Guyana Times - Tuesday, July 19, 2022

US military representatives conduct site survey ahead of Exercise Tradewinds 2023

P10 Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 5074

THE BEACON OF TRUTH TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022

Work moving apace on major hotel projects in Guyana – sod soon to be turned for 150+ room AC Marriott, Sheraton Hotels – Pres Ali See stories on pages 3, 11 and 14

– US$45M Pasha Global/Blue Bridge Hotel to come on stream by 2024 – US$50M Royal International Hotel & Mall under construction

PRICE

$100 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Hundreds P16 protest against Suriname’s policies, state of affairs – President Santokhi cancels foreign trips

Motorcycles, narcotics P16 seized during ‘fowl fight’ raid

Pensioner freed after 9 years on remand awaiting trial trying to adjust to life …says prison was P15 punishment, mulls suing State

GYSBI signs 11-year contract extension for shore base services with Exxon – company has grown from five employees to over 600

No bipartisan support at Essequibo PAC for separate scrutiny goldsmith of 2019, 2020 AG reports killed after – PAC Chair wants Committee to forge ahead with merging reports

See story on page 7

See story on page 9

Construction P8 worker arraigned for murder of WBD teen

APNU/AFC’s dismissed election petition Page 11

car turns turtle

CCJ opens P17 arguments today in appeals filed by VP Jagdeo, Nandlall

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TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

NEWS

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TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS OPENINGS BRIDGE

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

Tuesday, July 19 – 22:00h – 23:30h and Wednesday, July 20 – 23:00h – 00:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Tuesday, July 19 – 08:30h – 10:00h and Wednesday, July 20 – 09:30h – 11:00h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

Parika and Supenaam departure times – 05:00h, 10:00h-12:00h, 16:00h, 18:30h daily

WEATHER TODAY

There will be light rain showers and light cloud during the day. Expect partly cloudy skies and light rain showers at night. Temperatures should range between 23 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: South South-Westerly to Easterly between 1.78 metres and 4.02 metres.

High Tide: 08:45h and 21:11h reaching maximum heights of 2.45 metres and 2.38 metres.

Low Tide: 14:43h reaching a minimum height of 0.8 metre.

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2022

LOTTERY NUMBERS A

01 02 04

06 07 21

28

FREE TICKET

Bonus Ball

MONDAY, JULY 18, 2022

DAILY MILLIONS

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

COMMODITIES Indicators

US$

Change %

Crude Oil

$106.27/barrel

+4.81

Rough Rice

$307.04/ton $553.20/ton

+0.05 0.00

London Sugar

Live Spot Gold

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1707.00

$1708.00

Low/High Change

$1705.20 -2.30

$1725.00 -0.13

Sod soon to be turned for 150+ room AC Marriott, Sheraton hotels – Pres Ali

...new hotels coming will add over 500 rooms, drive economic demand

N

ew, brand-name hotels are springing up all over Guyana, with the sod expected to be turned soon for the AC Marriott hotel in Ogle and the Sheraton Hotel in Providence that will together add over 300 rooms to Guyana’s hospitality industry.

President Dr Irfaan Ali made the revelation while attending the sod-turning of another hotel - the Blue Bridge Hotel Incorporated located in Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, on Monday.

According to the President, these and other hotels will together be able to cater to the growing demand for rooms, brought on by the growth in tourism and the productive sectors.

“As I speak to you now, the Aidan hotel is under construction. And that is 150 rooms.

The Airport Marriott is under construction in Timehri.

That is 150 rooms. The new SleepIn on Brickdam is under construction. And that is 195 rooms. The new Pegasus will be launched soon. That is 100 new rooms,” President Ali said.

“Later this week, we’ll turn the sod for the AC Marriott hotel in Ogle.

Another 150 rooms. We’ll also turn the sod for the four-point Sheraton Hotel. That’s more than 150 rooms. And here today, we’re turning the sod for Blue Ridge hotel, for the first phase of 150 rooms.”

According to President Ali, these new hotels will drive demand in Guyana’s economy in the next two to three years, for labourers, aggregates, maintenance personnel, and fuel. And this does not even include Government infrastructure. According to Ali, this will drive demand for greater infrastructure.

“With all these hotels, the country must be able to build an infrastructure to support the hotels. Not only from a corporate perspective, that is executives coming in, but from a broad mechanism, a broad platform that will support these investments.”

“From a human resource perspective, we’ve already started and our aim is to train 6000 Guyanese in the hospitality industry, ready to take up these jobs,” Ali also told the gathering at the sod turning.

It was only last month that Marriott International, in collaboration with H-Towers Incorporated and other international partners, signed an agreement that will bring the Sheraton Hotels & Resorts brand to Georgetown, Guyana, by 2025.

The agreement is between Marriott, H-Towers (a Guyanese-owned company), and its US-based partners, The Triwest Financial Group, Inc and Black Pearl Holding Co. The project is expected to include a 200-room Sheraton Hotel and 224 residences, marking the brand´s debut in the market.

Given Guyana’s growing

The Sheraton Hotel that will be built

demand for accommodation for visitors, the project came to life when the Government of Guyana, through its GOInvest office, launched an Expression of Interest (EOI) in 2021 for hotel developers.

The project includes a residential component, and 224 residences will be housed in the second tower, connecting with the hotel via a sky bridge. Construction for the two towers is slated to begin at the end of the year.

Marriott

Meanwhile, the AC Marriott hotel will be situated on 2.61 acres of land 2.5km south of the Atlantic Ocean and 0.5km east of the Eugene F Correia Airport. The project is being developed by Trinuyana Investments.

Trinuyana plans extensive landscaping and other infrastructural developments in the project. The project summary further states that the hotel will be five storeys tall, with 150 rooms. Retail stores are among the hotel’s planned features, as well as a courtyard. There will also be paved parking lots with 114 parking spaces, drive aisles and site roads.

It has already been said that over the next few years, Guyana will see the construction of at least eight hotels.

Last year, the sod was turned for a US$15 million boutique hotel under the Aiden brand to be constructed in the heart of Georgetown. The hotel, which would feature 101 “smart rooms”, is being constructed as part of the Best

Western Hotel and Resorts franchise.

Globally recognised hotel brands like the Hyatt, Hilton, and Radisson hotels have also expressed an interest in investing in Guyana. In 2020, the Government of Guyana, through the Tourism and Commerce Ministry and the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with investors for a US$90 million Hilton Hotel to be constructed at McDoom, Greater Georgetown.

The investors in the luxury hotel are part of a joint initiative among 658 Guyana Holdings, GREC Investment Group and TOTALTEC Oilfield Services Guyana Incorporated. It was also announced that the 289-room branded hotel would be constructed in the already busy area which is home to many businesses such as Gafoors, Pritipaul Singh Investment, Guyana Shore Base Inc, Farm Supplies, and Schlumberger.

Construction was slated to begin in January 2021 and was expected to last for two years.

Around the same time, Chairman of the Giftland Group, Roy Beepat announced plans to construct a US$100 million Radisson Blu Hotel as part of an international chain of hotels in several destinations around the world. According to Beepat, the agreement has already been finalised to offer this five-star package to Guyana.

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TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022

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

Our roadways A

s Guyanese continue to express concern over the number of accidents that have occurred recently, there are various reasons for those accidents. A common theme appears to be the unnecessary taking of risks and speed, factors often lamented as causes. In a matter of two days, two families along the Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) are grieving as a result of road accidents. This is to add to the others around the country.

Historically, the shock, concern and caution that follow a fatal accident seem to be fleeting, and the major contributory factors are seemingly swiftly resumed despite public outcry.

However, given that those accidents are occurring on our roadways, and judging from sentiments expressed on social media, it seems that a large number of Guyanese are outraged and are calling for drivers to slow down.

While that is encouraging, only time will tell if public pressure would indeed make a positive impact. Social media wields tremendous influence, and traffic violations by some irresponsible drivers have been captured, attracting the attention of the Police.

There were instances when some drivers imbibed alcoholic beverages while in the process of transporting members of the public. The conductors randomly stick their hands out to demand that the bus be allowed to cut in front of vehicles, without considering the risk involved.

The said drivers literally drive on the parapets at times to illegally undertake, just to avoid staying in lanes and to reach their destinations within the shortest possible time. They also blatantly block turning lanes while ignoring the pleading horns.

The end result is that those who respect the traffic laws are made to spend much longer commuting, and are left at the mercy of those inconsiderate drivers. This in no way suggests that all minibus drivers are reckless; however, many are noticeable offenders across the country. Sadly, their unacceptable behaviour has been allowed to continue, seemingly encouraged by both the travelling public and the Police to an extent.

While some passengers have objected to the overall despicable behaviour of minibus operators and were in the process abused, there is an urgent need for a collective and robust approach to denounce what has, unfortunately, become a culture of disrespect to both passengers and traffic laws.

There are times when the Police act and times when they seemingly turn a blind eye. Every day, roadways – including those in some villages that are not approved on the road service – are used by minibuses.

The Police cannot be oblivious of that, for, in some cases, when they are managing the flow of traffic, they allow those buses to re-enter the main thoroughfare. That can only be seen as encouraging a transgression of the said road service.

Also, on a daily basis, many minibuses are crammed with passengers, having exceeded the legal limit.

There are times when the Police intervene, and commendations must be given; however, there is a lack of much-needed consistency, not just for the minibus drivers in question, but for all others.

The situation has worsened, and will further decline if no meaningful and sustained intervention is made. If the working traffic lights were to be configured to best suit the rush hours, then more ranks could be freed up to deal with traffic violations.

In addition, there should be a consideration for more stringent mechanisms, including raising the required age to obtain a licence to drive a minibus or taxi, and higher costs.

Penalties for traffic violations must be more punitive, possibly even for minor offences.

In whatever review that may now take place, maybe a protocol on how minibuses owned by Police Officers should be treated in the context herein, and to simplify a complaint process for the public, needs to be established.

The bottom line is that this issue must be addressed holistically, since a lack of sustained action would be continually interpreted as encouragement for lawlessness.

Golden Om Dharmic Youth Arm of the East Berbice Praant of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha on Sunday hosted “Krishna Leela” – the story about Bhagwan Krishna. In photo, some of the members during the performance that was filled with dance and drama

The problem in the sugar industry is those who are incapable in their tasks Dear Editor, Alleged GuySuCo employee, Mr Francis McGowan, in the July 15, 2022 Kaieteur News, sought to express criticism of the GAWU and by extension sugar workers for actions taken in standing-up to defend their rights and conditions. The accusations utilised by the ‘GuySuCo employee’ are certainly not new and have been used time and again by enemies of GAWU and the sugar workers.

As in the past, the actions of sugar workers to demand that their conditions-of-work be respected; the stance against the perpetuation of injustices, and their call for the industry to managed in a proper manner have gotten under the not-too-thick skin of the GuySuCo ‘specialists and professionals’. Despite their linguistic gymnastics and contrary to their hopes, sugar workers are not fooled by hollow propaganda. They are there on the ground and the truth cannot escape them.

Mr McGowan, who may well be a pseudo-writer, charged that GAWU’s approach is ‘outdated’. We wonder how did the ‘employee’ reach such conclusions?

Our approach is grounded in the principle that workers’ rights and conditions must be upheld, what is so outdated about that? All over the world, workers are struggling as they heighten calls for respect and justice.

Such struggles are taking place in societies far more advanced than ours

yet when the Guyanese sugar workers raise their voices, their and their organisation’s calls are suddenly outdated. What really is outdated is those who still believe that workers must remain meek while the certain untouchables perpetuate assaults on their rights and conditions. Indeed, for the GAWU it is saddening that workers must protest to get their annual leave payments. These matters have long been settled yet the modern-day ‘maharajas’ want to ignore their rights.

The ‘employee’ charged we are not being honest with sugar workers. Were we dishonest when we said the first crop 2022 production was the lowest in GuySuCo history? Were we dishonest to say that large areas of the cultivations at Albion and Blairmont estates were abandoned? Was it dishonest to point out that tillage tractor utilisation was not being maximised?

Is it dishonest to express the view that GuySuCo management requires strengthening? Or is it dishonest to express concern that despite substantial investments, the leadership of the sugar company has little to show? Could it be dishonest to hold that rather than attempting to pursue repairs to the gear at the Uitvlugt factory it would have been more prudent to order a new one? Where was the dishonesty that is spoken about?

Mr McGowan, in his misinformed propaganda, said, ‘we have uncovered’.

Who is this ‘we’ he speaks

of? Is it really ‘we’? Or is it a certain ‘he’? Whatever may be the case we wish to tell him or them, that the union’s finances are audited up to the end of 2020 and work is advancing in respect of 2021. Can the same be said of GuySuCo? We are also treated to further distortion regarding our recent attendance to the WFTU Congress, an organisation that has stood by GAWU in all times. Nonetheless, his unfamiliarity stands nakedly exposed as our union received support to participate in this important working-class activity. Did GuySuCo receive similar support during recent overseas jaunts?

We are told about the Government’s support to the workers of Uitvlugt estate. Certainly, the workers are most appreciative and grateful, contrary to the beliefs of a certain ‘chief’.

However, does that support give GuySuCo the right to cheat workers out of their legitimately earned benefits?

Does it give it permission to allow the Corporation to ignore the sincere calls of the workers? We would want to believe Mr McGowan would not want to be denied what he is entitled to, so why should the sugar workers be chastised for seeking fairness?

The union vehicles and renovations also attracted attention. Is it that those of Mr McGowan’s ilk would wish for union officials to utilise donkey and horse carts or bicycles? Or maybe their desire is for union buildings to appear in a

poor state? Such expressions, in our view, demonstrate that the old colonial mentality has returned.

While expressing criticism, Mr McGowan may want to find out whether it is true that certain exquisite, topof-the-line European automobile was being procured for the Corporation until reportedly a sudden halt was placed? Also, he may wish to enquire what has happened to the reported down payment?

Similarly, he should let us know about the massive renovations at a certain company house which reportedly went over budget and variations approved contrary to the company’s policy? Or could he tell us about a reported ostentatious private get-together that is said to have had several sugar workers engaged in various activities?

Of course, all of this is reportedly happening when it is said workers should not express any resentment to their rights being trampled.

GAWU is said to be problematic but the real problem is that our union is not ignoring the real challenges in the industry and those who are responsible. We are not cowed by propaganda and false narratives. The GAWU and the sugar workers have had a proud history of standing up and raising their voices. We will not be deterred in our calls for the workers to be respected.

Yours faithfully, Seepaul Narine President GAWU

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TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022

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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

Anti-Indian apartheid in We must give Guyana Folk Festival 2022 Jack his jacket!

Dear Editor, Apartheid is generally defined as a policy of racial segregation and political, social, and economic discrimination against an ethnic group or groups. South Africa suffered extreme racial segregation of apartheid from 1948 to 1994, and included such restrictions as where people of certain races could live or own land, what jobs they could hold, and who could and couldn't participate in government.

But this is 2022, and apartheid against Indians and their cultural tradi-

tions still thrive in Guyana in the Caribbean in many jobs, institutions, organisations and events such as the upcoming 22nd annual Guyana Folk Festival, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Carifesta ‘72 under the theme, “Carifesta@50: Reflections and Legacies.”

The 2022 Guyana Folk Festival symposium (August 5 to August 7, 2022) will present and encourage a multi-dimensional examination of the first Carifesta, its significance, and its legacies.

The organisers are almost all non-Indians in this

A well-organised electoral system versus some politically power-hungry aspirants - Part 1 Dear Editor, Again, I have occasion to clear up some glaring anomalies as well as to reorient a misinformed PNC apologist on matters of the electoral system. In the first place, I must emancipate the mind of this writer called "Dougla" that there is no winner take all in a Proportional Representation System, (PR) as it is commonly called. For there to be a winner take all as he is suggesting, that means every last voter in Guyana would have voted for the winning party and that could never take place. The scenario he posits can only take place in a Constituency System, where a single vote defines the winner from a loser.

It is that thin boundary line between winner and loser that is of concern for some of our Caricom neighbours at the moment. It is not good for democracy and good governance. Such a close win also means that an opposition can be wiped completely out of the office with a single vote. I ask Dougla the pointed question, could he countenance a situation like this occurring here in Guyana? I am asking a simple sincere question to get an honest sincere answer.

So, let me sober up Dougla a bit to tell him this, I shudder to think of the consequences of such a scenario should ever unfold here. I see channa bombs coming from all directions and buildings going up in flames in downtown Georgetown. I hear gunfire and see innocent persons of a certain race, their friends and supporters, lying injured or dead in the streets. And mark you well, this took place in the 60s when that system was in vogue here.

One of the things Burnham violently clamoured for during that time, was that the Constituency System was a biased and outdated one that gave Indians and the PPP an unfair advan-

tage. To quell the disturbance in this colony, the British then responded with the suspension of the Constitution and ushered in the PR System which the framers said would bring some semblance of calm and order in the Guiana of that time. But did that new PR System bring about any change in our country? The answer is no! A change to a Proportional Representation System was not the issue, the real issue was power and how to keep it. Was Burnham ever keen on a free and fair system? And the answer is a resounding no! Burnham and his PNC were interested in power and being firmly entrenched in it forever. So, whether it was Constituency or PR neither of the two suited a power-hungry despot, all he was focused on was power and how to hold on to it eternally.

The rest is history, when Burnham got into power, he tampered with the Constitution, the Judiciary, and the Police Force, in fact, he skilfully transformed every conceivable area of fairness and the keeping of law and order into his liking to produce the result he wanted. His despotic influence was felt in every facet of Guyanese existence, in the lyrics of their party song, "in field and office factory rally to the PNC".

The palm tree's doctrine reigned supreme, maybe this is the "winner take all” theory Dougla is talking about.

But let me caution him, that those days are long gone never to return. Apparently, this apologist seems enamoured by Burnham's tyranny, but I can tell him to keep that enthusiasm for Congress and Congress Place only, do not let that foolishness spill over into the moral and educated domain of the people. We are not going back to those dark days.

Respectfully, Neil Adams

three-day, virtual, international symposium entitled "The Inaugural Caribbean Festival of Arts as Prism: 20th Century Festivals in the Multilingual Caribbean". East Indians, however, constitute the majority ethnic group in Guyana (39.9 per cent) compared to Africans (29.2 per cent). There are also people of mixed heritage (19.9 per cent) (2012 Census).

The rest of the population is of European, Chinese or Indigenous origin.

Over the three-day period, August 5th to August 7, 2022, this event will explore many dimensions of this significant event in the post-colonial Caribbean.

There are more than 40 scheduled participants in the three-day symposium.

Among them are: Jasper Adams, Lancelot Baptiste, Dr Terrence Blackman, Errol Ross Brewster, Ave Brewster Haynes, Derek Browne Joan Cambridge, Dudley Charles, Leslyn ClarkePierre, Sandra Clenem, Dr Joanne Collins-Gonsalves, Vivienne Daniels, Errol Doris, Sr, Simone Dowding, Dexter Forte, Ray Funk Lloyda Alicia Garrett, Gwyneth George, Mwanza Glenn, Claire Ann Goring, Stanley Greaves, Linda Griffith, Malcolm Hall, Syndrene Harris, Carl E Hazelwood, Vidyaratha Kissoon, René Johannes Kooiker, Russel Lancaster, David Lanyi, Margaret Lawrence, Dr Michele Luard, Taij Kumarie Moteelall & Jahajee Sisters, Dr Rose October-

Edun, Jeremy Jacob Peretz, Nadine Priam, Meagan Sylvester, Dr Carolyn Walcott, Verna WalcottWhite, Rod Westmaas and Doris Harper-Wills – almost all non-Indo-Guyanese.

The symposium organisers are Adrienne Rooney; Ramaesh J Bhagirat-Rivera, PhD; and Vibert C Cambridge, AA, PhD. The collaborators are: In Guyana: University of Guyana, Moray House Trust, and the Festival City 50th Anniversary Committee; In the Caribbean Region: The Caribbean Broadcasting Union. In the United Kingdom: Guyana Speaks.

In the United States of America: The Guyana Cultural Association of New York, Inc., Binghamton University, Ohio University, Rice University.

Excluded from this “national” event are IndoGuyanese academics, performers and genres like taan classical and chutney singers, Rajkumari Singh Cultural Centre performers, Terry Gajraj, Rajeev N Singh, Chitra Singh, Romanee Kalicharran, Sundari, Chandani Persaud, Prof Baytoram Ramharack, Rajiv Mohabir, Petamber Persaud, Professor Clem Seecharan, Sasenarine Persaud, Dr Seeta Shah, Khalil Rahman Ali, Dave Baksh, Dr Vishnu Bisram, Ravi Dev, Ryhaan Shah and Dr Tara Singh.

Sincerely, Lloyd Sharma

Request reasonable Dear Editor, The parliamentary oversight body on public spending is in an uproar again, this time over disagreement on the scrutiny of the 2019 and 2020 AG Reports with claims of 'obstructionist approach' (Guyana Standard News July 16).

The Government side is insisting the reports need to be done separately and consecutively in order to properly scrutinise the post-NCM spending of the previous Government, given its status at the time.

The request is reasonable, in this instance, and should be seen as such as it would aid in getting a better grasp and understanding of spending accountability and transparency for the periods, since the then Government was in contravention of the Constitution.

After all the frequent calls for accountability and transparency cannot be directed to one side only and

Dear Editor, Barbados recently announced several measures to cushion the effects of the global rise in the cost of living and as expected, the opportunistic Opposition politicians in Guyana are using it as a rallying cry against the PPP/C Government.

I say opportunistic in this instance because it is the same Opposition that constantly attacks Barbadian Prime Minister, Mia Mottley ever since she stood up against their attempt to remain in office through electoral fraud.

But back to the topic of the cost of living interventions.

Though I agree that more interventions are needed here, and the Government has assured that more will be done, it is also important to point out that most of what is now being done in Barbados has already been done by the PPP/C Administration.

When the Dr Irfaan Aliled Government came into office in 2020, VAT was removed completely from water and electricity consumption in its first budget.

Meanwhile, Barbados is now moving to reduce VAT on electricity from 17.5% to 7.5%.

the claim 'the public has a right to know' (GSN July 16) must be even-handed and across the board as failure to be reasonable in this instance can create a different impression.

It was noted no meeting was held on Monday, July 11 as members of the Government side were absent, due to state engagements in the form of the just concluded NTC. One member, it is alleged, informed of her unavailability at 01:00h the same day.

(SN July 17). That was unreasonable since NTC was known in advance.

When will people empowered to be leaders display the maturity so badly needed to move Guyana forward? We seem bogged down with inconsequential matters which is hampering our being able to move collectively.

Sincerely, Shamshun Mohamed

Another example is that while Barbados is now moving to remove VAT on 44 "essential" food items, many of these food items such as whole chicken, chicken back, eggs etc do not attract VAT in Guyana.

In fact, in its 2021 budget, the PPP/C Government restored to zero-rated status all of the food items and other basic household necessities that were previously zero-rated at the time it demitted office in 2015 that the APNU/AFC put VAT on.

These items include basic wheaten flour, basic breads, oats, unflavoured cracker biscuits, cooking oil, locally produced bed sheets, and pillowcases, and toothbrushes among other items.

The facts are that since assuming office in August of 2020 the PPP/C Government has provided billions of dollars in relief to first cushion the crippling effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, then the severe flooding, and later the rise in the cost of living - all of which were brought on by circumstances outside of its control.

We must give Jack his jacket!

Sincerely yours, Andron Pires

Tuesday, July 19, 2022 06:00 06:30 07:00 08:00 08:30 09:30 10:00 11:00 11:15 11:30 12:00 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:00 16:00 16:30 17:00 17:45 18:00 18:30 19:00 20:00 20:30 21:00 22:00 23:00 00:00

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TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022

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Foundation ◄

Changing mixed numbers to improper fractions

T

o change mixed numbers into improper fractions, find the fraction part of the mixed number. Multiply the whole number by the denominator of the fraction. Then, add the numerator to that product and place the total over the denominator.

Example: Change 4 1/5 into an improper fraction Step 1:Multiply 4 x 5 = 20 Step 2:20 + 1 = 21 and the remainder becomes the fraction.

Step 3: 2 1/5 So 4 1/5 = 21/5

Exercises: Change to improper fractions

"T

he greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members." — Coretta Scott King Community starts with kindness. Being kind might sometimes feel like a muscle that needs to be exercised. Here’s a simple idea for you to try.

Find an old jar and decorate it if you like.

Write down a random act of kindness on a strip of paper and add it to the kindness jar. You can add more than one strip at a time if you are inspired, or you can go more slowly and contribute one idea each day, until the jar is filled up.

Next, dip into the jar to choose a kindness idea. Talk about it with parents and decide if this is something you can do right away, or plan to do in the near future.

What will your kindness notes say? Here are a few ideas, in case you need to get the brainstorming going: • Make a handmade card for a family member or friend • Do a chore without being asked (for example, putting toys away) • Ask someone to share their “roses and thorns” from that day • Invite a child to join your game — someone who may be shy or lonely

By Then he went his way very sorrowful; but the old fox came and said, “Why did not you listen to me?

If you had, you would have carried away both the bird and the horse; yet will I once more give you counsel.

Go straight on, and in the evening you will arrive at a castle. At twelve o’clock at night the princess goes to the bathing-house: go up to her and give her a kiss, and she will let you lead her away; but take care you do not suffer her to go and take leave of her father and mother.” Then the fox stretched out his tail, and so away they went over stock and stone till their hair whistled again.

As they came to the castle, all was as the fox had said, and at twelve

the

• Offer a hug to someone and tell them why you like them so much • Write a silly poem Try this!

You can also use a kindness jar to collect kindness: collect change to donate funds to help others or use your jar to grow a plant that everyone takes care of.

(Adapted from startwithabook.com)

Brothers Grimm

o’clock the young man met the princes going to the bath and gave her the kiss, and she agreed to run away with him, but begged with many tears that he would let her take leave of her father. At first he refused, but she wept still more and more, and fell

CONTINUED FROM MONDAY

at his feet, till at last he consented; but the moment she came to her father’s house the guards awoke and he was taken prisoner again.

Then he was brought before the king, and the king said, “You shall never have my daughter unless in eight days you dig away the hill that stops the view from my window.” Now this hill was so big that the whole world could not take it away: and when he had worked for seven days, and had done very little, the fox came and said. “Lie down and go to sleep; I will work for you.” And in the morning he awoke and the hill was gone; so he went merrily to the king, and told him that now that it was removed he must give him the princess.

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NEWS

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TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

No bipartisan support at PAC for separate scrutiny of 2019, 2020 AG reports – PAC Chair wants Committee to forge ahead with merging reports

O

n Friday, Governance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Gail Teixeira wrote the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairman and members of the committee, requesting that the 2019 and 2020 fiscal years not be combined, to better enable scrutiny of the Auditor General Reports.

However, PAC Chairman Jermaine Figueira is opposed to this idea. This publication spoke to Figueira on Monday, after the statutory meeting of the PAC at Parliament Buildings had to be adjourned because of a lack of a quorum - the second consecutive week this has happened.

Figueira pointed to the

absence of the Government members of the PAC, as one reason why the committee’s work must be expedited. He made it clear that neither he nor the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) side of the PAC, would support Teixeira’s request.

“Gail (Teixeira) wrote a letter, suggesting to the PAC that they shouldn’t give consideration for us combining the years 2019 and 2020. This has been occurring for several Chairmen past, even when Gail was a member of the PAC under Carl Greenidge.

There was a merger of different years.”

“The Public Accounts Committee isn’t concerned about No-Confidence Motion and GECOM not

Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Minister Gail Teixeira

holding elections. We deal primarily with the findings of the Auditor General’s report. And we’re saying, we’re way behind the work of the PAC and that is why the decisions would have

Caribbean Govts must commit to ICT development – PM Phillips

P

rime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips called on Caribbean leaders to commit to developing the necessary infrastructure to enable the widespread usage of ICTs in the region.

He told members of the Caribbean Association of National Telecommunications Organisations (CANTO) on Sunday evening that the Government of Guyana is ready to play its part and is committed to developing the necessary infrastructure to bridge the digital gap and facilitate the digital evolution.

“Our goal must therefore be nothing less than universal service, and here I mean

universal broadband service.

No country, no region, no town, no village, no community and no person should be left unconnected, for we cannot begin to speak of digital evolution without addressing the manifest injustice and inequality of the underlying digital divides.”

The senior Government official made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the Caribbean Association of National Telecommunications Organisations (CANTO) 37th Annual General Meeting in Miami, Florida.

“Guyana recognises the importance of CANTO and its vision of becoming the leading authority shap-

ing the ICT industry in the Caribbean Region and the Americas. CANTO’s role becomes even more pertinent in light of the need to provide solutions and initiatives that will allow for the realisation of the digital evolution.

ICT post pandemic

The Prime Minister, who is the National Coordinator of the COVID-19 Task Force locally, said that the COVID-19 pandemic amplified the importance of technological advancements, which his Government understands, especially as a catalyst for economic and social empowerment.

TURN TO PAGE 13

been made for us to merge years… because there’s a backlog of work to be done,” Figueira said.

He, therefore, rebuffed Teixeira’s letter. Figueira was supported in this stance by fellow Opposition PAC members Ganesh Mahipaul and Juretha Fernandes, who went on to criticise the amending of the Standing Orders governing the PAC in April that resulted in a quorum for the holding of statutory meetings needing to include both Government and Opposition sides of the committee.

In her letter, Teixeira explained that the 2019 and 2020 fiscal years needed greater scrutiny than the rest. This is due to the fact that the then APNU/AFC Government was in office despite a NoConfidence Motion being passed against it in December 2018.

As such, Teixeira in her letter called for the 2019 and 2020 Auditor General reports being examined separately, rather than combining them. She referred to spending during those years as “aberra-

PAC Chairman Jermaine Figueira

tions” that were unconstitutional and did not meet the statutory requirements for spending public funds.

The Chief Whip argued, on behalf of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government, several points as to why the two years cannot and must not be combined. She reminded that after the December 21, 2018 passage of the No-Confidence Motion (NCM) against the then Administration, the coalition regime was a “caretaker or interim” Government as determined

by Guyana’s apex court, the Caribbean Court of Justice

(CCJ) in its June 2019 ruling that ascertained the successful passage of the motion.

Minister Teixeira went on to outline also that the APNU/AFC Government was in breach of the Guyana Constitution, which requires elections to be called within three months after the successful passage of the No-Confidence Motion.

“Despite the ruling of the CCJ in July 2019 that elections must be held within three months following this ruling (having been paused due to a series of litigation), elections were not held until March 2, 2020.

In this period, the 2019 budget was executed with no oversight and scrutiny.

Parliament was meeting in breach of the Constitution between January and May 2019,” she posited.

The Minister further stated, “There was no budget allocations or appropriation act approved by the National Assembly for the first nine months of the year of 2020. Therefore, monies were being withdrawn and spent without the authority of Parliament or oversight as required by the statutes.”

8 NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Construction worker arraigned for murder of WBD teen T

wenty-three-yearold Keon Carr, a construction worker of La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara (WBD), was on Monday remanded to prison for the murder of a 19-year-old man whom he stabbed to death with a pair of scissors.

The murder accused appeared before Magistrate Faith Mc Gusty at the Vreeden-Hoop Magistrate's Court where he was not required to plead to the indictable charge which alleged that on July 14, he murdered Chris Gaichan Narine called “Boyo”, a construction worker of Recht-DoorZee, WBD. He was remanded until August 4.

Police reported that Narine was attacked and stabbed to death by his colleague with a pair of scissors. The incident occurred at Independence Drive in the vicinity of Third Avenue, La Parfaite

Murder accused Keon Carr

Harmonie, WBD. The now deceased teenager and his uncle, 23-yearold Gansham Singh, were reportedly going home on a bicycle when Carr appeared from the opposite direction

on an electrical bike.

Carr then attacked the teenager, whose uncle ran from the scene, leaving him in a scuffle with the accused. While running, the uncle reportedly saw Carr

with an orange pair of scissors in his right hand.

The murder accused is alleged to have dealt the 19-year-old two stabs – one to the lower abdomen and another to the left shoulder – after which he made good his escape on the electric bike.

After the stabbing incident, Singh picked up his nephew in an attempt to take him to the nearest Police Station, but the injured man collapsed.

As a result, the matter was reported to the Police.

Ranks arrived at the scene and immediately picked up the injured teen and rushed him to the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH), where he succumbed to his injuries while receiving medical attention.

Meanwhile, acting on information received, a party of Police ranks went to Westminster, WBD, where they arrested Carr.

Security…

T

…in food

he push for food security in the Caribbean is kinda ironic when you think about it, ain’t it? Weren’t the Amerindians Columbus stumbled over eating and living? We know for a fact they ate very balanced diets and didn’t complain about food security. For fruits (and vitamins), they had pineapples, mammee, sapodilla, star apples, genips, guavas, and cashews, etc. They cultivated maize (corn) on a large scale with cassava, sweet potatoes and yautia, etc, as staples. They made cassava flour and cassava bread. For meat, they ate all sorts of small animals that were grilled, baked, or used in “pepper-pot” with cassareep the main flavour!!

But our problems came when the Europeans insisted these folks who’d co-existed for millennia with their environment were “uncivilised” and everything about them was to be discarded. Including them – who were soon wiped out. The Europeans did things “their way” – including the foods they ate. And as they brought waves of enslaved Africans and indentured Indians, Chinese, Portuguese, etc, Europeans’ tastes became the “civilised” tastes and as such was desired by those who wanted to be “with it" and move up!!

In terms of food, most comes from plants and in another ironic twist, our entire existence in the modern global system was because of agriculture!! We were shanghaied to pioneer this earliest of human endeavour on an industrial scale! So what happened? Well, the Europeans decided we’d produce those peripheral crops like sugar cane, tobacco, and spices – while importing most consumable food from Europe -- to keep their farmers working!!

Now all of this we already know: hadn’t Burnham and Manley struck their leftist pose and decided we were going to feed ourselves?? They were talking about “food security” before there was “food insecurity”?? Not really!! They were reacting to their economies collapsing like houses of cards and they just didn’t have the foreign exchange to import the foods we’d been weaned on. And craved. After all, it wasn’t apocryphal that Burnham cried out for “condensed milk” on his death bed, was it??

Anyhow while there’s nothing wrong about growing our own food and moving off “foreign foods”, what they attempted was an ancient economic notion called “autarky”! That is you must be completely self-sufficient and become an island (no pun intended!!) unto yourself!!

This had been discredited by the “free trade” theory where you concentrate on things where you have (and can acquire) a comparative advantage – produce and export those things – then use the foreign exchange earned to buy whatever other things you desired!!

But we never learn. So, we now have Jamaican MP Lisa Hanna pointing out that they’re producing Irish potato all right – but at EIGHT TIMES the imported price!! And we’re following suit!!

Crazy!! …of mind It’s said that every man’s home is his castle – with the expectation that he’s gonna be left in peace to do as he pleases there. But even though the Middle Ages are long gone and one would’ve thought folks using battering rams to break into castles were over and done with, from the eighties we had our “kick-down-the-door-bandits”. Inspired by the PNC’s terroristic onslaught on the citizenry to keep them cowed for Burnham’s dictatorship. That’s left a lasting legacy of windows and doors grated with steel bars so most Guyanese actually live voluntarily in JAILS!! But there still isn’t security of mind in the grated castles – witness reports of folks regularly burglarised and even killed.

But now, there’s another irony – with oil revenues pouring in and our GDP the fastest growing in the WORLD, who’d think folks are living from paycheque to paycheque??

But it does take some time for the economy to adjust to our 14.5 per cent take of the oil profits, doesn’t it??

Sadly, there’s no way around that. …of tenure How come UG’s been around for almost 60 years and their graduates can barely read and comprehend beyond primary school level?? ‘Cause the staff has the security of tenure where they are never evaluated and can’t be fired!!

The views expressed in this column are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Guyana Times’ editorial policy and stance

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

9 GYSBI signs 11-year contract extension for shore base services with Exxon NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

– company has grown from five employees to over 600

GYSBI Executive Director Robin Muneshwer and ExxonMobil Guyana Logistics Manager Hayley Gilbert showcasing the signed contract

G

uyana Shore Base Inc (GYSBI) has inked an 11-year extension contract with Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), an ExxonMobil affiliate, for the provision of shore base management and operations services.

The contract will run until 2033 and builds on the previous contract, which was awarded to the company in 2017 and comes to an end in August this year.

In the past five years, GYSBI has directly invested over US$300 million in enabling port infrastructure, real estate development, warehousing, and support ser-

vices; has recruited, trained, and certified more than 1000 Guyanese for key operational positions within the industry and beyond through its affiliates; catalysed greater than US$500 million in investment in the Houston/McDoom, East Bank Demerara corridor by providing the enabling infrastructure and establishing the first oil and gas activity hub in Guyana and creating direct and indirect employment for more than 2000 persons.

At an event on Saturday to commemorate the milestone, Guyana’s Natural Resources Minister, Vickram Bharrat, lauded the signing, noting that GYSBI has become a prime example of what is pos-

sible for Guyanese businesses in the country’s relatively new oil and gas sector.

“Let me congratulate and commend GYSBI and ExxonMobil Guyana…We are happy to be here to see this signing… and seeing another Guyanese company taking a big stride in the oil and gas sector and putting Guyana on the map. This signing is a clear indication that we are building capacity as we move to develop the oil and gas sector. There is so much that is happening offshore Guyana and it is not only in the Stabroek Block. I am positive that we will have other discoveries. This activity shows that we are moving in the right direction in this country,” he said.

Minister Bharrat noted that with a projection of nearly 11 billion barrels of recoverable resources thus far and further drilling activities taking place, the Government of Guyana is optimistic that more discoveries would be recorded and therefore, more Guyanese companies would be called upon to meet the myriad of services that would be required.

“As a Government, we are not afraid to take bold steps.

Some people may say that we are moving too fast and indeed we are moving fast. I don’t think we have seen this pace of developing an oil and gas sector in any country, especially a third-world country like Guyana. The Local

The Guyana Shore Base Inc facility

Content Act was enacted to ensure that Guyanese benefit from the oil and gas sector, which they truly deserve.

Guyanese must benefit and as a Government, we are entrusted to do with, in partnership with our foreign partners. We see you as valuable partners and we are committed to working with you to ensure we develop these resources in a way that benefits both the people of Guyana and the company,” the Minister noted.

Executive Director of GYSBI, Robin Muneshwer stated that the contract extension builds on five years of significant and continuous investment, hard work, training, and development of the local capacity to create a world-class facility that meets the specialised needs of the oil and gas industry.

“The first five years that

we are about to complete in August were quite challenging but ExxonMobil was a true partner in all of this. They worked with us as we developed because we were starting from scratch in a country that had no oil and gas experience or infrastructure. As we developed, ExxonMobil raised the bar on us and this is where we are at right now.

We have got an 11-year extension because we earned it.

What we have developed at GYSBI is something we are extremely proud of. Our safety record is unparallel, we have just celebrated two years LTI free. Our operational record is excellent, so it wasn’t handed to us. We have earned it. ExxonMobil has shown a lot of trust and faith in us and worked with us.”

GYSBI’s Executive Director highlighted that the

company signed a contract for eight acres, two berths, and one warehouse in 2017.

To date, it stands at 170 acres, eight warehouses, and four berths, with further expansions planned. While it started with five employees, GYSBI today has a workforce of 616 persons, 95 per cent of whom are Guyanese.

“So, we have grown tremendously and we have grown because of the unparallel success that ExxonMobil has had with their discoveries. We have grown in sync with them. We have also been a poster boy for local content. None of this would have been possible without GYSBI, which is just five years old.

We know that we are an integral part of what ExxonMobil does and we do not take that for granted,” he noted.

ExxonMobil Guyana’s Logistics Manager, Hayley Gilbert, said that GYSBI continues to offer comprehensive services that are crucial to the company’s day-to-day operations and has progressively matched its growth and need for additional space with a move over to its 70-plus acres Industrial Estate and the commissioning of two heavy lift berths later this year.

“I have personally been able to see the transformation across GYBSI and I can only imagine what we can accomplish together over the eleven years.

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10 NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

GYSBI signs 11-year...

US military representatives conduct site survey ahead of Exercise Tradewinds 2023

FROM PAGE 9

The eight warehouses and four berths

Military representatives from the US being briefed by senior members of the GPF

M

ilitary representatives from the United States on Monday conducted several site visits around the Guyana Police Force Headquarters ahead of Operation Tradewinds 2023.

The strategic site survey is to check the capacity to house participants both locally and internationally during the multinational military exercise slated to run for two weeks.

Tradewinds 2023 will be hosted by Guyana in July of next year and is expected to concentrate on countering transnational criminal organisations and countering violent ex-

tremist organisations as a way to improve Caribbean Community Standard Operating Procedures and boost regional cooperation, stability, and response efficacy to security threats.

During the visit, the representatives were given a tour of the Police Sports Club, Felix Austin Training Centre, and the Officers' Training Centre.

Deputy Commissioner Operations (ag) Ravindradat Budhram; Commander Regional Division No 5, Superintendent Guy Nurse; Officer-in-Charge Tactical Services Unit, Superintendent Lonsdale Witherite; and Deputy

Superintendent Rovin Dass were also amongst those present at the site.

In June 2021, the curtains came down on Exercise Tradewinds 2021 which was hosted in Guyana and saw 13 other partner nations participating in the exercise not only to highlight the common concern for regional security, but also a reassurance of their unwavering commitment towards peace and stability in the hemisphere.

Ranks from the GDF as well as the Guyana Police Force were trained in various military skills, including close-quarters combat.

They were also trained in

marksmanship; emergency medical evacuation; search, rescue and recovery responses, and mechanical and engineering repairs for both air and water transportation, among other areas.

Along with Guyana and the USA, ranks from the United Kingdom, Canada, France, the Netherlands, Brazil, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago participated.

When you are part of such a significant development on the onset as GYSBI has been with ExxonMobil in Guyana, having continuity and sustainable business has been critical to be able to deliver the achievements that we have seen. ExxonMobil Guyana is proud to be associated with a company that continues to maintain a high standard of health, safety and operational efficiency.”

Gilbert highlighted that GYSBI remains critical as ExxonMobil Guyana advances its plans to responsibly develop Guyana’s oil and gas resources.

“The signing of a decade-plus agreement shows the long-term commitment between these two business partners. Our relationship has grown over the years as GYSBI has been our conduit

from the onshore to the offshore operations, a logistics hub, providing us with world class services including drilling and production operations support, waste management and storage. As the demand for support services has grown, it was clear that the expansion was necessary and GYSBI has responded to grow the multi-user facility that we see today, supporting the specialised needs of the oil and gas sector here in Guyana.”

The ceremony also saw the attendance of the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall; Public Works Minister Juan Edghill; Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh; Minister within the Public Works Ministry Deodat Indar, Members of the Private Sector Commission, the banking sector, and other specially invited guests.

NEWS

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TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

US$45M Pasha Global/Blue Bridge Hotel to come on stream by 2024

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he sod has been turned for a spanking new US$45 million Pasha Global/Blue Bridge hotel at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, which will come on stream by 2024 and will feature approximately 200 rooms.

Blue Bridge Incorporated Project Director Lalit Sharma explained that the project would be constructed in phases and this particular sod turning was for the first phase, which would be completed by 2024.

“The key highlight of this project is that we will have conference facilities of around 1000 people sitting at one time. We’ll have car parks and we’ll be having a dedicated parking building.

This entire project has been designed in consultation with the (EPA), all the local compliance has been done,” Sharma said.

Meanwhile, Assets Director for Blue Bridge, Sanket Balgi spoke about the smooth time the company had in interfacing with Government agencies, including the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

“Most of these organisations, when I visited,

President Dr Irfaan Ali shares a toast with Blue Bridge Inc Project Director Lalit Sharma; Tourism Minister Oneidge Walrond; GO-Invest CEO, Dr Peter Ramsaroop, and Assets Director for Blue Bridge, Sanket Balgi

most of the staff were very helpful, very polite, understanding, accommodating… solved all my issues.

So, most of the things were done very smoothly and I’m thankful,” he said.

A number of key officials attended the sod-turning ceremony, including President Dr Irfaan Ali; Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall; Tourism, Industry and Commerce

Minister Oneidge Walrond and Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest) Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr Peter Ramsaroop.

Pasha Global was founded in Suriname and operates hotels and casinos in a number of countries. It already has a presence in Guyana, through its Carnival Casino on Church Street, which opened in December 2020.

It has already been said that over the next

Essequibo goldsmith killed after car turns turtle

Dead: Lorenzo Nickolas Hendricks

A

tragic accident along the Devonshire Castle Public Road, Essequibo Coast, in the wee hours of Monday claimed the life of a 25-year-old goldsmith after he reportedly lost control of the motor car he was driving.

Dead is Lorenzo Nickolas Hendricks of Charity, Essequibo Coast.

He was the son of the owner of Sunflower Hotel and Bar of Charity, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).

Police stated that the accident occurred at about 00:40h on Monday morning as the young man and a friend were heading home from a get-together.

At the time of the accident, Hendricks was driving a motor car bearing registration number PFF

The state of the car after the accident

8892, while a 16-year-old male student of Charity Secondary School was a passenger.

He was proceeding north along Devonshire Castle Public Road at an alleged fast rate of speed and while negotiating a turn, the young businessman lost control of the vehicle.

As a result, the car toppled several times before ending up in a nearby trench. The injured man was pulled from the wreckage by public-spirited citizens in an unconscious state and taken to Suddie Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Reports indicate that just before the accident, the now dead man was imbibing in the company of friends before entering his

vehicle and driving off.

The teenager, on the other hand, received minor injuries and was treated at the Suddie Hospital and sent away. Following his death, his friends took to social media to express their shock at his passing.

From the information gathered, he was a kind, willing and free-handed individual.

One of his friends related that it was extremely surprising that his life was snuffed out in that manner since he was not known for drinking and driving. His father when contacted was too distraught to speak.

The young man leaves to mourn his parents, siblings and many friends and relatives. His body is at the Suddie Hospital Mortuary awaiting a post-mortem.

few years, Guyana will see the construction of at least eight hotels. Last year, the sod was turned for a US$15 million boutique hotel under the Aiden brand to be constructed in the heart of Georgetown. The hotel, which would feature 101 “smart rooms”, is being constructed as part of the Best Western Hotels and Resorts franchise.

Globally-recognised hotel brands like the Hyatt,

Hilton and Radisson hotels have also expressed an interest in investing in Guyana. In 2020, the Government of Guyana, through the Tourism, Industry and Commerce Ministry and GO-Invest, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with investors for a US$90 million Hilton Hotel to be constructed at McDoom, Greater Georgetown.

The investors in the luxury hotel are part of a joint initiative among 658 Guyana Holdings, GREC Investment Group, and TOTALTEC Oilfield Services Guyana Incorporated.

The 289-room branded hotel would be con-

structed in the already busy area which is home to many businesses such as Gafoors, Pritipaul Singh Investment, Guyana Shore Base Inc, Farm Supplies, and Schlumberger.

Construction was slated to begin in January 2021 and was expected to last for two years.

Around the same time, the Chairman of the Giftland Group, Roy Beepat, announced plans to construct a US$100 million Radisson Blu Hotel as part of an international chain of hotels in several destinations around the world.

According to Beepat, the agreement has already been finalised to offer this fivestar package to Guyana.

12 NEWS

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

2022 Population and Housing Census

54 undergo training to take up posts as area coordinators

A section of the participants at the training session

T

he Bureau of Statistics on Monday commenced a twoweek training for 54 persons drawn from the 10 administrative regions who will function as area coordinators during the upcoming 2022 Population and Housing Census.

Following their training, these temporary staff, under the supervision of Bureau personnel, will return to their respective regions to train the supervisors for the national exercise. A training of trainers’ approach will be utilised, with the supervisors then being integrally involved in the training of enumerators.

Even as the training of area coordinators is underway at the Bureau’s Head office in Georgetown, the screening of applicants from across all regions for the supervisor and enumerator positions is ongoing.

Chief Statistician, Errol La Cruez in his address to the trainees, stressed the important role that they

will play in ensuring the success of this vast exercise, which is being planned for commencement in mid-September.

He explained that the census, Guyana’s largest data collection exercise, provides not only an accurate count of the population but also other critical information on its demographics, including gender, age structure, educational attainment, and fertility.

This information is in high demand by a range of persons, including policymakers, the private sector, and students.

The census is conducted every 10 years, with Guyana’s last census being conducted in 2012.

Therefore, he emphasised the need for accurate, unbiased, reliable, timely, and quality information that will guide decision-making for the development of the country over the next 10 years.

Positing that data is as valuable if not more valu-

Chief Statistician Errol La Cruez delivering opening remarks at the training session

able than gold, the chief statistician pointed out that the census, an incredible undertaking, will see every occupied community in Guyana being visited.

Guyana’s population count in 2012 stood at 746,955, a decline from the previous census in 2002 which saw a count of 751,223.

According to the chief statistician, having an accurate count is essential, since this baseline data will be utilised over the next 10 years. He added that in a world that is becoming more data-conscious, the importance of this data is increasing and its use will expand in the months and years to come.

He encouraged the trainees to ensure that the census personnel under their supervision understand the importance of the census and the value of the data which it will produce.

NEWS

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TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

5000 house lots to be allocated on ECD this week – Min Croal …as $300M hardware complex opens at Enmore

Proprietor of the Imran Ally Shopping Complex, Imran Ally

T

he Housing and Water Ministry will commence the allocation of some 5000 house lots along the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) this week, according to Minister Collin Croal.

On Sunday last, during the opening of a $300 million hardware complex at Estate Road, Enmore, ECD, Minister Croal made the pronouncement.

The Minister pointed out, during his remarks, that over the past 18 months, the Government has been accelerating its massive housing drive as it moves towards delivering on its manifesto promise of providing 50,000 house lots to Guyanese by the year 2025.

On the East Coast alone, the Government allocated close to 4750 house lots, Croal added. Allocations

were made at La Bonne Intention, Mon Repos, La Reconnaissance, Annandale, Vigilance, Strathspey, and Bladen Hall.

Additionally, he said the Ministry is acquiring lands for new housing developments from the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC) and the Guyana Sugar Incorporated (GuySuCo) to meet the housing demands in Region Four.

He noted that “The infrastructure work that is required to ensure that we are able to develop these new areas will cause billions of dollars.”

The Minister related that the construction sector is expected to grow by a further 10.2 per cent this year.

He credited the continued growth in the construction sector to the Government’s

national housing drive, as well as other major investments by the private sector.

“The construction sector is expected to grow by a further 10.2 per cent this year. Under 18 months, one can expect, by the end of this year when we evaluate, the construction sector will grow by 40 per cent.”

Minister Croal pointed out that the demand for construction materials and hardware will continue to increase and therefore, the opening of a new hardware store in Enmore is timely, as it will help to meet the de-

A section of the complex

mand on the East Coast.

“We welcome these kinds of investments. We support it and you can count on us as a Government and as a Ministry…for any help that we can provide to help you

Caribbean Govts must...

FROM PAGE 7

Prime Minister Mark Phillips and an official at the event

He also emphasised the importance of digital technology and its intricate link to the workforce, education, healthcare, and e-commerce and his Government’s commitment to promoting sustainable development for investment and sector diversification.

Expounding further, the Prime Minister spoke to the needs of stakeholders and investors to build telecommunication networks and services in a sustainable manner to support economic activity such as trade and commerce as well as social development in the spheres of health, education and civic engagement.

“We wish for you to become invested in the sustainable development of the countries and communities within which you operate and from whence you derive value. We

would like to see patient investment prioritising longterm returns emanating from the sustainable, resilient economies we hope to build rather than cashing in on short-term windfalls.”

Creating an enabling environment

Prime Minister Phillips also used the occasion to highlight Guyana's many advances in telecommunications and innovations to facilitate the digital evolution.

In this regard, he mentioned Guyana’s telecommunications sector's liberalisation on October 5, 2020, which ended a 30-year monopoly on fixed landline and international long-distance services.

He said that since the sector's liberalisation, Guyana has reaped significant benefits

grow even more,” he said.

Local Government and Regional Development Minister Nigel Dharamlall, also said that by the end of the year the Government will spend an additional $15 billion to upgrade and expand community roads.

“We still have hundreds of roads more to get done and our streets within communities…it is a commitment by President, Irfaan Ali that all community streets will be upgraded the asphaltic concrete or rigid surface concrete,” Dharamlall said.

Meanwhile, after

from new and improved telecommunications services, as well as lower rates and higher service quality.

He also emphasised the installation and operation of additional submarine cables, which will result in a more resilient internet connection; while the removal of VAT from internet data for residential customers by the Government of Guyana was listed as an important drive to make more spectrum available to the industry. This, he explained, is particularly critical to the 700MHz band, in order to expand coverage and enable the deployment of LTE and next-generation networks.

The three-day conference is being held under the theme “Enabling the Digital Evolution”.

36 months of construction, Imran Ally Shopping Complex, the $300 million hardware, and variety store officially opened its doors on Sunday last – a move which is seen as critical in

Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal

servicing the East Coast of Demerara corridor amid the current construction boom in the country.

Proprietor for the business, Imran Ally, in his remarks at the opening ceremony said that his vision for the business has been years in the making.

“It has been really, really tough. This building took us three years to finish, and it has been a tough task. We work day and night sometimes. As I stand here and I speak to you, I’m a businessman, but I have also been a driver, a porter, a mason, a plumber, a painter. I’ve had to be everything here,” Ally said.

The shopping complex is situated on 46,000 square feet of land and provides construction material in addition to furniture, appliances, fixtures and fittings, and services. Ally said that the aim of opening the hard-

ware complex is for customers to shop for all that they need to complete their homes.

“Our aim is for when a customer steps into this building, their house must complete; they must have everything, from the smallest of the item to the largest of item; from a grain of sand to as big as a 25-ft zinc sheet,” he explained.

Ally said that his business falls into place to meet the needs of the country, but he admitted that there is a need for many more largescale businesses such as his.

“We believe that this business falls into place to meet the needs of the demands of the customers and the community and the country at large. I believe strongly that when these doors open that this business alone will not be able to suffice the needs of the country.”

14 NEWS US$50M Royal International Hotel & Mall under construction A TUESDAY, JULY 19,, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

s Guyana pushes forward in the direction of constant development to accommodate its ever-growing economy due to the boost of its oil sector, many business owners have recognised the need for a sustainable, state-ofthe-art hospitality sector as Guyana’s economic growth would inevitably transcend its tourism sector.

One business enterprise that recognises this is R&S Investment Inc, an investment company comprising both local and international shareholders.

R&S Investment Inc will soon open doors to its 248room and 60 retail stores Royal International Hotel &

The idea for the massive investment was first brought to light in 2008 after the shareholders of R&S Investment Inc realised that Guyana was in a need of a world-class shopping centre and a high-standard economic hotel.

the ideas meshed and the vision for Royal International Hotel & Mall was birthed.”

However, finding a suitable name for the business was tricky.

“Initially, we were set on the name Royal Orchid International Hotel & Mall

tourists and locals alike as it would be the only hotel and mall under one roof in Guyana.

“We’ll be the only hotel and mall under one roof in Guyana. Convenience, relaxation, entertainment, shopping, stay, good for tourism – everything in one place,” Chan explained.

The dual complex, when fully opened, will have a 248room hotel, 3 major restaurants, an approximately 15-stall food court, a gym facility, an adult gaming facility, 3 bars/clubs, 2 movie theatres, a children’s fun park, and approximately 60 retail business stores – an attractive royal palace.

Chan revealed that every

Ongoing construction work at the new hotel and mall complex

Mall, a state-of-the-art facility currently under construction at Sheriff Street, Georgetown.

The facility when completed will cost in excess of US$50 million.

Spokesperson of R&S Investment Inc, Jason Chan told Guyana Times in an interview that the multimillion-dollar hotel and shopping facility took many years to become a reality.

He said, “The idea was first birthed in 2008; when it was realised that Guyana was in need of a world-class retail shopping facility that provided multiple stores under one roof; similar to those in first western and larger countries. Also, at the time, there were not many options in relation to high-standard economic (boutique form) hotels in Guyana. From this,

as the establishment was located next to the Gardens and the relationship between gardens and flowers such as orchids. However, because of the length of the name; we decided to shorten the original format, making it Royal International Hotel & Mall.”

Chan said that the multimillion-dollar hotel and mall will seek to provide a different experience for both

Unvaccinated Region 4 woman dies from COVID – 59 new infections detected

A

nother person has lost their life to COVID-19 in Guyana, bringing the death toll up to 1267.

The Health Ministry on Monday announced the latest death was a 59-year-old woman from Region Four, who died on Monday. She was not vaccinated.

Statistics also showed a jump in new cases by 59 within one day. Confirmed cases are now at 68,972 – a breakdown of 31,626 males and 37,346 females.

An analysis of new positives reflects two for Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam); 23 in Region Four (DemeraraMahaica); two in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice); six in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne); and 26 in Region Nine (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

There are three patients in the Intensive Care Unit, 38 in institutional isolation, 978 in home isolation and

five in institutional quarantine. Recovered cases have reached 66,683 with some 670,394 samples tested for the virus.

Over 1000 active cases are being monitored across the country.

“Generally, we have seen a very slow uptake of vaccination,” Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony commented on Monday in the COVID-19 update when asked about the country’s immunisation progress against the deadly virus.

Vaccination figures show that so far, 444,468 or 86.6 per cent of adults have taken a first dose, while some 344,228 or 67.1 per cent of persons 18 years and over are fully vaccinated.

For adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17, 35,227 first doses or 48.3 per cent and 25,799 or 35.3 per cent second doses have been administered.

Vaccination for children in the five to 11 cate-

gory shows 5080 first doses or five per cent. Only 596 or 0.6 per cent have returned for their second shot. In addition, 70,125 persons have returned for their booster shots thus far.

According to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recent figures, some 559,469,605 confirmed cases were reported globally along with 6,361,157 deaths.

In the Region of the Americas, that is, Latin America and the Caribbean, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has increased to 166,308,661 while the death toll in the region has gone up to 2,773,046.

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

customer who will walk the halls of the complex will be treated as royalty.

“Why Royal – well simply because we seek to provide service with a different experience. Every customer of our hotel and mall will be treated like royalty and experience customer service par excellence and second to none.”

R&S Investment Inc has pumped US$25 million into

the new venture, but Chan has said that with various clients who will invest in their individual stores, investments in the hotel and mall complex might exceed US$50 million.

“R&S Investment Inc has carried out the main layout for the hotel and mall with an initial cost of US$25 million. We will collaborate with various clients who will invest in their individual stores which would run to another approximately US$25 million,” he said.

Though still under major construction, a gym and a few other parts of the facility have been opened. Before the end of the year, one restaurant and three bars will be opened, and by May next year, the mall will begin a staged opening. By the end of 2023 “we do hope for a complete opening and full launch”.

Job creation

Once operational, the new facility is expected to directly create 150 jobs, employing persons to work in the hotel and mall, inclusive of

the restaurants. Indirectly, through the stores and other businesses at the mall, approximately 250 more jobs will be created.

Challenges and support

Chan explained that since the commencing of construction, they have faced similar challenges as all other businesses at the preparation stage, including, but not limited to the access to finance.

However, Chan expressed that there were also Human Resource (HR) challenges which included having a steady and stable workforce in the construction.

He added, “Moreover, this is the first time that we experienced some of the challenges we did in the sector we operate in so it has been a progressive learning experience.”

Nevertheless, he expressed how grateful everyone involved in the investment is for the “advice from older more seasoned businessmen in Guyana and from the private sector and local chamber”.

GUYANA COVID-19 DASHBOARD JULY 18, 2022 UPDATE

NUMBER OF NEW CASES

59

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL ISOLATION

38

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN HOME ISOLATION NUMBER OF PERSONS IN COVID-19 ICU

978 3

NUMBER OF PERSONS IN INSTITUTIONAL QUARANTINE

3

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (FEMALES)

37,346

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES BY GENDER (MALES)

31,626

TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES IN GUYANA SINCE 2020

68,972

NUMBER OF RECOVERED CASES

65,530

TOTAL 1st DOSE VACCINATED FULLY IMMUNISED TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS

DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES SINCE MARCH 2020 REGION 1

2651

REGION 2

3038

REGION 3

8532

REGION 4

34,306

REGION 5

2517

REGION 6

6631

REGION 7

2555

REGION 8

886

REGION 9

4211

REGION 10

3645

HERE IS HOW YOU CAN BE SAFE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC Wear a face mask.

443,802 343,575 1267

Keep a physical distance of at least 6 feet.

Wash your hands or use handsanitizer If you have any symptoms, call the COVID-19 Hotline.

GET MEDICAL ADVICE ON COVID-19 FROM MOH 24/7 HOTLINE NUMBERS: 2311166; 226 7480; 624 6674; 624 2819; 624 3067 OR 180/181.

NEWS

15

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Pensioner freed after 9 years on remand awaiting trial trying to adjust to life …says prison was punishment, mulls suing State

By Feona Morrison

A

soft-spoken 68-yearold Jones Raymond, a father of four, was freed by High Court Judge Sandil Kissoon last Friday after spending nine years on remand awaiting trial for murder.

Identity issues seem to have dogged him in jail. He said even though he kept telling prison officers that his name was Jones Raymond, they kept referring to him as Raymond Jones.

Due to the lengthy time the man spent in pre-trial detention, the Judge declared that the State violated his constitutional right to a fair trial within a reasonable time as guaranteed under Article 144 of the Constitution of Guyana, stayed all criminal proceedings against him, and ordered that he be released from the penitentiary immediately.

Several days after he was released, Raymond, an Indigenous man of Micobie Village, Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni) is now trying to adapt to life in the free world.

He is determined to live a good life not only for himself but also for his children whom he loves dearly.

He was remanded to prison on December 28, 2012, for the murder of Gary Joseph, 33, which occurred sometime between December 26 and December 27, 2012.

It was the prosecution’s case that Joseph and several friends were imbibing at a shop on Boxing Day of 2012 when Raymond inquired about what he had done to his son.

The prosecution had contended that Raymond armed himself with an arrow and bow, which he used to shoot Joseph. The weapon struck the man in his abdomen.

The injured man was rushed to the Mahdia Hospital and then transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he died while receiving treatment.

Life behind bars

Raymond, who is currently staying with his daughter until he can get back on his feet, spoke with reporters on Monday at his lawyer Teriq Mohammed’s office at South Road, Georgetown.

The pensioner, who spent time at the Camp Street and Lusignan Prisons, described his life behind bars as punishment. “I get poison, I get shot but my father [God], he is good to me today. The food wasn’t nice, eating slush every day, drinking tea without sugar,” he said.

He said that while he cannot hear nor see properly, and is suffering from high blood pressure, he got by in jail by “trying hard to do preaching and weeding...”

When his liberty was taken away, he lamented, “I lost everything…my house, my

Attorney-at-Law Teriq Mohammed

boat; I used to do farming, all my tools, everything gone.”

He also professed his love for his children, one of whom was by his side on Monday.

Nekeita pointed out that although she and her father never shared a close relationship when she was younger, the least she could have done for him was to hire a lawyer to fight his case. As such, she sought assistance from the Amerindian Affairs Ministry.

Simple thing

Raymond told reporters that he indeed killed the man.

He, however, explained that Joseph bullied his son, and as a parent, he could not sit idly by. He said it was a “simple thing” that made him go to jail. According to him, Joseph had burst his son’s head and slit his throat.

“And I didn’t like it, so I had to go. I didn’t have any intention of killing this man.

When I go there, I asked him: Boy, what you do to [my son] and he [Joseph] rushed to me with a bottle and curse me. I had to take my weapon [arrow] and push it down him…,” a crying Raymond recounted.

He nevertheless said that he intends to stay away from bad company. Also, he is making efforts to register for his old age pension. He noted that it was something he tried doing while in jail, but was informed that he has to wait until his release to start the process.

Mix-up

Raymond described himself as a well-behaved prisoner. Meanwhile, identity issues seem to have dogged him in jail. According to him, he was imprisoned under the name Raymond Jones when his correct name is Jones Raymond. He noted that he had made several attempts to clear this up with prison officials, but they kept insisting that his name was Raymond Jones.

“My name is Jones Raymond but they had me as Raymond Jones…I asked them if they had any charges concerning Jones Raymond and they said no. I asked in the Essequibo Court, they said they have no charges against me.”

Languishing in jail

Following a Preliminary Inquiry (PI), which Justice Kissoon said was completed promptly, Raymond was committed to stand trial

High Court Judge Sandil Kissoon

on October 15, 2014, at the Essequibo High Court.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) received the depositions from that PI on March 23, 2015. But the DPP’s office remitted the case to the Magistrate’s Court for the presiding Magistrate to correct “several material irregularities and/or omissions” on part of the Magistrate, and for him to take additional evidence. Seven years later, the Magistrate, Alan Wilson, Justice Kissoon said, is yet to comply with the DPP’s directive.

In light of this, he said the man never had a “valid Preliminary Inquiry”.

The DPP’s Office, on Saturday, confirmed that the man was never indicted. In a statement, the Office said that it had written to the Magistrate on three occasions – in 2015, October 2020 and recently in January 2021 – for the additional evidence to be forwarded for an indictment to be preferred. But this was never done nor was the additional evidence ever forwarded to the DPP.

Grave tragedy

The Judge disclosed that Raymond’s unfortunate circumstances were brought to his attention by the Superintendent of Prison.

As for Raymond, who wanted to end his “agony”, he said the man opted to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter as he saw this as his only way out of prison. In 2021, the Judge recalled that he gave directions for him to be taken before the Essequibo Criminal Assizes for his plea to be taken and a sentence to be imposed. Notwithstanding those directions, Raymond, Justice Kissoon added, was before him again.

Come December 2022, he pointed out that the man’s time on remand would add up to 10 calendar years which equates to 15 prison years—a penalty for manslaughter.

Having regard to the foregoing, Justice Kissoon held that a “grave tragedy”, the unthinkable, has occurred in relation to Jones Raymond without compassion, conscious and judicial discretion.

But for the officers of the Prison Service, the Judge said he would have been unaware of the case against Raymond, whom he described as a voiceless man who is incommunicado, and far removed from his home and community

Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack, SC

without representation.

As such, he frowned upon the state of affairs in Guyana’s criminal justice system, noting that such violations of citizens’ fundamental rights cannot and should not be condoned.

Given the circumstances, the Judge declared that the State violated Raymond’s fundamental right to a fair trial within a reasonable time as guaranteed by Article 144 of the Constitution, due to the inordinate period he spent in pre-trial detention. He also permanently stayed all criminal proceedings against Raymond, ordering that he be released from prison immediately.

In so doing, he ruled that the stay was warranted in the “exceptional circumstances” of this case: where there has been an undue and inexcusable delay without cause on the part of the State; when Raymond, who is clothed with the presumption of innocence, despite his requests and representation by him to have his matter heard, has

Jones Raymond and his daughter Nekeita have reunited

had his request to plead denied; and where his case has still not been tried, despite previous orders for his case to be heard.

Justice Kissoon expressed that he is unable to contemplate how “we in the criminal justice system arrived at this juncture in 2022…a citizen can serve the equivalent of a few months short of a 15-year sentence on remand and this is somehow acceptable in the system that prevails.”

He emphasised that this laxity cannot and should not be condoned, and it should not be tolerated when the liberty of citizens has been and continued to be wantonly violated with no effort to remedy these circumstances. “To no one, will we sell, to no one will we deny or delay right or justice,” said Justice Kissoon as he quoted from Clause 40 of the Charter of the Magna Carter.

Representation they deserve

When asked if he plans to sue the State for violating his client’s constitutional rights, Mohammed said, “that might be a possibility or it may happen soon. So, only time will tell.”

The lawyer expressed that his thoughts on the criminal justice system mirror that of Justice Kissoon. He believes that had this matter not come up, his client would have stayed in jail and languished away “because he is a man of Amerindian descent, and I feel like they don’t have the representation that they truly need. Justice delayed is justice denied…”

In addition, Justice Kissoon had ordered that the Amerindian Affairs Ministry or any other institution assist Raymond, financial or otherwise, to ensure that he meets home safely.

16 NEWS Hundreds protest against Suriname’s policies, state of affairs TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

– President Santokhi cancels foreign trips

Surinamese President Chandrikapersad Santokhi

A large crowd of protesters on Monday (Suriname Herald photo)

P

rotesters were contained by presidential security in Suriname on Monday after they came out in large crowds to call out the incumbent Government’s policies and state of affairs in the country.

At the Office of the President, protesters attempted to enter the premises and had to be contained by presidential security. There was also a similarly large gathering at Independence Square, vociferously calling for an-

swers and change.

It is a situation, which according to the Suriname Herald reports, will continue in the coming days.

The Surinamese protesters are claiming that there have been several scandals in the country, and resolu-

tions to many matters are unclear.

Along with alleged corruption, mismanagement and nepotism were also highlighted when protesters voiced their concerns. There is also the issue of the rising cost of

living and daily expenses, coupled with unfulfilled promises on the part of the Chandrikapersad Santokhi-led Government.

Persons on the protest lines are contending that they are concerned for the country and for better policies, adding that these actions are not politically motivated and as such are calling for change.

And should this course not be taken; they are calling for the Administration to step down from power.

Meanwhile, follow-

ing protests against his Government’s policies, Surinamese President Chandrikapersad Santokhi has cancelled a planned trip to Paraguay where he was expected to participate in the Mercosur summit, according to the waterkant.net news agency.

The waterkant.net reported that in response, President Santokhi announced that he had been elected for five years and he will remain in office until the end of his Government.

Motorcycles, narcotics seized Marijuana, cocaine found in abandoned yard during ‘fowl fight’ raid

The motorcycles seized during the ‘fowl fighting’ raid

The confiscated cannabis

T

hree Honda motorcycles and a quantity of suspected cannabis have been confiscated

by Police following a raid at a suspected ‘fowl fighting-ring' at Vergenoegen, East Bank Essequibo (EBE).

The raid was led by two Assistant Superintendents, a Detective Sergeant, and other ranks.

The officers converged on the location where several persons were searched during which several pairs

The drugs that were found during the operation

A Several pairs of scissors found during the operation

of scissors were found. An amount of suspected cannabis was also found in four transparent Ziplock bags on

the ground, amounting to 12 grams when weighed.

An investigation is underway.

n intelligence-led operation at Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara on Sunday led ranks of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to the discovery of a quantity of marijuana and cocaine.

Police reports indicate that the search was car-

ried out between 12:45h and 13:14h.

During the search, a transparent plastic bag containing a rock-like substance suspected to be cocaine and a quantity of ganja was found under some wood in the abandoned yard.

The aforementioned

plastic bag with its contents was taken to the La Parfaite Harmonie Police Station, where the suspected cannabis was weighed and amounted to 23 grams while the suspected cocaine amounted to 9 grams.

Investigations are ongoing.

NEWS

17

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

APNU/AFC’s dismissed election petition

CCJ opens arguments today in appeals filed by VP Jagdeo, Nandlall

Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC

T

he Trinidad-based Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) will commence hearing arguments at 10:00h today in Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo and Attorney General Anil Nandlall’s appeals against a decision of the Court of Appeal of Guyana in which it held that it had jurisdiction to hear an election petition dismissed for improper service.

During a case management conference in May, the panel of CCJ Judges had committed to hearing the case expeditiously, with Justice Jacob Wit stating, “We really want to hear this case before recess starts….”

The CCJ will go into recess on July 29, bringing an end to term three of the 2021/2022 judicial year. The regional court intends to “fully” hear the matter this morning and has promised to render its decision in the

shortest possible time.

Additionally, former Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield was removed by the CCJ as a respondent to the appeals.

In a 2 to 1 majority ruling, the Court of Appeal of Guyana took jurisdiction to hear an appeal against Chief Justice Roxane George’s decision to dismiss election petition #99 based on improper service/non-service on the second-named respondent, former President David Granger.

The petition pursuant to Article 163 of the Constitution, which was dismissed on January 18, 2021, was filed on behalf of the APNU/AFC by Monica Thomas and Brennan Nurse and challenged the results of the March 2, 2020, national elections with the intent of having Granger declared the duly-elected President.

Chancellor of the Judiciary Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards and Justice of Appeal Dawn Gregory had ruled that to oust the Appeal Court from hearing the appeal against the Chief Justice’s ruling would defeat the purpose of Article 163 of the Constitution.

The Chancellor had noted that although she had considered all the precedents relied on by Nandlall, they failed to invalidate the Court of Appeal’s jurisdiction to hear the appeal.

In a dissenting judgement, however, Justice of Appeal Rishi Persaud had

Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo

said that considering the unambiguous language of that constitutional provision, as well as the fact that Justice George did not dismiss the petition on its merits, but rather because of procedural errors, a right of appeal did not lie to the Court of Appeal.

The manner of service is prescribed in Rule 9 (1) of the National Assembly (Validity of Elections) Rules, which imposes on the petitioners the statutory obligation to effect service within five days after the presentation of the petition.

Having been filed on September 15, 2020, the petition should have been served on Granger five days thereafter, which would have been September 21, 2020, since the fifth day – September 20, 2020 – was a Sunday.

But in Nurse’s affidavit of service, it was stated

that the petition, along with the relevant documents, was only served on Granger on September 25, 2020 – five days outside of the statutorily prescribed period.

At the Court of Appeal, Nandlall and Trinidadian Senior Counsel Douglas Mendes, who is representing Jagdeo, had argued that Article 163 of the Constitution bestows upon the High Court a peculiar jurisdiction to hear such matters.

They contended that there is no statutory or constitutional jurisdiction given to the Court of Appeal to hear an election petition dismissed for procedural impropriety or any other reason not stated in Article 163 (1).

According to the two Senior Counsel, Article 163 constitutes the complete code of how election petitions are to be determined, lists the types of issues that are to be raised by an election petition, and also limits the grounds upon which appeals flow from the determination of those issues.

“Article 163 limits appeals to be filed from decisions coming from the High Court that are commenced by an election petition only to the determination of the questions identified in the Article,” Nandlall had submitted.

“The learned Chief Justice in her ruling struck out the petition on the ground that there was non-service.

In her written decision, her honour stated that service

within the time prescribed is a condition precedent to the hearing and determination of an election petition,” the Attorney General had argued.

He added, “The [Chief Justice] never determined the questions which the petition raised to be determined which are the questions raised in Article 163 (1) from which Article 163 (3) says an appeal lies to the Court of Appeal upon the determination of those questions or orders consequential to the determination of those questions.”

As such, Nandlall argued that with those questions having not been determined, there is no right of appeal in any other statute nor the Constitution upon which the petitioners can hinge their appeal.

But Roysdale Forde, SC, and John Jeremie, SC – who appear for the petitioners – argued that the Court of

Appeal does have jurisdiction to entertain the matter under Article 123 of the Constitution and the Court of Appeal Act. Jeremie had previously submitted that his clients had properly invoked the jurisdiction of the Court of Appeal to where an “automatic right” of appeal lay as the High Court had determined and made its pronouncement on the petition.

The petitioners’ contention is that the elections were unlawfully conducted and/or that the results (if lawfully conducted) were affected or might have been affected by unlawful acts or omissions. They are also asking the court to declare that President Dr Irfaan Ali is illegally holding office. The results of a national recount of all ballots cast showed that the PPP/C won the general elections with 233,336 votes over the coalition’s 217,920 votes.

Policeman files multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Govt official …over leaked video of him sleeping on duty

Advisor to the Home Affairs Minister, Harry Gill

A

22-year-old policeman has filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Advisor to the Home Affairs Minister Harry Gill, whom he has accused of videoing him without permission when he fell asleep while performing security duties at his home.

The video was leaked to social media.

Constable Kelon Gilbert, through his Attorney-at-

Law Eusi Anderson, had written to Gill in May demanding from him, a public apology as well as compensation in lieu of civil proceedings. Gill has failed to meet the demands of the cop who is now suing him for more than $5 million in damages.

Constable Gilbert is seeking against Gill, damages in excess of $1 million for intentional infliction of

emotional distress or alternately more than $1 million in damages for negligent infliction of emotional distress, damages in excess of $1 million for negligence in so far as Gill, without prior informed consent, used a recording device to record him at his station of employment, more than $1 million in damages for negligence in so far as Gill recklessly or without due care aided and abetted the public dissemination of the recording and over $1 million in damages for trespass to his person.

Anderson said that on April 21, Constable Gilbert was rostered to work at Gill’s premises but there was no relief and he eventually did a shift of nearly 24 hours. As such, he noted that his client was overcome by a lack of rest and food—a fact of which Gill is personally aware since he observed the events. While performing duties, the lawyer said that Constable

Gilbert opened his eyes to Gill directing a recording device to his face.

According to him, after the policeman caught Gill in the act, he turned away the camera and concealed it in his pocket. Anderson said that Gill’s image was captured at the end of the video which was subsequently posted to social media.

According to the lawyer, his client did not authorise, permit or otherwise consent to be recorded. This, he noted, is obvious from Gill’s decision to abruptly end the recording when Constable Gill caught him recording him. Since the recording “entered permanently” into the infinite boundaries of the internet, counsel submitted that his client has suffered public ridicule and tremendous opprobrium and he and his family cannot stop reeling from the emotional distress it has caused.

He argued that Gill “intended to violate the priva-

Police Constable Kelon Gilbert fell asleep while performing duties at the Government official’s home

cy and breach [Constable Gilbert’s] right to not be recorded without his consent and same is evident in his strident efforts to conceal the recording device once the [policeman] woke up.”

Apart from damages, the Policeman wants the High Court to order the Government official to publicly apologise to him, orders for costs and inter-

est pursuant to the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, and such further or other order the court deems just.

Guyana Times understands that following the incident, Constable Gilbert, who is stationed at the Tactical Services Unit (TSU), was charged departmentally with neglect of duties.

18

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022

guyanatimesgy.com

Regional

Bolsonaro attacks Brazil’s election Dengue on the rise in Cuba system in briefing for diplomats H

B

razilian President Jair Bolsonaro invited the diplomatic corps on Monday to hear his charges that Brazil’s election system was open to fraud ahead of October elections in which he is trailing in a bid for a second term.

“The system is completely vulnerable,” he told some 40 diplomats invited to his residence in an unprecedented briefing three months before a General Election.

Bolsonaro gave no evidence of fraud, but said a hacker got inside the electronic voting system during the election he won in 2018, an incident that Police concluded had not compromised the result in any way.

Bolsonaro told the envoys the Brazilian military should be called in to help secure transparency in the

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro looks on during a session of the National Congress to decree amends to the Constitution to bypass the country’s spending cap and boost social benefits, in Brasilia, Brazil, July 14, 2022 (Reuters/Adriano Machado)

October 2 election. He has pushed electoral authorities to accept a parallel vote count to be carried out by the armed forces. They have

ruled that out.

Diplomats attending included envoys of the United States, the European Union, France, Spain and Portugal. Neighbour Argentina, whose president is a leftist, was not invited.

“We knew what he was going to say, that was no surprise. But it is quite unusual to convene the diplomatic community to talk about a domestic issue,” one diplomat who attended told Reuters.

Opposition Leaders called for an investigation of alleged electoral crimes committed by Bolsonaro, for his attacks on a system that has resulted in his election for three decades as a congressman and then as President, and for using public television to broadcast his views. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Mexico minimises US role in drug kingpin’s capture

M

exico’s President on Monday downplayed the role of the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in last week’s capture of drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, exposing tensions over security cooperation despite the major cross-border win.

The head of the DEA had hailed the arrest as the product of joint cooperation, but President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador repeatedly sought to paint a different picture.

“They had no direct intervention,” the President said of the DEA at a regu-

lar news conference.

However, two Mexican sources told Reuters the DEA had provided important information that helped with the kingpin’s capture.

Caro Quintero’s detention on Friday in a remote part of Sinaloa state was arguably the most important arrest of a drug trafficker under the Administration of Lopez Obrador, who assumed power in December 2018.

It was also a coup for the DEA, which long sought to extradite Caro Quintero to the United States as he served 28

years of a 40-year sentence in a Mexican jail for the kidnapping, torture, and murder of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena in Mexico in 1985.

After Caro Quintero was freed in 2013 under controversial circumstances by a Mexican Judge, the DEA made him a top target and US authorities placed a US20 million bounty on his head.

But when a Journalist asked Lopez Obrador if the DEA had located Caro Quintero and passed the information to Mexico, the President replied: “No, no, no.” (Excerpt from Reuters)

ealth Minister Carilda Peña Garcia has voiced concern about a spike in the mosquito-borne dengue fever as three of the four serotypes present in Latin America and the Caribbean, are in Cuba.

Garcia warned the public that if a person contracts more than one strain of the disease, there is the increased possibility of them having haemorrhagic dengue.

According to Garcia, the increase in cases of dengue fever is not only a Cuban problem, as more than two million dengue, zika and chikungunya cases were recently detected over the past few weeks in the Americas.

Since May and June,

The increase in cases of dengue fever is not only a Cuban problem, as more than two million dengue, zika and chikungunya cases were recently detected over the past few weeks in the Americas

Cuba witnessed an increase of dengue cases due to the rainy season and the life cycle of the mosquito.

The trend is expected to last till November.

Dr Madelaine Rivera, who heads the anti-vec-

tor fight in the Health Ministry here said that 71 Cuban municipalities have reported a spike in dengue fever and based on this everything needs to be done to prevent an epidemic.

(CMC)

T&T Police, activist free Venezuelan girls from prostitution ring

T

wo Venezuelan girls, who said they were part of a group which included 12 others, were rescued after Venezuelan activist Yesenia Gonzales reached out to the TTPS for help on the weekend after assisting the teen girls aged 16 and 17 – one of whom had been kidnapped six months ago.

Gonzales was able to effect the rescue around 04:00h on Saturday in bushy area in Cunupia, where the girls were found half naked and barefoot.

The 16-year-old bore bruises about the body as she was beaten by her handler who is from the Dominican Republic.

She also claimed to have

been raped multiple times daily during her six months in captivity.

The 17-year-old also came to Trinidad six months ago with the younger one and managed to avoid a similar fate after escaping her captors.

She was able to make contact with people she knew locally who helped her, but she kept searching for the other girl who was being abused and trafficked.

However, she was held sometime last week and began to suffer the same abuse.

Contacted by someone from the Venezuelan community who was aware of what had happened,

Gonzales was able to rescue the two.

She said both girls came to Trinidad to seek asylum.

Gonzales took the two girls into her care following the rescue and ensured they were given safe haven at a house, from where they were collected by officers belonging to various stations within the Northern Division on Sunday afternoon.

Following the information received from the two girls, the TTPS was expected to rescue the 12 others, who were allegedly being forced to work off what they owed, as sex workers. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

2 cops in custody, 3rd flees Jamaica in murder case

Slain Honduran activist’s P daughter seeks criminal probe

A

petition for a criminal probe against the Dutch Staterun development bank FMO has been filed in the Netherlands for alleged complicity in bloodshed in Honduras.

FMO, the acronym for the Netherlands Development Finance Company, had been involved in financing the controversial Agua Zarca dam project in northwest Honduras from 2014 to 2017. The project, slated for construction in Indigenous Lenca territory, drew international scrutiny after several murders surrounding the project, including the 2016 assassination of world-renowned Indigenous water defender

Berta Cáceres.

Cáceres had led the resistance to the dam, which many Indigenous people said would displace them from the Gualcarque River, regarded as sacred.

She was later killed by a hit squad whose members had connections to both the Honduran military as well as DESA, the dam-building company receiving loan money from FMO. David Castillo, the former chief executive of DESA, was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison on June 20 for being a collaborator in the killing.

Cáceres’s daughter Bertha Zúñiga Cáceres, who on June 28 jointly filed the 138-page petition with a Dutch court along with

Amsterdam-based law firm Global Justice Association, alleged that FMO was negligent in ignoring warning signs that their money was being embezzled on an enormous scale, allowing that money to go towards violence. They say that doing so may violate Dutch anti-money laundering laws.

One of the payments of FMO loan money, they argue, closely corresponds to WhatsApp conversations extracted by Honduras’s Public Prosecutor in which Castillo, the CEO of the dam company, and the head of the assassin squad discussed needing money to carry out Cáceres’s murder several days later. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

olice have confirmed that two officers are in custody and another has fled the island following the murder of 49-yearold Phillip Wallace.

Wallace was fatally shot in Red Hills on Saturday morning. Police believe the killing is linked to an alleged bribery deal.

In a digital press conference on Monday, Deputy Commissioner of Police Fitz Bailey, said local police are currently working with its international partners in an effort to return the cop to the island.

“I can assure you that the person who fled the island will be returned and justice will be done in this matter,” said DCP Bailey.

The Independent Commission of I n v e s t i g a t i o n s (INDECOM), the Major Investigation Division (MID) and the Inspectorate and Professional Standards Oversight Bureau of the

Jamaica Constabulary Force are investigating the matter.

Investigations are said to be well advanced and the Police say they remain committed in bringing the people responsible for Wallace’s murder to justice.

Reports are that about 10:41h on Saturday, Wallace was in his community on Green Glide Close in St Andrew, when a white Toyota Axio motorcar drove up. Three men alighted from the vehicle and opened

fire on Wallace.

Observer Online understands that the three officers mentioned in the case allegedly requested J$100,000 from Wallace following a raid some days before. A sum of money was allegedly provided but it is believed the Policemen wanted more.

A report was subsequently made to the Constant Spring Police Station and an investigation launched. (Jamaica Observer)

guyanatimesgy.com

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022

19

Around the World

OILNEWS OIL NEWS Oil jumps on Russia gas supply jitters, weaker dollar

O

il prices extended gains on Monday, boosted by mounting concerns over gas supply from Russia and a lower dollar, offsetting demand fears brought on by a possible recession and China lockdowns.

Brent crude futures for September settlement were up US$4.37, or 4.3 per cent, to US$105.53 a barrel by 12:30 pm EDT (1630 GMT), having gained 2.1 per cent on Friday.

US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures for August delivery were up US$4.02, or 4.1 per cent, at US$101.61 after rising by 1.9 per cent in the previous session.

Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom declared force majeure on gas supplies to Europe to at least one major customer, according to the letter seen by Reuters, potentially ratcheting up the continent's supply crunch.

Gazprom has told customers in Europe it cannot guarantee gas supplies because of 'extraordinary' circumstances.

"Brent crude will find support at the end of the week if Russia does not turn the gas back on to Germany after Nord Stream 1 maintenance," said Jeffrey Halley, a senior analyst at OANDA. A trading source said the letter concerned supplies through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, a major supply route to Germany and beyond.

Both Brent and WTI last week registered their biggest weekly declines for about a month on fears of a recession that would hit oil demand.

Meanwhile, mass COVID-19 testing exercises continue in parts of China this week, raising concerns over oil demand from the world's second-largest oil consumer.

However, supplies remain tight. As expected, US President Joe Biden's trip to Saudi Arabia failed to yield any pledge from the top OPEC producer to boost oil supply.

Biden wants Gulf oil producers to step up output to help to lower oil prices and drive down inflation. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Ukraine war: 6 die in shelling as new assault looms

S

ix people have been killed in shelling in an eastern Ukrainian town as Russia eyes its next major offensive.

Five bodies were found in the rubble of a house in Toretsk, in the Donetsk region, while another person died in hospital, emergency services said.

The Ukrainian military said Russia appeared to be regrouping for an offensive towards nearby Sloviansk.

The city was captured in 2014 by pro-Russian separatists who held it for nearly three months.

Now it is once again set to become a key battleground.

Since Russian troops began their invasion in February, President Vladimir Putin's original

Rescuers dug in the rubble in search of victims

war aims have been drastically curtailed.

The military abandoned its efforts to take the capital, Kyiv, and focused instead on the eastern Donbas region.

In another development, Russian Defence Minister

Ghana confirms 1st cases of deadly Marburg virus

G

hana has confirmed its first two cases of the deadly Marburg virus, a highly infectious disease in the same family as the virus that causes Ebola.

It says both patients died recently in hospital in the southern Ashanti region.

Their samples came back positive earlier this month

and have now been verified by a laboratory in Senegal.

Health officials in the West African nation say 98 people are now under quarantine as suspected contact cases.

These include relatives, medics and mortuary workers who came into contact with the two patients.

This is the second time

Britain braces for record At least 20 killed, 30 missing temperatures as heatwave after boat capsizes in Pakistan ripples across Europe

Villagers in rural Pakistan often use boats to travel, avoiding the higher costs of automobile transport [Akhtar Soomro/Reuters]

A

t least 20 people have died and another 30 are missing after a boat carrying more than 100 people capsized in a river in central Pakistan, officials said.

The overloaded boat was heading to a wedding when it capsized in the Indus River in the district of Sadiqabad, the Government said in a statement on Monday.

Nearly 90 people were rescued by divers, the statement said, adding that the passengers were mostly women and children.

All those on board belonged to one clan and were on their way to a family wedding across the river, it added.

“We have retrieved 20 bodies so far” and most of them were women, local government official Aslam Tasleem told local media channel Geo News.

“We’re not sure how many people exactly were on the boat. We’re getting the es-

timates just on the basis of the family members’ accounts,” he said.

Earlier, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took to Twitter to express his condolences to the victims’ family.

“I am saddened by the loss of 19 precious lives as a result of the boat capsizing accident in the Indus River …

We pray to Allah Almighty to grant the deceased a place in his mercy and grant patience to the affected families,” he tweeted.

Nearly 35 divers from a state-run rescue service took part in an operation to find and save more people who were in the river, the Government’s statement said.

Villagers in rural Pakistan often use boats to travel, avoiding the higher costs of automobile transport on ramshackle roads that are often far from their homes. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Sergei Shoigu has ordered generals to focus on destroying Ukraine's longrange missile and artillery weapons.

The Defence Ministry said the weapons were being used to shell residential areas of eastern Ukraine un-

der the control of Russianbacked separatists, and to set fire to wheat fields and grain storage silos.

The Ministry also said that a Russian missile strike on Sunday on the Donetsk village of Kostiantynivka had killed up to 250 mercenaries fighting on the Ukrainian side, as well as destroying 19 military vehicles.

The claims could not be independently verified.

In recent weeks, the US has supplied Ukraine with long-range missiles, including precision-guided High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), which Kyiv says are beginning to make a difference on the battlefield. (Excerpt from BBC News)

A firefighter works to contain a tactical fire in Louchats, as wildfires continue to spread in the Gironde region of southwestern France, July 17, 2022

B

ritain was heading for its highest temperatures on record and firefighters battled blazes across southern Europe as a heatwave sent people hunting for shade and compounded fears about climate change.

In Spain, a wildfire raced across a field and engulfed a excavator near the northern town of Tabara, forcing the driver to run for his life as flames burned the clothes off his back.

In Portugal, half the municipality of Murca was on fire and the bodies of an elderly couple trying to flee had been found inside a

"completely charred vehicle," the Mayor told local broadcaster SIC. In southern Europe there were some signs conditions were starting to ease after days of blistering highs that have caused hundreds of deaths and left the countryside dangerously dry, authorities said.

But the heatwave was moving north.

Belgium and Germany are expecting the heatwave to hit them in coming days, while temperatures nudged 38C (100 Fahrenheit) in southern England on Monday and are forecast to hit a record-breaking 40C (104 F) today, according to Britain's Meteorological Office.

British train companies cancelled services and some schools closed while officials urged the public to stay home and the Government triggered a "national emergency" alert.

Flights were suspended at Luton airport after staff identified a "runway defect".

The hot weather had melted the runway at the Royal Air Force's Brize Norton air base, Sky News reported.

Sales of electric fans, hoses, air conditioning units and sprinklers are soaring, retailers said. (Excerpt from BBC News)

that Marburg has been identified in West Africa. There was one confirmed case in Guinea last year, but that outbreak was declared over in September, five weeks after the case was discovered.

The World Health Organisation (WHO), which is supporting Ghana's health authorities, has praised the country's swift response.

Contact tracing and strict infection control measures have been introduced to prevent more fatalities.

Teams are also going into communities to make them aware of the symptoms and to ensure they alert health authorities if any suspected cases emerge.

No treatment yet exists for Marburg - but doctors say drinking plenty of water and treating specific symptoms improves a patient's chances of survival.

The virus is transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads between humans through the transmission of bodily fluids.

Those at highest risk of getting infected include family members and hospital staff caring for someone who is sick.

It is a severe, often fatal illness with symptoms including headache, fever, muscle pains, vomiting blood and bleeding. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Gunman kills 3 at Greenwood Park Mall in US state of Indiana

A

gunman has killed three people at a shopping centre in the US state of Indiana in the latest mass shooting in the country.

Two others were also wounded when the attacker, carrying a rifle along with several magazines of ammunition, opened fire at 6pm (22:00 GMT) on Sunday at the Greenwood Park Mall, which is located about 16km (10 miles) from the state capital, Indianapolis, authorities said.

The attacker’s identity and a motive for the attack, which took place in the shopping centre’s food court, were not immediately released.

Police said the attack ended when a 22-year-old “good Samaritan” who was legally carrying a gun fatally shot the attacker.

Those injured included a 12-year-old girl, Greenwood Police Department chief Jim Ison said.

“This has shaken us to our core. This isn’t something we have seen in Greenwood before,” he said. “It’s absolutely horrendous.”

“The real hero of the day is the citizen that was lawfully carrying a firearm in that food court and was able to stop this shooter almost as soon as he began,” he added.

Gun violence remains common in the United States, with the Gun Violence Archive recording 352 mass shootings so far in 2022. The tracker recorded 611 mass shootings in 2021, up from 417 the previous year.

Meanwhile, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has recorded an increase in recent years in so-called “active shooter” incidents, which it defines as a gunman killing or attempting to kill people in a public space in a seemingly random fashion. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

20

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022

guyanatimesgy.com

DAILY HOROSCOPES

ARCHIE

Think big, but keep things in perspective. Hone your skills and apply what you do and know to every facet of life. Refuse to let obstacles stand between you and victory.

(March 21-April 19)

DILBERT

(April 20-May 20)

Excuses are easy to come up with, but if you want to make the most of your day, take hold of whatever situation you face and put muscle behind your plan. Step up and show everyone what you can do.

Don't ignore the signs. Tune in to what's going on around you to avoid making a mistake. Diligence will pay off and help alleviate uncertainty and confusion. It's time to move forward!

(May 21-June 20)

PEANUTS (June 21-July 22)

(July 23-Aug. 22)

CALVIN AND HOBBES

(Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Be moderate and avoid getting caught in something avoidable. Too much of anything will slow you down and cause strain on you emotionally and physically. Choose your words and battles wisely.

Refuse to let the changes you encounter throw you off guard. You'll find it easier to realize your intent if you keep your plans firmly in mind.

Persistence and attention to detail will pay off.

Sign up for something different, and you won't be disappointed. Your involvement in things you care about will bring you in contact with someone who fires you up. Romance is on the rise.

You'll attract people who will take advantage of you if you give them a chance. Don't take a risk with your heart or your cash. Listen, but don't divulge your feelings or plans.

(Sept. 23-Oct. 23)

SUDOKU (Oct. 24-Nov. 22)

(Nov. 23-Dec. 21)

Relax and mull over what puts a smile on your face. Discuss what you'd like to adjust in your life with the people who can help you reach your goal.

Say what's on your mind and be truthful.

Concentrate on home, family and partnerships. Address issues that can cause problems before they have a chance to fester. Listen, and you'll gather information that will help you keep the peace.

Spend time enjoying the company of loved ones and altering situations to make your life easier. Don't overreact when understanding and positive support are required.

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Pay attention to where your money goes. Address how you live and who contributes to your expenses or costs you money. Help those who need it by showing them how to be self-sufficient.

(Jan. 20-Feb. 19)

(Feb. 20-March 20)

Explore and discover. Try your hand at something that excites you.

Follow your heart and appease your soul, and you'll feel better about life and the path you choose to take.

Reward yourself.

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022

21

Joseph completes successful stint as Lady Jags Head Coach T

he Guyana Football Federation (GFF) extended its gratitude to Dr Ivan Joseph on Saturday as he concluded a successful fouryear tenure in charge of the senior women’s national team.

Joseph, who took up the post on a voluntary ba-

B

sis in 2018, made great strides in moving the women’s programme forward despite significant challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

His efforts resulted in an impressive 66- per cent win ratio with the senior and U-20 women’s teams in internation-

al competitions.

“We are deeply grateful for the unwavering commitment, professionalism, and humility that Dr Joseph brought to this role,” said GFF President Wayne Forde. “We are delighted with the progress the Lady Jags made during his memora-

Ben Stokes to retire from ODI cricket after Chester-le-Street farewell

e n Stokes has announced that he will retire from One-day International (ODI) cricket immediately after England play South Africa at Chester-le-Street today.

Stokes was appointed as England's Test Captain earlier this year and said that playing three formats was "just unsustainable for me now" and that he felt as though he was blocking opportunities for other players.

He had been due to play all six of England's ODIs this summer and rest throughout their T20I commitments against India and South Africa, as well as the Hundred, but has now opted to quit the 50-over game in order to give "everything I have to Test cricket" and "my total commitment to the T20 format".

Today's ODI at his home ground, the Riverside, will be Stokes' 105th game for England in the format, having made his debut against Ireland in 2011. He heads into his final appearance with a batting average of 39.44 at a strike rate of 95.26, and has taken 74 wickets. His defining performance in the format was his innings of 84 not out to force the 2019 World Cup final to a Super Over, in which he then added eight runs off three balls to help England lift the trophy for the first time.

"I can't give my teammates 100 per cent of myself in this format anymore," Stokes said in a statement.

"This has been an incredibly tough decision to make. I have loved every minute of playing with my mates for England.

We have had an incredible journey on the way.

"As hard as a decision as this was to come to, it's not as hard dealing with the fact I can't give my teammates 100 per cent of myself in this format anymore. The England shirt deserves nothing less from anyone who wears it."

Stokes took a break from the game last summer to focus on his mental health and did not register for the Indian Premier League (IPL) auc-

tion earlier this year in a bid to manage his workload across formats. He said in his statement that his body was "letting him down" owing to the demands of the schedule and he was visibly hobbling after stooping to take a catch off Hardik Pandya in the third ODI at Old Trafford on Sunday.

England's fixture list this summer involves seven Tests spread across three-and-ahalf months, plus a dozen limited-overs internationals in the space of 25 days in July.

Their schedule has been relentless since international cricket resumed in July 2020 after the initial hiatus during the first COVID-19 lockdown and will continue to place huge demands on players in coming years: a late draft of the 2023-27 Future Tours Programme, seen by ESPNcricinfo, includes 42 Tests, 44 ODIs, and 52 T20Is outside of International Cricket Council (ICC) events over a four-year period.

"Three formats are just unsustainable for me now," he said. "Not only do I feel that my body is letting me down because of the schedule and what is expected of us, but I also feel that I am taking the place of another player who can give Jos and the rest of the team their all. It's time for someone else to progress as a cricketer and make incredible memories like I have over the past 11 years.

"I will give everything I have to Test cricket, and now, with this decision, I feel I can also give my total commitment to the T20 format. I would like to wish Jos Buttler, Matthew Mott, the players, and the support staff every success going forward.

We have made great strides in white-ball cricket over the past seven years, and the future looks bright.

"I have loved all 104 games I have played so far, I've got one more, and it feels amazing to be playing my last game at my home ground in Durham.

As always, the England fans have always been there for me and will continue to be there.

You're the best fans in the

world. I hope we can win on Tuesday [today] and set the series up nicely against South Africa."

Stokes is the second member of England's World Cupwinning team to retire from ODI cricket in the last month, after Eoin Morgan quit the international game at the end of June after their series in the Netherlands, leaving Mott and Buttler a significant challenge to replace them ahead of their title defence in India next year.

Stokes scored 48 runs in three innings against India, batting at number four, and bowled only three overs across the three-match series, but leaves a major hole in England's first-choice side. In the medium term, they may look to blood Sam Curran –who ran the drinks throughout the India series – as the closest thing to a like-for-like replacement.

Rob Key, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Managing Director of men's cricket, described Stokes' decision as "typically selfless" and said that it would "benefit England long-term". He said: "Ben Stokes has had an incredible international career in ODI cricket, culminating in his match-winning performance at the 2019 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup final.

"I know this must have been a tough decision, but I completely understand why he has reached this conclusion. I'm sure that when we look back on Ben's career … [we’ll] see this as one of the reasons he will play 120-plus Tests and help England in T20 matches and World Cups for many years to come."

Clare Connor, the ECB's interim chief executive, added: "Ben is not only one of the world's best players, but an inspirational figure too, so our ODI team will miss him. But having taken on the Test captaincy and with today's busy calendar of cricket, we completely understand and respect his decision. We look forward to watching him excite and enthral in an England shirt for many years to come."

(ESPNcricinfo)

Dr Ivan Joseph

ble tenure. His achievements have created the foundations for Guyana to become a true powerhouse of women’s football in the Caribbean region in the coming years.

“The conclusion of the Lady Jags’ 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualification campaign brought an end to a remarkable cycle in the women’s programme. We must now build on this as we plan for a new cycle and a brighter future,” Forde added.

The Lady Jags performed admirably in the

2022 CONCACAF W Championship qualification rounds – the first step towards the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup – finishing second in a tough qualification group featuring Trinidad and Tobago and Nicaragua. The Jags were just seconds away from reaching the CONCACAF W Championship in their final qualifier in Trinidad and Tobago before the hosts scored a last-gasp equaliser to snatch the group’s only qualification spot.

Joseph, who brought more

than two decades of experience in high-performance coaching and athletics administration to the role, thanked the GFF for the opportunity to play a part in the development of football in the country of his birth.

“I am disappointed that the GFF has elected to move in a different direction with the leadership of the women’s football programme,” said Joseph, who serves as Vice President of student affairs at Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada.

“However, I am extremely proud of the efforts and performance our Lady Jags have accomplished during our tenure.

Coaching the U-20 ladies to the final eight in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers and our recent near miss in getting to the final eight of the CONCACAF Women’s World Cup qualifiers are results our staff and team are proud of accomplishing,” he added.

“A special thank you to the domestic based players and local coaches who have elevated the women’s game to a significant level in Guyana over a very short time,” he said. “The best is yet to come.”

Lendl Simmons retires from international cricket

L

endl Simmons, the West Indies batter, has retired from international cricket, according to an Instagram post from his sports agency 124notout.

The post further said that he had written a letter to Cricket West Indies (CWI) last Friday informing them about his decision to become a free agent and pursue opportunities on the franchise circuit.

Earlier in the day, former West Indies Captain Denesh Ramdin had also announced his international retirement.

Simmons' international career spanned 16 years.

He represented West Indies in eight Tests; 68 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and 68 T20 Internationals (T20Is), scoring 3763 runs across all formats.

Simmons made his ODI debut in 2006, against Pakistan in Faisalabad, but was dismissed for a two-ball duck. Overall, he scored 1958 ODI runs, including two centuries, at an average of 31.58.

While Simmons' numbers in Tests are not eye-catching – he played only eight matches and did not score a single fifty – he carved quite a name for himself in the shortest format. Simmons played a key role in West Indies' triumph during the 2016 T20 World Cup, blasting a 51ball 82 in the semi-final

Lendl Simmons

against hosts India. In total, Simmons scored 1527 runs in T20Is at a strike rate of 120.80, with nine half-centuries. He last represented West Indies during the 2021 T20 World Cup, struggling to 16 off 35 balls as the team lost to South Africa.

Simmons enjoyed a stellar career in franchise cricket, too, representing several teams like Mumbai Indians, Trinbago Knight Riders, Karachi Kings, and Sylhet Sunrisers. He is the highest run-getter in Caribbean Premier League (CPL) history, with 2629 runs from 91 innings, including 20

half-centuries.

He also helped Mumbai to two Indian Premier League (IPL) trophies, in 2015 and 2017, scoring a total of 1079 runs from 29 innings during his time with the franchise.

"As your agency, we take this opportunity to salute you king. You are arguably the most underestimated international cricketer in the West Indies," 124notout said in an Instagram post. "For that reason, we will accept your retirement announcement as a resignation and we will turn this into a refinement." (ESPNcricinfo)

22

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Hemraj’s century highlights minor league action

…batsman optimistic as CPL approaches

I

t was a weekend to remember for Chandrapaul Hemraj, one of the Amazon Warriors batsmen, playing for the New Jersey Somerset Cavaliers in the US Minor League Atlantic Conference as he put on an allround display, with the highlight being another century. His performances were enough to hand the Cavaliers back-to-back victories.

In game one, which was played at the Howe Athletic Complex, the Cavaliers faced off against the Philadelphians who won the toss and elected to bat.

The Philadelphians were off to a flyer, but the Cavaliers managed to halt them in their tracks, picking up two quick wickets to have them at 58-2 in 7.5 overs.

Milind Kumar came to the crease and rescued them, blasting a quick-fire 83 off 39 balls, to which the Cavaliers had no reply.

His handy knock propelled them to 192-4 in their allotted 20 overs, with handy performances from Chiranshu Bhatia (27) and Jonathan Foo (19). Vanditkumar

Chandrapaul Hemraj bowled miserly figures of 1-14 from his four overs

Prajapati was the leading bowler with 2-33. Heading into the chase, the Philadelphians were not prepared for the havoc the Cavaliers were about to wreak on them. Prajapati blasted 69

at the top of the order, but it was the in-form Hemraj who blasted 101 not out off 50 balls to take his side over the line. His innings included two boundaries and 11 towering maximums at a

strike rate of 202 as the Cavaliers ended on 193-1 in 18.2 overs.

In game two, the Cavaliers duked it out with the Manhattan Yorkers. This encounter was much tighter than the previous games the Cavaliers had played.

The Manhattan side won the toss and elected to bowl at Volunteer Park. Prajapati was once again among the runs with 35; however, the Cavaliers felt a detrimental blow when they lost Hemraj for 6. From there, everything was downhill for the Cavaliers as they were restricted to 128-9 in their 20 overs. Bashkar Yadram was the standout bowler with 2-30. With such a small total on the board to overhaul, the Manhattan Yorkers were a definite shoein for the win, but the Cavaliers were impeccable with the ball, handing themselves victory by 18 runs. The Manhattan Yorkers were dismissed for 110 in 18.4 overs, Umaid Asif bagged 2-29, Prajapati 2-35 and Hemraj 1-14 off his four overs.

When questioned on the

Chandrapaul Hemraj scored 101 off 50 balls

importance of scoring two centuries, Hemraj said, “It’s definitely important to score back-to-back hundreds as consistency is something I have been striving for and finding

Dolphin, Golden Grove move in to Milo semis today, but the team wasn’t good and the defending and passing the ball good. That’s all,” he said.

“I feel good to reach the semi-final, scoring goals and cooperating more with the team.

I hope we reach to the final.

“We need to practise more hard, come out every day and communicating.”

The Milo tournament will continue on Wednesday evening with the other two quarterfinal games. Defending champions Christianburg Wismar Secondary will look to one-up Cummings Lodge Secondary at 16:00h (4pm), while North Ruimveldt and West Ruimveldt lock horns at 18:00h (6pm).

so I can keep improving going forward. I’m timing the ball really well and being able to pace my innings the way I want to, so, I’ll definitely be going into CPL [Caribbean Premier League] with some confidence.”

As it relates to his fitness, the talented Guyanese noted that he has been working extremely hard on that aspect of his game and has been putting in the necessary work as it concerns his fitness, recovery and stretches.

He explained that he was much better physically and mentally, and was optimistic that he would remain in that space going into the CPL.

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A look at the action between Golden Grove and Friendship Secondary

A

double header at the Ministry of Education (MoE) Ground on Sunday resulted in Golden Grove and Dolphin Secondary booking their spots in the 2022 Milo Under-18 Schools football semi-finals.

And, according to representatives from the two teams, they are both extremely happy to have made it this far.

Golden Grove were the first victors of the day, thumping Friendship Secondary 4-1 in their encounter.

Friendship had the first strike, by way of a Jamal Cordis goal in the 16th minute. The scores were levelled soon after by Kelvin Richards in the 20th minute, and Tyric Trotman made it a 2-1 game for Golden Grove in the 25th.

In the second half, Richards completed his brace in the 67th minute, while Duwad Wilson added one in the 90th for the Golden Grove win.

After the game, Richards shared his thoughts on his team’s performance and where their opponents went wrong.

“I’m glad we come out with a victory and I got to say thanks for my team-mates, for passing the ball good to me and helping me to score goals,” Richards told

Guyana Times Sport.

“I think we defence stronger than them, they need good defenders,” he remarked in his

In the following game, Dolphin Secondary led an onslaught against President’s College, who could not so much

A moment from the Dolphin v President’s College contest

assessment of the Friendship outfit.

The youngster went on to add, “I think the attacking midfield did better, they pass the ball to we good and help us to score “Train hard and continue to share a good relationship with your team-mates,” the young baller listed as his recipe for preparing for the semis and possibly the final.

as muster a reply.

Leading the charge for Dolphin were Caldwell Peters (15th, 84th) and Gerry Burnette (24th, 86th), who both scored doubles. Samuel Grant’s goal in the 59th minute added to an already decorated sheet, as Dolphin won 5-0.

Captain Burnette articulated hopes of Dolphin getting to the coveted final.

“The game was wonderful

Dwayne Wade, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Country Style Foods, with LBFCC Assistant Secretary/Treasurer Jeffrey Yearwood

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ountry Style Foods, the manufacturer of Country Style Plantain Chips, has teamed up with the Linden Bauxite Flyers Cycling Club (LBFCC) to host the first “Country Style Foods Cycling Classic” on July 24, 2022.

This event will cater for both males and females in the following categories: veterans, seniors, juniors, juveniles and BMX U9.

The event will take the form of a circuit race with the starting

line being between Bernard Avenue and Joseph Apartments in Amelia’s Ward. The first race will ride off at 10:00h.

This event is a part of the Cycling Club’s strategy to have frequent events to keep the cyclists in Linden very active.

On board with the event are Guyana Lottery Company, Guyana Breweries Inc – Soft Drinks, Guyana Breweries Inc, Destination Tours, Country Style Foods GY and Sister to Sister's Beauty.

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(Ext 55)

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

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1500+ to benefit from swimming programme I

n excess of 1000 children and parents showed up at the National Aquatic Centre, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown for the opening of the “Teach Them Young” swimming programme on Monday morning, in what is being hailed as a landmark for the event.

To be precise, this year’s “Teach Them Young” programme registered over 1500 children, who will benefit from the Governmentfunded initiative.

The programme will last two weeks at four locations across the country, as children learn the valuable life skill of swimming.

Another benefit to be derived from the programme is the spotting of talent – something the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association’s

Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle

(GASA’s) President Dwayne Scott is optimistic about.

“We’re extremely grateful at GASA for this initiative, since coming out of this programme, we will see a new bunch of people interested in the sport. Perhaps taking up the sport as a hab-

it and at some point, becoming competitive swimmers,” Scott shared with the mammoth crowd.

Labelling the number of registrants as historic was Director of Sport (DoS) Steve Ninvalle, who regarded the Government’s commitment

Sport Minister Charles Ramson Jr interacts with scores of children at Monday morning’s opening ceremony

“Blessed” Fraser-Pryce still hungry for more after recordextending 5th world 100m title

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espite winning a record-extending fifth 100m world title, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce is hungry for more. The 35-year-old Fraser-Pryce won the World Athletics Championships 100m title in a new championship record of 10.67, breaking the previous record set by the USA’s Marion Jones in 1999.

While wearing a stylish wig mirroring her country's national colours, Fraser-Pryce led a Jamaican sweep as Shericka Jackson claimed the silver medal in a personal best of 10.73, which sees her surpass compatriot Merlene Ottey as the third-fastest Jamaican woman.

Only Fraser-

Pryce (10.60) and Elaine Thompson-Herah (10.54) have run faster.

Thompson-Herah, the Tokyo Olympics 100m champion, was third this time around in a relatively pedestrian 10.81 as the Jamaican women swept the medal places in consecutive global championships.

However, the moment belonged to the 35-year-old Pocket Rocket, who had won the previous 100m titles in 2009, 2013, 2015 and an unprecedented fourth in 2019. She was fourth in Daegu in 2011 because of injury and missed out in 2017 because she was pregnant with her son Zyon.

“I can't even imagine the amount of times I've had setbacks and I've bounced back and I'm here again," said Fraser-Pryce, who became the first athlete to win five titles in the same running event since the World Championships began in 1983.

Only pole vaulter Sergey Bubka, hammer thrower Pawel Fajdek and discus great Lars Riedel

have also won the same single disciple five or more times.

"I continue to remind myself that sometimes it's not because you don't have the ability, but it's the right time. Today was the right time," she continued.

"I feel blessed to have this talent and to continue to do it at 35, (after) having a baby, still going, and hopefully inspiring women that they can make their own journey," added Fraser-Pryce.

"Whenever I'm healthy, I'm going to compete. I'm hungry, I'm driven, and I always believe I can run faster and I'm not going to stop until I stop believing that."

Fraser-Pryce has now been involved in three 100m medal sweeps for Jamaica. She was the winner in a Jamaican 1-2-2 finish with Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and was second to ThompsonHerah in a Jamaican 1-2-3 at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Jackson won the bronze. (Sportsmax)

An instructor gets a young child ready for the pool

to sport in the same light.

Ninvalle explained, “And I would like to start off by saying this is a historic day.

It is not only a historic day because of the number of participants that we have at this programme, but it is historic because the level of organisation and the way we have continued to listen to Associations is a microcosm of how the Government of Guyana is working towards developing sport in Guyana.”

“Never before have we had in swimming, or in any other programme run by our Ministry, this amount of participants,” the DoS added.

Also touching on the subject of commitment to sport was Subject Minister Charles Ramson Jr, who highlighted to parents their

role in ensuring partnerships remain beneficial for all.

“Now I’m telling you that, because – for us to move our country forward, it has to be done in this framework of partnership. Partnership where we’re honouring our commitments to you and you benefiting from the programmes that are designed for your benefit. And at the same time, for you to understand that there are things for you to look forward to,” the Sport Minister posited.

“That you know that when we make that commitment and we say that something is going to happen, it is for it to happen, but that you must see that you’re taking the opportunity for you and your kids to benefit.”

While the programme will be hosted at Watooka

House in Linden and Albion Estate Pool in Berbice; Region Four’s programme, with the greatest number of entrants, has been broken up into two groups – Colgrain Pool for younger children and the Aquatic Centre for teens.

The programme will be hosted in one-hour sessions, with the six- and seven-year-olds being attended to between 8am and 9am, eight- and nine-year-olds between 9am and 10am, and the 10- and 11-year-olds between 10am and 11am.

At the Aquatic Centre, the 12-14-year-olds will hit the pool from 1pm to 2pm while the 15-18-year-olds will learn the skill from 2pm to 3pm.

The event is expected to conclude on August 5.

TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022

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

The new CPL building on Camp Street, Georgetown (Jemima Holmes photo)

What to expect when you enter the CPL box office for Hero CPL tickets (Jemima Holmes photo)

ickets for the 2022 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) group games in Guyana will be going on sale from today, Tuesday, July 19, 2022, and will be available to buy from a brandnew box-office location at 233-234 Camp Street and online from www.cplt20. com.

There will be seven group games in Guyana in 2022 with four of those matches featuring the home team, the Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW). All these matches will take place at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

The tickets going on sale today will be for GAW’s home games, alongside three other games being played between the other CPL franchises.

The 10am tickets will cost G$2000, with the 7pm games’ tickets costing between GY$2500 and GY$6000. The box office at Camp Street’s opening hours will be 9:00am

to 5:00pm (Monday-Friday) and 9:00am to 1:00pm (Saturdays).

Tickets for the knockout stages, which will also be held at the National Stadium in Providence, will go on sale very soon.

The Hero CPL matches in Guyana in 2022 are as follows:

Additionally, it has been reported that some GAW merchandise from previous years will be on sale, while new merchandise for the 2022 season will become available in the coming weeks.

The 2022 men’s Hero CPL tournament will take place from August 31 to September 30. The host countries for 2022 will be St Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana. In 2022, there will be the first running of the Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL), which will feature Barbados Royals, Guyana Amazon Warriors and Trinbago Knight Riders. The WCPL will take place in St Kitts and Nevis from August 31 to September 4.

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