Guyana Times - Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Govt hands over $16M river ambulance to Region 10 P14

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Dual citizen Ministers resign guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 3883

wednesday, april 3, 2019

See stories on pages 3 and 7

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WHAT'S INSIDE: Berbice murder

Husband begs court to see wife “one last time” P12 …Magistrate denies request

Teen electrocuted while making P11 illegal connection

…but to remain in “Govt service” ...replacement MPs likely by next sitting – PNCR Vice Chairman

Centenarian perishes Region 1 outbreak 200 mining employees in Bartica fire Page 9

being assessed for leptospirosis

Page 9

$1.3B in P15 damages caused by floods annually in Georgetown

Ex-GDF officer jailed for 22 years P11

…regional workshop also goes up in flames "House-to-house" manoeuvre

Exchange of data between Registrar, GECOM can resolve list concerns – Attorney Page 14

…Opposition threatens legal action to stop disenfranchisement …as GECOM meeting ends in drama over Chairman’s limiting agenda

“Cobra” slapped with 15-year sentence for P8 murder

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wednESday, april 3, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

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

Wednesday, April 3 – a night retraction from 04:00h and a day retraction from 14:30h-16:00h and Thursday, April 4 – a night retraction from 04:30h and a day retraction from 14:30h-16:00h.

Dual citizen Ministers resign …but to remain in “Govt service”

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Wednesday, April 3 – 15:40h-17:10h and Thursday, April 4 – 16:15h-17:45h.

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

WEATHER TODAY

Sunny intervals are expected throughout the day, followed by partly cloudy skies in the evening, with overall temperatures ranging between 21 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

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

High Tide: 03:36h and 15:51h reaching maximum heights of 2.48 metres and 2.55 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 09:27h and 21:44h reaching minimum heights of 0.71 metres and 0.64 metre respectively.

saturday, march 30, 2019

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Resigned: Minister of State Joseph Harmon

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he Ministry of the Presidency has announced that effective from April 1, Members of Parliament (MP’s) on the government side that have dual citizenship have resigned. As such, these MP’s will not be returning to parliament when it reconvenes on April 11.

These MP’s include Minister of State, Joseph Harmon (a United States citizen) and Foreign Affairs Minister, Carl Greenidge; Business Minister, Dominic Gaskin and Public Service Minister Dr Rupert Roopnaraine (all United Kingdom citizens).

According to the government’s statement, President David Granger accepted their resignations on Monday. This would have been before he left the jurisdiction for medical treatment in Cuba.

Meanwhile, in a statement afterward, government clarified that the vacated Ministerial posts will be occupied by the former Ministers’ cabinet colleagues. According to a statement, Ministers who acted in the past for them will once more fill in.

“Following rulings by the High Court and the Guyana Court of Appeal, His Excellency President David Granger had sought Cabinet’s advice on how to definitively address the status of Members of Parliament who hold dual citizenship.”

“The Courts have held that it is unconstitutional for persons swearing allegiance to a foreign state or power to be eligible for election to Parliament. Consequently, the four Government MPs who were also ministers, submitted to the President their resignations from the House.”

Calling the resignations satisfactory, government in the statement noted that it was the politically correct thing to do. At the same time, however, government hinted that these Ministers may be making a comeback in other governmental roles.

“While it is conceded that the Constitution strictly bars a person who holds dual citizenship from being an MP, they are not precluded from remaining in government service. This is a matter to be addressed by

Resigned: Foreign Affairs Minister and Vice President, Carl Greenidge

the President who will finalize ways in which the four resigned MPs will serve in government.”

“Cabinet thanks the four resigned MPs for their yeoman and exemplary service to the people of Guyana and looks forward to their future contributions in their new roles. Cabinet looks forward to names being extracted from the APNU+AFC Coalition list of candidates to fill the vacancies of the MPs who have resigned their seats.”

AFC

The fact that these MP’s may be rehired was reiterated by Minister of Natural Resources and Alliance For Change (AFC) Leader Raphael Trotman, who in a broadcast alluded to the former Ministers continuing in government in other capacities.

“They are not gone altogether from government, they are only resigning from the National Assembly and as a consequence, not being Ministers, they cannot be members of cabinet,” Trotman said.

However, the AFC lead-

Resigned: Public Service Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine

Resigned: Business Minister Dominic Gaskin

er said nothing about a permanent replacement for Gaskin, who is a high ranking AFC member. He only noted that President Granger, as the keeper of portfolios, would delegate same.

“The President is the keeper and holder of all portfolios, and he distributes these as per the constitution and our agreement in the Cummingsburg Accord,” Trotman explained in his broadcast.

“So in the interim, as has happened before when Ministers were unable to attend cabinet, due to ill health or travels, other Ministers are designated by his Excellency to perform the functions. And as we speak we are having over Ministers perform the functions and cabinet continues.”

Article 155 (1) of the Constitution of Guyana states that “No person shall be qualified for election as a member of the National Assembly who (a) is, by virtue of his own act, under any acknowledgement of allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign power or

state.”

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

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

The Court of Appeal later upheld the January High Court ruling that it is illegal for persons holding dual citizenship status to be sitting in the National Assembly.

Government has been under increasing criticism, even from its own supporters, for stating that dual citizens will return to the National Assembly despite these two rulings.

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

Policymakers and youth

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ouths make up the larger part of the population of almost every country in the world. This presents certain challenges for policymakers to develop, implement and maintain programmes and activities which must be economically and socially oriented to satisfy their (youth) desires.

It is also well known that the absence of well-thoughtout programmes with respect to youth development impacts negatively on our young people, and sometimes even lead to them resigning themselves to lawlessness and other antisocial behaviours that are damaging to society.

Caricom Secretary General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque recently stated that the majority of victims as well as perpetrators of crimes reported by the Police are young males 18 to 35 years old. He pointed to the fact that there are a number of socio-economic determinants of crime; the least of which is the high youth unemployment in the Region of 25 per cent in 2017 – that is three times the average and the highest. This is surely reason to be concerned as right away one would begin to worry about the kind of future these persons would have, and the contribution they would make to their societies, if any at all. Certainly, this is enough reason to cause governments and policymakers to take a closer look at what is happening in their individual countries and take steps to remedy the situation.

Certainly, there is a great need for intervention in order to combat the current challenges facing young people. In order to prepare young people for workplace success, job training programmes need to go beyond technical instruction and also teach “life skills,” such as communication, reliability, and teamwork. This push for teaching youth life skills has been validated by employers who have consistently reported that, above all, they want to hire employees who possess workplace-ready skills, such as communication, teamwork, motivation and responsibility. Technical skills, they say, can be learned on the job.

In addition to teaching youth the life skills employers look for, there is need to also introduce complementary life planning activities in this component. These activities help youth in assessing who they are, their aspirations for the future, and define realistic steps toward achieving these goals.

Guyana has a number of programmes geared towards equipping young people with various skills for the world of work etc. This is commendable, but more focus needs to be placed on combining teaching life skills with the various academic or technical subjects. Meaning, these programmes should include assessment and identification of ways to build competency and skills supportive of healthy behaviours to help young people as they mature into adulthood.

Additionally, institutions such as the family and religious bodies need to take up their roles more seriously as happened before. Historically, the older generation had managed to transmit their beliefs, values, traditions, customs and institutions to the younger members of their societies.

This was achieved largely because of the impact of agencies of socialisation, such as the family, religion and the schools.

Today, the impact of these institutions has been challenged and undermined by new forces, particularly television and the internet, and the pop culture as a whole.

Further, the role of the Private Sector should never be underestimated. There is need for funding for many crucial programmes aimed at creating better opportunities for young persons here. Such programmes, once effectively implemented, would see our young people become well equipped with the necessary skills to develop themselves and in turn contribute to the overall development of the country. The Private Sector is one of the main beneficiaries of an educated and skilled workforce and it should seek to invest in; and help to build the pool of talent it wishes to draw from.

It is well accepted that progressive countries in the world have strong systems for engaging youth in policy formation and in creating or altering programmes designed to support youth. We believe that if our young people are to make more mature and responsible judgments and engage in activities that are the hallmark of a socially productive adulthood, certain support systems for development must be present in the environment, teaching life skills is a good way to start.

Women in the Guyana Defence Force participating in the First Quarterly Fitness Competition for 2019 at Base Camp Stephenson, Timehri, East Bank Demerara (Guyana Defence Force photo)

Thousands of Venezuelans break barricades, cross Colombia border

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housands of Venezuelans broke through barricades along the international border with Colombia on Tuesday, according to the migration office in Bogota, which warned Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro that he would be held responsible for any problems that may occur.

Maduro in February blocked bridges joining the two nations in a bid to prevent a US-backed effort to distribute hundreds of tonnes of humanitarian aid to the crisis-wracked nation.

With bridges blocked by containers and trucks, Venezuelans have been wading through the Tachira River to reach the city of Cucuta, on Colombia’s northern border, to find food, medicines and work.

But torrential rains in recent days have made that impossible.

“The usurper Maduro is responsible for anything that may happen to the population that is transiting between the two countries,” said Christian Kruger, head of Colombia’s migration agency, highlighting the risk of the Simon Bolivar Bridge being weakened.

Millions of Venezuelans have fled to Colombia to escape widespread shortages of food and medicine in their homeland, seeking jobs locally and passage into other Latin American countries.

Venezuela plunged into a deep political crisis in January, when Juan Guaidó, head of the Oppositioncontrolled Congress, invoked the Constitution to declare himself interim President, arguing Maduro’s 2018 re-election was not legitimate.

US President Donald Trump has taken steps to ratchet up pressure on Maduro and bolster Guaidó, who has been recognised as President by the United States and more than 50 other countries, in-

People cross the Colombian-Venezuelan border over the Simon Bolivar international bridge in Cucuta, Colombia, April 2, 2019

cluding Colombia.

Colombia’s Government says providing Venezuelan migrants with access to basic services and expanding healthcare, education and public utilities costs it a half percentage point of annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Colombia’s GDP in 2018 was some US$312 billion (Reuters) Venezuela’s Guaidó stripped of immunity, can face prosecution Venezuelan lawmakers loyal to President Maduro stripped Opposition Leader Guaidó’s immunity Tuesday – and authorised the high court to criminally prosecute him for proclaiming himself the crisis-hit country’s ruler.

Guaidó – who is recognised by over 50 countries – had earlier expressed fears of being abducted by Government agents following a request by the Supreme Court on Monday to the Constituent Assembly to lift his parliamentary immunity.

Critics of the controversial two-year-old body say it was created to rubber-stamp Maduro’s decisions and sideline the Opposition-controlled National Assembly.

“They can try to kidnap me,” said Guaidó.

The Constituent Assembly’s President, Diosdado Cabello, announced pro-Maduro lawmakers had unanimously authorised the Supreme Court to prosecute Guaidó, leaving him also liable to be charged for breaching a January 29 Government ban on leaving the country.

The court had been investigating Guaidó for usurping Maduro’s powers by declaring himself interim President on January 23 – a move which rapidly gained international support.

“You know how the regime acts. This is not even persecution – this is inquisition,” said Guaidó, who recognises neither the court nor the Constituent Assembly.

Neither institution “has the quality of being able to lift immunity or invalidate, we have to say things as they are,” he said.

Travel ban Guaidó was speaking to reporters prior to a meeting of his own National Assembly, which sits in the same federal palace building as the rival Constituent Assembly.

Monday’s court ruling cited Guaidó’s violation of a ban on his travel outside Venezuela

when he visited Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Paraguay from late February to early March.

The move came after Venezuela’s Auditor General’s office announced Thursday that it had stripped Guaidó of the right to hold public office for 15 years, a decision he rejected as invalid.

Parallel to the political battle, the country has been hit by a series of devastating blackouts that have left millions without water, prompting the Government to replace the country’s Energy Minister and institute power rationing in a bid to address the outages.

Three major blackouts hit Venezuela in March, worsening already dire living and economic conditions in the country, and prompting authorities to take steps aimed at curbing the outages Maduro – whose government has blamed “terrorists” for alleged attacks that have damaged the country’s main hydroelectric power plant – announced that he was appointing Igor Gavidia Leon to replace retired general Luis Motta Dominguez as Energy Minister.

The new Minister “is an electrical industry worker with 25 years of experience, an engineer who had many responsibilities”, Maduro said.

On Sunday, Maduro announced 30 days of electricity rationing, after his government said it was shortening the workday and keeping schools closed due to blackouts.

The measures are a stark admission by the Government that there is not enough electricity to go around, and that the power crisis is here to stay.

With no electricity, pumping stations can’t work, so water service is limited.

Schools and universities are scheduled to reopen today.

(AFP)

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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

Who is looking out for me and my future?

Dear Editor, The entry-level jobs in Guyana are going to the immigrants for a myriad of reasons. The obvious is that migrants work for less money, are willing to endure harsher conditions as they make the first step on the ladder to success and Guyanese citizens are not aggressively pursuing entry-level jobs. This is a well-known phenomenon in developed countries but Guyana is by no stretch of the imagination close to being considered “developed”. In fact, it was only after years of sustained growth and systematic debt repayment and relief that Guyana moved from being classified as a Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) to an Upper MiddleIncome country, and that was with the consideration that oil has been discovered in commercially exploitable quantity. The problem would seem to lie with the workforce and Government policy. In this season of political panacea, where in the

national discourse is the discussion of this fundamental issue of jobs and future of our youth?

A senior manager at a large foreign conglomerate with expansive operations in Guyana had this to say about youth and employment “Unemployment???

That’s pure unadulterated BS. .. I interview countless young men for jobs and they would tell me the money we are offering can’t mind them...or after they get the job they are often late or absent with a dumb ass excuse of transportation hard. I totally understand that it’s a Government responsibility to create jobs but it’s the people who have to want to jobs that are available”.

This sentiment has been repeated by managers and employers in every sector that I asked questions throughout Guyana.

Our country has a problem of colossal proportions, we are not fostering a culture that appreciates a hard work ethic; understanding

of the value of a job and its implications for a person’s future wellbeing and security. Guyanese children do not have “holiday” jobs while on school vacation, there are no paper routes for school children, the children who man the “sweetie” stands for parents are the only ones learning that lesson of work equals food and shelter. The affluent and middle-class are making a grievous error in judgment by not encouraging or allowing their offspring to earn through work or enterprise during their formative years. As a child of an affluent father who encouraged every aspect of our development, I can, with pride, talk of lessons learned from “eating the profits” of our boyhood gang’s chicken-rearing business and many other small ventures aimed at earning our own money. These are life lessons learned through trial and errors and are invaluable in the adult world.

Given the appetite of some of the members of my youth

Never agreed to be taken advantage of and not be paid Dear Editor, It was promised that on January 24, 2019, all staff were supposed to be paid in full for the months of November 2018 and January 2019, along with overtime services for November.

A message from the Chairman and CEO, Paul Ronald Reece, stated that the Kingston office shut its doors along with the new office and only the Georgetown office will remain functional so as to facilitate passengers.

More recently, in their address to us, they said, “We truly understand the hard-

ships you have experienced and advise you that salaries to staff will be paid on Friday, March 22, 2019”.

After they failed to pay us on March 22, Captain Reece ensured us that we would receive our pay within seven working days from the date previously mentioned.

To date, no payments have been received.

We learned of our dismissal from the news that the company will shut its doors on March 31, 2019.

There were no announcements, termination letters or promise to pay us our sal-

Cathy’s conflict of interest Dear Editor, Could the nation be kindly advised if Minister Cathy Hughes is still awaiting the legal advice that she said she was seeking about whether her position as a Cabinet Minister is a conflict of interest considering

her husband’s vast financial interest in Guyana’s oil and gas business? To the rest of us we are pretty clear it is a conflict. How long is this advice taking to reach her?

Respectfully, Baldeo Mathura

aries.

We agreed to work and receive payment at a later date in support of the company because they indicated to us that should they dismiss us, they would have to pay to train a new set of employees. However, we never agreed to be taken advantage of and not be paid.

Sincerely, Aggrieved Fly Jamaica staff

‘co-operative’ I can definitively say “partnerships are all too often sinking ships!”

Government too must play its part in this period in our evolution, with no clear policy on immigration in place, our youth that are willing to take entry-level jobs and gain valuable experience are being denied that opportunity. Promises of ‘oil jobs’ after a threeday workshop are folly and electioneering gimmickry, with entry-level jobs going to immigrants and top-lev-

el management jobs being filled by ‘expatriates’ what is left for Guyanese? Are we to become a nation of clerks?

Clear leadership is needed on this issue and urgently.

President Granger has made pronouncements on the issue where he has urged entrepreneurship. What he has not done, is create an enabling environment shaped by policy and helpful actions by the Government.

The youth of our nation must be made aware that we are at a critical junc-

ture in history that affects them most. Young people must ask “Who is looking out for me and my future?”

In four years, the Granger Administration has presented no legislation on “local content” for the approval of the National Assembly. You, my young brothers and sisters, are that “local content”, get involved. Absens haeres non erit (an absent person will not be an heir).

Respectfully, Robin Singh

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Foundation

What should I do if my family fights?

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“Y

ou’re wrong!”

“Be quiet!”

“Stop it!”

“I hate you!”

When the people in your family are fighting, it’s hard to figure out what to do. You may be feeling sad, ashamed, or even angry when it happens. Whatever your feelings are, what you probably want most is for the fighting to stop.

When your parents fight

It can be pretty tough when your parents or stepparents are fighting. Remember, even people who love each other fight sometimes. And just because they fight doesn’t mean they’re going to stay mad for long or that they’re going to get a divorce.

It’s natural for people who live together and spend a lot of time with each other to sometimes disagree and lose their tempers. Just think of the last time you and your brother or sister got into a fight. You didn’t really mean all those things you said, did you? In the end, you probably made up.

The same goes for parents.

If you get really upset when your parents fight, you might want to talk to them about your feelings. Sometimes, parents don’t realise that their arguing makes kids feel upset.

If you tell them how you feel, they’ll probably try to stop or at least explain to you why they are disagreeing.

When you fight with your parents

It’s hard to believe it, but your parents were once kids, too. It might seem like they don’t understand you – but don’t give up. Remember that they don’t really want to make things difficult for you. Your parents care about you, but sometimes it’s just hard for them to easily see your point of view.

A parent’s job is to look out for you and keep you safe – until you’re old enough to take care of yourself (and some parents have trouble giving up watching out for their kids even then)!

Usually, kids who fight with their parents learn to get along with them eventually. This is especially true if kids are able to talk to their parents about how they feel and what’s important to them.

Keep in mind, though, that this can take time and a lot of patience. It’s not always easy. Talking to your parents about your opinions – instead of screaming and yelling at them – will also make them listen to you a little more closely. Plus, you’ll gain respect and learn how to compromise with them.

When you fight with a brother or sister

Is your little sister always taking your stuff? Is your big brother always picking on you? If you’re fighting with your brother or sister a lot and competing for attention from your parents, that’s called sibling rivalry. It’s completely natural to get into arguments with your siblings.

If you’re really bothered by your siblings, however, you might want to talk to them about what’s going on. Most of the time, your siblings will listen because deep down (even though they don’t like to admit it) they really do like you and don’t want to fight either.

Tips on family fighting

If you’re upset or angry, try to keep your cool. Sometimes, the more you show your anger or frustration, the more the person you’re fighting with will want to annoy you. Try coming up with an idea that can solve your conflict or problem so it doesn’t happen again. For example, if you’re fighting over who gets to play on the computer, make up a chart with a schedule of when each person gets to use it.

If you feel like you’re so angry you could burst, go to your room and punch your pillow, go out and run a lap around the block, or find a place outside to hit a baseball. Or just find a quiet place and relax. Count to 10 and breathe slowly and deeply. When you’re calm, try talking things out with the person you’re arguing with. You’ll probably feel much better and more in control than you did before.

Even if you’re angry at someone in your family, you should never push, punch, kick, or shove. You could really hurt or injure the person, besides causing him or her to get even more angry and the argument to get even worse. If someone physically hurts you, it’s important to tell a parent. It’s also important to tell an adult you trust if your parent ever hurts you.

If you think your family needs to work on this, you could call a family meeting to talk about it. In the meeting, everyone should get a chance to talk and a chance to suggest solutions. It’s a good way to get everyone working on the problems together.

Sometimes, your parent may ask everyone to visit a family counsellor or therapist to talk about the problems and get advice from a professional on how to deal with (and stop) the fighting in your family. It’s not always easy to stop families from fighting, but by working together, it can be done.

(Excerpt from kidshealth.org)

What is therapy?

ots of kids have problems that affect how they feel, think, or act. Therapy is a way to get help with these problems. If you go to therapy, you’ll meet with a therapist to talk and learn. Therapy helps kids learn to cope better, communicate better, and do better.

If you’re dealing with a problem, your parent or doctor might suggest you go to a therapist. Or it might be your idea. You might be the one to ask your parent to take you to a therapist.

What problems do therapists help with?

Therapists are trained to help kids with all kinds of problems. They help kids going through tough times like: • family problems • school problems • bullying • health problems They help kids with feelings like: • sadness • anger • stress and worry • low self-esteem • grief They help kids with conditions like: • ADHD • depression • OCD and anxiety • disruptive behaviour disorders • trauma-related disorders

Why do kids need therapy?

Kids need therapy when they have problems they can’t cope with alone. Therapy helps them talk about their feelings and learn new skills. It helps them work out their problems. As this happens, kids start to try new skills and do better.

How does therapy work?

In therapy, kids learn by talking and doing. Therapists do activities with kids that teach skills. Kids learn to use these skills to solve problems. A therapist gives praise and support as kids learn. This helps kids do their best and feel proud of the work they are doing.

What happens in therapy?

At first, your therapist will talk with you and your parent. Therapists ask questions and listen. This helps them learn more about you. The therapist will tell you how they can help.

When the therapist knows you better, the two of you might: • Talk. Talking is a healthy way to express feelings.

Kids are more ready to learn when someone listens to how they feel.

• Play and draw. Therapists use games that teach things like taking your time on schoolwork or other tasks. Some games teach kids how to try again instead of giving up. Drawing can teach about feelings.

• Do activities. Therapists might teach lessons about feelings, coping skills, or facing fears. Activities help make these lessons more fun.

• Practice new skills. A therapist might teach you skills like mindfulness and calm breathing. These take practice. Therapists help you practice what you’re learning.

• Solve problems. Your therapist will ask about how problems affect you at home and at school. They will talk with you about how to solve these problems.

How long do kids do therapy?

How long therapy lasts depends on your problem and what you need. Most of the time, a therapist will want to meet with you once a week for a few months.

How can I help myself?

If you’re going to a therapist, here are some ways to help yourself too: • Be ready to grow. Tell yourself “I can” instead of “I can’t.” This helps you do your best.

• Ask your family for help when you need it. Share how you feel. This helps you feel close.

• Do things you are good at and enjoy. This gives you confidence.

• Know your good qualities. Maybe you are funny, creative, helpful, or kind. Use at least one of these every day. This helps you be your best self.

• Find time to play and have fun. Being active every day helps you feel happier and ready to learn. (Excerpt from kidshealth.org)

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WEDNEsday, april 3, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Replacement MPs likely by next sitting – PNCR Vice Chairman People’s Alliance (WPA) representative in Parliament, Public Service Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine, is another MP who hung up his gloves rather than renounce his citizenship (United Kingdom, in this case).

When contacted, WPA Chairperson Tabitha Sarabo-Halley also confirmed that the process to

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

In February, Chief Justice Roxane George had ruled on the case filed by Compton Reid over the dual citizenship of former AFC Member of Parliament (MP) Charrandas Persaud. In the case it brought to the Chief Justice, Government had

Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has said that dual citizens will not be returning to the National Assembly when it convenes. He also made a commitment that dual citizens on candidate electoral lists submitted by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) to stand for Parliament will be a thing of the past.

PNCR Vice Chairman, Dr George Norton

I

n the wake of the surprise resignations of four Ministers who are members of Parliament, at least two of the parties have confirmed that the process to select replacements will begin as soon as possible.

Speaking with Guyana Times in an exclusive interview, People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Vice Chairman and Social Cohesion Minister, Dr George Norton, confirmed that his party will have replacements for Minister of State Joseph Harmon and Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge, by the time the National Assembly reconvenes.

“That (selection) will be done from the list,” the Minister said, adding that the process to replace his party’s two MPs will begin shortly and that “we all got the news this morning.”

While Dr Norton could not speak on behalf of the other parties in the coalition, he confirmed that the PNCR members who resigned as parliamentarians are also no longer serving in their capacity as Ministers.

Meanwhile, Working

fill Dr Roopnaraine’s shoes will commence shortly. In fact, she noted that her party will be meeting by this weekend to determine the way forward. She was also optimistic that a meeting with Dr Roopnaraine himself would shed some more light on exactly what transpired.

Article 183 of the Constitution of Guyana says “the office of any Minister shall become vacant if that person ceases to be a member of the National Assembly for any cause other than the dissolution of Parliament.”

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

argued that Persaud’s dual citizenship status invalidated his vote in support of the No-confidence Motion that brought the Government down.

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

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

In addition, Opposition

Only recently, Chartered Accountant and Attorney Christopher Ram has said he believes the Speaker of

the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland, should not allow dual citizen parliamentarians back in the House.

The Government has set April 11 for the reconvening of the sitting of the National Assembly and Ram had contended that the action by the Government to return with dual citizens to Parliament (as communicated by former Minister of State Joseph Harmon) was “disgraceful, unbelievable (and) contemptuous”.

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

He had labelled as ‘politics’ the fact that the coalition Government would pick and choose which parts of the recent Court of Appeal ruling it would adhere to (that the No-confidence

WPA Chairperson Tabitha Sarabo-Halley

Motion against it was not validly passed), and which to delay acting upon (that dual citizens cannot be Members of Parliament).

“Politicians think about power and what that means for them. Political morality doesn’t figure in too much…I think political morality say’s that they should either renounce their citizenship or resign,” he had said.

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wedneSday, april 3, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

“Cobra” slapped with 15year sentence for murder

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yrone Rowe, popularly known as “Cobra,” was on Tuesday slapped with a 15-year jail sentence after pleading guilty to a lesser count of manslaughter for the unlawful killing of Troy “Natti” Collymore.

Rowe, of Albouystown, was charged for the 2010 murder but pled guilty to a manslaughter charge when he appeared before Justice Navindra Singh at the High Court during the commencement of the April Demerara Assizes.

He also pled guilty to an armed robbery charge to which he was given a nineyear sentence. The sentences will run concurrently which means that he will spend 15 years in prison.

In addition, the time Rowe spent on remand will be deducted from the sentence.

In August 2010, Collymore, of Plaisance Squatting Area and Chandrika Datt called “Shiv,” of Industry, were chatting in front of a drug

Murder convict: Tyrone “Cobra” Rowe

store at Plaisance, ECD. Datt, however, left to close the store after dealing with a customer. At this point, three armed men including Anthony Taylor, called “Bow Wow,” and Tyrone “Cobra” Rowe confronted Collymore and an overseas-based Guyanese, Noel Phillips.

One of the men reportedly entered the store and held up Datt while Taylor and another accomplice accosted Collymore and Phillips.

The armed man took a quantity of jewellery valued at $320,000 along with eight laptop computers from Datt, while his accomplices took jewellery valued at $600,000

and an undisclosed sum of cash from Phillips.

During the robbery, several rounds were discharged which resulted in Taylor being shot and killed. Phillips was shot to his right arm and chest and Collymore was shot to his head. In addition, a passer-by was shot to his left side jaw.

The alleged ringleader, “Cobra,” and his accomplice escaped. Collymore was declared “brain dead” by doctors and succumbed two days later.

Rowe was subsequently apprehended and charged.

In 2013, he was found guilty by a jury for the murder of Collymore and was sentenced to 78 years’ imprisonment by Justice Singh.

Rowe, through his attorney, appealed the ruling which was accepted and in July 2018, his conviction and sentencing were overturned.

As such, he was entitled to a new trial.

One foot drops…

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…on Govt Ministers h what a tangled web…and all that!! Your Eyewitness, of course, is referring to the decision by the four Government MP’s – Guyanese-American Minister of State Joseph Harmon, and Guyanese-British Rupert Roopnaraine, Carl Greenidge and Dominic Gaskin – to resign from the National Assembly. Your Eyewitness had fulminated against the comment by the Cabinet spokesperson that they’d wait for Cabinet’s decision.

What was there to decide, in the face of the clear pronouncement of Article 155 on dual citizens being barred from even RUNNING for the National Assembly?! Even the mathematically nimble Court of Appeal could find no interpolation to overrule the CJ’s High Court ruling that such species be barred!! The Opposition immediately declared they’d abide by the court’s ruling over the weekend. So here it was, bright and early Monday morning, the Government’s dual-4 decided to call it quits!!

But, dear reader, you know when the PNC shakes your hand, you’d better count your fingers right away! So call your Eyewitness jaded but he doesn’t think the resignation by the dual-4 MPs means their resignation as Ministers will follow. And that’s even though, Article 183 (2) says: “The Office of any other (elected MP) Minister shall become vacant if the holder of the office (a) ceases to be a member (of the National Assembly) for any cause other than dissolution of Parliament.” In this case because of the dual citizen bar.

What’s that you say? Well we’ve seen how the PNC jumped from limb to legal limb on the NCM, didn’t we? Until they were caught on the dual citizen limb!! So which limb might they jump on now?? Well there’s the so called “Technocratic Ministers” limb hanging from Article 103 (3) which says: “Not more than four Ministers …shall be appointed by the President from among persons who are qualified to be elected as members of the National Assembly.”

But the President already appointed three persons in that category back in 2015 – Indigenous Minister Allicock, Immigration Minister Felix and Labour Minister Scott – so you may say there’s only one slot left. We may now see who’ll be the favourite son, for whom the fatted seat in Cabinet will be reserved. Interestingly, the PPP had objected to the appointment of Messers Allicock, Felix and Scott and taken the Govt to the courts. Where CJ Ian Chang ruled in the High Court that they were disqualified. The Speaker said he’d recognise that decision.

But, as usual, Basil Williams appealed and filed for a “stay of execution” in the Appellate Court, which was granted by Chancellor Carl Singh!

So who’ll the PNC have fall on their sword to save more than one fatted seat?? Never mind they’re still disqualified by 103 (3)!! …on medical emergencies The medical system must be complimented for acting with alacrity to deal with the tragedy that befell workers trying to reopen the Manganese mines at Matthews Ridge.

But it also exposed the parlous state of readiness of the GPHC which couldn’t really handle the proper isolation and quarantining of a dozen individuals with symptoms suggesting that the deadly illness could be contagious.

From all indications the afflicted individuals had to’ve placed in wards that weren’t hermetically sealed – we simply don’t have this capability in Guyana. Aren’t we exposing other patients to the virus that possible might’ve caused the symptoms? The tragedy revealed the danger we face as our economy opens up with the advent of oil, and which will bring people from all parts of the word to our shores.

And with communicable diseases like swine flu. Ebola etc circulating from medical hot spots, we have to get ready.

Are we equipped to isolate and quarantine individuals at the new (well refurbished) CJIA which cost a whopping US$150 million??

Let’s use this unfortunate incident as a wake-up call! …on lepto The 2005 floods introduced a new word into the Guyanese vocabulary – “lepto” – short for “leptospirosis”, a deadly disease spread by contact with rat urine and faeces.

We’re now told it’s back at the manganese mines. Are we prepared?

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

News

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WEDNEsday, april 3, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Centenarian perishes Region 1 outbreak 200 mining employees being in Bartica fire …as regional workshop also goes up in flames

Dead: Ethal Lucille Moseley

Regional workshop

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The house engulfed in flames

esidents of the mining town of Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) were in shock on Tuesday after two fires erupted leaving one person dead and millions in damages and losses.

In the first fire, Ethal Lucille Moseley, who celebrated her 100th birthday in January, died when her First Avenue, Bartica home went up in flames in the wee hours of Tuesday morning.

The charred remains of the woman, who was popularly known as “Aunty Lou” were removed from her Lot 84 First Avenue, Bartica property by undertakers after the fire was extinguished.

Based on reports received, at about 18:00h on Monday, the now dead woman’s caretaker visited the home, prepared her supper and left.

However, at about midnight, the woman’s grandson, who lives with his aunt in a back house on the same plot of land as Mosley, was awakened by screams and noticed the house on fire.

The young man attempted to open the back and front doors of Moseley’s house but was unable to do so since it was locked from the inside.

The fire then quickly spread and engulfed the en-

tire building. The fire service was called and upon arrival at the scene, the fire fighters went into action and extinguished the fire.

The charred remains of the elderly woman were found on the floor in a corner of the structure.

The origin and cause of the fire is yet to be determined but according to information received, the elderly woman lived alone in the wooden structure.

Meanwhile, hours after that fatal fire, another fire of unknown origin completed gutted the regional workshop at Second Avenue, Bartica. Reports are the fire started after lunch on Tuesday in the warehouse which stored fuel and vehicle parts.

When contacted, Region Chairman Gordon Bradford was unaware of the origin or cause of the fire but confirmed that the entire building was engulfed in flames within minutes of the initial flame being detected.

Guyana Times could not confirm whether any vehicle that was stored in the workshop was destroyed.

Fire engulfs the regional workshop at Second Avenue, Bartica

assessed for leptospirosis

Staff from Guyana Manganese Inc boarding a plane to be airdashed to the city for treatment at the Georgetown Public Hospital

Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence

ealth Minister Volda Lawrence has confirmed that some 200 mining employees are being assessed for leptospirosis after several workers of the Guyana Manganese Inc (GMI) fell ill and one died.

During an interview on the side-lines of a handing-over ceremony on Tuesday, the Health Minister also said that the Matthews Ridge Hospital was being sanitised and operations would return to normalcy soon.

She added that while the current situation does not require the intervention of the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Ministry is working closely with the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO).

Minister Lawrence noted

centres in any neighbouring villages. As such, she said there was no suspected connection to the Venezuela border situation, since only the miners who were working at a particular tunnel have been affected thus far.

The manganese mining company has been instructed to halt further exploration until the Public Health Ministry and a team from the Occupational Health and Safety Department of the Social Protection Ministry advise further on the matter.

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

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that several tests were done on the miners and samples will be sent to the Caribbean Reference Lab, St Vincent and the Grenadines, for further evaluation.

On Saturday, a medical team from the Mabaruma Hospital was deployed to Matthews Ridge. Eight persons were air-dashed to the city after one died.

The symptoms the men exhibited were pain, fever, headache and respiratory distress.

Meanwhile on Monday, six more miners from Matthews Ridge were flown out to the city with similar symptoms and were patients at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

During the interview on Tuesday, Lawrence noted that there were no reports of any new cases at health

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wednESday, april 3, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Improvised weapons Duo remanded for 2014 murder of businesswoman unearthed during

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alcolm Cully and Shaheed Alli on Tuesday were jointly charged for the 2014 murder of businesswoman Sumintra Dinool and were taken to the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

The two men were not required to plea to the indictable charge which stated that at 04:00h on June 19, 2014, they gagged, bound to her bed and strangled 65-year-old businesswoman Sumintra Dinool at her Barr Street, Albouystown, Georgetown home. Reports are, Dinool’s 42-year-old son, Shah Dinool, arrived home after a night out and found his bedroom ransacked. It was then that he became suspicious and went to check on his mother, who

Sumintra Dinool

he found gagged and dead in bed. Her hands and legs were bound with telephone cords and tied to the rails of the bed. The younger Dinool

then raised an alarm and contacted his father, Sheik Dinool, who lived a few houses away. Together with another son, the men went back to the house and waited for the police.

Media reports in 2014 stated that a number of electronic equipment, including a flat-screen television set and other items, were taken from the home. However, some cash was reportedly found in the slain woman’s bedroom. According to media reports, the police had said that there were no visible signs of forced entry into the home.

The vendor had lived at the Albouystown property for about 46 years. At the time of the murder, the police had questioned the son,

among several other persons.

The post-mortem showed that she died from strangulation.

Malcolm Cully and Shaheed Alli were remanded to prison and the case will continue on April 23, 2019.

Cully, a 27-year-old water vendor was previously charged and remanded for wounding Ronald Khan with intent to commit murder on May 18, 2018, at Cooper Street, Albouystown.

The Virtual Compliant in that case suffered a punctured lung, three broken ribs, several lacerations about his body for which he had to undergo surgery and his condition was listed as critical.

Mazaruni Prison raid

Some of the items which were found during the search

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muggling of prohibited items has been a perennial problem within the prison system, and this is compounded by the fact that both prison and police officers are facilitating the illegal trade.

During a six-hour search conducted by ranks of the joint services on Monday at the Mazaruni Prison, several prohibited items were unearthed.

Among the items were 23 nails, 22 bottles of pepper sauce, six razor blades, eight lighters, two metal spoons, 14 improvised weapons, four pieces of wire, four bottles of homemade wine, one nail

clip, one transformer, one knife, four pieces of rope, one SIM card, one USB, one tweezer, one glass, 13 improvised smoking utensils, one earpiece, one metal fork, 24 disposable blades and one carved out bible use to hide a cellphone.

About two weeks ago, an early morning raid at the New Amsterdam Prison by members of the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Prison Service unearthed several items such as cellphones, a Rambo knife, shaving set, improvised weapons, phone chargers, metal spoons and a 27 razor blades among others.

Housewife on bail for ganja trafficking

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housewife was on Tuesday brought before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan to answer to the charge of possession of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.

Denisha Harris, a housewife of Lot 33 Campbellsville Housing Scheme, Georgetown, denied the charge which stated on March 29, 2019, she had in her possession 91 grams of cannabis.

According to the prosecution’s case, police ranks from Kitty Police Station went to the home of the mother of three but as they approached the front door, she was seen running inside the house. The prosecution is contending that a rank who stood guard outside the house noticed the 32-yearold woman throwing a bag through the window.

The rank picked up the bag and reportedly found 91 grams of cannabis and subsequently arrested her.

In court on Tuesday, Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield did not object to bail but asked for conditions

Denisha Harris

to be applied if it is granted. She was released on $120,000 bail on the condition that she reports to the Kitty Police Station every Friday until the completion of the case. The case will continue on April 24, 2019.

NEWS

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WEDNEsday, april 3, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Teen electrocuted while Ex-GDF officer jailed for 22 years making illegal connection

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19-year-old is now dead after he reportedly tried to connect an illegal wire to a utility post near his home.

Dead is Ezekiel Halley called “Andel”, a labourer of

Lot 1 Airy Hall, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara (ECD). This newspaper was told that the incident occurred at about 20:00h on Monday night.

Guyana Times was told

that two female relatives who reside with him found his body on the western side of a trench close to their home.

He was clad in a multi-coloured vest and black short pants with the black electrical wire in his hand.

According to the police, Police ranks went to the scene and examined the body and observed that Halley’s right hand was burnt.

His body was taken to the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. His body is at the Mahaicony Hospital mortuary awaiting a post-mortem examination.

St Ignatius man allegedly drowns while taking bath is expected to be conducted shortly.

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he body of an unemployed man was on Tuesday pulled from the Takutu River, Lethem, Region Nine (Upper TakutuUpper Essequibo) after he was suspected to have drowned.

Dead is 40-year-old Anael Spencer of St Ignatius Village. His body was discovered by his cousin, Flavius Thomas about 06:00h.

Guyana Times was told that Spencer would normally suffer from seizures and was a heavy drinker of alcohol.

This publication understands that even though Spencer would be under the influence, he still would go to the river to take a bath

any given day.

About 02:00h on Tuesday, he returned home and retired to bed. He was reportedly under the influence of alcohol.

His cousin told Police that when he woke up about 06:00h, he did not see Spencer and as such, figured that he had gone to the river.

Thomas also ventured out to the river to take a bath; upon arriving at the bathing location, he saw his cousin’s clothing on the river bank, but no signs of him.

An alarm was raised, and a search was conducted during which the now dead man’s body was found.

There were no visible marks of violence. A post-mortem

Dead: Arianne Gill

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arc Angoy of Buzz Bee Dam, Craig, East Bank Demerara (EBD), was sentenced to 22 years’ imprisonment by Justice Navindra Singh after pleading to a lesser count of manslaughter.

The 44-year-old was accused of killing 13-monthold Arianne Gill and feloniously wounding the child’s aunt, Ashley Wellington, on October 18, 2015, at Eastville Housing Scheme,

East Coast Demerara (ECD).

After his plea, he was sentenced to 14 years for the murder and another eight for the felonious wounding.

The sentences will run concurrently.

Angoy was represented by Attorney-at-Law Mark Conway while the State was represented by Prosecutors Tuanna Hardy, Abigail Gibbs and Teriq Mohammed.

The shooting reportedly stemmed from a restraining order that was taken out against him by his former lover, Shelly Norton, after being a victim of physical abuse.

It was reported that the former Guyana Defence Force member was previously charged, but later acquitted, for the murder of a man in 1998 at Twelve and a Half Miles Issano, Mazaruni, Region Seven.

However, during his confession, Angoy reportedly told detectives that he was angry that the woman had filed the restraining order

Murder accused: Marc Angoy

although he gave her everything she wanted to live a comfortable life.

On the day in question, he reportedly went to Norton’s Annandale, ECD home with the intention of killing her. Armed with a gun and peering through a window, the suspect reportedly fired into the house.

The bullets struck and killed 13-month-old Arianne Gill and wounded her 12-year-old aunt, Ashley Wellington.

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WEDNEsday, april 3, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Berbice murder

Husband begs court to see wife “one last time” …Magistrate denies request

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he accused in the Williamsburg, Corentyne, Berbice murder was arraigned for the death of his 20-year-old wife on Tuesday. However, during his court appearance, the man who allegedly hacked his wife to death begged the court to see her “one last time”.

Gavin Gill appeared at the Albion Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Renita Singh slapped with the capital offence of murder.

It is alleged that on March 30, 2019, at Dr Tulsi Street,

Dead: Omawattie Gill

Williamsburg, he murdered his wife, Omawattie Gill.

In court on Tuesday, the taxi driver told the court that he had been before the court previously for traffic offences and also on an armed robbery charge.

Prosecutor Inspector Althea Solomon informed the court that the prosecution was ready to commence the Preliminary Inquiry, saying that the police were able to obtain a video confession from the accused.

Gill then told the court that while in the lock-ups, he was given “something to drink” and cannot say who had brought it for him.

He also alleged that he became unconscious and does not know what happened. However, when he

regained consciousness, he was given something to sign.

He also claimed that the police arrested his mother and as such, she was unable to secure legal representation for him.

When asked whether he had any children, the accused broke down in tears and told the court that he is a father of three.

Meanwhile, Gill asked the court for an opportunity to be able to see his wife “one last time” but Magistrate Singh told him that it was not possible since she is dead.

The murder accused then requested permission to see his dead wife’s face for one minute before her funeral but again, Magistrate Singh denied the request.

He was remanded to prison and the PI will start on April 23.

Meanwhile, an autopsy performed on the body of Omawattie Gill on Monday gave the cause of death as a result of shock and haemorrhage due to multiple stab wounds.

On Saturday last, Gill, a mother of one, was on her way to work when she was attacked by her husband.

The woman was first hit with a vehicle her husband was driving and pitched about 25 feet before being stabbed and then chopped

Remanded: Gavin Gill

with a cutlass.

The suspect reportedly lived in the US and returned to Guyana 17 months ago.

The couple had been married for 14 months. According to relatives, Gill moved out of the matrimonial home with her seven-month-old baby after her husband became abusive.

She had moved out two weeks prior to her death and was living with her mother and found employment one week later.

At the time of her demise, she was on her way to work.

The woman is expected to be cremated today while a vigil was held on Monday evening at the spot where she was killed.

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WEDNEsday, april 3, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Families, community mourn deaths of Linden couple

Dead: Sheshyka Ettienne and O’neil DeYounge

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s the families of the Linden, Region 10, couple that was killed in a Jeep and motorbike collision at Amelia’s Ward on Monday evening continue to mourn their deaths, E Division (LindenKwakwani) Commander, Senior Superintendent Linden Lord and team on Tuesday conducted visits at their homes to offer condolences.

Commander Lord was accompanied by Community Relations Officer and an administrative team as they visited the homes of the deceased Sheshyka Ettienne, 21, of Lot 764 South Amelia’s Ward and O’neil DeYounge, 24, of lot 78 Cinderella City, Amelia’s Ward. During the visit,

the Divisional Commander spoke with relatives of the deceased, Deon Ettienne and Coleen DeYounge, as he offered words of comfort and assured them that a thorough investigation will be conducted into the matter.

Prayers were also offered to both families as the Divisional Commander assured them that they will have the full support of the police.

The couple died on Monday evening at about 20:30h during a collision along the Amelia’s Ward public road and Toucan Drive.

Reports are that the Jeep bearing registration number PSS 8812 collided with motorcycle CJ 6542 which was being driven by DeYounge.

Ettienne was the pillion rider.

The Jeep was reportedly proceeding west along the southern carriageway when it was alleged that the driver suddenly made a right turn in the northern direction reportedly into the path of the motorcycle which was proceeding in the opposite direction.

DeYounge, upon seeing this, reportedly applied brakes and lost control of the motorcycle as both he and Ettienne were reportedly flung onto the roadway and slid under the Jeep.

The couple was picked up and transported to the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) where they were both pronounced dead on arrival.

The bodies were taken to the pensioners mortuary where they currently await post-mortem examinations, expected to be conducted today.

According to police, the driver of the Jeep involved in the collision tested negative for alcohol in his system. He remains in police custody where he is said to be assisting with investigations. According to the Divisional Commander, police are awaiting legal advice on the way forward with the case.

Families mourn

Meanwhile, at the homes of the deceased on Tuesday, families and friends gathered to offer their sympathy and support. The Linden community has also been plunged into a state of mourning as many described the couple as a loving pair, some even taking to social media to express their grief.

Ettienne’s mother was inconsolable as she was comforted by family and friends.

DeYounge’s mother,

Sheshyka Ettienne’s mother, Deon Ettienne, (seated) and being comforted while DeYounge’s mother, Coleen DeYounge, (standing behind) speaks with E Division (Linden-Kwakwani) Commander, Senior Superintendent Linden Lord as relatives stand close by

Coleen DeYounge, told this publication that she is trying her best to remain strong.

The woman and her deceased son both worked together at the Pensioners Association in Linden where he worked as a driver.

Ettienne was a registered nurse at the LHC. According to DeYounge, both she and her deceased son left work together on Monday afternoon, however, she ventured home while he remained with friends.

“He does normally lime before he come home, like 8:30 or so he would come. He would go by his girlfriend relatives and when she come off from work they would go and then they would come

here,” she related.

At the time of the accident, DeYounge was reportedly transporting Ettienne home after ending her shift at work.

“Say like ten to nine, I go in and by the time I tuck in my daughter called me and say, ‘Mommy call O’neil because something happen because one of his cousins just called’. So when I call, I ain’t get no answer. So I call his brother because he and his brother normally come home together and he say yes he meet with accident and he died,” the woman noted.

She said her son was first rushed to the hospital since he reportedly had a pulse but she said she was in-

formed that both appeared to have died on the spot.

“By the time I get there (hospital) they even already put him in the morgue,” DeYounge said.

The woman remembers her son as a jovial, friendly and helpful person who was loved by his family, friends and colleagues.

“I just accept it, he died and I accept it. I know there is death and sometime you have to go. It’s just the way you go,” DeYounge said.

She said the deceased were a loving couple who could always be seen together.

Investigations are continuing into the accident.

(Utamu Belle)

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WEDNEsday, april 3, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

“House-to-house” manoeuvre

Exchange of data between Registrar, GECOM can resolve list concerns – Attorney …Opposition threatens legal action to stop disenfranchisement …as GECOM meeting ends in drama over Chairman’s limiting agenda

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eople’s Progressive Party nominated election’s Commissioner, Robeson Benn, has moved to the law to prevent houseto-house registration from denying a substantial bloc of citizens from exceeding their franchise, with his legal representative saying a court order will be sought if necessary.

In a correspondence seen by Guyana Times, the Party threatened to move to the courts if the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) persists. Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall, who is representing Benn, explained in an interview with this publication that this could potentially disenfranchise overseas-based voters, who normally return home to exercise their franchise.

“In relation to dead people, I concede readily that that process of removing dead persons from the list should be one that should be pursued, but that shouldn’t require house to house registration. That can easily be accomplished by an exchange of data between the registrar of deaths and the GECOM.”

Harmon had said overseas-based Guyanese may lose out if they miss houseto-house registration. He had noted that they would not be included on the new list if they are not present to register.

Drama

Legal storm clouds are gathering over the Guyana Elections Commission

“Because the registrar of deaths will be able to say how many persons have been recorded as dead over the past few years… And that data can be juxtaposed against the list and those persons removed by a very simple engagement, with relative speed and ease in this technological age.”

Nandlall explained that when GECOM staff go house to house and cannot find persons on the list living in Guyana, such persons will be de-registered. The former Attorney General noted that Articles 59 and 159

provide for everyone to vote at General and Regional Elections once they are qualified and registered.

“What I have a problem with is the process that will remove persons on the list who are resident overseas,” he said, adding that Guyana’s Constitution does not require residency in Guyana as a qualification to be registered to vote. “Our Constitution is very clear.

Once you are 18 years or over, Guyanese and registered, you can vote. So you have Guyanese citizens, thousands of them, who are

registered but when this exercise is completed, they will not find themselves in the new list and they will become disqualified through no fault of their own.”

Asked what legal remedies he will be seeking from the High Court, Nandlall said should GECOM push ahead and disregard the legal correspondence they will seek a legal order or injunction to stop the house-tohouse exercise.

Recently, former Minister of State, Joseph

Even as legal storm clouds gather over GECOM’s Secretariat, another statutory meeting ended in drama on Tuesday with Commissioners walking out complaining of attempts by GECOM Chairman, retired Justice James Patterson, to block discussions about criticism from the outside world against his tenure.

In addition, the Opposition-nominated Commissioners complained that Patterson refused to permit discussions regarding the threat of legal proceedings against GECOM, as well as the ongoing legal proceedings at the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), where the Commission was recently added as a party to the proceedings.

“Chairman Patterson in the most autocratic manner was seemingly intent on only allowing continued discussion on “elections” arising out of house-to-house registration, a matter on which

discussion ended abruptly at the last statutory meeting of Tuesday, March 26, 2019,” a statement from the PPP read. “It is evident that the Chairman in collusion with the Government-nominated Commissioners intended to avoid any references to the following matters.”

“The scathing Editorial

by Stabroek News in its April 1, 2019 edition, which exposed the Chairman’s preference and behaviour relating to the Vishnu Persaud matter which engaged the attention of the Ethnic Relations Commission; a letter proposing legal proceedings, under the hand of Mohabir Anil Nandlall, attorney representing Commissioner Robeson Benn, requesting that GECOM… refrain from proceeding with this unlawful and unconstitutional exercise…,” that being houseto-house registration (and) the ongoing legal proceedings at the Caribbean Court of Justice, arising out of the No-confidence Motion.”

The Party explained that in view of the Chairman’s attempts to avoid comments and to proceed with an agenda item it noted was not listed or agreed to, Commissioners Sase Gunraj and Benn walked out of the meeting in protest.

Govt hands over $16M river ambulance to Region 10

The river ambulance which was supplied by Meditron

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he Health Ministry on Tuesday handed over a river ambulance to the Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) administration.

Health Minister Volda Lawrence, while speaking at the handing over ceremony, said that the river ambulance will aid in ensuring residents of the Berbice River and Kwakwani areas access timely healthcare at the highest medical institution in that region, the Linden Hospital Complex.

This, Minister Lawrence said, forms part of the Ministry’s mandate in making healthcare accessible to all regions of the country. The new water ambulance supplied by Meditron (Guyana) is a 16 feet, 200

horsepower boat equipped to administer the necessary services to a patient suffering from respiratory and other medical conditions.

It has the capacity to accommodate four persons inclusive of two medical staff and a driver and a large storage area for oxygen tanks and other medical supplies.

Prior to this, Minister Lawrence said persons in need of medical attention were limited to the services of health centres and the Kwakwani Hospital.

However, the river ambulance will assist residents of those areas to access more adequate healthcare.

Lawrence said that just last year the Ministry introduced these river ambulances in various parts of

the country. The initiative started in Orealla, Siparuta and other adjoining communities of the Berbice River and Bartica where they also have a river ambulance servicing that region as well as Region Two areas.

Meanwhile, Regional Health Officer of Region 10, Dr Pansy Armstrong welcomed the addition and emphasised that having a second boat to service the areas will result in easier and timelier access to healthcare among the growing population in those communities.

This, she noted, will be utilised in the communities so as to ensure that an ambulance is always available to execute services to those in need even if the other is being used in an emergency.

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WEDNEsday, april 3, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Ramsammy’s Ruminations APNU/AFC’s circus disgusting, elitist and an insult to Guyanese

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he Square of the Revolution is a one-minute walk from the Cabinet Room. Some people travelled hours, spent their weekly allowance for food and then waited in sweltering heat to see the Ministers sitting at tables under air-conditioned tents, with all sorts of beverages and snacks. The A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) called it “bringing Government to the people”. How many got house lots or leases they came for?

Dr Leslie Ramsammy How many had relief for their paddy bug problem? How many sugar workers from Canje or Wales will get their severance? How many people got the street light they asked for? How many people got a positive response for any of the problems they came with?

The buffoonery, the obvious charade of APNU/AFC pretending they care an iota for the Guyanese people at the reprehensibly deemed “bringing Government to the people” at the Square of the Revolution last week was utterly disgusting.

The Leader of the Opposition called the charade an elitist binge by a Government desperate to show people after four years of unforgiveable neglect, it now cares. One daily columnist who writes with hate for Bharrat Jagdeo and the People’s Progressive Party and who voted for APNU/AFC called it the “biggest circus ever” in Guyana.

APNU/AFC’s elitist and authoritarian DNA is totally incapable of discerning what bringing Government to the people or making people come to them looks like. Stepping down from their castles into the castle’s lawn, demanding people leave their home and villages, spend scarce resources and waiting in sweltering deplorable conditions to see Ministers is not “bringing Government to people”. It was a disgusting reaffirmation of APNU/AFC’s elitism. From reports, people left even more disgusted than they were before. Worst, a sizable portion of people who gathered were party loyalists and activists who were there as a cosmetic fix, North Korean-style, to make it look like happy people embracing their Government.

It would have been comedic if it was not so repulsive watching Ministers like the Agriculture Minister and the Minister in the Ministry of Public Health sitting there in their own comfort, pretending they were there to help those who desperately needed help. The Agriculture Minister ignored the shameful truth he dodged sugar workers, rice farmers and other farmers for four years. While he sat there pretending to care, those who really depended on him could not see him in their communities and, worse, even when they came at considerable cost to his office.

Even as he sat smugly at the Square of the Revolution, pretending he is eager to help, farmers in Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) and Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) and in the Essequibo Islands (Region Three – Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) are battling a paddy bug crisis. Not one day has the Minister expressed concern or visited them. Did he expect the farmers would have left their farms when they are fighting for survival to come to the Square of the Revolution to prostrate at his feet?

This Minister for more than two years have heard and seen in the daily news how families in the sugar estates which have been closed are struggling to put food on the table, making choices of either eating or sending their children to school, yet he never once showed one ounce of compassion. But he expects people to believe he was at the Square of the Revolution, less than two minutes walk from his office, to bring the Government to the people, many of whom may have spent hours to come and worst expended their weekly food money to get there.

The elitist charade equally applies to all of the Ministers that were there. The Minister in the Ministry of Public Health never visited the families who lost mothers and babies who died under questionable circumstances, while the GPHC was twiddling its thumb pretending it was investigating. She and her senior Minister are never available to see patients who cannot afford medicines that are unavailable at public health facilities, even though the Government has spent many billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money. They have not been to the closed Port Mourant Ophthalmology Centre, the Skeldon Hospital which cannot operate certain equipment because of electricity problems, the New Amsterdam Hospital with a closed mortuary. But they were at the Square of the Revolution, exactly one minute from their offices, pretending they had brought Government to the people they had no time for in the last four years.

Bringing the Government to the people means you roll up your sleeves, walk the streets and fields, see people where they live and work. Bringing them to your doorsteps is not bringing Government to the people, but rather the condescending elite demanding people come and bow down to them. The Square of the Revolution circus that day was ugly.

$1.3B in damages caused by floods annually in Georgetown

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he European firm, Vivid Economics, on Tuesday, handed over a report on Climate Resilience Support for Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility to the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) where it was revealed that some $1.3 billion is lost every year in Georgetown as a result of flooding.

The lead consultant from the agency, Charlie Dixon, shared a few findings during his presentation, which indicated that not only is the vast sum a reason for concern presently but in years to come, as it is expected to increase significantly with oil production.

He said that gas emissions are projected to increase to some “1200 KT CO2” (carbon dioxide), which will also increase massively in 20 years’ time. Carbon dioxide emissions are those that stem from the burning of fossil fuels and others.

These results are all tied to the fact that commercial, as well as residential activities, will increase in Georgetown soon. According to him, about 130,000 people presently reside in

Georgetown and this figure will increase to around 200,000 by 2040.

Dixon said, “At the present day, the risk of flooding is expected in the wider Georgetown area to cause around $1.3 billion of damage every single year… so then as we look to 2040, looking into the future as climate change worsens and we expect these flooding effects to become more impactful, that number rises by round about a factor of four, so expected damaged are round about $4 billion”.

He explained that with the increase of not only residential but industrial behaviours contributing to climate change in the city, these effects are likely to be felt.

Dixon, however, pointed out that there is still hope for the country as several strategies can be implemented to ensure the capital city remains intact.

Among those noted, was current sea defence structures, which the consultant told members of the media should be rehabilitated while the drainage system in and around the city needs to be addressed. He also told the Central Housing and

Lead Consultant of Vivid Economics, Charlie Dixon

Planning Authority that they may need to direct commercial and residential development away from highrisk areas in Georgetown while the onus may be upon the Government to restore and expand mangrove conservation and sediment control structures.

In the meantime, the Director at CH&PA, Lelon Saul, assured that efforts will be exhausted to ensure that such issues relating to climate change are addressed.

He said, “Given the threat posed by climate change, we are compelled to build capacity and access finance and

technical support in order to combat these threats. The Climate Resilience Support for Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility programme will enable us to strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in Georgetown and its environs”.

In this regard, Saul pointed out that the study will trigger an implementation of integrated policies and plans to tackle the issue.

The Director further noted that the municipal authorities, as well as relevant Government agencies, will be engaged going forward.

The study was funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

Its objectives are to help the CH&PA improve access to adequate housing, basic infrastructure and mobility services for low-income populations among others.

Owing to garbage pileups in Georgetown, clogged drains and trenches and the mere fact that the city is below sea level, almost every time heavy rainfall is experienced, the streets are flooded.

Large number of Guyanese pursuing ABE qualification – regional manager

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he Association of Business Executives (ABE), a United Kingdom organisation, which seeks to develop business and management qualifications internationally, aims to raise awareness on the significance of its programme, with Guyana being one of its targeted countries.

During a question-and-answer session at the Accountancy Training Centre (ATC) on Tuesday, ABE Regional Manager to the Caribbean, Kereesa Carrington-Nunez disclosed that Guyana was in the top five for ABE centres globally, noting that there were a large number of students pursuing the ABE qualification locally.

“ABE is a not-for-profit organisation out of the UK … we have social mission, and that social mission means that a student can start ABE with little or no qualification, and use our qualification to progress into degrees and masters. Guyana is actually in the top five for ABE centres globally, we have a large number of students right here in Guyana studying the ABE qualification,” she stated.

The Regional Manager underscored that the ABE programme was highly recommended for persons who have the interest to study abroad, but lack much-needed resources to do so. She added that persons can gain internationally recognised qualifications without expensive fees.

“What you get from ABE

ABE Regional Manager Kereesa Carrington-Nunez (centre) along with students of the Accountancy Training Centre

is that you get an internationally recognised qualification at fraction of the cost … because we are not-for-profit, all fees are much lower, so to the average Guyanese who would’ve dreamt about studying abroad and don’t have the means to study abroad, this is a qualification for you because you can have an international qualification right here at home, unlike universities we are not as rigid, students can study the ABE qualification at their speed,” Nunez pointed out.

The ABE offers qualification in areas including business management, marketing management, human resources management, tourism and hospitality. These programmes have no required start-up skills, no age restrictions, can be comfortably achieved in two years and include key benefits such as flexibility, accessibility, affordability, and international recognition.

Persons can begin the ABE programme by registering with accredited tuition provider ATC, which gives access to tuition, study materials, and exam prac-

tice. ATC is one of the institutions, which offer the ABE qualification credit framework (QFC) at levels four, five and six, with diplomas in the listed areas.

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guyanatimesgy.com

WEDNESday, APRIL 3, 2019

Regional

Uruguay leader sacks top military officials over 'cover-up'

Uruguay's Defence Minister Jorge Menéndez is among those sacked. Uruguayans march every year on May 20 in memory of those who went missing under military rule

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ruguay's Defence Minister, his deputy and the Army

chief have been sacked for allegedly covering up human rights abuses commit-

o individual before the courts for murder, or a firearms offence punishable by at least ten years in prison, will be considered for bail within two years after they were charged – except in special circumstances.

As proposed by the The Bail (Amendment) Bill, 2019 being debated by Parliament today, such considerations will be heard by the Chief Justice or a Judge of the High Court assigned by the Chief Justice.

Such bail applications will not be heard by the

High Court unless a period of 72 hours has expired after the application for bail is made to the court.

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Dale Marshall announced these planned changes this morning as he piloted the debate on the proposed changes, which will require the support of a two thirds majority of both Houses of Parliament.

In the addition to murder and serious firearm changes, the bail application change will be for people charged with treason

ted during military rule.

President Tabaré Vázquez dismissed the three for failing to pass on information about the disappearance of a left-wing rebel in 1973.

A military tribunal meeting held behind closed doors heard that the body of the rebel had been thrown into a river. But the man who admitted to disposing of the

body was not prosecuted.

Defence Minister Jorge Menéndez, Deputy Defence Minister Daniel Montiel, Army chief, General José González and two other generals were dismissed on Monday. The move came just two days after Uruguayan newspaper El Observador revealed details of the testimony given to a military tribunal last

year by José Gavazzo, a key player in the repression carried out against dissidents during Uruguay's military rule from 1973 to 1985.

Gavazzo, who is serving a prison sentence for torture, murders and disappearances carried out during his time with the Office for the Coordination of AntiSubversive Operations, said he had thrown the body

of left-wing rebel Roberto Gomensoro into the Río Negro.

Gomensoro, a 24-yearold member of the left-wing Tupamaro guerrilla group, disappeared in March 1973 after being arrested by the military. An estimated 7000 political prisoners were held and many were tortured during the years of military rule. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Bail restrictions for murder, firearm offences coming Guatemala's top presidential contenders face expulsion from race

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and high treason.

The proposed changes also specified “bail may be granted by the High Court where any person is charged with murder in circumstances connected with the discharge of that person’s official duties; the court is of the view that the strength of the evidence suggests that the accused did not commit the offence with which he is charged; or the court is satisfied on the evidence presented that the accused would be able to rely on the defence of self-defence”. (Nation News)

Julian Assange has "repeatedly violated" asylum terms – Ecuador's President

WikiLeaks Assange

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founder

Julian

cuador’s President, Lenín Moreno, has said the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange had “repeatedly violated” the conditions of his asylum in the country’s London embassy, where he has lived for close to seven years.

Speaking to the Ecuadorean radio broadcasters association on Tuesday, Moreno said under the terms of his asylum “Assange cannot lie or, much less, hack into private accounts or private phones” and he could not “intervene in the politics of countries, or worse friendly countries”.

Moreno fulminated that “photos of my bedroom, what I eat and how my wife and daughters and friends dance” had been circulated on social media but stopped short of directly accusing WikiLeaks of circulating hacked photos of his family and wiretapping his phone calls and private conversations.

The Ecuadorean Government, however, has said it believes the whis-

tleblowing organistion shared the photos, which date back several years to when Moreno and his family lived in Geneva.

Moreno’s outburst was yet another sign of the Ecuadorean President’s waning tolerance for Assange’s prolonged occupancy of the country’s London embassy since mid2012. The Ecuadorean government directly referred to WikiLeaks in a formal complaint to the special rapporteur for the right to privacy, Joseph Cannataci, at the UN’s human rights council on Monday. It accused the organization of using social media to spread hacked private photos and personal information from Moreno’s personal computers, tablets and other devices. (Excerpt from The Guardian)

Caricom body warns sale of Scotiabank could have anti-competitive effect in 3 member states

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he Surinamebased Caribbean C o m m u n i t y (Caricom) Competition Commission (CCC) says the intended sale of Scotiabank's assets in nine Caribbean countries could have anti-competitive effects in at least three Caricom member states.

“The Commission remains cognisant of the provisions of Article 175 of the RTC (Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas), and at this time reminds national competition authorities and member states of this critical provision.

“The Commission also informs that it shall approach those national competition authorities and sector regulators in affected member states in accordance with Article 176(1), for the conduct of preliminary examinations of proposed transaction between the enterprises,” it said in a statement.

Last November, the Trinidad-based Republic Financial Holdings Limited (RFHL) announced that it was seeking to acquire Scotiabank operations in several Caribbean countries.

A RFHL statement said that the banks being acquired are located in Guyana, St Maarten, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

It said that the purchase price is US$123 million, which represents US$25 million consideration for total shareholding of Scotiabank Anguilla Limited; and a premium of US$98 million over net asset value for operations in the remaining eight countries. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

On Monday, the electoral tribunal ruled to annul the registration of former Attorney General and Semilla party presidential hopeful Thelma Aldana

G

uatemala's elections are just two and a half months away, but whether the leading

presidential contenders will end up on the ballot, disqualified, or even behind bars is still up in the air.

The official campaign period for the June 16 general elections kicked off on March 18. Of the 27 political parties in the Central American nation, 24 declared presidential candidates. An August 11 presidential runoff is expected.

The three individuals expected to lead the presidential race are the runner-up from the previous election, a former attorney general, and the daughter of an ex-dictator who stood trial for genocide. But all three are mired in controversy and legal battles that could exclude them from the ballot.

On Monday, the electoral tribunal ruled to annul the registration of former Attorney General and Semilla party presidential hopeful Thelma Aldana as a candidate, upholding challenges by political rivals.

The major setback comes on the heels of a warrant for Aldana's arrest.

During her 2014-2018 tenure as attorney general, Aldana played a pivotal role in the prosecution of high-level Government officials for corruption. In 2015, then-President Otto Perez Molina was forced to resign and was arrested, as were the vice president and the heads of several Government Ministries.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

PAHO launches new initiative aimed at improving immunisation data

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he Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) today launched a new initiative aimed at providing the immunisation community with clear, proven strategies for improving the quality and use of immunisation data.

PAHO said it launched the new initiative, titled “Immunisation Data: Evidence for Action (IDEA)” with the global organisation, PATH, which works to

accelerate health equity by bringing together public institutions, businesses and social enterprises.

PAHO said while advances in information technology have led to continuous increases in the amount of health data available, data remains an underutilised resource in the design and implementation of immunisation programmes throughout the world.

It said the IDEA review identifies five proven strat-

egies to improve data use and outlines how funders, policymakers, and programme implementers can incorporate these best practices to improve the efficacy of state, regional, and national immunisation programmes.

These include strategies that address barriers to immunisation should be interconnected and mutually reinforcing; the more data is used, the more likely its quality will improve; data should be an integral part of health decision-making and the use of digital systems should be phased to ensure that the proper infrastructure is in place to manage them.

“The region of the Americas has some of the highest levels of vaccination coverage in the world but despite this, many hardto-reach populations are still left behind,” said Dr Martha Velandia, Regional Immunisation Advisor at PAHO. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

Police Officer in Jamaica charged with murder

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Police Officer has been charged in connection to the death of a man whose burnt remains were discovered nine months ago.

Junior Hayles, a 30-yearold Police Constable assigned to the Kingston East Division, is accused

of killing 33-year-old Vince Walcott.

And a beauty therapist, 34-year-old Nicola Montaque, has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder. A date for their court appearance is yet to be announced.

Walcott’s burnt body

was discovered on July 21, 2018 when fire officials were summoned to extinguish tyres burning behind a church on Rousseau Road, Kingston 5.

A post-mortem examination found that he died from a gunshot wound to the head. (Caribbean360)

guyanatimesgy.com

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3, 2019

17

Around the World

Algeria’s Abdelaziz Bouteflika Senegal President pledges action resigns after mass protests on environment during 2nd term

Erdogan, right, and Binali Yildirim, the mayoral candidate of AK Party for Istanbul, salute party supporters before the vote [File: AP]

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lgeria’s President A b d e l a z i z Bouteflika has resigned with immediate effect, according to State media, ceding power in the face of massive street protests against his 20-year rule.

The ailing, 82-year-old leader announced he was stepping down in a letter published by APS news agency on Tuesday, just hours after the army chief demanded immediate action

to remove him from office.

“My intention ... is to contribute to calming down the souls and minds of the citizens so that they can collectively take Algeria to the better future they aspire to,” Bouteflika said in the letter to the President of the Constitutional Council.

The announcement prompted celebrations in Algeria’s capital, Algiers, with hundreds of people singing songs and waving flags in front of the city’s

central post office.

The anti-Bouteflika protests broke out in late February when the longtime President, who has rarely been seen in public since suffering a stroke in 2013, announced a plan to seek a fifth term in elections scheduled for April.

On March 11, Bouteflika sought to defuse the unrest by abandoning his re-election bid. However, he delayed the presidential vote indefinitely and announced he would only step down once a new Constitution had been passed and a successor had been elected.

But public anger continued to mount, prompting key allies to abandon the President.

The army’s chief of staff, Ahmed Gaid Salah, last week called for Bouteflika to be declared unfit to rule, and on Monday, the embattled leader said he would quit before the end of his term on April 28. (Excerpt from Al

S

enegalese President Macky Sall said on Tuesday he would prioritise the environment, youth employment and women’s rights during his second term in office.

In an inauguration speech that followed an emphatic election victory in February, he promised “vigorous” environmental action.

“I’m calling on everyone to shape a new Senegal: one with cleaner neighbourhoods... a zero-waste Senegal,” he said.

During Sall’s first term, Senegal’s economy grew more than six per cent per year as a modernisation programme produced a new airport, slick highways and a city built from

President Macky Sall

scratch in scrubland outside the coastal capital Dakar.

Oil and gas production from new offshore fields is expected to keep the economy buoyant in the coming

decade.

But high pollution and rising sea levels have raised concerns about climate change and the price of rapid development.

Senegal has long been viewed as the region’s most stable democracy, with peaceful transitions of power since it gained independence from France in 1960.

But the two best-known opposition figures were banned from running in February because of corruption convictions that rights groups say were politically motivated. Sall denies those claims.

More than a dozen African Heads of States attended his inauguration.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Congress manifesto: Opposition Chinese teacher suspected of party promises jobs to beat Modi poisoning children’s porridge

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teacher at a kindergarten in central China has been detained by police on suspicion of poisoning 23 children, officials say.

The children were rushed to hospital after eating their morning porridge at the kindergarten in Jiaozuo city, Henan province, State media reported.

Preliminary investigations revealed the food contained high levels of sodium nitrite.

Police said a motive for

the suspected poisoning was not yet clear.

However, Chinese media quoted police sources as saying the teacher had wanted to take revenge on a colleague.

The children began vomiting and fainting after eating their breakfast at the kindergarten last Wednesday, the Beijing News said. Police only reported the incident on Monday.

One parent said he was alerted by the school and arrived at the hospital to find doctors had pumped his

Jazeera)

child’s stomach.

One child is still seriously ill and seven others are being treated in hospital, Staterun Xinhua news agency said. The other 15 were discharged.

According to local media, the school has been temporarily closed and the children distributed to other kindergartens.

Sodium nitrite is often used as a food additive for curing meat but can be toxic in high amounts. (Excerpt from BBC

News)

Erdogan’s AK Party challenges Istanbul, Ankara poll results

Erdogan, right, and Binali Yildirim, the mayoral candidate of AK Party for Istanbul, salute party supporters before the vote [File: AP]

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u r k i s h President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party has challenged the results of the local elections in the country’s two biggest cities, where preliminary results show narrow victories for the opposition candidates.

Nationwide, the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and its coalition partner won more than 50 per cent of votes in Sunday’s election, but the ruling party lost the cap-

ital, Ankara, and its commercial hub, Istanbul.

The AK Party’s top official in Istanbul, Bayram Senocak said on Tuesday he has submitted objections to results in all 39 of the city’s districts, seeking a recount to fix alleged irregularities and a reassessment of invalid votes.

The move came a day after electoral authorities announced Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayoral candidate of the main opposition Republican People’s Party

(CHP) in Istanbul, was ahead of his AK Party rival - ex-Prime Minister Binali Yildirim - by about 28,000 votes.

Waving ballot records, in which he said the vote count irregularities could be seen, Senocak added: “Whichever officials did this and for whatever reason, we will closely follow the necessary legal steps”.

In Ankara, AK Party’s Chairman in the capital, Hakan Han Ozcan told reporters they were also filing an appeal in 25 districts of the city.

The CHP’s newly-elected Mayor in Ankara, Mansur Yavas received 50.9 per cent of votes in Sunday’s vote, defeating his AK Party rival and former Minister Mehmet Ozhaseki by nearly four percentage points.

The Electoral Board has two days to decide whether the claims of irregularities have merit. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Congress said it would reward businesses for creating jobs

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[Adnan Abidi/Reuters]

ndia’s main opposition Congress party pledged on Tuesday to expand a rural employment guarantee programme, reward businesses for creating jobs and scrap an 1870 sedition law if it wins a general election that starts next week.

In a manifesto released by the party’s President, Rahul Gandhi, Congress highlighted job creation,

tackling farm distress and empowerment of women as some of its top priorities.

Congress has consistently trailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in opinion polls, despite winning three State elections late last year amid farm distress and a jobs shortage.

“It is an action plan

for the future of India,” Gandhi said, speaking of the manifesto. “Now, it needs your support and your vote.”

He said Congress would expand an existing jobs programme to guarantee 150 days of work a year to rural households, up from 100 days.

Congress also promised to simplify a goods and services tax, quickly fill 2.2 million Government jobs nationwide, create one million more on rural and urban development panels, and reward businesses for employment generation.

Gandhi said Congress had won voters’ hearts with last week’s plan to hand 72,000 rupees (US$1041) a year to India’s poorest, a promise the BJP has dismissed as a bluff. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Brexit: Theresa May to ask EU for further extension

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heresa May will ask the EU for an extension to the Brexit deadline to “break the logjam” in Parliament.

The PM said she wants to meet Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn to agree to a plan on the future relationship with the EU. But she insisted her withdrawal agreement - which was voted down last week - would remain part of the deal.

May said she wanted the extension to be “as short as possible” - before May 22 so the UK does not have to take part in

European elections.

The UK has until April 12 to propose a plan which must be accepted by the EU - or it will leave without a deal.

The UK was supposed to leave the EU on March 29, but May agreed to a short extension after realising Parliament would not agree to a deal by the deadline.

May met her Cabinet for more than seven hours on Tuesday, and afterwards gave a statement from Downing Street.

She said she wanted to agree to a new plan

with Corbyn and put it to a vote in the Commons before April 10 - when the EU will hold an emergency summit on Brexit.

The PM said she understood some people were “so fed up with delay and endless arguments” they would prefer to leave without a deal, and she believed the UK “could make a success of no-deal in the long term”.

But she added that leaving with a deal was “the best solution”. (Excerpt from BBC News)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

WEDNESday, APRIL 3, 2019

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

dilbert

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

Take care of private matters. Don’t share personal information or make a promise you won’t be able to keep. A positive financial, medical or legal change is heading your way.

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

Scrutinize an offer before you get involved. Someone will try your patience if you aren’t specific about the way you want things done. A false impression will lead you astray.

CANCER

Share creative ideas with people who appreciate you and your talent. A partnership will help you reach your goal faster if you divvy up what needs to be done.

(June 21July 22)

Peanuts

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Calvin and Hobbes

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SUDOKU TODAY’S WORD — PELAGIC (PELAGIC: puh-LAJ-ik: Of, relating to, or living in the open sea; oceanic.)

edgy edify eying defy defying deify deifying deign deny dignify

dine ding dingy dyeing dying feign fend fiend find fine

Don’t settle for less when you have what it takes to get what you want.

Make it clear what you expect others to contribute to your project.

Listen to complaints, but don’t give in if someone is asking for too much.

Partnerships need to be dealt with honestly if you want to avoid being taken for granted or manipulated.

Mingle, network and share what you have to offer. The information you receive will help you filter your ideas, eliminating what’s unnecessary and focusing on what’s important.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

Don’t go too far off the beaten track. Know what and who you are up against and hold your cards close to your chest. Don’t divulge secrets or personal information.

Time limit 30 minutes

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

YESTERDAY’S WORD — EDIFYING

Be open to suggestions, but when it comes to making a decision, do what feels right and works best for you.

Generosity doesn’t mean letting someone take advantage of you.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Average mark 19 words

Can you find 25 or more words in PELAGIC? The list will be published tomorrow.

A quiet approach will help you avoid interference.

Adjust your day to accommodate your needs, and don’t stop until you reach your goal.

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

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Memories will help you put a past relationship in perspective and encourage you to make positive domestic and lifestyle changes.

Call on someone who has supported your efforts in the past and discuss your plans.

Getting a second opinion will help you avoid making a mistake that could prove costly.

Don’t get angry when you can get moving. Look at what’s possible and start the ball rolling. Don’t let someone’s disgruntled attitude get you down or hold you back.

wednesday, APRIL 3, 2019

19

VIVO Indian Premier League 2019...

Gopal and Buttler hand RCB 4th straight defeat

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superb spell by legspinner Shreyas Gopal spearheaded Rajasthan Royals to their first win in this season’s IPL, by seven wickets over the increasingly beleaguered R o y a l

Shreyas Gopaul

Challengers Bangalore. Gopal finished with 3 for 12, taking the wickets of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Shimron Hetmyer to slow down the visitors, who eventually finished on an underwhelming 158 for four.

Royals, riding on four dropped chances, hardly let the foot off the gas, starting their chase quickly before Jos Buttler, Steven Smith and Rahul Tripathi, who finished on an unbeaten 34, took them to the target with a ball to spare. It was a more convincing win than that margin would suggest.

Gopal’s dream triple

Royal Challengers were off to a prope r start this time, with both Kohli and Parthiv Patel finding the boundaries in their strong areas. But just after they had owned the Powerplay, ending it 48 for no loss, Gopal got into the thick of things. His googly burst through Kohli’s attempted cover drive, giving the Royals their first big breakthrough.

Gopal’s follow-up in his next two overs further punctured Royal Challengers’ momentum. He had de Villiers caught and bowled it was the third time he had dismissed him in as many meetings - off another googly, this one stopping on the batsman. Hetmyer edged a slider behind in the 11th over, and by the end of his dream spell Gopal had given away just 12 runs in his four overs; it was as valuable as a T20 century.

Parthiv’s lone stand

Parthiv had only faced 18 balls - out of 61 in Royal

3

SCOREBOARD

Royal Challengers Bangalore Innings (20 overs maximum) V Kohli (c) b Gopal 23 PA Patel † c Rahane b Archer 67 AB de Villiers c & b Gopal 13 SO Hetmyer c †Buttler b Gopal 1 MP Stoinis not out 31 MM Ali not out 18 Extras (b 1, lb 2, nb 1, w 1) 5 TOTAL (20 Overs, RR: 7.9) 158/4 Did not bat: AD Nath, UT

Yadav, NA Saini, YS Chahal, Mohammed Siraj

Fall of wickets: 1-49 (V Kohli, 6.3 ov), 2-71 (AB de Villiers, 8.3 ov), 3-73 (SO Hetmyer, 10.1 ov), 4-126 (PA Patel, 17.2 ov) BOWLING K Gowtham (4-0-19-0) DS Kulkarni (3-0-26-0) JC Archer (4-0-47-1) S Gopal (4 -1-12-3) VR Aaron (1-0-16-0) STR Binny (1-0-6-0) BA Stokes (3-0-29-0)

Challengers’ innings - by the time Hetmyer was dismissed, and had moved to 33. He took stock of the situation and slowly got the Royal Challengers back on track.

He didn’t hit a lot of boundaries during this time, apart from a swivel-pull

Rajasthan Royals Innings (target: 159 runs from 20 overs) AM Rahane (c) lbw b Chahal 22 JC Buttler † c Stoinis b Chahal 59 SPD Smith c Yadav b Mohammed Siraj 38 RA Tripathi not out 34 BA Stokes not out 1 Extras (b 4, lb 1, w 5) 10 TOTAL (19.5 Overs, RR: 8.26) 164/3 Did not bat: STR Binny, K Gowtham, JC Archer, S Gopal, VR Aaron, DS Kulkarni Fall of wickets: 1-60 (AM Rahane, 7.4 ov), 2-104 (JC Buttler, 12.4 ov), 3-154 (SPD Smith, 18.6 ov) BOWLING UT Yadav (3.5-0-40-0) NA Saini (4-0-35-0) M Siraj (4-0-25- 1) YS Chahal (4-0-17-2) MP Stoinis (3-0-28-0) MM Ali (1-0-14-0) for six off Ben Stokes and three fours, but held Royal Challengers together in a 53-run fourth-wicket stand with Marcus Stoinis. He went on to reach his 12th fifty in the IPL, and his first this season. The innings set Royal Challengers up for a strong finish, as Moeen Ali

and Stoinis knocked off 32 runs in the 2.4 overs that remained after his dismissal.

When he was on 1, Virat Kohli dropped Ajinkya Rahane at slip off a zippy delivery in the corridor from Navdeep Saini. Rahane never looked back as he and Buttler rattled off 55 in the Powerplay, with Buttler pasting Saini for two fours immediately after the dropped catch.

Rahane didn’t spare Umesh Yadav’s waywardness with two fours in the third over, before Buttler repeated the dose in Saini’s next over.

Rahane went after Saini next with two fours in the sixth over, before falling to a Yuzvendra Chahal googly in the eighth.

er boundary, didn’t slow down as he cross-batted Mohammed Siraj over midwicket for his first six.

Smith’s dismissal in the penultimate over - he holed out to long-on with Royals needing five off seven balls - was a little unnecessary, as he had made 38 and could have seen through the chase, but Tripathi ensured there was no drama in the end, as he calmly pulled Umesh over square leg for six to give his side their first points of the season.

(ESPNcricinfo)

Royals ace the chase

The rest of the chase fell on Buttler, Steven Smith and Rahul Tripathi. By the time Buttler was out for a 41ball 59, he had struck eight fours and a six off Moeen.

Smith, who was dropped on 23 by Umesh on the cov-

Jos Butler

Own goal costs dear as Wolves rip into Manchester United’s top 4 bid

O

le Gunnar Solskjaer must be sick of the sight of Wolves. Only 17 days after being dumped out of the FA Cup quarter-finals by Nuno Espírito Santo’s increasingly impressive team, Manchester United suffered a defeat that could have severe ramifications for their hopes of finishing in the Premier League top four.

Scott McTominay’s first goal in a United shirt gave them an early lead, but the evening unravelled badly for them thereafter. Diogo Jota’s eighth goal of the season, set up by Raúl Jiménez, hauled the home team level after a poor error by Fred, and United were forced to play the majority of the second half with 10 men after Ashley Young, already on a booking, recklessly lunged at the Wolves scorer. Mike Dean wasted little time in brandishing his 100th Premier League red card.

The sense that United had contributed to their own downfall was reinforced 13 minutes from time, when Chris Smalling ended up nudging the ball over the line with his hand after Jiménez had tried to nod home. “Can we play you every week,” chanted the jubilant Wolves supporters, who will travel to Wembley on Sunday for their FA Cup semi-final against Watford with a spring in their

Wolves get the ball over the line for their second of the night through a combination of Leander Dendoncker and Chris Smalling to take the lead at Molineux

step.

After being unhappy with the sloppy way that United started against Watford on Saturday, Solskjær could have no complaints here. Jesse Lingard’s attempt to take on the Wolves team straight from kick-off – he skipped past several challenges before shooting tamely at Rui Patrício – was a sign of things to come.

United were excellent in the opening 20 minutes and got their reward with McTominay’s fine goal. If anything, they should have had more to show for their superiority in that period, with two presentable chances squandered either side of the breakthrough. The first fell to Romelu Lukaku, who

met Diogo Dalot’s right-wing cross with a powerful header. Only six yards out, Lukaku should have scored but he nodded straight at Patrício, who was able to make an instinctive save.

The Wolves goalkeeper would be beaten eight minutes later, however, when McTominay, who was one of six changes to the United team, opened his account.

A clutch of Wolves players were drawn to Fred, expecting him to shoot, but instead the United midfielder intelligently offloaded the ball to McTominay, who drilled a low shot from 25 yards that flew through Willy Boly’s legs and into the far corner.

Lukaku, starting up front in

place of Marcus Rashford, who had been ruled out with an ankle injury, then came close to creating a second. His lobbed pass picked out Lingard, whose header was well directed but lacked power and Patrício parried the ball away.

It was a reprieve for Wolves and one that seemed to spark them into life. Suddenly, the home team started to play with much more intensity. Raúl Jiménez, with the angle against him, wildly thrashed a right-foot shot wide of the near post little more than a minute before United gifted Wolves an equaliser.

It was an awful goal for them to concede and not a moment that Fred will enjoy watching back.

David de Gea’s pass found the Brazilian in space about 30 yards from goal but his touch was loose.

João Moutinho pinched possession, Leander Dendoncker shifted the ball on to Jiménez, and the striker’s lovely pass with the outside of his boot released Jota, who beat De Gea with the minimum of fuss.

Confidence oozed through the Wolves team, who now looked dangerous every time they attacked. Dendoncker wastefully lifted Matt Doherty’s cutback over the bar from the corner of the sixyard box, and Rúben Neves forced De Gea to quickly back-pedal to hold on to a spectacular volley.

Although the complexion of the game had now changed, Lukaku could have restored United’s lead on the stroke of half-time with a shot that he screwed beyond the far upright.

McTominay also had a decent chance to score just after the restart when his diving header, after Paul Pogba had flicked on Lukaku’s cross, was just about kept out by Patrício’s right hand.

Then came the flashpoint involving Young, who had been playing almost as a right-sided centre half in a three-man defence.

Trying to retrieve McTominay’s wayward pass just inside his own half, Young lunged with his right boot, making contact with the ball first but clattering into Jota with his follow-through, which was dangerous and out of control.

Already on a yellow card, his dismissal was a formality. Jota was substituted not long afterwards, although he looked to be moving freely enough as left the pitch.

United had appeared to coping reasonably well with their numerical disadvantage, but then came that calamitous winning goal. Jiménez, challenging Phil Jones, managed to just about get to Moutinho’s deep cross and Smalling pushed the ball over the line with a hand. Ivan Cavaleiro, thundering a shot against the bar, almost made it 3-1 in injury-time.

(The Guardian)

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GUYANATIMESgy.COM

wednesday, APRIL 3, 2019

BCB/Spready’s Snackette 100 Balls Cricket Tournament

Fyrish pip Rose Hall Tigers by 1 run to win title

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n what was described as one of the best cricket finals in Berbice, home team Fyrish Cricket Club held their nerve to edge past Rose Hall Town Tigers by just one run to lift the historic Berbice Cricket Board (BCB)/ Spready’s Snackette 100 Balls Trophy.

Playing at the Fyrish Ground in front of a large and colourful crowd, Rose Hall Town Tigers needed two runs from the final two balls to seal victory, but lost Delbert Hicks and Turbo Jagdeo to left-arm spinner Kevin Subramanie to spark wild celebrations by the Fyrish team and the large home crowd.

Fyrish Cricket Club batted first after losing the toss and immediately lost opener Yovindra Chinapen when he was bowled by off-spinner Khemraj Mahadeo for one with the score on three in the first over. Fellow opener Yogendra Gurdyal and former national Under-19 player Javed Mohamed then added 82 for the second wicket with positive batting. Mohamed scored 25 with three fours and a

The winning Fyrish Cricket Team

six before he was dismissed by left-arm spinner Naresh Mahadeo in the ninth over. Gurdyal went on to top score with a brilliant 72, featuring seven boundaries and four sixes. He received good support from Captain Chandradat Roopnarine with a brisk 46 (4x4s, 2x6s) as Fyrish Cricket Club end-

ed on 187 for 7 off their allotted 100 Balls. Naresh Mahadeo ended with 4 for 36 while Khemraj Mahadeo, Hicks and Jagdeo took a wicket apiece.

Needing to score 188 from 100 Balls to lift their first-ever BCB title, Rose Hall Town Tigers were given an opening stand of 65 by

openers Mark Papannah and Brandon Prashad before Prashad missed a pull shot to be bowled by Chinapen for a brisk 26. Former national player Hicks was then dropped second ball by Chinapen, and started to attack the bowlers, sending them to all parts of the ground. Papannah was stumped for 31 off spinner I Srikissoon.

Former national Under-19 batsman Khemraj Mahadeo (38) then joined Hicks and together they added 74 to take the score to 147 before Mahadeo was brilliantly caught at long off as off-spinner C Roopnarine struck a crucial blow. Needing to score 57 runs from 30 balls, Hicks and Rondall Lewis took the required runs to 37 from 16 balls. They took 20 runs from the 15th over and entered the final eight- ball over needing 17 runs, Lewis struck two boundaries from the first two balls of the over and when Hicks struck another boundary to reduce the target to two runs from two balls, fans of the Rose Hall Town Tigers were celebrating. Subramanie then bowled Hicks for a well-

8-member Billiards team to compete in T&T

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uyana’s eight-man Billiards team have been selected from the 20 finalists who played in the Grand Finals at Grand Central Sports Bar over the weekend.

Coming out victorious were Sean De SusauZa, Steven Persaud, Jonathon Parbhu, Kamil Hussain, Ryan Rambalak, Anthony Xavier, Abdool Salim and Dave Hussain, with De SusauZa and Persaud securing the top two spots to secure sponsorship to travel to Trinidad.

The organisers would like to thank the sponsors of the event including Banks DIH, Suraj Sports Bar, and Grand Central Sports Bar (Jerries Grove).

ISG backing Regal for Florida Cup dominance

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

Last Sunday at the GNIC Sports Club Ground, Woolford Avenue, Georgetown, the Masters Champions, Regal Masters challenged Well Man Masters as much-needed preparation heading to the April 12-14 mega softball tournament in Fort Lauderdale.

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

On behalf of the engineering company was Technical Support Engineer Bobby Lakhan, who handed over the sponsorship cheque of US$1800 to tour manager Parmanand Persaud in the presence of players from both of the champion sides.

Lakhan stated that it was the first sponsorship by the company of

Corporate Guyana supports RHTY&SC’s campaign well

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The top performers of the recently-concluded event

Bobby Lakhan, third from left, with the Regal Masters and All-Star players at the presentation on Sunday at GNIC Sports Ground

a sporting team, and he was confident that Regal teams would represent the brand well while playing good competitive cricket to repeat as champions in South Florida.

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

According to information coming out of the South Florida Softball Cricket

League, the 15th edition of the Florida Cup will be the biggest yet with 10 AllStar teams, 10 Masters’ teams (Over 45 years old) and eight Legends teams (Over 50 years old) battling over three days. The preliminary matches and semi-finals will be played at the Brian Piccolo Park while the championship matches will be played at the only international cricket venue in North America – the Central Broward Regional Park.

played 60 (5x4s, 5x6s) and then had Jagdeo stumped off the last ball of the innings to win by a mere run. Bowling for the champions, Roopnarine took two wickets for 15 and Subramanie 2 for 40 as Rose Hall Town Tigers only lost six wickets.

BCB President Hilbert Foster hailed the tournament as a remarkable success and praised both teams for their high standard of play. Foster stated that Berbice cricket was enjoying a period of unmatched development and urged clubs and players to take advantage of his administration’s hard work and dedication.

He expressed gratitude to Manoj and Narine Singh of Spready’s Snackette for sponsoring the Tournament, which was contested by 17 teams.

Powerhouses Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, and Albion Community Centre Cricket Club were debarred from taking part in the Tournament. The winning team, runners-up and the Man of the Final received financial prizes and trophies.

he efforts of the 10 teams of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club to advise youths via their popular Say No/Say Yes Campaign received a major boost last Thursday.

The teams received close to $500,000 in cash and stationery from several business entities in Georgetown.

The main objectives of the campaign are to encourage youths to Say No to Drugs, Suicide, Alcohol, Crime, and Tobacco and Yes to Life, Education, Sports, Religion, and Community Service.

R e g a l Stationery C h i e f Executive Officer (CEO) M a h e n d r a Hardyal donated close to $200,000 worth of ice pitchers and stationery to the Club while the Guyana Oil Company (Guyoil) contributed $100,000. The 10 cricket teams also benefited from contributions from Farfan & Mendes Ltd, John Fernandes Ltd, the Guyana Geology & Mines Commission and Modern Optical Services.

Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster hailed the contributions of the donors, stating that in 2019, special emphasis would be placed on the Say No to Suicide and Yes to Education Message. The 2019 campaign would include the hosting of several educational programmes including essay, debating, poster and spelling bee competition. The teams would also be publishing the Club’s Annual Review Magazine, Youth Information Booklet and Educational Posters.

Additionally, the teams would support the hosting of sporting events such as cricket, cycling, football, volleyball, basketball and softball among others while numerous awards would be organised to honour outstanding teachers, retired educators, law enforcement officers, medical personnel, students and role models.

The Club and its 10 cricket teams would also be distributing millions of dollars of sport gear, stationery, cycles, school bags and footwear to youths and organisations across Berbice.

Assistant Secretary/ CEO of the RHTY&SC, 18-yearold Simon N a i d u e x pressed gratitude to Regal Stationery CEO Hardyal and the management of Guyoil, Farfan & Mendes Ltd, Modern Optical, John Fernandes Ltd and the Guyana Geology & Mines Commission for their assistance. Naidu disclosed that the 10 cricket teams: the Under-12, Under-13, Under-15, Under-17, Under-19, Under-21, Female, Intermediate, Second Division and First Division would together undertake over 400 activities in 2019 under the Say No/ Say Yes Campaign.

Naidu stated that the RHTY&SC would also be shortly unveiling a Say No to Domestic Violence Campaign as the county of Berbice was losing too many lives through the killing of females by their partners.

guyanatimesgy.com

WEDNesday, APRIL 3, 2019

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ECC embark on major improvements A rguably one of the best local cricket venues, the Everest Cricket Club (ECC) are aiming to outdo their competitors by improving the facilities offered by the Club.

As such, the recently-elected Executive body already has a number of ventures in mind, which it hopes to embark on in the near future.

The new Executive body of the ECC was voted in on February 28, and the group is sparing no time in getting its plans on the drawing board.

Noting that much was achieved with limited resources last year, recently-elected President Manzoor Nadir disclosed that bigger initiatives were in the pipeline.

“Our 2019 Executive has a very ambitious plan, a plan that costs about $25 million. And we’re looking to implement that plan for the years 2019 and 2020,” Nadir stated.

Among the projects planned is

Everest Cricket Club President Manzoor Nadir

The executives of the ECC take a photo op with the recently-acquired machinery

the expansion of their sport base.

Nadir explained that the number one-ranked tennis player in Guyana, Anthony Downes will be part of the resuscitation of the Lawn

Tennis Club. Additionally, hockey and squash will also be introduced.

Aside from what they’re hoping to achieve, Everest have been building their portfolio of equipment and

facilities. The Cricket Club currently boast a batting facility, dirt wickets, all-weather wickets, a five-ton roller and industrial grass cutter for pitch and field maintenance, and will soon have an up and running bowling machine.

Citing reasons for the expansion, Nadir noted that the execu-

tives were keen on producing better sportsmen and women.

“The thinking behind Everest for the next two years is even if we don’t have the best talents in the area of sport, let us make Everest the place with the best facilities and the place with the best facilities will eventually produce the greatest talents. And that’s what’s going to drive Everest in the next two years,” Nadir explained.

In addition, the largest project that will be undertaken by the Club will ensure that they become one of, if not the best, spots for local and regional cricket.

“The Executive wants to see Everest From fence to fence, from post to post looking like the outfield for cricket and the big project we have, which is going to run about $10 million is putting lights to accommodate professional cricket at Everest, which we’re hoping to do this year,” the Club’s President disclosed.

Hamilton Green 9-a-side Inter Ward Cup kicks off Sunday

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he Hamilton Green Cup Inter Ward/ Village 9-a-side knockout football tournament starts this Sunday, April 7 and will conclude on April 28 with the semi-finals and final, at the Den Amstel Ground, which will host all the matches.

Action starts at 15:00h and Coordinator Lennox Arthur, a former national football player and Coach, is

asking all teams to be at the venue by 14:00h to ensure all games start on time and the proceedings are completed in a timely fashion.

The opening salvo of games – 16 of them – will see Vergenoegen vs Timehri, Soesdyke vs Jetty, De Kinderen vs Liliendaal, Kuru Kururu vs Stewartville, Charlestown vs Zeelugt, North East La Penitence vs Agricola, Sara Lodge vs Mocha, Goed Fortuin vs Back Street Kings,

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Mahaica, Plaisance vs Belle West Stars, Kitty vs Sparta Family, Mahaicony vs Crane, Pouderoyen vs Vreed-en-Hoop, Uitvlugt vs Lima Dam, and Den Amstel vs West Side Masters.

The teams will be battling for a chance to claim the John Fernandes $300,000 first prize and the Prime Minister Trophy, along with hampers from Ricks and Sari. The second-place team will take away the Courtney Benn-sponsored $100,000, third $60,000 put up by Techno Mills and fourth $40,000, donated by Ready Mix along with the respective trophies. All the trophies have been sponsored

by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo.

Also at stake are the individual rewards for the Most

Goals/MVP who will take home a dinette chair set from China Trading and a LaZy Boy chair from AH&L Kissoon, along with the Best Goalkeeper, who will claim the Minister of Natural Resources trophy.

Among the sponsors so far are Techno Mills, Ready mix, Sattaur Gafoor, EC Veira, BEV Enterprises, BK International, IPA, Top Brandz, New Thriving, Ricks and Sari, E-Networks, Starr Computers, NAMILCO, Cummings Electrical, National Sports Commission, Star Entertainment, Alfro Alphonso, the Guyana Police Force, the Ministry of State, the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Legal Affairs.

Arthur has expressed gratitude to those businesses and entities, and also

thanked those who have promised support and were expected to come forward officially in the coming week.

He has been staging tournaments in recognition of former Georgetown Mayor and Prime Minister Hamilton Green for a number of years now.

The defending champions of this tournament are Charlestown, who beat Uitvlugt to claim the $400,000 prize and the Ministry of Citizenship trophy last time around.

Uitvlugt took the John Fernandes Trophy and $200,000 for their efforts back then.

With the involvement of the lead players emerging from the various areas and villages/wards, the event is playing its part in aiding so-

cial cohesion among the citizenry. Among some of the players on show Sunday are Sheldon Toney, Ruel Charter, Leroy Halley, and Kenroy D’Aguiar.

Teams are reminded to be at the venue for 15:00h next Sunday. Four substitutions are permitted in this format, which will see the games being run for 30 minutes broken into two halves of 15 minutes. The tournament will be played using the knockout format, with winners advancing to the next round. Sudden-death penalties will be used to separate the sides in the event of a draw at the end of full time.

The no offside rule is also in effect. All other rules will come under the dictates of FIFA.

Upper Corentyne to have 1st 100 balls tournament through GNNL/RHTY&SC sponsorship

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he development of Berbice cricket continues at a rapid rate, as the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) strives to continuously host numerous cricket tournaments at the junior and senior levels.

The most recent of which is a Second Division tournament that will cater to teams in the Upper Corentyne area. The 100 balls tournament, which was launched by the BCB on Thursday last, will see sponsorship from the Guyana National Newspapers Limited (GNNL) with support from the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club (RHTY&SC).

During the simple ceremony at the GNNL head office, BCB President Hilbert Foster revealed that a total of 24 teams would be participating in the historic tournament. This is the first time that the popular ‘100 Balls’ version will be played in the Upper Corentyne area. Foster stated that the BCB, since 2018, has been hosting cricket in the sub-areas as part of its effort to promote the game at the grassroots level.

Apart from the Upper Corentyne area, similar tournaments are being played in West Berbice, New Amsterdam/Canje and Lower Corentyne. BCB President Hilbert Foster hailed the outstanding work

Acting GNNL General Manager Donna Todd, in the presence of senior staff, hands over sponsorship to BCB President Hilbert Foster

of the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association (UCCA) and noted that cricket in the sub-association was on the move. The BCB, he said, was delighted with the work of the Dennis De Andrade-led Upper Corentyne Cricket Association, which is organising cricket at the schools, junior and senior levels.

The teams that will be competing in the tournament are: Radha Krishna Academy, Crabwood Creek Sports Club, All Family CWC,

Skeldon Titans Cricket Club, Bomb Squad, CWC, Dukestown Warriors Cricket Club, Scottsburg United Cricket Club, No 73 Warriors Cricket Club, No 72 All Stars Cricket Club, No 70 MYO Cricket Club, No 72 Cut and Load Cricket Club, No 69 Vikings Cricket Club, No 71 Sports Club Cricket Club, No 70 Spartans Cricket Club, No 70 Young Blood Cricket Club, No 69 Red Rose Cricket Club, No 68 Turn Team Cricket Club, No 66 Giants, No 48 Challengers

Cricket Club, Yakusari Carib Cricket Club, No 43 Scorpios Cricket Club, Yakusari Horizon Cricket Club, No 68 Darkenders Cricket Club and No 64 Fighting Marines.

Furthermore, Foster noted that when his administration took over the BCB, cricket was on the decline but over the past 12 months, the Board has raised over $13 million, in cash and kind. The end result, Foster proudly stated, is that over 40 tournaments have been launched since March 2018. Foster, who is a Director at the GNNL and Secretary/CEO of the RHTY&SC, expressed gratitude to both organisations for sponsoring the Tournament.

Additionally, gratitude was extended to GNNL Chairperson Geeta Chandan-Edmond and acting General Manager Donna Todd.

The GNNL/RHTY&SC 100 Balls Tournament is one of many competitions that the BCB and the UCCA will be hosting in 2019 for teams in the Sub-Association as they strive to fulfil their mandates.

Acting GNNL General Manager Todd noted that her company was pleased to be associated with Berbice cricket and expressed confidence that the tournament would be a successful one.

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wednesday, APRIL 3, 2019

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

Queensway Security Service/GSSF Steel Challenge rated a success

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he match on Saturday last was well attended by members of the Guyana Sport Shooting Foundation (GSSF) competing in two Steel Challenge Shooting Association (SCSA) Divisions: Production and Limited.

As an affiliate of the SCSA, a sister body of the United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA), the GSSF over the years has been organising matches following their strict safety policies.

This simple yet action-packed shooting sport attracts Guyanese pistol shooters from all around the country on a regular basis who all engage in melodic pinging fun.

Steel Challenge Shooting is in fact considered to be the fastest practical shooting competition in the world. The competition proved to be an exciting one consisting of four different stages where competitors shot at five individual steel targets per stage.

Shooters were scored using an electronic timing device, penalties of added time

Some of the participants in the Steel Challenge Match sponsored by Queensway Security Services Inc

were applied for any misses after the designated stop plate was shot and the total time taken was the score, all while being closely monitored by the Foundation’s Range Safety Officers. The shooters with the lowest time to hit all the plates overall in the match in the respective divi-

sions were declared the winners.

At the opening ceremony, thanks were extended by the Match Director, Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon to the match sponsor, Queensway Security Service Inc. The leading security company, located at 153 Regent Road and

Oronoque Street, Bourda, Georgetown, has over the years continued to recognise shooting as a sport.

Range Master Dallas Thomas then delivered his safety charge and reminders to participants and spectators and introduced his team of range officials for the after-

noon to ensure that the strict safety rules were adhered to.

A special addition to the match was announced, which was the Unclassified Category to facilitate the beginner shooters who all had the additional privilege of having first-hand competition coaching during the match by the National 2018 Top Practical Shooters, Ryan McKinnon and Pravesh Harry.

At the presentation ceremony, thanks were extended by the Match Director to Range Master Thomas and the match committee and officials for ensuring the efficiency and high safety standards with which the match was run.

The GSSF would like to extend its sincerest gratitude to Managing Director and member, Mohamed Qualander and the management of Queensway Security Services Inc for their kind sponsorship.

The Foundation also wishes to thank the Guyana Defence Force Chief-ofStaff, Brigadier Patrick West; Police Commissioner

Leslie James; Police Deputy Commissioner Maxine Graham, OC Superintendent Guy Nurse, the ranks of TSU and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Armoury and GPF and the media.

More information on the GSSF is available on its website, www.

GuyanaSportShooting.com.

Full results

Production Division 1st – Ryan McKinnon (87.77 seconds) 2nd – John Phang (88.44 seconds) 3rd – Dale Hing (105.89 seconds) Limited Division 1st – Pravesh Harry (74.96 seconds) 2nd – Vidushi PersaudMcKinnon (118.55 seconds) 3rd – David Dharry (120.09 seconds) Unclassified Beginner Category 1st – Kyle Jagan (206.51 seconds) 2nd – Brian Backer (207.98 seconds) 3rd – Aadil Baksh (211.03 seconds)

Ramps Logistics Golf Tournament…

GOA’s Olympic Solidarity Sports Administrators Course Lekhnarine ramps up the top spot ends with 18 passes

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The Sports Administrators take a photo op with Linden Mayor Waneka Arrindell (seated third left) flanked by GOA’s Garfield Wiltshire and Charles Corbin

he Guyana Olympic A s s o c i a t i o n (GOA) Sports Administrators Course was attended by 18 sports administrators who successfully completed the course, which was held from Thursday through to Sunday at the Egbert Benjamin Conference Centre in Mackenzie.

It was the 20th such course to be held by the GOA through its Olympic Solidarity programme and GOA Treasurer Garfield Wiltshire summed up the results by congratulating all who wrote the test at the end of the training as they were all successful, with two persons scoring over 90 per cent: Richlin Paton and Delon Peters.

The others were Lisa Chee-A-Tow, Christol Thom, Melissa Joseph, Shanna Chester, Jamila Chapman-Wills, June Harris, Dr Karen Perreira,

Nichola Jacobs, Nyamikky Johnson, Annetta Assanah, Irin Cadogan, Shanees Velloza, Cliffana Hunter, Dillion Scipio, Swain Ross, and Dwayne McKinnon.

Attending the closing ceremony as the guest speaker, Linden’s Mayor Waneka Arrindell boasted of the achievement and reminded that Linden was always at the top of its sport game.

She said the GOA must be commended for having the certification course in Linden as it showed recognition of what Linden has done in the field of sport over the years – being the best, saying “We are proud of the training that you have given to the residents of Linden.”

Wiltshire, however, said: “I would like to congratulate you on a job well done and that you would have retained much of what was done even though there

were a lot of complaints, but I congratulate you on a job well done.”

Course Director Claude Blackmoore, in giving an overview, said “I would like to say to each one of you who are present, congratulations on a work well done. Congratulations on what you have produced in terms of your actions.

Congratulations on the manner in which you presented yourselves.

Congratulations on the various pieces of issues which you identified and [for] which you have made suggestions.”

Dr Perreira of the Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA) gave the vote of thanks on behalf of the participants.

The previous edition of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Sports Administrators Course – the 19th – was held last year in Bartica.

Winners pose with the sponsor and guests Sonia Noel and Marisca Jordan of Ramp Logistics

fabulous Saturday, perfect temperatures and a significant turnout of golfers all eager to claim bragging rights in the inaugural Ramps Logistics Guyana Inc Golf Tournament, finished with a shootout that left just one golfer at the top of the leaderboard – Massy Gas Managing Director Lekhnarine Shivraj, on March 30.

Meanwhile, Ramps Logistics Director Marisca Jordan, who was on hand to present the prizes along with reputable fashion designer and author Sonia Noel, noted: “Ramps Logistics is committed to the development of golfing in Guyana, and to adding our influence and support so that world-class standards, similar to those held by Ramps Logistics, would be realised in optimum time at the Lusignan Golf Club.”

Club President Aleem Hussain noted that “while the Ramps tournament marks the LGC’s 14th tournament in the first quarter of the year, it shows great and increasing interest in the game, a commendable effort of support from within the business community, and a remarkable effort by the Executive and grounds staff to maintain the Course in superb condition.”

He noted that the second quarter was very promising too in that regard,, with several major tournaments already

in the line-up with Banks DIH, Assuria General, MACORP, Torginol Paints, American Chamber of Commerce, the Lusignan Open, President’s Cup and Easter Classic tourneys all set to happen in the next few months.

Played under the Medal Play 3-Flight system, prizes were awarded to winners for 1st and 2nd Best Net in each Flight, in addition to a Best Gross score, Longest Drive, and Nearest The Pin. The overall Best Net scorer was the tournament champion.

In the 0-14 Flight, fierce battle continued among the top players, with Patrick Prasad edging Club President Hussain by one shot to take the Best Gross score honours. However, owing to a last-minute adjustment of the flight format by the Captain, it was journeyman David Harry who pulled off the upset in the flight by shooting a net 69 to beat out Hussain and Prasad who tied with net 72 where Hussain’s better back9 score gave him the net edge.

Winners in this Flight were: D Harry (69/14) – 1st; A Hussain (72/10) – 2nd; P Prashad– Best Gross (81/72/9), and Nearest The Pin; and Richard Haniff (77/10) – Longest Drive.

In the 15-20 Flight, Lekhnarine Shivraj shot a low net score of 67 to emerge the winner in his flight as well as the Tournament champion only one shot better than sec-

ond-place finisher Mahindra Bhagwandin! Winners were: L Shivraj (67/16) – 1st; M Bhagwandin (68/20) – 2nd; followed by Satrohan Tiwari (71/15).

In the Third Flight (21-28), Maxim Mangra continued his winning ways beating Brian Hackett on a countback after both players tied for a net 71. This is the second week in a row that Mangra has played exceedingly well on the back-9 to put himself in the winners’ row. In this flight, winners were: M Mangra (71/28) – 1st; B Hackett (71/21) – 2nd; followed by Eion Blue (75/28).

In 2015, Ramps Logistics Guyana Inc – of 23 Brickdam, Stabroek, Georgetown; Tel: 592-223-3770; website: www. rampslogistics.com; email:info@rampslogistics.com – “was granted a unique opportunity by ExxonMobil to provide customs brokerage, handling and shipping as well as managing their shore-based operations both in Trinidad and Guyana.” (KN –Jun 2018).

Since starting operations, Ramps has achieved several local and regional awards, including a 2017 Award from the Guyana Shipping Association for Advancement of Local Content, and the Exporter of the Year Award in 2017 from Trinidad and Tobago. Ramps has operations also in Houston and Miami in the US and Suriname.

guyanatimesgy.com

wednesday, APRIL 3, 2019

CWI Women’s T20 Blaze…

23

Giddings’ masterclass spurs Guyana to 3rd consecutive win Story and photos by Brandon Corlette

A

small but vocal crowd, led by the Guyana U-19 team that are in camp to depart for the regional tournament in Trinidad from April 15, saw Guyana dance to t h e i r third consecutive victory in this T20

Tremayne Smartt topscored again for Guyana opening the batting

Blaze tournament.

Guyana won this encounter over the wounded Windward Islands by 18 runs; after they posted 105-8 and restricted the visitors to 87-8 in 20 overs.

It was once again the brilliance of Erva Giddings, who grabbed 3-17 in four overs, bowling 17 dot balls in her match-winning spell, to dent the Windward Islands, as she copped a third Playerof-the-Match award in as many matches.

Winning the toss, Windward Islands Captain Afy Fletcher opted to field first under the lights at the National S t a d i u m Providence.

S h e n e t a Grimmond began in fine fashion cracking fast bowler Akeira Peters through extra cover for a boundary.

Two balls later, the adrenaline got the better of Grimmond when she was out, bowled for four.

Guyana’s most experienced duo in Tremayne Smartt and Shemaine Campbelle were then together at the crease and took the score to 70-2 in 12.3 overs, adding a

valuable 66 runs. After getting herself in the groove, Campbelle hit one down the throat of long-on for a 33-ball 28, striking two boundaries.

Prior to her dismissal, she soaked up 14 dot balls in her innings that included 14 singles.

Smartt, who had scores with the bat in all of the T20 Blaze matches thus far, opened her account with an exquisite back-foot punch through the cover region, off the Windward left-arm seamer. Playing with a compact technique, Smartt hit a sound 40 from 43 balls, including five top-notch boundaries.

She fell at 77-3 in the 14th over, running past a Qiana Joseph delivery to end up out, stumped. One run later, Giddings lost her wicket via the run-out route and Shabika Gajnabi in the same Swayline Williams over was trapped leg-before for

Shemaine Campbelle cuts one during her innings

four after she survived a dropped catch.

The Guyanese scoring rate halted when they lost five wickets between overs number 13 and 16 for only 17 runs. Windward Islands were into the game after the main Campbelle-Smartt partnership. Akaze Thompson, who is yet to score, was run out for one. The struggling Melanie Henry looking to up the ant, w a s out caught at deep mid-wicket for four, leaving Cherry Ann Fraser (17) to push Guyana over the 100run mark.

Entering the final over, Guyana were 967; a Fraser boundary straight over Fletcher’s head brought up Guyana’s 100 milestone

before she was run out. The innings ended prematurely as Guyana reached 105-8 in 20 overs. Bowling for Windward Islands, Swayline Williams had 2-21 as the Guyanese batters failed to bat with maturity with the exception of the mainstays in Smartt and Campbelle.

In Windward Islands’ run chase, they had a steady start produced by openers Stacy Ann Adams and Nerissa Crafton, who added 35 runs together. Off-spinner Mandy Mangru got the first wicket when she took a return catch to dismiss Crafton for a run-a-ball 22.

Giddings, who was hit for a boundary in her first spell, returned with a vengeance; she took two wickets in two balls, trapp i n g Fletcher a n d Juliana N e r o leg-before.

Windward Islands were in all sorts of trouble as the fired-up Giddings wreaked havoc.

Thompson removed Stacy Ann Adams for 18, caught in the covers by Campbelle.

Giddings, the girl from Alness Village, Corentyne, Berbice, continued her brilliance with the ball, bagging her third wicket in her third over: bowling on target and trapping Glendeen Turtin for four, at 53-5. Guyana were on

course to victory as Thompson removed Qiana Joseph for a duck at 54-6.

It was a drought in the scoring column for the visitors as they ended on 87-8 in 20 overs. Giddings starred with 3-17 while Thompson had 2-7 in four overs.

Guyana, who have three wins in four matches, will be hoping to take their momentum through to today’s match when they face the mighty Barbados team from 19:00h local time.

Erva Giddings takes one of her three victims leg before

CWI Women’s T20 Blaze…

Dottin does it again!

– Jamaica outplay Leeward Islands

By Brandon Corlette

A

t this point, it is safe to say that the Barbados team are invincible, winning all their matches from the inception.

The Barbadians’ latest triumph came against second-best Trinidad and Tobago when Deandra Dottin starred in a seven-wicket win.

Trinidad and Tobago, batting

first, scored 136-6 in 20 overs while Barbados reached 137-3 in 15.3 overs.

Barbados Captain Hayley Matthews won the toss and elected to field first under glorious sunshine in the first of three matches scheduled. The in-form Trinidadian opener, Stacy Ann King and Lee Ann Kirby added 28 runs for the opening partnership. Kirby was the first dismissed for sev-

Player of the Match Neisha Ann Waisome

en via the run out route by Matthews.

Britney Cooper then partnered King and the duo consolidated with a 34-run partnership before the left-handed Stacy Ann King fell for a solid 30 from 26 balls, inclusive of five boundaries, when she was trapped in front by Shakera Selman. Rachel Vincent (03) fell to the lively Dottin at 75-3 in over number 11.

Cooper, known for her innovative shots with the bat, was Dottin’s next wicket at 864; she perished for 31 from 24 balls, hitting two fours. The Trinidadians’ scoring rate were not fluent, as Reniece Boyce soaked up 11 balls for her six runs before she was out caught and bowled by Selman.

At the penultimate ball of the innings, Felicia Walters was run out for eight by Aaliyah Alleyne as Trinidad and Tobago finished with 1366 in 20 overs. Captain Merissa Aguilleira remained unbeaten on 29 from 26 balls, hitting four boundaries.

Dottin was the star with the ball with figures of 2-9 in four overs, bowling 17 dot balls. She was well-supported by Windies fast bowler Selman, who grabbed 2-18 in

four overs.

In reply, Barbados had the poorest of starts when they lost Matthews, who had a bad bay with the ball earlier, for a duck, third ball of the innings. She was out caught by Karishma Ramharack off the bowling of Anisa Mohammed.

Kycia Knight and opener Danielle Small led the resurgence with a 41-run partnership before Small was out for a run-a-ball 15 hitting three fours.

Kycia Knight fell for 28, smashing two sixes and two fours, before she was run out with the score on 66-3 in 8.1 overs. After that wicket, Dottin dented the hopes of the Trinidadians with a game-changing innings.

She was well supported by Kyshona Knight.

The duo added an unbeaten 71 runs to spur the Barbadians to their fourth win in as many matches in the T20 Blaze, as the Barbadians seek to win the tournament. Player of the Match Dottin remained unbeaten on 52 from 32 balls, timing five boundaries and smashing two sixes.

Windies off-spinner, Mohammed (1-22) and Lee Ann Kirby (1-14) were the

lone wicket takers for Trinidad. With four victories, Barbados are likely to complete the double, winning the T20 Blaze championship; they will meet Guyana in the final round today, Wednesday, April 3, from 19:00h.

Meanwhile, in the second match of the day, Leeward Islands were bowled out for 61 in 18.4 overs.

The pick of Jamaica bowlers was Neisha Ann Waisome, who had 3-10 in four overs, bowling 19 dot balls. Off-spinner Vanessa Watts had 2-15 in her quota of overs.

In reply, the Jamaicans finished with finesse, with Natasha McLean sealing the match with a six over mid-wicket. The openers achieved the target in 6.4 overs, scoring 670; Jodian Morgan scored an unbeaten 30 from 24 balls while Natasha McLean scored 28 from 16 balls.

Deandra Dottin starred in Barbados’ win

wednesday, APRIL 3, 2019

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

guyanatimesgy.com

CWI Women’s T20 Blaze…

Giddings’ masterclass spurs Guyana to 3rd consecutive win Page 23

High fives all around as Erva Giddings wreaked havoc with the ball

VIVO IPL Edition 12…

Match #15 Time: 10:30h

Page 20

Corporate Guyana supports RHTY&SC’s campaign well A Regal Stationery Sales Clerk hands over the donation to Mark Papannah and Simon Naidu of RHTY&SC

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