Guyana Times - Wednesday, August 24, 2022

WHAT'S INSIDE: Issue No. 5110 Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana THE BEACON OF TRUTH guyanatimesgy.com PRICE $100 VAT INCLUDEDWEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022 Page13 PP11P8P819P19 TGA gets IATA Standard SafetycertificationAssessment P17 Gunmen housedilapidatedfoundmentally-illBodybesurgeries1500backlog,workingAuthoritiespayrollsite,constructionstormsnatchtoclearascataractstilltoperformedofmanunderinBarticaCANUunearthstoxicchemicalatabandonedsawmillinBerbice2 days CJaccidentinwifegroomwedding,afterdies,criticalWCBupholds appointment of Integrity Commission, says Pres Ali consulted with Opposition Leader – rules Police Service Commission was improperly constituted, but preserves decisions Family of 4 homeless after fire razes West Ruimveldt home as officials make pitch for further Chinese investments in Guyana Norton wants to unconstitutionally remove names from voters’ list Guyana's exports to China total US$720M for 2022; close to US$1B in total trade between 2 countries Outgoing AmbassadorEUhailedforremarkableservicetoGuyana Page9 Page15 Page7 Page 3

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Consultation Norton, who is also the Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) — the largest party in the APNU/ AFC coalition —contended that he was not afforded a “reason able opportunity” to express a considered opinion on the mat ter of consultation concerning the appointments of the PSC and Integrity Commission. For his part, Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, had submitted that the nom inees for the PSC, including Findlay, were nominated by the Appointments Committee of the National Assembly. He argued that, overall, the con sultation has to be fair, but it does not have to be perfect. The two constitutional commissions were appointed on May 31. In concluding her ruling, the Chief Justice also stressed to onlookers the need for con sultations between political leaders to be done in the man ner they were envisioned by the framers of the Constitution, for the good of the nation. “The tone of engage ments… leaves much to be desired. As Mr Satram put it, the process became confronta tional. Parties to a consulta tive process must respectfully focus on what the consultation is about, and not on peripher al and irrelevant issues,” she said.

Police Service Commission In regard to the Police Service Commission, the Chief Justice sided with the applicant in ruling that the commission was improperly constituted at the time, due to the absence of a Chairman of the Public Service Commission. However, she upheld the appointment of the commission’s Chairman, Pastor Patrick Findlay. The Chief Justice noted that there is no evidence to suggest that the commission was not properly constituted, therefore it would not be wise to say that all of the commis sion’s actions are nullified. Additionally, the Chief Justice noted that, in the ap plication, there is no claim seeking to nullify all the com mission’s actions, nor is there evidence of its actions outside of the gazetted promotion list.

“In the interest of avoiding any unforeseen circumstances of my decision that the Police Service Commission is not properly constituted, I apply the de facto doctrine to save the actions of the Commission as currently constituted,” Justice George has said. Norton, through Attorneyat-Law Roysdale Forde, SC, had applied to the High Court to quash the appointment of the Chairman of the Police Service Commission on the ground that the Head of State had failed to engage him in the constitution ally required process of mean ingful consultation. Besides Findlay, the new members of the PSC are Attorney-at-Law Mark Conway and business men Ernesto Choo-a-Fat and Hakeem Mohammed. Article 210 of the Constitution mandates that “the Police Service Commission shall consist of a Chairman ap pointed by the President, act ing after meaningful consul tation with the Leader of the Opposition from among mem bers appointed upon nomina tion by the National Assembly”.

NEWS COMMODITIES Indicators US$ Change % Crude Oil $100.22/barrel +3.73 Rough Rice $311.13/ton -0.05 London Sugar $550.80/ton 0.00 Live Spot Gold USD Per Ounce Bid/Ask $1746.80 $1747.80 Low/High $1730.40 $1755.60 Change -1.50 -0.09 LOTTERY NUMBERS DAILY MILLIONSSATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 2022 DISCLAIMER: WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ERRORS IN PUBLICATION. PLEASE CALL THE HOTLINE FOR CONFIRMATION - TEL: 225-8902 LUCKY 3 FREE TICKET 02 03 07 24 25 28H 1611 21150 19 7 2130811060105 BonusBall 13 DRAW DE LINE 14 16130301 18 21161502 PAY DAY PAYSUPERDAY 15 5 1 0 Afternoon Draw Evening Draw TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2022 02 06 Afternoon Draw Evening Draw 2X2X Afternoon Draw Evening Draw SATURDAY, AUGUST 06, 2022 CJ upholds appointment of Integrity Commission, says Pres Ali consulted with Opposition Leader – rules Police Service Commission was improperly constituted, but preserves decisions Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George Police Service Commission Chairman Pastor Patrick Findlay Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton

WEATHER

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Wednesday, Aug 24 – 01:00 – 02:30h and Thursday, Aug 25 – 02:00h – 03:30h. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS

By Jarryl Bryan

High Tide: 15:01h reaching a maximum height of 2.22 metres. Low Tide: 08:31h and 20:49h reaching minimum heights of 0.93 metre and 0.99 metre.

The Chief Justice also em phasised that she would not exercise her discretion to grant an order nullifying the commis sion’s actions. As such, she ap plied the de facto doctrine to save the commission’s actions. Those actions relate to the appointment of Clifton Hicken as acting Police Commissioner as well as the recent promotions of mem bers of the Police Force, whose rights as third parties would have been affected. The Chief Justice took care to stress that Hicken’s appoint ment, which she had upheld in a separate ruling on August 11, would remain untouched by this new ruling on the Police Service Commission.

FERRY SCHEDULE

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Parika and Supenaam departure times – 05:00h, 10:00h-12:00h, 16:00h, 18:30h daily Wednesday, Aug 24 – 15:15h – 16:45h and Thursday, Aug 25 – 15:50h – 17:20h. TODAY

There will be light rain showers during the day. Expect thundery showers at night. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

In a ruling she handed down on Tuesday in a vir tual hearing, acting Chief Justice Roxane George has up held President Dr Irfaan Ali’s appointment of the members of the Integrity Commission, but in order to preserve decisions of the members of the Police Service Commission, she has applied the de facto doctrine to their appointment, which she ruled was not properly consti tuted.In the case of the Integrity Commission, the Chief Justice noted that the President had followed Article 232 of the Constitution in his efforts to consult with the Opposition. “It is the interpretation of the effect of the engagements between the applicant and the President, as evidenced by their letters, the meetings, and the joint statement, that is re ally the source of controversy in this case. Did these engage ments amount to meaningful consultations? Did these en gagements demonstrate pro cedural fairness? And in this regard, was the consultation sufficient?” she asked. According to the Chief Justice, however, the President’s efforts were not reciprocated in a reasonable manner by Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton, whom she not ed had all the necessary in formation to determine if the nominees were suitable, or to raise objections at the appro priate time. As she put it, it takes two hands to clap. “I have concluded that giv en the overall context of the appointment of the second re spondent as a member of the commission…he had enough information and opportunity to advance his reasons for ob jecting to the second respon dent, and to recommend an other,” Justice George said in referring to when the names were approved by the National Assembly.TheIntegrity Commission has Demerara Bank Corporate Secretary Chandra Gajraj as Chairperson; along with Mohamed Haniff, Kim KyteThomas, lawyer and former Solicitor General; Hardesh Tiwari, and Reverend Wayne Chris Bowman as members. The two constitutional com missions were appointed on May 31.

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Winds: West South-Westerly to South-Westerly between 1.78 metres and 3.12 metres.

Sometime ago, a 12-year-old schoolgirl was killed in a horrifying accident at Nismes, West Bank Demerara. Despite the emotional devastation, her mother had made a public plea for passengers to demand being let out of a minibus that is speeding, or from one in which the driver is imbibing alcoholic beverage. In addition, the suggestion for undercover cops to pose as passengers is repeated. That would help to validate, if nothing else is working, allegations of speeding, reckless driving, and overloading, among other violations.

Importantly, the Police must holistically demonstrate that sense of commitment to genuinely collaborate with members of the public to collectively tackle the situation. This becomes even more necessary given that, generally, the Police’s image in clamping down on errant drivers is not veryTheflattering.Government has advertised for a consultant to commence work on a Road Safety Diagnostic and Action Plan (2022-2026), which would see the design of a Road Safety Action Plan (RSAP) aimed at reducing the number of road traffic deaths. We look forward to this action plan, as the pain people feel is real and crushing. The question of “How many?” is therefore relevant, and the cries for mitigating actions must no longer seemingly fall on deaf ears.

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:marketing@guyanatimesgy.comnews@guyanatimesgy.com, 4 Views guyanatimesgy.comWEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022

The writer also pointed out that the Minister had al ready designated Regions Six and Ten for hemp, and said this was also discrimi natory in a sense.

Mr Editor, the Minister, while speaking on several occasions about the culti vation of industrial hemp in Guyana, explained that Regions Six and Ten were earmarked for the initial cultivation of hemp - the keyword being “initial”.

As with any new project, more so with mentclearthiswithtunitiesnewyoungsmall-holdingufacturing,cencecanclearlyplainedMinistertivation.”beingpictureproduction’,alerates‘thereingthathemp.successfulsitionregionsLinden,Sixsugartwoaffectedtiesfromgionsexplainedsomewhere.projects,agriculture-relatedyouhavetostartMinisterMustaphaalsowhytheserewereselected.Aparttheeconomicactiviinbothregionsbeingbytheclosureofmajoroperations(theestatesinRegionandthecallcentreinRegionTen),thesepossesssoilcompothatisidealforthecultivationofTheletteralsostated“…withtheAGechothesentimentthatarelargeconglomwaitingforapprovofthebilltocommencethispaintsaofsmallfarmerskeptoutofhempculAgain,Mr.Editor,MustaphaexthattheBillitselfstatesthatanyoneapplyforahempliforplantingormanespeciallyfarmersandpeople,giventheandlucrativeopporthatwouldcometheestablishmentofnewindustry.Itshouldalsobemadethattheestablishoftheregulatory body, which would com prise representatives from the Ministries of Agriculture, Health, and Home Affairs; the Guyana Forensic Laboratory; and other related institutions, including the Private Sector, is vital to ensur ing the requirements are met before issuing licences for the cultivation of hemp or the manufacturing of by-products.Thewriter pointed out that should the Authority reject an application or suspend a licence, those in dividuals can appeal to the Minister.Itshould be made clear that an appeal to the Minister does not guaran tee that a decision made by the Authority would be overturned, but gives that person or persons the op portunity to petition a deci sion that they feel was not justly made. It would then be up to the Minister to en gage the Authority to as certain the facts and make a decision based on what the law stipulates and the information presented by bothTheparties.cultivation of in dustrial hemp would be a new industry for Guyana, with massive potential for those directly and indirect ly involved. Indeed, hemp is not a new crop in a world ly sense, but with Guyana taking the lead on agricul ture in Caricom, President Ali and Minister Mustapha should be complimented for taking this bold step to ensure Guyanese are af forded the opportunity to benefit from all that are to come with its establish ment. The evidence is clear, and the numbers don’t lie. With the establishment of this new industry, Guyana is poised to tap into the global hemp market, which was valued at US$4.9 bil lion in 2019, and is project ed to reach US$10.6 billion by 2025 and US$18.6 bil lion by Rather2027.than question ing past Governments’ in ability to get the ball roll ing on the cultivation of hemp in Guyana, let us focus on the fact that this Government, the Irfaan Ali-led Government, was able to swiftly take the necessary steps to facili tate the establishment of such a lucrative industry, which is set to create addi tional jobs for our citizens and earn more foreign ex change for our country.

The reality is that people, including those who survive an accident, suffer in unimaginable ways. The recent spate of accidents, and more so the one in which six persons died in a horrific accident over the weekend in Berbice, has even prompted some to ask the question, “How many more?” One interpretation from that simple question speaks to whether lessons are being learnt from accidents over time. In other words, how many more have to die before better care is taken while using the roadways? Given what has been taking place on our roadways, one could not be faulted for concluding that the results of the accidents may not have inspired more responsible behaviour. There is uncertainty as to whether the mindsets of the regular errant drivers have been impacted; whether they have learnt anything from what were obviously painful experiences of others. Judging from what continues to take place on the roadways, it seems clear that many drivers have not learnt anything from, or are clearly refusing to even be bothered by, the harrowing fatal accidents. On a daily basis, many drivers use the roadways in a very reckless manner, thereby endangering the lives of occupants and other road users; not to mention themselves. It becomes painful even to see how they manoeuvre their vehicles seemingly without an iota of care for others. Again, it brings into question the role of law enforcement to try and curb such irresponsible behaviours, especially since some traffic violations do occur in the presence of serving members of the Police Force. Many of those violations involve a minibus. The general public is hurting, and is pleading for help.

Yours respectfully, Janell Cameron Public AgricultureMinistryOfficer,Relationsof

In a fleeting moment, families were plunged into sadness and despair after receiving the dreadful news that an accident had taken the lives of persons dear to them. That’s the painful result, and often its real and lingering impact may be hidden from the spotlight of the media.

Dear Editor, Permit me a few lines to respond to a letter pub lished in the Monday, August 22, 2022 edition of a daily newspaper under the title “Hemp bill offer ing a new crop to a select ed few”.Inmy response, I would clarify some misconcep tions and reiterate a few points that were previous ly mentioned in an article that was issued to mem bers of the press last week. In the letter, the writ er said the recently passed Hemp Bill was discrimi natory, as clause 23 of the Bill “gives the Minister the power to designate geo-graphical areas, by Order subject to the neg ative resolution of the National Assembly, to cul tivate or manufacture in dustrial hemp and hemp related products.”

President Dr Irfaan Ali on Tuesday visited the floating, production, storage and offloading vessel (FPSO) Liza Unity, where he met with both foreign and local workers. In photo, President Ali is flanked by Natural Resources Minister Vickram Bharrat and President of ExxonMobil Guyana, Alistair Routledge, and other officials

Horrendous accidents

Response to news article

T he life of a newlywed Berbice couple has been shattered, with the husband now being dead and the wife being in a critical condition and battling for her life, after another horrendous road accident, the consequences of which are attracting national attention. Two families are now left trying to cope with the loss of their loved ones, as it was only on Sunday that the couple got married. The sudden and shocking death of someone close, especially due to an accident, can never be easy to endure. The ensuing excruciating pain and mental trauma that are inflicted on surviving relatives can be unbearable.

3. The Constitution and other laws should be appro priately amended to em power the Public Service Commission (PSC) to ap point permanent secretar ies and regional executive officers to remove direct political appointments to Public Service positions.

6. There should be a higher retirement age of 60 and 65 for Public Servants, with corresponding high er Public Service pensions and NIS pensions.

Finally, how about Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo stating that the PPP/C Government’s record on up liftment of Afro-Guyanese is most outstanding? He detailed that “…in just two years, AfroGuyanese have benefited from more scholarships through the Guyana Online Learning Academy (GOAL) and more house lot allocations com pared to what obtained in the five years under the previous APNU+AFC Government.” So then, regarding this ‘Apartheid’ issue, the con cerns that were raised by the Attorney General are very valid. He deems the theme “Resisting the emerging Apartheid State” as not only obnoxious, but quite illegal. In this vein, banker and financial expert Dr Floyd Haynes was in order when he expressed consternation that his name was included on a list of speakers who were supposed to be addressing the said topic. So adamantly opposed was he that he wrote a scathing letter to chairman of the committee, Dr Norman Ng-A-Qui, stating that he was not asked ‘formally or informally’ to be part of the programme, and thus called for his name to be removed. I love his justification too. He explained, “…I complete ly reject the phrase ‘resist ing the emerging apartheid state’ to describe conditions in Guyana…” (explaining that in his view) “…this statement is a disservice to all Guyanese… (so) I wish to categorically dis associate myself from it.

Dear Editor, I am happy to read that the “Cuffy 250 Committee” de ferred its forum on the ‘state’ of African Guyanese. This state (of affairs maybe) was couched in the theme of the now abort ed forum, “Resisting the Emerging Apartheid State”. What boggles the mind is that this “Cuffy 250 Committee” could have enter tained some better and more relevant issues, past and pres ent. So, let me suggest a few ‘bugbears’ that need elucida tion, and by implication an swer the question who at any time sought to create an ‘apart heid’ state. I go back to October 2017 and remind “Cuffy 250” that former President David Granger unilaterally appoint ed James Patterson, a for mer High Court Judge, as the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), and then had him instantly sworn at State House. Mind you, Patterson’s name was not included in the third and final list (a sum of 18 potential appointees) which was ‘legally’ submitted by Former Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo. At the time, Granger and cohorts knew that this was a breach of the Guyana Constitution, but ‘bullied’ on. In the end, what happened? Well, it was in June 2019 that the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) overruled the courts in Guyana, ex plaining that “…the appoint ment of Justice (ret’d) James Patterson (by President David Granger) as Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) was unconstitution al on the basis that the process was flawed.”

“More importantly, I am a firm supporter of His Excellency, the President of Guyana, and I am absolute ly convinced that it is not part of the President’s agenda to create any disparity based on race,” Haynes said. Enough said.

More important issues for “Cuffy 250” Committee to deal with

7. There should be a high-level representative Committee to identify, based on merit, candidates to be awarded fellowships and8.scholarships.ThePublic Service compensation system should be reviewed and re designed within the graded salary structure, with the involvement of the GPSU, but not in conflict with their collective bargaining negotiations, and consid ering pay for performance based on a merit system.

12. The Public Service Ministry, the Public Service Commission, and the Appellate Tribunal should be constituted with professional personnel with high integrity, to rebuild trust and confidence in the Guyana Public Service with the Private and Public Sector ommendationsmunitytoprofessionalandfairmentgovernancetionsTheorganisations.aboverecommendaareessentialforgoodandmanageofthePublicService,employmentpractices,thedevelopmentofaPublicServiceservethenationalcomfairly.Theserecalsospeak to removing the conflict of interest at professional and political levels, setting the procedure for the finali ty of public negotiations, and having the National Assembly set the remuner ation of those in the gov erningImplementationauthorities. of these and other recommenda tions would rebuild con fidence and trust in our country for the good of all. With thanks and Joshuaregards,Singh

Yours truly,

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022 5guyanatimesgy.com You can send your letters with pictures to: Guyana Times, Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, Guyana or letters@guyanatimesgy.com 06:00 (Sign on) Inspirational Time 06:30 Cartoons 07:00 Evening News (RB) 08:00 Stop Suffering 09:00 MasterChef Junior 10:00 Celebrity IOU 11:00 Paternity Court 11:30 Divorce Court 12:00 Movie - Home (2015) 13:34 Wheel of Fortune 14:00 The Thundermans S4 E28 14:30 Liv and Maddie S2 E19 15:00 Indian Soaps 16:00 Henry Danger S1 E17 16:30 Inspector Gadget 17:00 The Young & The Restless 17:45 Exxon Mobil AEMG Ep 26 18:00 CNN 19:00 The Evening News 20:00 Stop Suffering 20:30 JB & Salim 21:00 Brooklyn Nine-Nine S5 E18 21:30 Stranger Things S1 E5 22:30 Manifest S1 E3 23:30 Whose Line Is It Anyway? S16 E11 00:00 Sign off Wednesday, August 24, 2022

As a pertinent footnote, I firmly believe that this at tempt to impose, unconstitu tionally too, James Patterson on the nation was the prelude for the attempted rigging of the March 2020 Guyana Elections. I add that the corollary to this started when the no-confidence motion, after being initially embraced by the then Coalition APNU/AFC, was outrageously flouted, rejected, and then fool ishly challenged in the courts. What happened again? It all goes back to December 2018, but ended in June 2019, when the CCJ stepped in and determined “…that majority (in Guyana’s Parliament), that the (APNU/AFC’s) half plus one rule was not applicable. It held that since the Assembly comprised an odd number of persons (ie 65), (and) when all the members of the Assembly are present and vote, all that is necessary is to determine whether the motion has gar nered “a majority of all the elected members.” Such a ma jority in the court’s view was clearly at least 33 votes.” This statement emanated from the President of the CCJ, Justice Adrian Saunders, as he hand ed down the ruling in the con solidated appeals. I mean, the footage is there. APNU/AFC, through for mer Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, did state initial ly that the “Government had fallen.” I recall to build-up to the PPP/C’s no-confidence mo tion. Nagamootoo was in a tri umphant spirit, declaring that, “If this motion is tied, it doesn’t pass. First, the Constitution, our Law, says that in order for a motion of no-confidence to pass, it must have a majority of the elected members of the National Assembly.” He ex pressed in confident tones that “It (the count) must have a ma jority of all elected members of National Assembly. (And since) Our National Assembly has 65 members, it means that the motion of no-confidence, in or der to pass, must have 33 mem bers who are elected as mem bers of the National Assembly. The Opposition doesn’t have that. It is the Government that has 33 members who are elect ed and sitting in the National Assembly.” You get the drift? So, I firmly believe that the “Cuffy 250” people should apol ogise for making fools out of their now dwindling followers. Let me go to one of the present ongoings in Guyana, and this will again upend this nonsensical idea that Guyana is an emerging apartheid state, meaning specifically that AfroGuyanese are the target group. In January of this year (2022), it was clearly spelt out that under the ruling PPP/C, “…no region (in Guyana) will be left behind.” It was ex pounded that the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government will set out to achieve transformative development in every com munity. At that time, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Office for Investment (Go-Invest), Dr. Peter Ramsaroop, said that “tens of millions of dollars” in invest ment have already been ear marked for the mining town of Linden, Region 10. By this time, Go-Invest had already signed investment packages with a few big companies that were seeking to expand and develop that ingDamishanafolksingbyLinden.andtionfolkslyofygenicalvestmentwasnationLinden.”tiondoingmentment“WeRamsarooptownship.mentioned,recentlysignedaninvestpackagewithalargeceplantinLindenthatisquiteabitofconstrucworkinbuildinghousesinHealsoinformedthethattheGovernmentabouttosignanotherinpackagewithamedsupplycompany“todooxbottlingandothertypespackaging.”Thisisexactwhy,rightnow,Region10arepayingkeenattentowhattheGovernmentPrivateSectoraredoinginThenhowabouttheinputtheGovernmentinhousandlandleases/titlesforinGoldenGrove,MelanieandBuxton.Iofferanotherdebunkexample,anditspeaks volumes. Specifically, I re fer here to the national mind set of the Administration. Mr. Editor, the record is there in the National Budget 2022, where Government earmarked a massive increase to allow 20 Indigenous communities to have titled lands. Senior Minister in the Office of the President, with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, M.P, is on record as saying, “Our Government will con tinue to support the rights of our Indigenous Peoples by ac celerating the land-titling pro gramme at a cost of $561.6 million, allocated in Budget 2022, to achieve a target of 20 Certificates of Title.” Just to top it off, I bring to the table that “Since com ing into office, the Amerindian Land Titling Unit in the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs was revived. Officers of this unit are tasked to conduct ex tensive investigations to en sure the lands and extensions do not form part of a mining concession, or do not interfere with the boundaries of anoth er village.”Ibring this up because, in some sections of the coun try, the Opposition and their heralders are trying to pro voke and engender animos ity among the Amerindians, even though, when they were in Government, nothing was done by them for the people they are now pretending they have a concern for.

Implementing

Clearly, the authorities should not appoint members of the Commission who have any conflict of interest. The National Assembly and the Government have been negligent in the appoint ment of some members of the current Commission.

5. Contract employment of low-level and general staff in the Public Service should end. However, con tract employment in the Public Service should be restricted to high-level, professional, scarce skills not available in the Public Service, and for project work. No Public Servant who retires from the Public service before attaining 65 years should be re-em ployed on contract.

4. All appointments to Public Service positions should be by open internal and external competition, to obtain and select the best suitably qualified per sons from the job market, based on merit and free from political influences.

H Singh

Dear Editor, Samuel Goolsarran should be highly commend ed for calling the National Assembly and Government to debate and consider the CoI report which was sub mitted to His Excellency President David Granger in May 2016 by Professor Harold Lutchman, Chair of theTheCommission.reportwas also cir culated to members of the National Assembly for de bate and consideration. It is hoped that the Government would not throw away the baby with the bath water. The nation should be told of the Government’s posi tion on the many recom mendations of the CoI in the Public Service report. What are the Opposition and the Guyana Public Serve Union’s dispositions on the many essential rec ommendations, including: 1. The enactment of a Public Service Law with related Regulations and a code of conduct to create and develop a profession al and politically-neutral Public Service with high integrity for effective man agement and administra tion.2. The Public Service Commission (PSC) be con stituted always with suit ably qualified persons of high integrity to be fair and impartial in the execu tion of their duties in line with the Constitutional prescription that they ex ercise independent judge ment and not be influenced by political and other ex ternal considerations and influences.

the Public Service CoI Recommendations

9. The resumption of col lective bargaining in goodfaith encounters at nego tiations and conciliation/ mediation. Failure at these levels to resolve issues in dispute requires refer ence to a mutually agreed Arbitration Tribunal, in keeping with the exist ing procedures; or, as rec ommended in the CoI, to the National Assembly, based on the recommenda tions of a Salaries Review Commission for final deter mination.10.A Salary and Remuneration Commission be established to make recommendations to the National Assembly on re muneration for high-level political and Public Service offices, including the President, Vice-Presidents, Prime Minister, Ministers, Leader of the Opposition, Members of the National Assembly, Permanent Secretaries, CEOs of Public Corporations, Regional Executive Officers, and Regional Chairpersons.

11. The Public Service Appellate Tribunal should be appointed to adjudicate disputes with the Public Service Commission.

WORD SEARCH Page Foundation 6 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022 ◄

Remember: Every percentage can be displayed as a percentage, a decimal, or a fraction with a de nominator of 100. Supplies needed: Duct Mixturetapeof corn kernels, rice, small noodlesAluminium foil Paper towel Constructionrollpaper

Understanding percent

Now it chanced that an old soldier, who had been wounded in battle and could fight no longer, passed through the country where this king reigned: and as he was travelling through a wood, he met an old woman, who asked him where he was going. “I hardly know where I am going, or what I had better do,” said the soldier; “but I think I should like very well to find out where it is that the princesses dance, and then in time I might be a king.” “Well,” said the old dame, “that is no very hard task: only take care not to drink any of the wine which one of the princesses will bring to you in the evening; and as soon as she leaves you pretend to be fastThenasleep.”she gave him a cloak, and said, “As soon as you put that on you will become invisible, and you will then be able to follow the princesses wherever they go.” When the soldier heard all this good counsel, he determined to try his luck: so he went to the king, and said he was willing to undertake the task. He was as well received as the others had been, and the king ordered fine royal robes to be given him; and when the evening came he was led to the outer chamber. Just as he was going to lie down, the eldest of the princesses brought him a cup of wine; but the soldier threw it all away secretly, taking care not to drink a drop. Then he laid himself down on his bed, and in a little while began to snore very loud as if he was fast asleep.

Notice the term per cent has the smaller word cent in it. You know cents from dealing with money. Every dollar can be divided into 100 cents, that is 100 hundredths. Therefore, it probably will not surpri se you that cent means hundredth. Per means by. A percent is a particular kind of ratio that is used to compare numbers to hundredths. The % sign is used to identify percents. However, a percent is really a decimal that goes to the hundredths place. A percent can also be expressed as a fraction, with 100 as the denominator.

Step one: Cover one end of the paper towel roll with duct tape. Step two: Insert a long piece of alu minium foil inside. Step three: Fill the inside about ¼ full with the mixture of corn kernels, rice, and small noodles. Step four: Cover the other end with duct tape. Step five: Wrap construction paper around the paper towel roll. (pbskids. org)

Exercises: Express the following as decimals and fractions

By The BroThers Grimm CONTINUED FROM TUESDAY

China’s status as a val ued partner in Guyana’s development was on Monday underscored at a China-Guyana investment op portunities seminar, where it was revealed that trade be tween the two countries for the first half of the year, totalled US$950Duringmillion.the seminar, Vice Chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) Zhang Shaogang further re vealed that of that total figure, Guyana’s exports to China ac counted for US$720 million. The US$950 million is, in fact, an over 200 per cent increase in trade between the two coun tries.“In 2021, the trade vol ume between our two countries reached US$710 million… in the first six months of this year, bilateral trade US$950 million, a growth of 224 per cent, among which China imported US$720 million from Guyana, a growth of 459.9 per cent,” he said. Meanwhile, referenc ing the multitude of projects, past, present and future, that Guyana has been embark ing on, Minister of Tourism, Industry, and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond described China as a valued partner in Guyana’s development. During her presentation at the ChinaGuyana investment semi nar, Walrond listed some of the myriad investment oppor tunities and upcoming proj ects being spearheaded by the Government.“Asyouknow, we are al ready in negotiation with Chinese companies with re spect to the construction of the new bridge across the Demerara River… we are pro ceeding with plans for the es tablishment of Silica City along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway. This is to be a modern planned city and its realisation will re quire significant infrastructure investment.”“Wehad a successful bid der for the Linden to Mabura Hill and the Georgetown to Lethem Road. And the remain ing segments of the Mabura Hill to Lethem is one of the projects on our agenda. That road, of course, will be linked to a deep-water port which of itself is a major undertaking,” WalrondAnotherexplained.investment oppor tunity Walrond referenced is the development of a high-end all-inclusive resort. According to the Minister, this project will be specific to the tourism sector and will be highly incentivised by theSheGovernment.alsospoke of oth er past and ongoing projects, such as the upgrade of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), the construc tion of a high-speed Long-Term Evolution (LTE) 4G network and road upgrades such as the Sheriff-Mandela Road upgrade.

“We are excited to contin ue that relationship. There have been significant invest ments in Guyana from China, and we are looking forward to building stronger relationships in many of our projects coming up,” Ramsaroop said. Among the pitches that Ramsaroop made to Chinese investors, was for a glass fac tory and an aluminium plant that would utilise Guyana’s rich bauxite resource. And with an upcoming deep-water port, he noted the potential for Guyana to serve as a tranship ment point for Chinese trade with Northern Brazil. This year marks 45 years since the establishment of dip lomatic relations between Guyana and China. In fact, Guyana was the first coun try in the English-speaking Caribbean to do so. The sem inar was a joint effort be tween the China Chamber of International Commerce in collaboration with the CCPIT and the Chinese Embassy in Guyana.

Guyana's exports to China total US$720M for 2022; close to US$1B in total trade between 2 countries – as officials make pitch for further Chinese investments in Guyana Vice Chairman of the China Council for Int’l Trade, Zhang Shaogang Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Oneidge Walrond GO-Invest CEO, Dr Peter Ramsaroop

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“As we look to the future with our development plans and programmes, we believe that there is substantial scope for deepening the cooperation between our two countries. Government is actively pursu ing a transformational develop ment programme in which ma jor infrastructural work will be required.

Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest) Chief Executive Officer, Dr Peter Ramsaroop also lauded the trade relations between the two countries, while also going into further details on the invest ment opportunities Guyana has to “Weoffer.will continue to work with companies from China, to offer incentives to Guyana and to build the relationship between Government, private sector and the China compa nies. Our honourable Minister has described some of our larg er national projects that are continuing in our country. And that will continue to at tract larger investments from China,” Ramsaroop said.

Family of 4 homeless after fire razes West Ruimveldt home

The house that was gutted by fire

The views expressed in this column are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Guyana Times’ editorial policy and stance …drought It’s a well-worn trope in literature to point out that while some in the world are laughing, others are crying. We live in a world of opposites and contradictions!! And right now, we in Guyana, who’ve been inundated with floods for over a year – with no end seemingly in sight!! – will find it hard to appreciate that half of the world’s been hit by drought during that same period!! And this is no ordinary drought we’re talking about!! Rivers that have been flowing for thousands of years have suddenly actually DRIED up!! So, we have the great Yangtze River in China – the third longest in the entire world, and the centre of some of the earliest civilisations on earth – drying up to such an extent that a submerged island has been revealed with three Buddhist statues, believed to be 600 years old!! The Yangtze is called the “Yellow River” because of the amount of yellow silt it brings down and deposits on the plains to create one of the most fertile deltas in the world!! So, with the Yellow River down to its bottom, you can imagine what that’s done to food supplies in China. Dried up?? But if we’d been following the news, we’d know that the same situation has hit parts of Europe that had NEVER KNOWN DROUGHT!! The River Loire in France is now completely dry?? And the Danube’s so shrunken that dozens of sunken German warships from WWII are now exposed?? And let’s not even talk about the forest fires sweeping Europe – you’d think Germany, France and Britain were in California!! And moving to the US, how about the great Colorado River that carved out all those canyons drying up?? You’re talking about millions of acres of land that were irrigated from its waters now dry as a bone!! Now, if you detect a note of schadenfreude in your Eyewitness’s prose, it means you’ve got his drift. Right now, East Africa’s experiencing a severe drought that’s been going on for years. Haven’t we seen enough of those starving children and cattle dying with their ribs touching their backs?? Right now, in Tigray province of Ethiopia, hundreds of thousands are starving as war rages on. Have these countries up north ever taken notice long enough to do something about the crisis, other than shipping in some grains – but with more guns to warlords?? And we all know – or should know – that these droughts and floods are all symptoms of “climate change”, don’t we?? So, now that the ones who caused this disaster are feeling the heat – pun intended! – your Eyewitness hopes it’s focusing their minds to throw their weight and funds to address the problem!! In the meantime, your Eyewitness says, “Burn baby!! Burn!!”

Based on reports re ceived, while the employees were working at one end of the building, the payroll ar rived and was locked away in the school’s office. At the time, the pay clerk was sort ing out the wages. Shortly after, Police stat ed that a group of men pulled up in a motor car armed with guns and stormed the office, thus relieving the woman of the payroll. They then made good their escape in the waiting car. Guyana Times was also informed that after the bandits left, an alarm was raised and the Police were summoned to the scene. When contacted on Tuesday, Regional Commander Denise Griffith said that based on their in vestigation, all of the mon ies were not stolen. She ex plained that at the time of the robbery, some of the em ployees were already paid. Following the robbery, the Police apprehend three men, one of whom is the 52-year-old driver of the car who hails from Mahaica on the East Coast of Demerara. The car was also found. The men were all charged with the offence and remanded to prison on Monday.

Gunmen storm construction site, snatch payroll

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM 8 NEWS

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

Extreme...

Alate evening fire in West Ruimveldt, Georgetown, on Monday, has left a family of four making alternative living arrangements. The house was once occupied by Joseph Chinasammy, his common-law wife Zaleena Mohamed, her father, and their four-year-old son. Chinasammy, who was not home at the time when the fire started, told Guyana Times that after he saw his home on fire, he rushed to put out the blaze but his ef forts proved futile as the blaze consumed the one-sto ry house.“Bythe time I come, I pelt couple buckets of water. Was bare fire. I couldn’t have get nothing; I had to call the ambulance,” Chinasammy recalled.On the other hand, Mohamed said that she along with her son and her father were at home when the fire started. She ex plained that the fire started after an attempt was made to plug an electrical appli ance into an outlet. As a re sult, the appliance exploded thus resulting in the fire. “The thing that we plug in the point to, it explodes, and we started seeing some fire. I just stay out on the veranda until it stop, but it in stops until everything catch a fire in the house,” Mohamed explained. The family had been liv ing at the residence for the past three years, but ac cording to Chinasammy, the property does not belong to them.He said that his friend gave him permission to live on the property. The owner of the property remains un identified. Losses are esti mated in the millions.

…prejudice

Gunmen on Saturday morning attacked and robbed a number of employees who were con tracted to work at a second ary school at aroundTheSoesdyke-LindenYarrowkabra,Highway.incidentoccurredat10:00h.

Getting back to the theme that life in Guyana’s becoming increasingly like a Hollywood “B” Movie, it appears that taking care with folks “with extreme prejudice” is becoming commonplace. In military and other covert operations, “terminate with extreme prejudice” is a euphemism for aggressive execution. Like when Obama ordered, “Osama bin Laden be terminated with extreme prejudice”. Get it?? Believe it or not, while it originated in movies like “Apocalypse Now”, the expression "termination with prejudice" was part of employment contracts!! In a military intelligence context, it’s generally understood as an order to assassinate. So, here in our dear mudland, are we to believe Sgt Bascom - who’s been singing like a canary about the nexus of business and crime – when he insists his life’s in danger?? Now, being a sucker for the aforementioned B movies, your Eyewitness is convinced the man’s fears are justified, and he should immediately be placed in a witness protection plan. You know, with a new name, identity, and home in, say, the Pakaraimas?? But that’s where they dig the gold?? …verification Your Eyewitness was pleased to learn that after all the loose accusations, in 2021, IPADA-G conducted a $4.9 million flood-relief survey of 3,868 persons to check if there were “disparities” in the distribution. Well???

President Dr Irfaan Ali, in his remarks, related that the Ambassador has left footprints on Guyana’s his tory that led the country on a pathway of democracy and freedom.

Outgoing EU Ambassador hailed for remarkable service to Guyana

The President and the EU Ambassador at the farewell ceremony on Monday evening President Dr Irfaan Ali bidding farewell to EU Ambassador Fernando Ponz Canto

“As I leave Guyana, I can say that this is not good bye, I can say this is utmost farewell. I will indeed con tinue to work with Guyana and for Guyana and for the European Union.”

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“We do not say farewell to someone who has left footprints that will forev er be marked in our coun try’s history; footprints that would withstand time and event; footprints that en sure Guyana remains on a pathway of democracy and freedom.So,for us, it is not about saying farewell, is about saying to you that as you journeyed forward, know that you have left in this country footprints that will forever be cherished,” he added.The President stat ed that Ponz Canto has shown great profession ality, strength, integri ty, and fine character as the Ambassador and as a friend. “You worked tireless ly with the Ministry of Finance in ensuring that the budgetary support in ensuring that artificial bar riers sometimes were re moved and in the process of accessing that financing and efficiently moving to wards the implementation of projects and programmes that you ensured was re alized. You brought a new approach to the work here at the European Union, one that was respectful of the country’s programme but one also that sought to find solutions; not one that sought to extend barri ers. Yes, you stuck to your rules and guidelines, but we knew we could have counted on your ability to find solu tions,” the President said. President Ali further urged the Ambassador to aggressively continue the work that he has started in Guyana.“We expect that this brilliant work that you started here would con tinue in a more aggressive way as you connect with those in head office. Know that, as we move forward, you can always be rest as sured that you’re leaving a Government that is commit ted to democracy; commit ted to the rule of law; com mitted to equity; committed to the development of all the people of this country; but, more importantly, com mitted to playing our role and our part in the global community of countries, not as follower [but] as a lead er,” Ali added.

T he European Union Ambassador to Guyana Fernando Ponz Canto has completed his tenure in Guyana, and has been hailed for his re markable service to the country. The official farewell cer emony for Canto was held on Monday evening at his Bel Air Springs residence in Georgetown. At that event, the EU Ambassador reflect ed on his journey in the country, noting that he has been through some of the most difficult times. “We have gone through very difficult times in the Delegation of the European Union. We have the elector al crisis, we have COVID, I remember the 20th of March 2020 with Electoral Observation Mission left, and then we here…you will remember the feeling that we had, we were facing a complicated situation,” the Ambassador explained. He stated that he is very happy he was here to assist the country during those tough“Theretimes.some very tough times, where you have to take a stand, and I am very happy I was here, and I was very happy that I had the support of all my colleagues in the Delegation of the European Union, but also in the EU, to try to help this country a little to maintain democracy.”Thediplomat further expressed that even as he leaves Guyana, he will con tinue to work with and for the country, to ensure it is equally benefiting from the initiatives of the European Union.

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Director of the National Opthalmology Hospital, Dr Vineshri Khirodhar Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Kansas, Dr Abraham White National Director of the Association of Bible Churches, Dr Andy Girwarnauth

Authorities working to clear backlog, as 1500 cataract surgeries still to be performed

The stoodofthisworkingandsurgeriesbacklogMourant,HospitalOphthalmologyNationalatPortCorentynehasaofsome1500cataractstilltobeperformed,authoritiesaresaidtobeassiduouslytoreducenumber.Atthebeginningthisyear,thisbackloghadat2100surgeries.Thisbackloghasbeenoc casioned by a fire which oc curred at that health institu tion a few years ago, during which the operating theatre had been damaged. So far for this year, 500 sur geries have been conducted at this institution. This is accord ing to Director of the National Ophthalmology Hospital, Dr Vineshri Khirodhar, who ex plained that the hospital’s capacity has recently been boosted following a visit from an ophthalmology team from the USA. That team of 32 had eight surgeons and six optom etrists.Dr. Abraham White, Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Kansas, who was that team’s leader, had said that the team’s ini tial goal was to do 200 cata ract surgeries during its oneweek visit. Referring to the team’s experience, he had said the team was able to perform 100 cataract surgeries and ten capsulotomies.“The200number was ba sically the maximum number of supplies that we can bring in in terms of weight. So I re quested that, so that basical ly that was not going to be our limiting factor. We did not want to get here and then we ran out of things to do because of a lack of supplies. I am actu ally happy that we were able to get 100 procedures done by this surgical team,” Dr White hadImportantly,said. he had noted, the team was able to do some training of local doctors in or der that those doctors could continue the work. “We were able to train one of the local ophthalmol ogists here in a technique for the capsulotomy. Prior to today (Tuesday), patients would have to travel from Port Mourant to Georgetown to get this treatment, but now they will be able to access that treatment here. So, that will save on cost and make it far more convenient for patients to have to get that here.” What had precluded those surgeries from being done at the Port Mourant facility was a combination of both a lack of trained personnel and a lack of equipment.National Ophthalmology Hospital Director Dr Vineshri Khirodhar had explained that because of the complexities of some of the cases, time spent on most of the surgeries was longer than had been antic ipated. However, she noted that the team worked long hours to complete them. “We did some addition al procedures, like capsulo tomy. That is basically pa tients that would have had cataract surgeries many years ago and the lens would have been cloudy…So, they would have done some of those pro cedures,” she explained. “Cataract surgery is very time-consuming. A skilled surgeon may take about 30 minutes, but it is not nec essarily 30 minutes per pa tient, because some patients do have complications. The cataract may be very tough, so you spend more time doing the surgery. So, different cas es present their own unique challenges,” she informed. Over a seven-year peri od, a backlog had resulted in about 2000 patients wait ing to have cataract surgery. This backlog, Dr Khirodhar revealed, has been significant ly reduced, as the hospital re commenced performing those surgeries as of January 15, 2022.“So we are working our way down that list, and hope fully by December, we would have finished 1000 cataracts. The team would have equip ment and resources; every thing that we needed for the surgeries was brought in by the team. They will be boost ing our capacity here also, be cause they would have done some in-house training with our local surgeons, and they will be a bit more skilled to do certain retinal procedures and also the capsulotomy,” Dr KhirodharAccordingexplained.totheDirector, the capsulotomy is either done by laser or through a manu al procedure. The doctors at the National Ophthalmology Hospital were previously trained to use only a laser, but the hospital could not facili tate that procedure. They have now received training to conduct the proce dure“Themanually.laserequipment, we are procuring that; so when it gets here, it will be a lot eas ier for many Berbicians,” Dr Khirodhar added. The team of doctors came on an invitation from the Association of Bible Churches. The team made its first trip in 1997. National Director of the Association of Bible Churches, Dr. Andy Girwarnauth, pointed out that every year a dentist ry team also visits, and now ophthalmology has been in cluded.“From a church perspec tive, it is always a delight to be able to hold out the love of Christ and to share (it) in a very tangible way to our peo ple in this country, and let them know that God loves them; and the best way to show that love is not just to talk about it, but to demon strate it. What better way to demonstrate it than to fix their eyes, so that they can see?” Dr Girwarnauth asked. Persons from as far away as Region One (BarimaWaini) and Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) are now visiting the National Ophthalmology Hospital at Port Mourant for their cataract surgeries. (G-4)

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Tragedy struck on Monday for a new ly-wed couple when the groom lost his life in a two-ve hicle collision along the Bath Settlement Public Road, West Coast Berbice (WCB). His wife is now battling for her life. The dead groom has been identified as Beesham Dhoray, 23, of Queens, New York, USA and of Canje, Corentyne, Berbice, while his wife is Viroshni Persaud, also 23, of Canefield village, East Canje.Based on reports re ceived, the couple was in a car that was being driven by the groom’s cousin when the vehi cle came into contact with an otherAccordingcar. to the Police, motor car HC 7356 and motor car PTT 7600 were proceed ing along the Bath Settlement Public Road in the same direc tion.The Police said that the taxi attempted to overtake the other car which was at the time turning, thus result ing in a collision. The driver then lost control of the car, which spun several times and crashed into a utility pole and then into a concrete fence. Dhoray, Persaud, Romona Romatalli, 33, of Susannah Village, East Cost Berbice, and the driver, Novashkar Sahadeo, also an over seas-based Guyanese, were picked up and taken to the Fort Wellington Public Hospital where Dhoray was pronounced dead. The others were treated and transferred to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital. Their conditions are regarded as serious.

The taxi that was involved in the accident

Meanwhile, the driver of the taxi was arrested and is assisting with investiga tions. Guyana Times under stands that Dhoray arrived in Guyana a few days prior and only got married on Sunday according to Hindu rights. At the time of the acci dent, the couple was return ing home from Georgetown where they had gone to apply for their legal marriage cer tificate. The couple had also been making arrangements for Persaud to migrate.

The couple at their wedding on Sunday last

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2 days after wedding, groom dies, wife critical in WCB accident

Injured: Viroshni Persaud Dead: Beesham Dhoray

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The Guyana (GECOM)CommissionElectionsisput ting in place systems to host Local Government Elections (LGE) by this year-end, but Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton on Tuesday reiterated that the present voters’ list is "bloated", and he is calling for it to be "cleansed". At a press conference he held, Norton alleged that the Official List of Electors (OLE) used in the 2020 General and Regional Elections has 684,354 names, which is over 91 per cent of Guyana’s to tal population. However, Mr Norton had been us ing the 2002 census figures of 744,000, which were tak en some 20 years ago. Most UN and other official esti mates place our population at around 794,000 today. This would place the voters' list at 86%, which is also quite high. However, in August 2019, the High Court had ruled that there can be no "residen cy requirements" for persons to vote: meaning that once a person is registered to vote, that person’s name cannot be removed from the voters’ list, even if they are overseas or not found at the address where they were registered. Most of the alleged "bloating" comes from Guyanese citizens migrating.TheCoalition Government had appealed this decision, and on 11 Feb 2020, the Court of Appeal upheld the August 2019 High Court decision. As such, it would be unconsti tutional to remove persons’ names from the list with out an amendment to the Constitution.Mostof our Caricom neighbours have this identi cal situation, and earlier this year, Barbados voted with a voters list of 266,330 persons which was 87% of its popula tion of 302,674; and St Kitts/ Nevis voted with 50,933 on its voters’ list against a pop ulation of 54,001, coming in at 94%. Neither had any com plaints of "bloated" lists. “Before any new elections in Guyana, GECOM must re spect and address the con cerns of all stakeholders, inclusive of the Guyanese public. We remain steadfast in our call for GECOM to imple ment the necessary improve ments -- whether statutory, constitutional, technological, or administrative -- to ensure elections of the highest stan dard. In this regard, we stand by our position on the need for a clean voters’ list and bio metric identification at poll ing places,” Norton has con tended.Inregard to cleansing of the list, GECOM has already embarked on a process of ‘claims and objections’, a nec essary step following its ‘con tinuous registration’ exercise. Chairman of the Commission, retired Justice Claudette Singh, had posited that the list is not bloated. In fact, she has said that, even if it were, this process would allow for objections to those persons who should not be on the said list.According to the law, a ‘claims and objections’ period is for persons seeking to make a claim to be included on the list, or make objections to their voter’s information, such as to change their address. Norton related that APNU/AFC would ask its con stituents to participate in the ‘claims and objections’ exer cise, while adding that it does not mean the party would agree to go to the polls with the existing list.

“We’re participating be cause we need to stay on top, get the data to deal with the issues… Participating in this process does not mean that you agree to go to elections with the existing voters’ list,” he told media operatives. During the ‘claims and objections’ period, any per son who would be 18 years and older by October 31, 2022 and is a Guyanese citizen by birth, descent, or naturali sation, or is a citizen from a Commonwealth country liv ing in Guyana for one year or more, can make a claim, on or before September 11, 2022, to be included on the OLE, pro vided that he/she had never previously been registered. Persons can also make ob jections against the inclusion of names in the preliminary list for reasons such as if the person is dead. The claims as pect of the exercise would last until September 11, while the objections aspect would be concluded on September 15. The Commission is urging all eligible persons to ensure they embrace this opportu nity to be registered for in clusion in the Revised List of Electors (RLE) and, ultimate ly, the Official List of Electors (OLE), in order to be eligible to vote.At the last LGE in November 2018, the then PPP/C Opposition had se cured 52 of the 80 Local Authority Areas (LAAs). This followed the holding of the LGE in 2016, during which the PPP/C also claimed the majority of the LAAs.

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Aubrey Norton

Norton wants to unconstitutionally remove names from voters' list Opposition Leader

President Dr Irfaan Ali, along with Government Minsters and other officials, at the commissioning ceremony

ONCONTINUEDPAGE17

“These are the investments that will transform lives, that will improve your quality of life. These are the investments your Government is willing to make on your behalf so you can enjoy that life.” The $50 million well is part of the Government’s wider de velopmental plan; addition al investments in infrastruc ture include the rehabilitation of roads, sea defences, and pro vision of drainage and irrigation equipment. The construction of the well by the staff of GWI, the President added, has result ed in a 50 per cent reduction in cost, with a design life cycle of 30 years. Equitable development President Ali announced that a US$6.3 million water treatment plant will also be con structed in Noitgedacht to pro vide 100 per cent treated water to residents.“Ifyoulook at the rate of re turn from truly financial model ling, you will say don’t make the investment because the popula tion is too small.

Wakenaam’s upgrades will bolster Guyana’s food production capacity – President Ali

production, while building and maintaining standards to enter regional and international mar kets.“It is for this reason that we are making investments in ev ery single region, targeting the economic output that will bring prosperity to every single fami ly. And we see Wakenaam as an important island that will play a critical part in the development of our food production system for the Caribbean. Therefore, we cannot look at the infrastructure investment and development in isolation of the macro plan.” The well, the President add ed, is a positive start and will benefit approximately 3500 res idents.

“This water facility here must be linked to something big ger, something that would not only give you a good supply of water but lead to the eventual economic prosperity of families. You must be excited to be part of the development and expansion growth of this Island.”

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President Dr Irfaan Ali on Monday told residents of Wakenaam that while the newly commissioned well at Noitgedacht will bring 24-hour access to water, the investment in the infrastructure will also lead to the economic prosperity of families.Hestated at the commission ing of the new facility that in or der to get Wakenaam and the rest of Guyana equipped for the food production revolution, in frastructural upgrades are im perative.These upgrades are neces sary, according to the Head of State, to improve the production and productive capacity of the country and to reduce the cost of

Wakenaam’s upgrades will...

Assessment certification

And many countries in the world would make a decision based on that. But I want to tell you that we have already made the decision that we are going to make this investment on your behalf because we be lieve in equitable develop ment… for all of you.”

Trans Guyana Airways has completed all re quired audits and improvements to acquire its IATA Standard Safety Assessment (ISSA) certifica tion.ISSA is the International Air Transport Association's (IATA) global safety assess ment for operators of smaller aircraft. TGA is one of the two airlines from Caricom coun tries on the ISSA registry. Director of Operations, Captain Andre Farinha re marked, “Trans Guyana Airways is always endeavour ing to raise our safety and op erations standards in keeping with the changing landscape of ourISSAcountry.”builds on IATA’s in ternationally recognised IOSA programme. Assessment standards are derived direct ly from IOSA Standards and Recommended Practices, in cluding elements of the ICAO Safety Management System (SMS). Trans Guyana Airways said it continuously mon itors all safety and opera tions systems through its Safety/Quality Assurance Department. The ISSA ac creditation was initiated by the former Director of Safety and Quality, Capt Jonathan Fitt, and was completed by the collective efforts and ded ication of the safety team. Originating in 1956, Trans Guyana Airways (TGA) has grown into one of Guyana’s dynamic domestic commer cial airlines, delivering a lega cy of aviation experience and excellence as a member com pany of the Correia Group of Companies.TransGuyana’s mission is to provide safe and reli able air transport services to its customers in Guyana and around the region. TGA said it is proud of its reputation for providing customers with a superior service dedicated to safety, reliability and custom er service as the first priority.

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TGA gets IATA Standard Safety

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While pointing to the in vestments already made, as well as the developmen tal plans in the pipeline, the President emphasised that every intervention made is to ensure that the lives of the citizens across Guyana are transformed.“Theseare the investments that will transform lives.” President Ali reiterat ed that this drive fits into the “One Guyana” mission to ensure prosperity for all of Guyana.Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal stated that in keeping with the mas sive housing drive underway in Region Three, a number of wells are being rehabilitated at Fellowship and Vergenoegen on the West Coast of Demerara and in Free and Easy in Wakenaam.Meanwhile, GWI Chief Executive Officer, Shaik Baksh explained that the current pro duction of the well is more than 200 per cent of the total daily water demand of the Island. The Minister within the Housing and Water Ministry, Susan Rodrigues, and other Government and regional offi cials were also at the event.

Even with the con firmed presence of Monkeypox among the local population, the Health Ministry does not anticipate a large volume of cases in Guyana. On Monday, Guyana confirmed its first case of Monkeypox. That per son has since been isolated at the Infectious Diseases Hospital, from whence he is expected to be discharged in twoHealthweeks. Minister Dr Frank Anthony on Tuesday said that with the COVID-19 pandemic still a valid sit uation to address, author ities are also on the look out for cases in which there is a combination of both Monkeypox and the novel coronavirus. However, this combination is very rare. “Any infection, if it is prolonged in that person’s body, can cause changes and can make that patient more complicated to manage. The physician would have to take these things into con sideration. Monkeypox is relatively rare, we only have one case in Guyana,” Dr Anthony explained. He added, “We don’t ex pect a lot of cases, and there fore you wouldn’t see mon keypox in a combination of COVID. However, we would be on the lookout for such combinations, and if they do occur, the doctors would come up with the appropri ate ways of treating.” Dr Anthony contended that any underlying illness a person has, chronic or infec tious, puts them at a high er risk of developing severe COVID-19 ofaderlying“Anybodycomplications.withanunillnesscanhavemorecomplicatedformCOVID.Thatiswhywe keep saying: ‘If you have a chronic disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, or what ever it is, then your system is more vulnerable’. Apart from these chronic non-com municable diseases, you also have infectious diseases”, he explained.Acommittee of special ists has been established, and persons can go to them to seek guidance and infor mation should they suspect they have contracted the disease.“Ifthey have any doubt, they can call this commit tee or response team, that would aid them in making that diagnosis. Of course, we have to take samples from the patients, and once we take those samples, we send those to the lab,” he relayed. Monkeypox would ap pear as a rash. Once infect ed, a person can spend from seven to 21 days in incuba tion before the symptoms manifest. The acute skin rash may be present with maculopapular (flat-based lesions) to vesicles (flu id-filled blisters), pustules, and subsequent crusting af fecting the face, palms of the hands, soles of the feet and the rest of the body. It may be accompanied by headache, acute onset of fever, myalgia, back pain, asthenia and lymphadenop athy.Monkeypox virus is transmitted from one per son to another by close con tact with lesions, body flu ids, respiratory droplets, or contaminated materials such as bedding or cloth ing. Monkeypox is transmit ted to humans through close contact with an infected per son or animal, or with mate rial contaminated with the virus.

18 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM NEWS

MoH does not anticipate many monkeypox cases – Dr Anthony

19 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM NEWS

Dead: Trevor Adams, known as “Max”

The lifeless body of a man who hailed from Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) was found on Monday under a di lapidated house in Bartica, Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni).Dead is 34-year-old Trevor Adams known as “Max” of Grant Newport, UpperAccordingPomeroon.to the dead man’s mother, Helen Cornelius, her son had moved to Bartica about two years ago, after he started experiencing issues with his mental health. She stated that the fa ther of one did odd jobs to survive and became very popular in the region. However, on Friday morning she recalled receiv ing a telephone call instruct ing her to travel to Bartica since her son was not acting normally.“Iwas told that he looks seriously ill and at that time I was already prepared, I was on my way going to Bartica with the expecta tion to see him and bring him home... when I reach to Parika I got the next call from a lady saying she know the location where he is…” “She told me when I reach to Bartica she will take me there. By that time, his brother had reached Bartica before me… he went to the place and he saw him alive. He [Trevor] told his brother Glen that he wants to go home,” she said. The woman said by the time her other son left the man and went to get an am bulance to take him to the hospital, people had discov ered his lifeless body under the“Whenhouse. he returned with the ambulance, the boy that was next door to him said like he passed away. The doctor then went and ex amine him and they pro nounced him dead. He had like a mental issue but he wasn’t mad, he would work and so forth…”, she ex plained.Adams’s body was picked up and transported to the Bartica Hospital’s Mortuary where a post-mortem exam ination will be conducted and an investigation will be launched.

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

tion figures show that so far, 445,755 or 86.9 per cent of adults have taken a first dose, while some 345,481 or 67.3 per cent of persons are fullyForvaccinated.adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17, 35,552 first doses or 48.7 per cent and 26,049 or 35.7 per cent second doses have been ad ministered.Vaccination for chil dren in the five to 11 cate gory shows 7681 first doses or 7.5 per cent. Only 2818 or 2.8 per cent have returned for their second shot. In ad dition, 72,144 persons have returned for their booster shots thus far.

In the Region of the Americas, that is, Latin America and the Caribbean, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has in creased to 173 million while the death toll in the region has gone up to 2.9 million. Globally, there were 590 million confirmed positives with 6.4 million deaths. If anyone is displaying any of the symptoms asso ciated with COVID-19 or needs any additional in formation, they are asked to contact the COVID-19 Hotline 231-1166, 226-7480 or 624-6674 immediately or visit www.health.gov.gy.

The toxic chemical that was found in Berbice

Ramsammy’s Ruminations

Body of mentally-ill man found under dilapidated house in Bartica

26 new COVID-19 cases detected in 24 hours

A quantity of toxic chemicals has been found in an aban doned sawmill at Crabwood Creek, Corentyne Berbice during an operation con ducted by the Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU) on FridayBasedlast.on reports re ceived, agents attached to the drug enforcement body conducted a search while on the abandoned sawmill, during which three bottles of mercury were found hid den in a clump of bushes in theThecompound.bottles were taken from the scene and handed over to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), which is the agency responsible for importation of this type of chemicalAccordingelement.to CANU, the importation, or retail ing, or distribution of such chemicals requires a li cence from the Pesticide and Toxic Chemicals Control Board (PTCCB), as well as the written con sent of the Commissioner of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission and an AgencyEnvironmentalAuthorisationEnvironmentalfromtheProtection(EPA),beforeany shipment of mercury is im ported into Guyana for min ingThesepurposes.rigid procedures were established in 2019 to limit the use of mercury due to the havoc the it can cause. A bulletin from the EPA that was also issued in 2109 states that failure to obtain an insignedingsvironmentadversetail,theblewouldAuthorisationEnvironmentalfromtheEPAdeempersonsineligitoacquirealicencefromPTCCBtoimport,reordistributemercury.Mercuryhassuchaneffectontheenandhumanbethatatreatyhadtobebetweencountriesordertomitigatethe damage it causes. The con vention in question is the Minamata Convention on Mercury – a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury. It was agreed to at the Fifth Session of the ServicesKaizenhadlaboratoryGuyanahighon2013,SwitzerlandonNegotiatingIntergovernmentalCommitteeMercuryinGeneva,onJanuary19,andwaslateradoptedOctober10,2013.In2018,thediscoveryoflevelsofmercuryintheGoldBoard(GGB)inGeorgetownledtoTrinidad-basedEnvironmentalbeingcontractedto conduct an independent in vestigation on the effect of theResearchemission. shows that mercury can enter the body through inhalation of mer cury vapour, or by inges tion, injection, or even ab sorption through the skin. In the case of mining personnel, a reading show ing levels of 0-6 micrograms per litre of blood is con sidered safe, while 7-10 is high, and above 11 is dan gerous. Once in the human system, mercury poisoning has horrendous effects on neurological, organs.gastrointestinalreproductive,andrenal

Afro-Guyanese deserve answers from IDPADA-G about $468M they received The International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly – Guyana (IDPADA-G) received a total of $468M since 2018 from the Government of Guyana, to promote the socio-economic and cultural interests of Afro-Guyanese. Afro-Guyanese citizens deserve answers from those who are custodians of those funds. Why would Vincent Alexander and his colleagues who are listed as owners of IDPADA-G, a limited-liability company, not want to be transparent and accountable to the people on whose behalf they received the money?

CANU unearths toxic chemical at abandoned sawmill in Berbice

The Health Ministry on Tuesday reported that 26 new COVID cases were detected within a 24-hour period, thus tak ing the total infections in Guyana to 70,841. The death toll remains at 1278. According to statis tics, two persons are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Liliendaal facility. In addition, 10 persons are in institutional isolation, 309 in home isolation and seven in institutional quarantine. The statistics also showed that 69,242 persons have recovered and 680,240 tests were processed to date. Guyana has 321 active cases with 12 persons in hospital isation. Regions Three, Four and Seven are the hotspot areas“Wecurrently.keep monitoring. One of the things I keep em phasising is that we’d only be able to detect cases if we are testing people. If a lot of people are not coming for ward to be tested, then we wouldn’t have an accurate picture of what is happen ing in the region. In many of these regions, people are not coming forward to be test ed, although they have signs and symptoms,” Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony underlined.Mostrecent vaccina

The Vice President of Guyana, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, is absolutely right; he has nothing to apologise for. After all, how many AfroGuyanese citizens know that this organisation is controlled by people like Vincent Alexander, Dr. Norman Ng-A-Qui and Mark Kirton, and others knew $100M every year since 2018 was given to the organisation to promote the interests of Afro-Guyanese citizens?This past week, VP Jagdeo revealed that IDPADA-G received $468M to promote the socioeconomic and cultural development of Afro-Guyanese. The Afro-Guyanese citizens, on whose behalf this organisation received the grants from the Government, must ask IDPDA-G where the money went. In their 2020 financial accounts, it shows that of the $100M received in 2020, only $343,000, less than 0.34%, were recorded as grants to Afro-Guyanese citizens. Where did the 99.7% of the money actually end up? Interestingly, while this organisation did not find it feasible to distribute resources to Afro-Guyanese citizens, most of their leaders, like Ng-A-Qui, Alexander, and Kirton, are slated to speak at a forum addressing what they called an emerging apartheid state. The forum was supposed to be held virtually on Sunday, August 21. The forum was postponed to another date. In 2020, out of the $100M the organisation received for that year, they spent $42M (42%) on salaries and benefits, $4.5M on conference expenses, $2.8M on travelling expenses, $2M on advertisement, $9M on office materials, and $5M on rentals and utilities. This is George Orwell’s Animal Farm all over. IDPADA tells Afro-Guyanese “we are all equal, but some of us are more equal than others”. These people have no moral right to speak on behalf of anyone. Their game is the very epitome of the classical con game. Let them take up the challenge of the VP and tell the Afro-Guyanese citizens whose building they rented, who were the people paid salaries, who were the people who delivered seminars, and how much they were paid. Surely, this cannot be too much to ask for! Some of the leaders of IDPADA-G are among a small group of loudmouths who claim they speak on and for Afro-Guyanese citizens. Hundreds of Afro-Guyanese citizens received grants for medical attention from the MoH, totalling more than 100 times what IDPADA gave in 2020 to Afro-Guyanese. In 2022, the Government of Guyana started a programme to provide grants to citizens on dialysis. Each person is now qualified to receive $600,000 grant every year for dialysis. The majority of recipients in 2022 are Afro-Guyanese citizens. How is this an apartheid state? None of these so-called spokespersons for Afro-Guyanese represented the Afro-Guyanese farmers from West Berbice when President David Granger rescinded their leases for agricultural land in 2016. Those farmers had gotten their leases in 2013/2014 when I was Minister of Agriculture. It was Anil Nandlall and the PPP who represented the farmers, and the courts ruled in favour of those farmers. It is the PPP that returned the lands to those Afro-Guyanese citizens in West Berbice. How is this an apartheid state? In the last two years alone, more Afro-Guyanese obtained land than they did in five years under the PNC-led APNU/AFC Government. Indeed, a handful of APNU/AFC officials between 2015 and 2020 obtained more land than Afro-Guyanese citizens combined. It is an insult that IDPADA’s defence is that giving grants to AfroGuyanese is not their remit. What is the purpose for the Government to give them $468M so far? They claim they build capacity for enterprise among Afro-Guyanese citizens. How many persons were trained? How many did this organization help to establish businesses? The truth is that more Afro-Guyanese citizens have received grants for small businesses from the PPP Government in the last two years than were given out between 2015 and 2020. Yet, leaders of IDPADA deem the PPP an apartheid Government. Every single child in school from nursery to high school, public or private, received $30,000 cash grant from the Because We Care initiative, whether that child lives in Regions 1, 2 ,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 or 10; are from Albion or Fyrish; South Georgetown, Mon Repos, Buxton or Enmore, Lethem or Mahdia, Bartica or Linden. What apartheid are the few loudmouth persons who claim they speak for Afro-Guyanese talking about? Let them cite evidence that any Afro-Guyanese child was ruled ineligible to receive the grant. Are there children who missed out when the grants were distributed? Less than 1% did miss out for one or the other reason, but will receive it at a subsequent time. Whether it is house lots or scholarships, cash grants or part-time jobs, small business grants or loans, IDPADA-G and those who claim to speak on behalf of Afro-Guyanese must present any credible evidence that persons are being discriminated against, that Afro-Guyanese are not benefiting from these programmes. Screaming discrimination until you turn blue is not evidence; present tangible evidence, or shut up.

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CALVINPEANUTSARCHIEAND HOBBES DILBERT guyanatimesgy.com20 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022

Youdecision.canhave fun without going over board. Surround yourself with people who contribute to your plans without putting you in a compromising position. Don't judge what others do.

Don't let anger take charge when ac tion is required. State your case openly, play fair and give everyone a chance to help. Work alongside others to reach a joint

Relax; a balanced lifestyle will en courage success. You'll gain respect and friendship if you mix business with plea sure. Romance is encouraged, as is time spent with a special someone. Refuse to let what others do confuse you. Don't be a follower when you should be taking the path that suits you best. Put your energy into physically taking care of Gettingbusiness.anxious won't solve prob lems, but pursuing what makes you feel comfortable will point you in the right direction. Maintain a disciplined atti tude and strong work ethic. Let your cre ativityShareshine.your true feelings and adjust whatever situation doesn't fit your life style. Think outside the box, and you'll devise a plan to help you get ahead with out taking a risk. Don't go overboard. Consider everything a blessing, and look for the good in everyone before making plans. Knowing what you are up against will help you look out for what can go wrong. Speak up! You'll get angry quickly if you let the little things get to you. Take a moment to collect your thoughts and feelings be fore making a move. Protect against health risks, injuries and problems with authority figures. Be open about how you feel and what you want, and you'll gain the confidence and respect of people who share your in terests. Build a strong foundation, and you will make a difference. Be the one to make the first move. Set yourself up for success and refuse to let anyone speak for you. Put your ideas out there and work to make your dreams comeAsktrue.questions, address confusing is sues and look at every angle before mak ing a decision. Dedicate more time to re search and setting guidelines that will help you avoid making mistakes. Consider what's possible and make it happen. Invest time and money into something meaningful you can share with a loved one. Don't ignore the sig nals someone is sending you.

SUDOKU

for five schools in the area. The schools that would play in that tournament would be Tagore Memorial, Skeldon Secondary, Line Path Secondary, Central Secondary and Black Bush PolderFosterSecondary.disclosed that sim ilar tournaments would be played in West Berbice and in Lower and Upper Corentyne. Each sub-association would have its own champion, who would then go on to play in a tournament to decide who becomes the overall Berbice champion.TheBCB would, in ear ly September, donate uni forms, cricket balls and gear for the tournament to all 23

Upper Corentyne businessman donates to BCB coaching project …commits to sponsoring secondary schools tournament and pilot nets project schools in the county, while each school would also ben efit from a massive coach ing programme which would be sponsored by the National Milling Company of Guyana Limited. The programme, which would be launched short ly, would be a six-month project which would involve regular coaching sessions in the 23 Theschools.Crabwood Creekbased businessman also shared his vision for crick et in the area with the BCB President, and said the method by which youths train needs to be changed, with emphasis being placed on batting long instead of trying to hit the ball a long way. With this, he urged the BCB President to look into a project to set up out door practice facilities across the county with nets. This, he said, would allow coach es to do one-on-one sessions with promising players, and also with a minimum of two players on a regular basis. He committed his family and business to assisting several players.Foster disclosed that the likely venues in the Upper Corentyne would be Crabwood Creek, Line Path, No 72, and Skeldon.

YBG unveils packed programme for remainder of 2022 for talents and those who are eager to learn the sport of basketball in Guyana. According to YBG Cofounder Chris Bowman, they have a packed second-half programme as they seek to end 2022 “with a bang!”

YBG ChrisCo-founderBowman

The proactive Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) continues to attract sponsorship from the busi ness sector as it forges ahead with numerous projects. BCB President Hilbert Foster last Saturday vis ited popular Crabwood Creek, Corentyne business man and contractor Imran Shaffeeuallah for some major discussion on cricket develop ment in the county, with spe cial emphasis on the Upper Corentyne Sub-Association, and Shaffeeuallah hand ed over a cheque for $200K towards the ongoing BCB countywide coaching pro gramme which involves 19 coaches.The BCB, with the as sistance of Minister of Local Government Nigel Dharamlall, is organising the coaching project with the main objective of unearth ing new cricketing talent across the county. The dona tion would be used to obtain junior cricketing equipment for the programme, especial ly batting pads for the small er players.After expressing grati tude to the businessman for his support, Foster stated that with the massive project in place, Berbice would con tinue to be the main produc tion point for Guyana cricket. He said that with one week completed, close to 200 youths between the ages of 8 and 18 years have benefit ed so far in Region Six, while Region Five would begin ben efiting in September. Shaffeeuallah disclosed that he is very impressed with the current state of the game in Berbice, and is very delighted to be part of the happenings. He also ex pressed willingness to sup port the development of the game on a wider scale. After these two import ant Berbicians had had a discussion, the popular busi nessman agreed to spon sor a cricket tournament

BCB President Hilbert Foster receiving sponsorship from businessman Imran Shaffeeuallah

By TimoThy Jaikarran Youth Basketball Guyana are current ly hosting their YBG Summer Camp, which has seen a huge turnout from across the country. YBG have not let up in their plans for the year, as they continue to provide new opportunities

In an interview with this publication, when asked his view on what’s next for YBG, Bowman said, “We have a pretty much packed second-half programme as we wrap up this year. In September, we want to focus on the implementation of the youth basketball curricu lum. That is a project that we want to really put out there as a pilot, and to have all the schools and coaches on the same developmental track in terms of enforcing the funda mentals of the game. So we have drafted the curriculum, and in September, hopeful ly, we will be able to bring together a group of teachers and coaches to conduct some training, and then we will move to the implementation stage, where it can become a blueprint.”Bowman also noted that following the implementa tion of the curriculum, in October, YBG is seeking to host a student athlete con ference wherein would be brought together senior class players (4th, 5th, 6th formers) who would be given career guidance. YBG would also work with the students in relation to transitioning from high school to tertiary, and concerning the work en vironment.Henoted that the con ference is one of the ongo ing activities they have with ExxonMobil, who is one of the main sponsors. Later in the year, Bowman divulged, the YBG would conclude the year with Titan Bowl, which is a year-ending tour nament in which the top schools would return for a fi nal “Weclash.will also add, this year, a tertiary knockout tournament. So, it will be the Titan Bowl and a Tertiary Knockout tournament running side-by-side to end the year. We are also thinking about doing a tournament for emerg ing schools. There were lots of new schools in the last NSBF. We feel that there is a need for a tournament for those who are not yet there, to have an opportunity to compete at their lev el,” he shared. He ex plained that the tourna ment would seek to target schools such a Christ wouldseason,comebysoGeorgetownCollege,Queen’sChurch,Northandforth.Hence,thetimetheytothenexttheyhavesuf ficient court time experience.

21WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022

22 GUYANATIMESGY.COMWEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022

The Audited Financial Report of the ECPFA was presented and adopted by the members, as was the President’s Report, which was presented by former President Magzene Stewart.

If one gold wasn’t enough for the month of August, two would make it even better. This was verybycomplishedacGuyana’sownRawle

Treasurer: Kofi Bascom; Asst andGoldstarQueenstownUnited,AGM;gibleandDevonMembers:BrandonSecretary/Treasurer:Allicock;OrdinaryMarlonConway,Hardy,LerawleHalls,BenedictWilliams.Sixoftheseveneliclubsattendedthenamely:HenriettaWakapaoUnited,FC,MainstayFC,GoodHopeFC,TapakumaFC.

Greene. His first gold came at CAC and the sec ond one came last Saturday in the US PRO Cup Summer Explosion, which was held at the Naugatuck High School in Connecticut, USA.Entering in the cat egory of PRO Men’s bodybuilding, Greene’s package set the right tone for the judges as he flexed his way to an easy gold in the one-day event. In a statement, Green said, “It was my first time winning gold at the show. Previously win ning silver and bronze (in) previous years, it is a good feeling. The training was the same as it was for CAC.” Greene will now be shifting into overdrive as he gears up for the World

Secretary:RoyquinnThirdPresident:AlbertFirstPresident:CommitteebeenMagzenenewPearsonEssequiboHotelat(AGM)itsAssociationFootballCoast-PomeroonEssequibo(ECPFA)heldAnnualGeneralMeetingonSaturdaylasttheArabianAtlanticatHenriettaontheCoast,MarvinwaselectedPresident,replacingStewart,whohaselectedSecretary.ThefullExecutiveisasfollows:MarvinPearson;VicePresident:Tucker;SecondViceAndrewCarter;VicePresident:Federicks;MagzeneStewart;

W est Indies’ already wobbly chances of qualifying direct ly for the 2023 men’s ODI World Cup have suffered a big setback after they were docked two Super League points for maintaining a slow over rate in the third ODI against New Zealand. West Indies were in sev enth place, with 80 points, even before the start of the ODI series against New Zealand, which was their last in the Super League cycle. They went on to lose the series 2-1, which took them to 90 points, but the two-point penalty brought them down to 88 points with a net run rate of -0.738.They are currently in seventh place on the Super League table. The top eight teams - or seven, apart from hosts India - will qualify di West Indies' direct-qualification hopes for 2023 ODI World Cup take a beating rectly for the World Cup, with a qualifying event de termining the other partic ipants.While that keeps them in the range, Ireland, who are currently ninth with 68 points, can finish above West Indies if they win even two out of the three ODIs against Bangladesh at home next year, because they have a better NRR (-0.382), and a series win is likely to keep them above West Indies on the NRR

front.Australia (eighth on 70 points), Sri Lanka (tenth on 62 points) and South Africa (11th on 49 points) are below West Indies, but have multiple series left in the cycle. Australia have 12 games in hand, Sri Lanka six, and South Africa 11. That gives all of them a good shot at finishing above West Indies, and push the 1975 and 1979 world cham pions to the qualifying event in Zimbabwe in June nextAustralia,year. in fact, would be the favourites to move up quickly, with their three ODIs against Zimbabwe (placed 12th) at home set to start on August 28. After the seven teams [apart from India] are iden tified, the bottom five teams in the Super League table will need to play the qual ifiers, where they will be joined by the top three fin ishers of World Cup League 2, and the top-two finishers in the World Cup Qualifier Play-off. (Cricinfo)

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New President Pearson, in taking over the man tle, thanked the clubs for the high level of confidence they have reposed in him to lead the ECPFA to bigger and better things. President Pearson stated that his tenure would be based on transparency and strength ening the structure of the Association and, by exten sion, the clubs. In positing that football must always be the winner, President Pearson also not ed that he would be work ing assiduously to improve the technical development of players throughout the Association.Allclubs present ex tended congratulations to the new body, while pledg ing commitment to working collectively to position the ECPFA to be one of the best in Guyana.Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Member Services Officer Franklin Wilson supervised Saturday’s AGM.

Marvin Pearson is new Essequibo Coast-Pomeroon FA President New Essequibo Coast-Pomeroon FA President Marvin Pearson addressing members following his ascension to the leadership of the Association last MembersSaturdayofthe Essequibo Coast-Pomeroon FA during Saturday’s Annual General Meeting held at the Arabian Atlantic Hotel at Henrietta

Greene turns gold at US PRO Cup Summer Explosion Championship in Los Angeles on November 19th, 2022.

The participating schools will be Milo Champions Christianburg Wismar Secondary School (CWSS), runners-up North Ruimveldt Multilateral Secondary, Golden Grove Secondary, Dolphin Secondary, President’s College, West Ruimveldt Secondary, Cummings Lodge Secondary and Friendship Secondary.

Sampson (FYF), Seon Graham (FYF), Shaquan James (FYF), Dwane Baptiste (FYF), Eon Bancroft Jnr (Young Achievers), Kendel De Monic (YA), Jerimiah Duncan (PPBG) and Yusdiel Gala (‘Six Head’ Lewis Boxing Gym).

“The format of the tour nament, the league for mat, is the most important and critical competition in any football calendar, and it forms part of, and com pletes, the structure that we at Petra, hopefully in collab oration with the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Sport, and the Guyana Football Federation, hope to deliver a solid school football pro gramme in the near future.” Guyana Football Federation Acting Technical Director Bryan Joseph em phasised the benefit the tournament would have for player development.

Joseph explained, “This is the type of contribution that we want to make to the play er development clock of our players. Our challenge has always been that we haven’t been able to afford our young people enough competitive matches, because the entire development of the game was structured around clubs only. I’m happy that we’re back in the schools, and our boys and our girls are having theseTheopportunities.”actingTDwent on to state about the organizing body, “I also heard you men tion the next phase, which will be the international as pect of it; and I’m glad that you’ve gone into that depth to ensure that the Petra Organization is contributing significantly to the develop ment of our young players.”

The Guyoil/Tradewind Tankers League will be run from September 18 to November 6, 2022. The winners would walk away with $500,000, while the team placing second would reap $300,000; third place $200,000, and fourth place $100,000. The prizes would be given in kind, and not cash.

In a matter of days, a team of 17 Guyanese boxers would embark on their first regional tourna ment in two years; and for some, it will be the first time ever that they trade punch es with their regional coun terparts.The occasion is the Winfield Braithwaite School Boys and Juniors tour nament, scheduled for August 26-28th at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. The local boxers, drawn from several gyms across the country, are current ly encamped as they await the arrival of their region al counterparts. However, they were hosted by their coaches and supporters for a working lunch on Tuesday, during which they shared their expectations with the youth team and the media. “We started our prepa ration three weeks ago, and the boxers are 90%95% physically fit and pre pared to go,” National Coach Lennox Daniels informed. Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) Technical Director Terrence Poole re vealed high expectations for the team, especially since the GB has been boost ing their youth programme since February of this year. “Let me start by saying this Caribbean School Boys and Juniors tournament, how important it is to the region. What we’re doing in Guyana is the only country in the Region that has in ternational school boys and girls tournaments,” Poole stated. He continued about the Guyanese team, “I can say they’re very, very enthused, they’re showing that emo tion that they want to win, which is very important. So, we can say come this week end, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, we should be seeing a lot of potential from the GuyaneseInsteadboxers.”ofboasting of their capabilities, GBA sup porter Samuel Gittens had a few words of encouragement for the team. Gittens said, “If you want to be successful, you can’t afford to say you’re too tired to go to training. Whatever you put into it is exactly what you’ll get out of it. Put in commitment, you’ll get success.” The Guyanese team reads: Shawn Sabola (Rose Hall Jammers) Matthew Thomas (RHJ), Travis Sancho (RHJ), Joshua Thambaran (RHJ), Arlington Johnson (RHJ), Jahuan Haniff (RHJ), Markel Blue (Vergenoegen Boxing Gym), Garvel Hyman (VBG), Malachi Greenidge (Forgotten Youth Foundation), Tequan Guyoil plugs $4M into U18 Schools Football League

Youth boxing team encouraged to make the most of preparation

In brief remarks, Guyoil’s Bulk Sales Executive Berkeley McCalman dis closed that the entity didn’t think twice about facilitating their third tournament.

GUYANATIMESGY.COMWEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022 23

Winfield Braithwaite School Boys and Juniors…

National Coach Lennox Daniels GBA TD Terrence Poole, MS Guyoil Sales Executive Berkeley McCalmanGFF Assistant TD Bryan JosephPetra Co-Director Troy Mendonca

“We’re proud and hap py that even after two years, Guyoil and its partners, Tradewind Tankers, have delivered to the football fra ternity a sponsorship that will only enhance the sport,” Mendonca began.

Several members of the Guyanese Youth team that will spring into action this weekend

“With things returning to normalcy and our commit ment to making a positive contribution to the develop ment of our youths and com munity, there was no ques tion on whether we would have come on board for the third time,” McCalman shared.Meanwhile, Assistant Director of Sport, Melissa Dow- Richardson, made a point about the coopera tion needed to fuel sport in Guyana.Dow-Richardson re marked, “This particular tournament is an excellent demonstration of collabo ration across multiple sec tors. Here it is we have Government support, we have the National Sports Association responsible for football, and we have corpo rate Guyana supporting a local organising entity in a powerful way.”

The top 8 schools from the recently-conclud ed Milo U18 Football tournament are to bene fit from continued compe tition opportunities with the launch of the Guyoil/ Tradewind Tankers League, which occurred on Tuesday. Although the coronavi rus pandemic had hindered their mobility, the Petra Organization have contin ued to roll out their string of schools’ football tourna ments with the launch of this latest competition being at Guyoil’s Providence, East Bank Demerara office, where Petra Co-Director Troy Mendonca explained why the league format was chosen for this particular tournament.

Shimron Hetmyer, Odean Smith, Romario Shepherd, Colin Ingram, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Shai Hope, Paul Stirling, Heinrich Klaasen, Keemo Paul, Jermaine Blackwood, Gudakesh Motie, Veerasammy Permaul, John Campbell, Shermon Lewis, Ronsford Beaton, Matthew Nandu and Junior Sinclair, will have a similar goal. The GAW teams will have to abide by the SKYEXCH 6ixty rules, which are as fol lows:*Each batting team has six wickets – at the fall of the sixth wicket they are all out* Each batting team has two PowerPlay overs. They can unlock a third PowerPlay by hitting two sixes in the first 12 balls. This extra PowerPlay over can be taken at any time be tween overs 3-9 * There will be 30 balls bowled from one end before the action switches to the other end for the final 30 balls* The 30 balls will be de livered as 5 separate overs, with no bowler being able to bowl more than 2 overs for the*innings.Ifteams do not bowl their overs within the allot ted time a member of their team is removed from the field for the final six balls

GUYANA TIMES - www.guyanatimesgy.com, email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, NEWS HOTLINE: 231-8063 EDITORIAL: 223-7230, 223-7231, 231-0544, 225-7761 SPORT: sport@guyanatimesgy.com SALES AND MARKETING: 231-8064 - marketing@guyanatimesgy.com - PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY GUYANA TIMES INC. Sport is no longer our game, it’s our businessWEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022

The coveted SKYEXCH 6ixty trophy

The GAW women show off their new kits ahead of commencement of today’s 6ixty

* Fans will vote for the timing of a “Mystery Free Hit” where a batter can’t be dismissed by the bowlers

Cricket’s Power Game will descend on the Warner Park Stadium in Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis, today in what is sure to be an exhila rating new twist to the sport that the Caribbean knows andTheloves.SKYEXCH 6ixty, a collaboration between Cricket West Indies (CWI) and the Hero Caribbean Premier League, will bowl off at 10am today with the Trinbago Knight Riders and Barbados Royals women fac ing off. Local franchise the Guyana Amazon Warriors women will jump into action after, against the TKR wom en from 12.30pm. The Amazon Warriors men will have their first taste of the 6ixty on Thursday, when they bat tle the St. Lucia Kings from 10am.Face of the SKYEXCH 6ixty, Chris Gayle, sat down for a chat with ESPNCricinfo on the eve of the tourna ment, and discussed his ex pectations.“I’mreally and tru ly looking forward to it, to being on the field again. I missed it a bit. So, I’m really excited. I’m like a kid again, looking forward to his first game and excited for his de but,” Gayle shared. The West Indian legend continued, “Some new rules, new innovations within this game, you know, shorter for mat as well. Pretty much excited. It’s creating a buzz

GAW women to get first taste of 6ixty today …GAW men billed for action tomorrow