that individuals used fake accounts and joined

various groups to disseminate their content and increase engagement. Their posts included local news and criticism of political opponents such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Facebook said.

“While the people behind this activity attempted to conceal their identities, our review found that it was connected to individuals associated with an INC (Indian National Congress) IT Cell,” Nathaniel Gleicher, Head of Cybersecurity Policy at Facebook, said in a statement.

Gleicher added that Facebook was removing accounts based on their behaviour, not the content they posted.

India’s staggered election, scheduled to begin on April 11, will end on May 19.

Two of the samples shared

by Facebook were of posts that criticised Modi’s initiatives and called for supporting the Congress party and its President, Rahul Gandhi.

Facebook has faced increasing pressure from authorities around the world, including the Indian Government, to ensure its platform is not abused for political gains or to spread misinformation, especially ahead of elections.

Facebook has toughened up its rules governing political advertisements in India and many other countries to increase transparency. (Excerpt from Reuters

Anadolu’s unofficial data shows Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) candidate Ekrem Imamoglu won the heated mayoral race in Istanbul, the country’s largest city and economic centre, with 48.8 per cent of the votes, while AK Party candidate Binali Yildirim got 48.5 per cent.

In the capital, Ankara, unofficial results showed that CHP candidate Mansur Yavas had garnered 50.9 per cent, with the AK Party nominee Mehmet Ozhaseki trailing at 47.2 per cent.

In the third-largest city, Izmir, the CHP candidate, Mustafa Tunc Soyer, was leading with 58 per cent votes while AK Party’s Nihat Zeybekci stood at 38.5 per cent.

All of the votes have been counted in the three largest cities.

The race in Istanbul was particularly tight, with both AK Party and the CHP claiming victory in Istanbul’s mayoral election.

Yildirim claimed early on Monday that he had won the race by around 4000 votes, but later admitted he was 25,000 votes behind Imamoglu from CHP, which was part of the Nation Alliance. (Excerpt from Al

Erdogan’s AK Party “loses” major Turkey cities in local elections

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

T

urkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has lost the Turkish mayoral elections in the country’s largest three cities – Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir – in a stunning election setback for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to unofficial results published by State-run Anadolu Agency on Monday.

The official results will be released after the country’s Election Board looks into objections filed by political parties, who have three days to file complaints.

Jazeera)

A Lockheed Martin F-35 aircraft is seen at the ILA Air Show in Berlin, Germany, April 25, 2018 REUTERS/Axel Schmidt/File Photo

T

he United States has halted delivery of equipment related to the stealthy F-35 fighter aircraft to Turkey, sources familiar with the situation said, marking the first concrete US step to block delivery of the jet to the NATO ally in light of Ankara’s planned purchase of a Russian missile defence system.

In recent days, US officials told their Turkish counterparts they will not receive further shipments

of F-35 related equipment needed to prepare for the arrival of the stealthy jet, two sources familiar with the situation told Reuters. The aircraft is built by Lockheed Martin Corp.

The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the next shipment of training equipment, and all subsequent shipments of F-35 related material, have been cancelled.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has refused to back down from Ankara’s planned

purchase of a Russian S-400 missile defence system that the United States has said would compromise the security of F-35 aircraft. Turkey has said it will take delivery of the S-400s in July.

The disagreement over the F-35 is the latest of a series of diplomatic disputes between the United States and Turkey including Turkish demands that the United States extradite Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, differences over Middle East policy and the war in Syria, and sanctions on Iran.

In an attempt to persuade Turkey to drop its plans to buy the S-400, the United States offered the pricier American-made Patriot anti-missile system in a discounted deal that expired at the end of March.

Turkey has shown interest in the Patriot system, but not at the expense of abandoning the S-400. (Excerpt from

Reuters)

Brexit: MPs vote on next steps

M

Ps have voted on the possible next steps for Brexit as they try to break the deadlock in Parliament.

Four options were chosen by the Speaker to be voted on, and results will be announced later.

Labour MPs were urged to back a plan to keep the UK in a Norway-style relationship with the EU. Under the Common Market 2.0 proposal, the UK would leave the EU, but retain freedom of movement and make contributions to the EU budget.

Tory MP Nick Boles has proposed a motion for Common Market 2.0

In a letter to MPs, Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn asked them to support the motion, as well as one for a customs union, to “break the deadlock and find the consensus necessary to force a change to the red lines of the Prime Minister’s rejected deal”.

The party have also been asked to support a motion calling for a confirmatory referendum on any deal agreed by Parliament - although some rebels may vote against it.

Conservative MPs were given a free vote on the mo-

tions - meaning they were not be told by party bosses which way to go - but the Cabinet was told to abstain.

None of today’s votes on the proposals are legally binding, meaning it will be up to the Government if they act on the results.

The Cabinet is now split over whether to move to a softer deal that could mean including a customs union in Theresa May’s plan.

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox told the BBC joining a customs union would be a “betrayal of Brexit”. (Excerpt from BBC News)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

TUESday, APRIL 2, 2019

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

dilbert

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

Hard work will pay off.

Rely on yourself, not on someone offering the impossible. Make choices based on what’s practical and what will bring the most satisfaction. Keep personal information secret.

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

Take a deep breath before you engage in something you’ll regret. Arguing won’t lead to gains, but taking charge and looking out for your best interest will.

CANCER

Communicate, share and get things done.

Relationships will improve if you are open and honest about your expectations. A positive change is heading your way, and personal improvements and romance are favored.

Participate in events that broaden your outlook and encourage you to contribute to your community. Helping others will lead to an interesting connection or proposal. Pay attention to detail.

(June 21July 22)

Peanuts

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Calvin and Hobbes

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SUDOKU TODAY’S WORD — EDIFYING (EDIFYING: ED-ih-fye-ing: Instructing or improving intellectually or morally.)

face facial facile fail faille fall false fecal fell File

fill fisc fiscal flail flea flies aisle alas alias allies

lace laic laical lase leaf lice Lief life lilac lisle

cafe calf call calla case cell clef isle safe sail sale

scale seal Self sell sill slice

Take your time and work on personal improvements.

If someone pressures you, ulterior motives are probably present. Avoid someone meddling in your affairs by keeping your plans to yourself.

A change will rejuvenate you. Consider what you’d like to be doing, and look into the possibilities. Use your skill in a unique way to discover a hidden talent.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

Emotional difficulties will set in if you let someone push you into something you shouldn’t be doing. Be blunt and say no to manipulative people and dubious situations.

Time limit 25 minutes

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

YESTERDAY’S WORD — FALLACIES

Question anything that appears to be suspicious.

Expect someone to exaggerate or to bully you. Set ground rules and don’t put up with interference. Keep the peace and walk away from chaos.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Average mark 15 words

Can you find 20 or more words in EDIFYING? The list will be published tomorrow.

Mull over the possibilities, and eliminate what doesn’t interest you. Stay focused on what’s important and what will bring you the most joy.

Be secretive about personal matters.

solution for LAST PUBLISHED puzzle AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Return to something or someone that has been good for you or good to you in the past. You can revive a plan that helps you move forward.

Be skeptical of anyone pushing you to get involved in something risky. You are best off doing your own thing and sticking to a budget you can afford.

Choose your battles wisely. You are better off taking care of your personal affairs yourself and letting others do the same. Good relationships will depend on honesty and equality.

tuesday, APRIL 2, 2019

19

VIVO Indian Premier League - Edition 12…

Curran stars as Capitals lose 8 for 7 in dramatic loss 3

SCOREBOARD

Curran opened the batting in Chris Gayle’s absence and made a quick 20

N

ot many teams lose their last seven wickets for the addition of just eight runs to lose a game that was already in the bag. And no, Delhi Capitals didn’t try to fool their fans on April fools day by putting their Daredevils masks on. It was truly a monumental collapse as Kings XI Punjab showed steel to fight back and win by 14 runs in an unlikely manner. Sam Curran was the star of the show as he contributed a 10-ball 20 before following it up with a hat-trick right at the death to finish with a four-wicket haul.

Curran picked up a hat-trick to give KXIP a 14-run win

A pint-sized Gayle or Narine 2.0 Sam Curran wouldn’t have envisaged himself taking Chris Gayle’s spot in the batting order on Monday in the first place. The veteran was left out as a result of a niggle and instead of opening with Mayank Agarwal, the home side opted to send Curran alongside KL Rahul. He did threaten to create a similar impact when he smashed Avesh Khan for three boundaries in the third over of the game. He followed it up with a six off Lamichhane in the following over to really send a message to the visitors before the Nepali spinner got his man leg-before-wicket. Curran walked back making 20 off 10 when his side needed a Gayle instead of a Narine. Kings XI certainly missed the presence of the big man though as the top three were back in the hunt by the eighth over.

How did DC’s Indian quartet fare Prithvi Shaw, hero of the last match, was dismissed for a firstball duck by Ashwin. Shikhar Dhawan and Shreyas Iyer got off to starts, putting on 61 for the second wicket. But both batsmen failed to kick on and were back in the pavilion by the halfway mark.

Rishabh Pant played a typical Rishabh Pant innings, smashing 39 off 26 balls to put his side right on course for a comfortable win, unlike the other night against Kolkata Knight Riders.

The recovery and the big collapse A fruitful partnership between Sarfaraz Khan and David Miller put the innings back on track. Sarfaraz certainly looks like a man on a mission this IPL, chipping in with crucial knocks. He was in his elements once again playing some gorgeous strokes off the likes of Chris Morris and Avesh Khan. At the other end, he had the experienced Miller for company who looked in great touch

having fetched a six each off Harshal Patel and Lamichhane. The platform was laid following the 62-run stand as Kings XI posted 120 on the board by the 14th over.

At that stage, 180 was easily on the cards. But losing both Sarfaraz and Miller within a span of two overs cost Kings XI big time. The fact that they don’t have a long batting lineup played a crucial role as well with Morris and Rabada doing the damage.

How did it fall apart?

All credit to Curran and Ashwin. The Kings XI skipper was brilliant on the night, making smart moves on the field apart from picking two crucial wickets. He then managed to effect a run out immediately after Shami castled Pant and those two wickets off two balls shifted the pressure right back onto Capitals. From thereon, they just crumbled.

Curran, who had some unfinished business having bowled only one over with the new ball, got rid of the dangerous Colin Ingram and Harshal Patel in the same over before completing his hat-trick in the final over of the game by castling Rabada and

Kings XI Punjab Innings (20 overs maximum) KL Rahul † lbw b Morris 15 SM Curran lbw b Lamichhane 20 MA Agarwal run out (Dhawan) 6 SN Khan c †Pant b Lamichhane 39 DA Miller c †Pant b Morris 43 Mandeep Singh not out 29 GC Viljoen c Morris b Rabada 1 R Ashwin (c) b Morris 3 M Ashwin c Avesh Khan b Rabada 1 Mohammed Shami run out (Rabada) 0 Mujeeb Ur Rahman not out 0 Extras (b 1, w 8) 9 TOTAL (20 Overs, RR: 8.3) 1669 Fall of wickets: 1-15 (KL Rahul, 1.5 ov), 2-36 (SM Curran, 3.5 ov), 3-58 (MA Agarwal, 7.1 ov), 4-120 (SN Khan, 13.5 ov), 5-137 (DA Miller, 16.2 ov), 6-146 (GC Viljoen, 17.3 ov), 7-152 (R Ashwin, 18.5 ov), 8-153 (M Ashwin, 19.1 ov), 9-156 (Mohammed Shami, 19.4 ov) BOWLING K Rabada (4-0-32-2) CH Morris (4-0-30-3) Avesh Khan (3-0-30-0) S Lamichhane (4-0-27-2) HV Patel (4-0-37-0) GH Vihari (1-0-9 -0)

Delhi Capitals Innings (target: 167 runs from 20 overs) PP Shaw c †Rahul b R Ashwin 0 S Dhawan lbw b R Ashwin 30 SS Iyer (c) b Viljoen 28 RR Pant † b Mohammed Shami 39 CA Ingram c sub (KK Nair) b Curran 38 CH Morris run out (Ashwin) 0 GH Vihari b Mohammed Shami 2 HV Patel c †Rahul b Curran 0 K Rabada b Curran 0 Avesh Khan not out 4 S Lamichhane b Curran 0 Extras (lb 6, w 5) 11 TOTAL (19.2 Overs, RR: 7.86) 152 all out Fall of wickets: 1-0 (PP Shaw, 0.1 ov), 2-61 (SS Iyer, 7.2 ov), 3-82 (S Dhawan, 9.5 ov), 4-144 (RR Pant, 16.4 ov), 5-144 (CH Morris, 16.5 ov), 6-147 (CA Ingram, 17.4 ov), 7-148 (HV Patel, 17.6 ov), 8-148 (GH Vihari, 18.3 ov), 9-152 (K Rabada, 19.1 ov), 10-152 (S Lamichhane, 19.2 ov) BOWLING R Ashwin (4-0-31-2) SM Curran (2.2-0-11-4) M Shami (4-0-27-2) GC Viljoen (3-0-22-1) M Rahman (4-0-36-0) M Ashwin (2-0-19-0)

Lamichhane. All DC needed were 23 runs off 21 balls at one stage with seven wickets in hand. Few minutes later, they suffered the worst seven-wicket collapse in the history of the tournament.

Smart cricket next time, maybe? (Cricbuzz)

34th CONCACAF Ordinary Congress…

Reaffirms commitment to long-term growth and increased football investment

T

he Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) held today its 34th Ordinary Congress in Las Vegas, Nevada where delegates unanimously re-elected President Victor Montagliani to a second term in office for the period 2019-2023.

The Canadian, who was elected President in May 2016, was confirmed in office by delegates of the 41 Member Associations.

“Football has become our total priority and that is thanks to our togetherness as ONE CONCACAF,” said President Montagliani.

“Thank you for your support to serve as CONCACAF President for the next four years, this unopposed re-election is an illustration of our unity. Of putting football in the region first in order to put the game in your own communities first.”

Elections were also conducted for CONCACAF and FIFA Councils positions. Randolph Harris of Barbados and Yon de Luisa of Mexico were elected to the CONCACAF Council as Vice Presidents. Jorge Salomon of Honduras and Sonia Fulford of Turks and Caicos Islands were elected as CONCACAF Council Members.

Additionally, the Confederation’s FIFA Members reelected Pedro Chaluja of Panama to the FIFA Council.

The Congress approved the 2018 CONCACAF Council Report and the budget for the 2019-2022 cycle.

CONCACAF also presented the General Secretariat Report on the full year achievements. Over the course of 2018, the Confederation delivered behind its ONE CONCACAF Vision reaching the objectives set within the three pillars of Development, Strategic Planning and Good Governance.

“Working through the pillars of the new brand – Football, Unity, Quality and Access – we have made important decisions about our competitions and development system, investments

and administration,” said CONCACAF General Secretary Philippe Moggio. “We will continue to drive long-term growth for our Confederation and stakeholders – our Member Associations, their teams and players, and fans, while fulfilling our mission to develop football.”

Development CONCACAF is prioritising investments in sustainable programs and supporting the capabilities improvements of Member Associations. Compared to 2016, the Confederation has increased the investment in football by 64 per cent.

Throughout 2018, CONCACAF established sustainable and scalable football development programs, including the CONCACAF NextPlay social responsibility platform. Additionally, the organisation increased the investment in its ONE CONCACAF Funding Program by 33 per cent, reinforcing the commitment to support the development efforts of federations.

Strategic planning innovative competitions The Confederation overdelivered against a detailed plan and budget. This strong financial performance is in large part due to the disciplined management of resources throughout the organization, as well as excellent execution on the planning and operations aspects in order to enhance premier competitions.

In 2018, CONCACAF executed 13 major competitions fullyproducing for media distribution 328 games. The enhancement of tournaments includes the redesigned format of the Scotiabank CONCACAF League, the expanded CONCACAF Gold Cup from 12 to 16 teams and a pan-regional footprint with the selection of

additional venues in the Caribbean and Central America.

With the launch of the CONCACAF Nations League the Confederation is providing an innovative and inclusive national team competition platform that is serving as a development catalyst for all Member Associations on and off the pitch.

In terms of Women’s competitions, nearly 2000 female athletes played in championships across the region. The 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Championship was the biggest production ever with a 20 per cent in audience throughout the region compared to the 2014 edition.

Maximise revenue In an effort to maximise revenue opportunities, CONCACAF established and renewed key regional and international partnerships, which demonstrate the credibility of the Confederation and a strong business growth.

Good governance The overarching goal continues to be that the integrity of our Confederation remains unquestioned, while implementing a system of controls and processes to maintain the commitment to reforms.

In other events of the Congress, the Confederation announced CONCACAF 2030, a strategic initiative that will consist of a consultation process with its 41 Member Associations to define a collective vision to grow the game across the region.

The annual meeting was attended by CONCACAF Member Associations delegates, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, UEFA delegates, Major League Soccer officials, as well as CONCACAF strategic partners. (CONCACAF)

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

tuesday, APRIL 2, 2019

Premier League: Arsenal go 3rd after sinking Newcastle

I

t does not feel as though it was that long ago when Arsenal trailed Tottenham by 10 points. What a turnaround there has been since then. This was a hard-fought victory over a Newcastle team who made a game of it in the second half but, when the dust had settled, the table showed Unai Emery’s team had leapfrogged Spurs and Manchester United into third place.

Aaron Ramsey fired Arsenal into a deserved lead and although Newcastle pushed they did not manage to threaten Bernd Leno’s goal.

Alexandre Lacazette made the points safe with a clever lob and it added up to a 10th home win in succession in the league. Not since the 199798 title-winning season have Arsenal managed that.

“Are you watching Tottenham?” sang the home crowd. Arsenal must play five of their remaining seven games away from home, where they have been far less impressive but right now, the momentum in the top-four battle appears to be with them.

Arsenal brought an imposing head-to-head record into the contest. They had won their past six league fixtures against Newcastle at the Emirates, scoring 18 goals and conceding five, but the wider point was their home form against all-comers this season. Only Manchester City, Liverpool and Wolves had taken points from them. In other words, Emery’s team tend to despatch opponents on their own turf who are a way below them.

Rafael Benítez craves greater backing in the market from the Newcastle owner, Mike Ashley, in order to allow him to go toe to toe with top-

Alexandre Lacazette celebrates with his teammates after scoring Arsenal’s second goal

four chasing rivals on occasions such as these and it has long felt as though he would be best advised to dream on.

In the real world, the Newcastle manager knows he is best served to turn this type of game into an exercise in containment; to keep men behind the ball and try to get something on the break, playing off Salomón Rondón. The lone striker had his team’s only flicker in the firsthalf when he beat Sokratis Papastathopoulos but Bernd Leno had the shot covered at his near post.

Controversy flared in the 13th minute. At first, it looked as though Arsenal had taken the lead, when Sead Kolasinac flicked on a Mesut Özil corner and Ramsey arrived at the far post to

sweep home. Then, the whistle went and there was a moment of bemusement, because there was clearly no offside.

The replays showed Sokratis had pulled back Florian Lejeune by the sleeve and, according to the letter of the law, it might have been a foul. But Lejeune’s fall was certainly theatrical and would he really have reached Ramsey to prevent the shot? File it under soft. It was easy to wonder whether the non-award of penalties for Cardiff against Chelsea on Sunday – following wrestling inside the area – had been on the mind of the match officials.

Ramsey would not be denied. Arsenal pressed, urged on by Emery’s manic preachings from the sideline, and they made their own luck

after Ramsey passed to Lacazette and darted for the return. Lacazette could not provide it but the ball broke off DeAndre Yedlin and fell to Ramsey, who threaded a low shot into the far corner.

Arsenal could have had greater reward for their dominance before the interval only for Matt Ritchie to keep out Lacazette’s shot with a header off the line. The chance had been created by Kolasinac, a marauding presence up the left, and Martin Dubravka was out of the picture in the Newcastle goal.

Could Newcastle respond in the second-half?

Benítez asked Ayoze Pérez and Miguel Almirón to push a little higher, getting closer to Rondón, although it still looked as though Newcastle’s best chance could be to hustle Arsenal into an error and strike on the counter.

While the score remained 1-0, Newcastle had hope, even if it was a struggle to create much of clear-cut note. But having been penned back almost entirely in the first-half, they did start to force the issue. Ki Sung-yeung on for the former Arsenal player, Isaac Hayden, felt like an attacking change. On the other side, Mohamed Elneny for Ramsey was more defensive.

Newcastle’s plan to stymie Arsenal worked in so far as the home team did not enjoy the volume of opportunities that they might have hoped for. But they had enough of them.

The substitute, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, was denied by Dubravka but there was nothing the goalkeeper could do to keep out Lacazette, after Jamaal Lascelles had misjudged Aubameyang’s header that put the striker clear.

(The Guardian)

LeBron not playing for Team USA this summer

L

e B r o n James has confirmed he will not join Team USA for the FIBA World Cup in China this summer, but he

has not r u l e d out competing in the 2020 Summer Olympics i n Tokyo.

There was speculation that the Lakers superstar might reconsider World Cup

participation after Los Angeles missed the NBA postseason, but James told The Athletic he never intended to join coach Gregg Popovich’s squad.

“I love everything about Pop, obviously, but this is not a good summer for me,” said James, whose busy summer schedule includes shooting the film

“Space Jam 2.”

James, 34, said playing for Popovich at Tokyo 2020 is “a possibility.”

“It depends on how I feel. I love the Olympics,” he told The Athletic.

It would be the fourth Summer Games for James, who won gold medals in 2008 and 2012 and a bronze in 2004. (Reuters)

LeBron James and Kevin Durant while on National duty

India win Test Championship Federer jumps to 4th spot title for 3rd successive year after Miami triumph

I

ndia secured the Test Championship title for a third successive year and with it the million dollar prize.

Virat Kohli’s team, who in January recorded their first Test series win in Australia, finished with 116 points, eight points clear of New Zealand.

South Africa were third with Australia edging England for fourth by decimal points after both finished on 104 points.

The inaugural World Test Championship will begin in August.

This will feature nine Test nations competing across 27 series and 71 Test matches to reach the ICC World Test Championship Final in 2021, where the first World Test champions will be crowned.

India captain Virat Kohli said: “Retaining the ICC Test Championship mace once again

is something we are all really proud of.

“Our team has been doing well across formats but it gives us extra pleasure to come out on top of the Test rankings. We all know of the importance of Test cricket and of how only the best can prosper in the format.

“Our team has a lot of depth and I am sure this will stand us in good stead once the ICC World Test Championship commences later this year. That is again something we are really looking forward to as it adds more context to Test match cricket.”

Australia were the maiden winners of the mace in 2002 and held it for the first eight years.

India have now won it five times in total, with England claiming it for one year in 2012 and South Africa winning in three successive years from 2013. (BBC Sport)

R

oger Federer jumped up one spot to fourth in the ATP rankings released on Monday after capturing his 101st career title with his victory over John Isner in Miami.

The Swiss great switched places with Austria’s Dominic Thiem, who had briefly climbed to fourth after defeating Federer in the final at Indian Wells two weeks ago.

Rising Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas moved up to a career best of eighth, while Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov cracked the top 20 for the first time following his run to the Miami semi-finals.

Felix Auger-Aliassime, 18, soared 24 places to 33rd after matching compatriot Shapovalov’s run to the last four in Florida before losing to defending cham-

pion Isner.

Novak Djokovic remains comfortably clear at the top despite crashing out in t h e last 16 in Miami, with Rafael Nadal still well ahead of third-ranked Alexander Zverev as the Spaniard targets a return from injury for the clay-court season. (HST)

ATP rankings on April 1: 1. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 11,070 pts 2. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 8,725 3. Alexander Zverev (GER) 6,040 4. Roger Federer (SUI) 5,590 (+1) 5. Dominic Thiem (AUT) 4,765 (-1)

India captain Virat Kohli celebrates with his team

6. Kei Nishikori (JPN) 4,200 7. Kevin Anderson (RSA) 4,115 8. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 3,240 (+2) 9. Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) 3,225 (-1) 10. John Isner (USA) 3,085 (-1)

Roger Federer

sports

CLASSIFIED GMR&SC Drag Championship…

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Will round 2 see a new strip time?

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here is much speculation on when would be the new date for round two of the Guyana Motor Racing and Sports Club (GMR&SC) Drag Championship, but what is known is that the anticipated meet will be worth the wait.

The executive committee of the GMR&SC will on Thursday hold a meeting at their Thomas Lands and Albert Street Office, and that meeting would decide an appropriate date.

Round one of the Championship, held on March 23 last, had seen what has been described by many devout drag-racing fans as the biggest turnout they have ever witnessed at the South Dakota Circuit’s Drag Strip, and this was majorly influenced by the re-

Newer isn’t always better. This S&D Performance RX-7 easily outsprinted the newer model

spective investments of the GMR&SC and their sponsors; along with the competitors, who pour millions into their machines.

Last season, the GMR&SC constructed a launch pad to allow more powerful cars to compete at full potential, and extended the drag strip from 1000 feet to a full quarter mile -- a project that cost in excess of $30 million. Just a week before the new drag season got underway, the project was completed.

Platinum sponsor of the club, Mohamed’s Enterprise, had again contributed handsomely to the project; while the contributions of BM Soat Auto Sales, Motor Trend Service Centre, Delco Ice Factory, Trans-Pacific Motor Spares,

Supreme Ventures, Air Services Limited, PowerLine Auto, Cyril’s Taxi, Omega Brokers, E-Networks, Prem’s Electrical, Miracle Optical, Choke Gas Station and Super Bet, R. Kissoon Contracting Services, and Top Brandz Distributors were all vital to the success of the project and event.

Adding to the hype of round one was the acquisition by Team Mohamed’s racing of the former record breaking Ekanoo/Magnus Nissan GTR. This had fuelled excitement in the racing community. The white GTR, the third of its kind in Team Mohamed’s fleet of machines, was not so long ago the fastest GTR in the world, setting a time of 7.3 seconds across the quarter mile at a top speed of 206 mph.

Although some transmission issues had prevented this machine from competing in the proceedings of round one, its kindred machine, the GTR Goliath, kept the Team’s flag flying high after outsprinting Peter Daby’s RX-7 in the final of the Unlimited class.

Mad Max returns

The club has set out to create a safe space for everyone to compete, and thus had made a major call for novice riders to come out and compete both in circuit and drag races; and at round one for both events, there was decent turnout by the bikers.

However, in the drags, none of the competitors could find a way to get past Mark ‘Mad Max’ Menezes, who had taken a one year hiatus

from the strip, as he dominated in both the 600cc and 1000cc classes.

International competitors

The first round saw participation of a few competitors from Suriname, with Eric Watchman (14 seconds) and Raymond John (13 seconds) being able to leave ‘the Land of Many Waters’ with victories; and round two may see a larger invasion of foreign participants, with competitors from the twin-island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) also showing interest.

Whatever date is chosen for round two, it is certain that the event will be full of excitement. The leaders in the respective time brackets after round one of the championships are as follows:

England batsman on lessons learned from Bristol nightclub incident

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lex Hales says the fallout from a fight outside a Bristol nightclub in September 2017 has been a “lesson learned the incredibly hard way”.

The England limited-overs batsman, 30, did not face any criminal charges, while team-mate Ben Stokes was cleared of affray at a trial.

Hales was later fined and banned by the Cricket Disciplinary Commission (CDC) for his part and social media posts.

“It takes 10 seconds to get an image and 10 years to undo it,” said Hales.

In an interview with the Guardian, the Nottinghamshire opener added: “It just shows, something can escalate from no-

where.

“It was also an eye-opener to how much we are in the public eye as England cricketers. You have to mature and put yourself in the right situations, not be out at 2.30am in the middle of a series. It’s a lesson learned the incredibly hard way.”

He added: “Sometimes I make mediocre decisions I always have - but I don’t want to make them any more. I’m 30 now, not 20, and I’ll be doing whatever I can for the rest of my career to change perceptions.”

Hales is a one-day and T20 specialist, who last played Test cricket in August 2016.

Following the Bristol incident, which occurred during a one-day series

against the West Indies, he was dropped by England.

But he was cleared to return to the international set-up by the England and Wales Cricket Board in December 2017 and played in their recent drawn oneday series in the West Indies.

In February 2018, Hales, who has played 70 ODIs and 60 T20 internationals, signed a new deal with Nottinghamshire to play only limited-overs matches until the end of the 2019 season.

In December 2018, Hales was fined £17,500 and banned for six white-ball matches - of which £10,000 and four games were suspended - by the CDC. The CDC operates at

arm’s length from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and is responsible for all aspects of cricket discipline covered by ECB rules.

As well as the September 2017 incident in Bristol, Hales was charged in relation to “inappropriate images”.

“I won’t lie, there have been days when it has gnawed away at me,” said Hales. “The fines and everything were a dent but the biggest thing was losing my spot.

“The day I found out I wasn’t playing [the final two ODIs against West Indies in 2017] I knew Jason [Roy] would come in and score big runs. He’s too good a player.

And Jonny [Bairstow] was

in the best form of his life. I saw it coming and it unfolded in slow motion.”

He is now aiming to play at his home Cricket World Cup from 30 May to 14 July in England and Wales.

“The last year and a half, there have been ups and hell of a lot of downs,” he said.

“All I will be focusing on is cricket. It’s the biggest year in English cricket history.

I will be doing everything I can to be the best I can. It’s been so special being in this England team and when you lose your spot you realise it.

“I think there are only a handful of players who can be truly world class at all three formats and having played all three, I’m not one of them. But I think I can be in white-ball [cricket].” (BBC Sport)

ISG backs Regal for Florida Cup dominance

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he annual Florida Cup Softball Tournament is quickly approaching, and defending champions, Regal All Stars and Regal Masters, have been busy fine tuning preparations both on and off the field.

Last Sunday, at the GNIC Sports Club ground on Woolford Avenue in Georgetown, the Masters’ champions, Regal Masters, challenged Well Man Masters to a much needed preparation game heading into the April 12 to 14 mega softball tournament in Fort Lauderdale.

Coinciding with that warm-up match was a sponsorship presentation by Industrial Supplies of Guyana Inc (ISG) to the Regal teams to aid in their title defence in North America.

On behalf of ISG, Technical Support Engineer Bobby Lakhan handed over the sponsorship cheque of US$1,800 to tour Manager Parmanand Persaud in the presence of players from both of the champion sides.

Lakhan said it was the first sponsorship the company was giving to a sporting team, and he expressed confidence that the Regal Teams would represent the brand well, while playing good, competitive Bobby Lakhan (third from left) takes a picture with Regal Masters and the All Star players at the presentation on Sunday at GNIC sports ground cricket to repeat as champions in South Florida.

“It is our (ISG) first sponsorship of this kind, but once Regal does us proud, it will not be our last sponsorship,” Lakhan said. battling over three days.

According to information coming out of the South Florida Softball Cricket League, The preliminary matches and semi-finals will be played at the Brian Piccolo Park, the 15th edition of the Florida Cup will be the biggest yet, with 10 All Star teams, while the championship matches will be played at the only international cricket venue 10 Masters teams (Over 45 years old) and eight Legends teams (Over 50 years old) in North America, the Central Broward Regional Park.

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Browne picks squad without coach or captain F

ormer West Indies Cricket Coach Phil Simmons will be available to coach the West Indies team again if needed after July 15th, 2019.

Speaking from overseas during the Isports radio programme on i95.5fm with host Andre Errol Baptiste on Saturday night, Simmons stated, “At the moment I am contracted to Afghanistan and there can be no talk about West Indies cricket. I’m focused on Afghanistan and how we get ready for the Cricket World Cup starting in May.” He continued, “But after the Finals on July 15th, my contract is up with Afghanistan, but nobody knows the future, but my whole aim now is to win the World Cup so after 15th July, let us see what happens.

But everyone who knows me understands how much I love the region and how hard it has been for me over the last three years dealing with that matter.

I am just glad it is over and my name has been cleared. Most importantly, the apology from the new President Ricky Skerritt

goes a long way in clearing up a lot of the talk under the previous administration. I believe that this shows that this new team is about the interest of cricket and not about themselves.”

Simmons, who made his Test debut in 1988 and played 26 Test matches for the West Indies, spoke about the many ills he experienced as West Indies coach and despite his success with the team winning the ICC World T20 final on April 3rd, 2016, recalled a number of situations he had to endure.

He said, “I remember the former president telling me that we could not pick certain players (named called Dwayne Bravo and Keiron Pollard) because they passed him straight and did not say anything, how they had no manners, team selection was just too personal.

In fact, he said unless they play for Trinidad and Tobago, they should not play for the West Indies. This was also echoed at the selector’s meetings.”

“In fact, under Courtney Browne, team selection processed was changed

CWI Selector Courtney Browne

whereby he made all the final decisions on the composition of the team and said that is how it was. It did not matter the captain or the coach ideas. The impression given was that this was a new directive from on top and the team was named by him and you had no choice,” stated Simmons who excelled at Zimbabwe, then Ireland with remarkable success and last year he led Afghanistan to victory in the World Cup qualifier and inflicting a final match defeat against the West

Indies, since leaving the West Indies in controversial fashion as coach.

Simmons, a former cricketing all-rounder, explained that he was surprised and hurt by two recent decisions which hev recalled. He said, “During my time, four years ago, I had a 45 minute argument with Browne over the selection of Chris Gayle, with Browne saying he (Gayle) was too old and should not be selected and at the time. I said that despite his back concerns he was more than good enough, now fast forward and Chris Gayle was called back to assist the West Indies to qualify for the World Cup. Then, four years ago when Richard Pybus was the Director of coaching, said to me that the West Indies players in the IPL must return home for a 10 day camp and that was the way it had to be, and I said to him the players had contracts and got No Objection certificates, but now Pybus is the coach and there is no rule like that for the players in the IPL, they can play out their terms and that is

Former CWI President Dave Cameron

how it should be all the time. It was tough, but now I feel I am in a better place enjoying the cricket and just having fun.”

Simmons, who played 143 ODIs after his debut in 1987, believes that a full-strength West Indies team will have to be among the favourites to win the World Cup,” If the best West Indies players are selected, then the West Indies have to be among the favourites to win.

He said, “Dwayne Bravo I believe he is in a good space now enjoying his cricket and it is up to him to decide to come back, but I know he is happy and enjoying his cricket.

Given all that has happened in West Indies cricket and the comments by Marlon Samuels on Sportsmax, I hope that the

reports on West Indies cricket governance are put to proper use this time around, and there is a proper discussion with a view to ensuring we get it right for the sake of West Indies cricket.”

Simmons, who started his first-class career in 1983, said he was surprised last Sunday when he heard the news that Dave Cameron had lost. “I was very happy for all of those that love West Indies Cricket.

How many persons know who is in charge of the England Cricket Board and how many Presidents are on television or busy tweeting. West Indies cricket can look forward to Ricky Skerritt and Dr Shallow, and that is the positive going forward.” (T&T Guardian)

Kwakwani Sports Development Programme boosted as TMT Global Inc invests

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uyanese company TMT Global Inc. recently launched a comprehensive youth sports programme in the Kwakwani area. Called the Kwakwani Sports Programme (KSP), its aim is to promote, coach and increase sports participation in the community year round.

As a result of the TMT initiative, a new sports club was formed. Called the Kwakwani United Sports Club, it will now be the governing body for all the sporting disciplines in Kwakwani.

TMT Global Inc. (TMT) is a Canadian-owned Guyanese company that operates in the Kwakwani area. Presently, it has on staff 16 workers from Kwakwani, and plans to expand the workforce with the opening of a saw-mill in Kwakwani later this year.

Kwakwani is a wellknown sporting community with a rich history in basketball. Basketball has been a successful sport, as the teams from Kwakwani dominate most of the annual basketball competitions held by the Guyana Basketball Association at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

Cricket and basketball have been chosen as the two key sports for development.

A successful basketball programme is already being run by Annie Gordon and national basketball player Dave Causway, and TMT will work with this existing program to support and assist moving forward.

D’Andrade is a former national youth player and graduate of the University of Trinidad and Tobago, where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Sport Studies;

Anthony D’Andrade presenting cricket gear to Ashley Mittelhozer, a member of the newly formed Kwakwani United Sports Club

a double major in Sport Management and Sport Development.

D’Andrade, who previously served as the Development Officer at the Guyana Cricket Board from 2015-2017, met Mr Neilson in December 2018 to formulate a development programme which would be aimed at organising and managing different sports, and assist in upgrading facilities and coaching.

Cricket in Kwakwani is a dying sport, and the community requires updated facilities and equipment. TMT is funding the purchase of equipment and the rehabilitation of the cricket field. The KSP is now implementing cricket sessions in the afternoons from 16:00 hrs to 18:00 hrs, three days per week.

Aspiring coaches from the area will be identified to attend the Guyana Cricket Board coaching courses.

Coaching will be provided in both the Kwakwani Primary and Secondary Schools.

Basketball gear being received by national basketball player and Coach, Dave Causway

Kobras take 1st Division title – Eagles settle for third

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he Guyana Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) got the 1st Division Championships out of the way as play resumed at the Burnham Hard Court on the final night of the tournament over the weekend.

It ended with the Kobras walking away with the title after an intense finale against the Plaisance Guardians.

Supporters from Georgetown and Plaisance came out in their numbers to witness the action, and the match was entertaining from the first point. The Guardians were no strangers to the Kobras, having beaten them on more than one occasion. For the Guardians, however, it was quite a different scenario, as they looked nervous heading into their first major match in 2019.

The Kobras won the tip-off, and they shook off the nerves and played as a unit to finish the first quarter ahead, 24-14. The Guardians upped the ante in the second quarter to have a four-point lead, but it was a futile effort as the Kobras outscored the Guardians to lead 36-32 at the half. What looked like a possible victory for Plaisance turned out to be the last quarter they would win, as the Kobras struck in the third quarter, giving away only a few points, to extend their lead to 57-44 heading into the final quarter.

Once the lead was achieved, Kobras kept the upper hand in the final quarter, to eventually win the title by eighteen points, with the final score reading 87-69.

Earlier in the night, the Eagles defeated the Pepsi Sonics 69-55 to take third place. The see-saw match was a thriller throughout its duration, as neither side relented in their pursuit of victory, and the lead kept steadily transferring between them. But the Eagles dished

out a stellar performance to conquer the Sonics in all three rounds.

The Kobras receiving their prize as 1st Division champs

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61st Seniors Caribbean Table Tennis Championship…

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Jones commends Guyana’s performance

By Timothy Jaikarran

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fter eight days of action at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) in the 61st Seniors Caribbean Table Tennis Championship, Team Guyana managed to secure second place, while the Dominican Republic were crowned overall champions.

In the competition, Guyana searched for a gold medal, but alas, the Dominicans were too strong as they sat comfortably on 1530 points, dominating the entire tournament. For team Guyana they were able to attain three silver and seven bronze medals, competing in eleven events in total. Speaking to <<Guyana Times Sport>>, Director of Sport Christopher Jones said, “I want to commend team Guyana who did an excellent job, of course they would have come up against countries that are likely to

Team Guyana poses with Director of Sport Christopher Jones and men’s coach Sydney Christophe

have more resources than them thus training more constantly. But with the recognition that the Guyana table tennis association has, they have received the requisite mats and all of the equipment’s. Essentially space is needed in

which table tennis can be trained and practiced on a more frequent basis. Of course working with President of the Guyana Table Tennis Association Godfrey Munroe and his executive, we will lend support in whatever way we can and identify a

space where the athletes can train frequently in preparation for the 62nd games in 2020”.

Also speaking to this publication was Head Coach of the men’s team Sydney Christophe, who stated that the performance of the Guyana team was excellent and noted that the athletes played at the level he expected.

He went on to say that the standard of table tennis in the Caribbean has risen, but he was even more impressed that team Guyana was able to compete on their level to bag second position on 750 points. Christophe also believed that come 2020 his vision of Guyana going a step further, can be achieved. He mentioned that the players made the ultimate sacrifice by giving their all and vowed their performance for the 62nd Seniors Caribbean Table Tennis Championship which is to be hosted in Havana Cuba, will be a higher level.

Mahadeo looks forward to GKRS lends a hand to the AAG greater competition in future

GKRS’ Dennis Heywood presents AAG’s Leota Bobb with the cheque

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Dillon “The Beast” Mahadeo

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illon “The Beast” Mahadeo left his opponents trailing some ways behind as he breezed through five seemingly difficult events to be crowned the fittest male competitor when the curtains came down on the Fifth Annual Kares Engineering Fitness Challenge held at the National Park Tarmac on Sunday evening last.

Having always dominated the spotlight whenever this event is held, Mahadeo still beamed as though it was the first time he had won. Noting how happy he was for the win, ‘The Beast’ thanked many persons and credited many things for his win.

“It’s a wonderful feeling, (coming) after all the hard work. The support from my family members, my girlfriend; it’s about your support system, the things you do and sacrifice day in (and) day out. It’s really worth it at this moment. All the hard work has been paying off,” he stated.

Questioned about the most challenging part of

the competition, he explained that it was not the course, or events in and of themselves, but the solidity of his opponents.

“The challenge came from persons who would be better than me in certain events. But, you know, I just tried to stay consistent throughout the day, and it paid off,” Mahadeo explained.

Mahadeo is now looking to compete on “a larger stage” in the coming months. “We recently qualified for the CrossFit Games, and that’s where we get to play with ‘the big boys’. So I’m looking forward to that, and the training leading up to it,” he explained.

In preparing for that event, ‘The Beast’ noted, he would be trying to switch up his routine, and would be upping the ante in his training sessions.

“Well, I’m switching up the training from now on, and getting into another level of training and competing,” he said.

s they prepare to jet off a team of 17 of Guyana’s brightest athletic prospects to the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) Games -- scheduled to be hosted at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex in the Cayman Islands from April 20 to 22 -- the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) was on Monday given a boost in this respect by Grace Kennedy Remittance Services (GKRS).

In a small handing over ceremony held at the GKRS office, Marketing Assistant Dennis Heywood presented Leota Bobb of the AAG with a sponsorship cheque for the sum of $263,000.

According to Heywood and Bobb, this donation will cover the cost of acquiring tracksuits and polo T-shirts for the travelling team.

Heywood noted that GKRS is driven by the prospect of helping youths to realise their dreams.

“This opportunity comes at a good time for Grace Kennedy, and it really fits in with what our company believes in. We, as a company, believe in making dreams come true, and this is an opportunity to make the dreams of some young athletes – hopefully, our future Olympians -- come true,” Heywood explained.

AAG Admin Secretary Leota Bobb was oozing

with gratitude towards the company. “I must say, ‘Thank you on behalf of the AAG’, for Grace Kennedy’s support this year with the CARIFTA. We are indeed grateful for your sterling contribution, and we will look forward for your continued support in the years to come,” Bobb stated.

The athletes who have qualified to participate in the CARIFTA Games on Guyana’s behalf are as follows: FEMALES: Adriel Austin -- Running Brave (800M), Princess Browne – Running Brave (Triple jump), Brianna Charles – Running Brave (100M), Jahaziah Copeland – Upper Dem (Shot put), Anisha Gibbons – Ruralites (Javelin), Deshana Skeete – Christianburg- Wismar Secondary School (CWSS) (200M), Keliza Smith – Running Brave (400M) and Shaquka Tyrell – CWSS (800, 1500M).

Males: Osa Blair – Police (100M), Tremaine Browne – CWSS (Long Jump), Cordell Charles – SUR (1500M), Matthew Gordon – Hopetown Flames (3000M), Loneil Marks – Hopetown Flames (100M, 200M), Daniel Melville – Police (800M), Melon Lowenfield – GDF (High Jump), Osrick Pellew – Ruralite (100M), Daniel Williams – Upper Dem (200M).

Guinness “Greatest of the Streets”…

Greatness touches East Coast on April 12 T

he Guinness “Greatest of the Streets” train is slowly making its way around Guyana, and will touch down on the East Coast in the third sub-division to be played for the year 2019.

Last year’s action in this subdivision saw fans’ attendance exceeding what obtained in previous years, and this trend is anticipated to continue when play in this year’s East Coast Zone of the highly exciting Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Competition’ commences on April 12th at

the Haslington Market Tarmac.

The organisers have again planned a programme that is certain to make the experience a memorable one for fans along the East Coast corridor and those hoping to get a glimpse of what has become the most electrifying outdoor event in the sport.

Early word emanating from the respective communities that would be participating in the three-day competition is that defending champions Uprising will not have it easy this time around, since teams

have already begun preparing to challenge for the title.

However, the reigning champs, who had to qualify last year and subsequently became the only team to do so and win the title outright, have vowed to successfully defend their crown. This time around, they will join seven other automatic qualifiers, while eight teams will have to enter the qualification process which will be conducted on Sunday, April 7, at the Haslington Tarmac.

The full list of automatic qualifiers is comprised of:

Uprising, Paradise-A, BV-A, Melanie-B, Buxton Diamond, Mahaica Determinators, Victoria Church Yard, and Belfield Warriors.

The Guinness ‘Greatest

of the Streets’ sub- division competition began in February, and two teams have already etched their names in the annals of history in their respective zones. Brothers

United were the first to taste victory in the East Bank/West Coast Demerara sub-division, while Trafalgar of West Berbice retained their Berbice subdivision title in March.

tuesday, APRIL 2, 2019

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

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Guinness “Greatest of the Streets”…

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Greatness touches East Coast on April 12

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VIVO IPL Edition 12…

Match #14 Time: 10:30h

Browne picks squad without coach or captain Former Windies coach Phil Simmons has a chat with Clive Lloyd and Courtney Walsh

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