Guyana times 06 19 17

Bilingual education project launched in Region 9 P13 THE BEACON OF TRUTH

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

Issue No. 3246

Monday, June 19, 2017

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Prepare for bitter days ahead…

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

“It will get worse in Guyana” Page 3

– Jagdeo warns

GDF has no right to detain civilians – legal expert

GGMC's acting land manager under fire for “conflict of interest” P7

Suddie Hospital P17 honours 60 fathers

– for Father’s Day

Page 2

Celebrating 3rd Int’l Day of Yoga Page 12

Welder P8 denies punching wife in face – claims woman slammed her own head into a post

Man gets 18 months jail for rum shop brawl P8

A number of Government officials, members of the diplomatic corps and representatives of the Indian Cultural Centre (ICC) were among scores of persons participating in yoga exercises at Everest Cricket Club on Sunday (Carl Croker photo)

US trafficking hero’s selfie video sparks backlash

Broomes criticised for desecrating hallowed chambers Page 7

Govt criticised for delaying setting up LGC P9

2 news

monDAY, june 19, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Arrest of cameraman, villager

GDF has no right to detain civilians – legal expert ...army’s actions not supported by Police, Defence Acts

C

ontrary to the coalition Government’s utterances, ranks of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) do not have carte blanche to arrest civilians.

In fact, the army is expected to allow the police to take a leading role in any joint operation that brings them face-to-face with civilians.

This is the firm view of a legal expert whom this newspaper spoke with yesterday, and comes on the heels of recent pronouncements made by Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, at a recent press conference.

Harmon had expressed support for the army’s explanation for detaining a Capitol News cameraman and a Chenapau resident while they were traversing the Kaieteur National Park (KNP).

Debunking the notion that the army has any in-

herent right to arrest civilians, the legal expert stated that the only instance in which the army can take over administering law and order against civilians is in a case of a state of emergency.

“The army has no authority, no power to interact with civilians,” legal expert said in an invited comment.

“If they want to interact with civilians, they have to do it under a joint operation with the police, where the police are the dominant partner. It’s only in a state of emergency that the army takes control.”

No threat

While noting the importance of protecting Guyana’s patrimony for future generations, former Bar Association President Christopher Ram expressed

A plainclothes GDF rank armed with an AK-47 as he pulled over the boat in which cameraman Rudy Morris and Chenapau resident Anthony Melville were travelling

incredulity about what may have prompted the arrest of a cameraman.

“With respect to the Capitol News cameraman,” Ram said during a recent interview with this publication, “I fail to see what danger a camera can pose, and I would expect that the Press Association will take a strong position on this matter. The press is, with justification, considered the Fourth Estate, and must not be silenced.”

In addition, Ram noted that using soldiers to do a policeman’s work, in the circumstance, violates both the Police and Defence Acts.

The attorney-at-law explained that soldiers are not appropriately trained.

“First of all, I believe all Guyanese are strongly proud of Guyana and its pristine marvel. It is part of our national patrimony, and no one should abuse, threaten or cause it any damage.

We all have a patriotic duty to protect it for generations coming after us.

“Having said that, law and order cannot be pursued by unlawful means,” Ram continued. “The use of soldiers violates both the Police Act and the Defence Act. The law does not ordinarily allow the army to be used in routine police work, and soldiers are not so trained.”

Govt ‘green light’ to army The Government’s support for the GDF to detain civilians was made known by Minister Harmon on Friday last. During a post-Cabinet press briefing, Harmon stated that he has not gone beyond the army’s report to question the reasons behind the detention of the local media worker, but he expressed faith in the army’s explanation.

“I believe the army did give an explanation for this, and I believe the explanation is a reasonable one in the circumstance. I have not gone beyond it to question why this worker was detained, but the sense I got from the army report is that the person was in an area he should not have been.”

He added that the army was conducting an operation in that area, making it unsafe for civilians to traverse.

But when asked whether there is a specific law giving the army this power, Harmon said, “Of course the army can detain somebody in an area that is an operation area. It is a limited detention, until such time as they are handed over to the civilian authorities. That can be done.”

In fact, Section 81 (1) of the Defence Act, Cap 15:01, states that “any person subject to military law under this act found committing an offence against any provision of this act, or alleged to have committed, or reasonably suspected of having committed any such offence, may be arrested in accor-

Former Bar Association President Christopher Ram

dance with the following provisions of this section.”

However, subsections two to five only reference the power of the army to arrest soldiers and officers.

Throughout the act, the only persons identified as being subject to arrest are those subject to military law.

Capitol News cameraman Rudy Morris and Chenapau resident Anthony Melville were both taken into custody at the Muri Muri Landing, Region Eight (Potaro-Sipiruni). The cameraman was among a group of media workers who, two Saturdays ago, accompanied Amerindian Peoples Affairs Executive Michael Mc Garrell to the region.

They were investigating claims of illegal mining in the Kaieteur National Park, and were also there to observe unfolding events.

There had been a Presidential order for the army, in joint operations with the Police, to enforce the law which prohibits mining within the boundaries of the Kaieteur National Park.

But on Sunday, Morris and Melville used a boat to go investigate the boundaries of the park; and as they were returning, they were arrested.

Video footage emerged showing a plainclothes barefooted GDF rank pointing a weapon at Morris and instructing him to turn off his camera.

While the two men were released by the GDF ranks on the day after the arrest, Morris was brought to Georgetown three days later.

Residents of the area had complained bitterly to media operatives about the heavy military presence which has curtailed their freedom. But in the wake of public criticism of its actions, the army, in a statement, has dubbed the cameraman’s actions reckless and stupid.

Affirming that it had carried out a “thorough” investigation into the incident, the army claimed that the cameraman may have been attempting to provoke a confrontation “for the sake of sensational news.”

news

BRIDGE OPENINGS

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

Monday, June 19 – 13:00h-14:30h and Tuesday, June 20 – a night retraction at 01:00h and a day retraction from 14:00h-15:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Monday, June 19 – 12:10h-13:40h and Tuesday, June 20 – 13:20h-14:50h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

Weather: Cloudy conditions with thundery showers and thunderstorms can be expected during the day, while cloudy skies can be expected in the evening.

Temperatures should range between 24 degrees Celsius and 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Ranging from East South-easterly to East North-easterly between 0.89 metre and 2.68 metres.

High Tide: 12:24h reaching a maximum height of 2.40 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 05:53h and 18:20h reaching minimum heights of 0.81 metre and 0.70 metre respectively.

SATURDAY, June 17, 2017

LOTTERY NUMBERS H

03

06 08

16

17

24

01 Bonus Ball

FREE TICKET

DAILY MILLIONS 02 07 22 24 26 LUCKY 3 7 5 4 Afternoon Draw

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9

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Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

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14 15 16

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

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monDAY, june 19, 2017 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Prepare for bitter days ahead…

“It will get worse in Guyana” – Jagdeo warns

G

uyanese have been put on notice to prepare for bitter days ahead in Guyana, due to the alleged mismanagement, incompetence, and political hardline positions that the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)/Alliance For Change (AFC) Coalition Government continues to take.

This is according to former President and current General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C), Bharrat Jagdeo, who claimed that the Guyanese economy is slowly shrinking; there is higher unemployment, rising income inequality, and a shrinking middle class.

“Every time we were in Government, we always had a positive attitude to the future. We will come to you and talk about our plans for the future. When I come here tonight, the only message I can bring to you is a sad message: that things are going to get significantly worse in your lives and in the lives of Guyanese, before it gets better when the PPP resumes office,” he told a recent political meeting.

Jagdeo said while the coalition Government remains in office for the next few years, because of their inept economic vision, they will continue to generate excuses as to why the Guyanese economy is floundering and why people are losing jobs, rather than tackling the fundamental problems. He said people’s lives will only change for the worse.

The former Head of State pointed to the 200 new tax measures that were introduced last year, stating that they have not yet kicked in fully, but when they do, Guyanese will feel the squeeze.

“You will see the cost of living going up, the business

Former President Bharrat Jagdeo says Government’s inept economic vision will cause things to get worse in Guyana

community will be unable to survive in the new tax environment,” he stated, noting that with constant harassment from the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), these businesses will not feel driven to invest and create more jobs in the future.

“So, you would see not only deterioration in terms of cost of living going up, but less jobs being produced in the future because no one wants to invest in this country. And right now, people are losing jobs rather than them creating jobs that they (government) promised,” he further stated.

Jagdeo, a trained Economist, also highlighted that when the new policy measures taken in the sugar industry take affect this year-end, this will create more chaos in Guyana, but more particularly in communities that depend heavily on the industry for their

survival.

Another key sector of the economy is mining. And Jagdeo said the two per-

cent turnover tax which has been changed to 28 percent and imposed on small miners will also have a negative impact on their operations.

“It is only when they have to file their income tax return at the end of the year that they would realise that they are liable to thousands of dollars more of taxes, and many of them will fall out of mining,” Jagdeo said he foresees.

Shifting his attention to the local forestry sector, the Opposition Leader said there is already a collapse of this sector, as people can’t find markets for their products. And equally important, he noted that construction activity has gone down to some optimal levels, largely because of the taxation policy implemented under the coalition Government.

TURN TO PAGE 9

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guyanatimesgy.com

monDAY, june 19, 2017

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

High school muddle

E

ven though Dr Rupert Roopnaraine has been transferred out of the Ministry of Education, where he was the Senior Minister, to become the head of a new Department in the Ministry of the Presidency, one of his pet peeves has moved from being a personal idiosyncrasy to a formal proposal to the public secondary schools of the country. The proposal would place a cap on the number of subjects students can write at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination to ten.

One of the earliest pronouncements of Roopnaraine, after he became Minister of Education in May 2015, was on this topic: “I believe that this multitude of subjects that students are doing, we will have to have a look at that.

Frankly, it has always really bugged my mind to know how a student can be doing 18 subjects and more.” However, when the then Registrar of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), Dr Didacus Jules, was asked for his professional opinion, he said, “We don’t consider it to be a matter under CXC’s purview; this is a matter for parents, the schools and ultimately the Ministry.”

“Frankly”, it would appear that Dr Roopnaraine was barking up the wrong tree. One would have thought he should have been more focused on providing the resources to the schools to deliver the curriculum more effectively, or making a determination on the appropriateness of some of the Ministry’s regulations. For instance, why was French, and not Chinese or Hindi, one of the compulsory subjects in the senior secondary schools? Maybe when Roopnaraine took French, it was de rigueur so as to be considered “cultured”.

Of what use is it to our schoolchildren now?

The point that Roopnaraine refused to consider was that no one in the school system was coercing students to write more subjects than was the norm back in the 1950s, when Roopnaraine was at Queens. The policy of the Ministry, which is being reaffirmed in the present, is that students require passes in just five subjects, inclusive of Mathematics, English and English Literature, drawn from four streams to matriculate. The streams are Arts, Business, Science and Technical and Vocation Education.

This means that, for matriculation, a student only has to choose two subjects from his/her stream in addition to the three compulsory subjects. This does not make sense, and encourages mediocrity. And this does not even consider proposals that Social Studies/Civics also ought to be made compulsory, to encourage “nation-building”.

When it is considered that the children are ‘streamed’ in 3rd Form/9th Grade at around age 13/14, it is clear that they are being herded into specialisations at much too early an age. In this age of information, being available via Google on all of the accumulated knowledge of mankind, the stress should be on conveying how that knowledge should be analysed as best as possible. And this is basically what the “subjects” in high school do -- History, Geography, etc.

From this perspective, what the Ministry of Education ought to be doing, now that Dr Roopnaraine has been removed, is not to place restrictions on the number of subjects that can be written at CSEC, but to shift the curriculum away from the cramming of facts towards critically analysing those facts that are always available in the “cloud”. Is he now to be in charge of “educational innovations”?

Dr Roopnaraine, evidently oblivious to the implications on his demand for a restriction of number of subjects students could write, had also suggested that the curriculum be broadened to include some compulsory non-traditional, “non-academic” subjects to include Physical Education, Fine Arts and Music. We agreed with that suggestion, but they were not included in the Ministry’s current proposal - probably on the Procrustean 10-subject demand.

In sum, it is our contention that the present system that prevails, where the teachers in the schools have to screen and approve the number of subjects individual students can write at CSEC, should continue.

Dalyan Johnston, 14; Lisa Rubio, 51; and Isabel Balboa, 50, pose for a portrait during the Resist March against President Donald Trump in West Hollywood, California, US, June 11, 2017 (Reuters/Lucy Nicholson)

Political games being played in appointing GECOM Chair Dear Editor, Please publish this letter on the ‘political games’ between the President and the Opposition Leader, representing Government and Opposition. There is widespread concern and uneasiness over the delay in the appointment of the Chairman of GECOM, in view of impending regional elections followed by general elections. This issue has been playing out in the public arena for too long. This matter should have been resolved to the mutual satisfaction of the President and Leader of the Opposition, in fulfillment of their constitutional duties following confidential conferring in good faith.

But what is outstanding in these meaningless occasional meetings between the President and Opposition Leader is the photo opportunity; the people are disappointed, as nothing good in the national interest has come out of these meet-

ings, much to silent, widespread dissatisfaction of the Guyanese people.

On the appointment of the Chairman of GECOM, the language of the Constitution is clear, with all due respect to the lawyers. What other meaning should be imposed/ argued on the term “or any other fit and proper person”?

Anyone found to be a fit and proper person from the first list of six persons could have been appointed, as was done in the past. That settled the acceptable constitutional interpretation in practice.

I am of the view that our President has not been getting sound legal advice from his legal advisers. Differences in the interpretation should have been referred to the Court, right up to the Caribbean Court of Justice, if necessary. Rejecting the lists of nominees is unfortunate and embarrassing for us in CARICOM and the international community. We have

to get right our politics, our Constitution, appointments to constitutional bodies, our elections, and the management of the economy and major industries for the good of all.

The President and the Opposition Leader must demonstrate sincerely to the nation that they can put aside their partisan politics in fulfilling their constitutional duties in an exemplary way in the national interest. It must be admitted that our country is divided largely in the politics of race/ethnicity for many years. A fair and just political and constitutional solution must be found on the basis of wide consensus, taking into account our ethnic demographics. The tokenism of racial inclusion and the dressing of the executive administration with a Social Cohesion Ministry, with meaningless and deceptive public relations gimmicks, will make no impact in this

society; and is wasting tax payers’ money.

What hope is there for our country if the political leaders cannot meet in mutual confidence, confer in good faith, and agree on issues of national interest?

This should be done without posturing in the media on individual political positions before arriving at mutual agreements.

The nation looks to the President and the Leader of the Opposition, who should be role models and set the tone for the conduct of national affairs in the interest of all the citizens.

Ministers, members of the National Assembly, and public officials must fall in line in the conduct of their statutory administrative and service duties to the public. They must set a good example as role models for now and future generations.

Yours sincerely, Joshua Singh

Responding to some of the ‘rubbish’ published in Kaieteur News

Dear Editor, I did not submit this letter earlier since I was enjoying Father’s Day with one of my lovely daughters and that took precedence over responding to some of the rubbish which formed part of a news article in Kaieteur News on Sunday about my being contracted to “sell” GuySuCo. I hope despite my late submission you will use this letter in

your Monday edition.

“Since last December, the US-based Guyanese was given a letter by the Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, authorising him to act as a glorified real estate agent on government’s behalf.” This characterisation of me and the process of sensitising potential investors to possible investment opportunities in GuySuCo is unfortunate, and

frankly poor journalism. I am convinced that someone who is neither a trained or experienced journalist must have had an input into this news article. But let me make it clear to your readers that I am no real estate agent and the process for discussing with major companies their possible interest in investing in GuySuCo is known as investment promotion. The process

of investment promotion requires providing information on the country, the industry and more in addition to some analysis on the economy and related issues such as labour laws and trade data.

Further, in this news article, the writer editorialises that my track record does not provide for my efforts to be successful. continues on page 5

monDAY, june 19, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

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News Op-Ed: The Bitter Politics of Sweet Sugar – a classic saga of politics, betrayal and incompetence

T

he tragedy confronting the sugar industry in Guyana and the fifteen thousand workers and their families -- along with the tens of thousands of others who are likely to be affected indirectly -- is a classic saga of politics, betrayal and incompetence.

During the elections campaign of 2011, Mr Moses Nagamootoo spoke to the sugar workers at the “Order Lines” of almost every estate, and promised them a 25% increase in wages should the AFC win those elections. This promise was reiterated on public platforms throughout the country, and also in the media.

After those elections, the AFC teamed up with the APNU, and with their combined one seat-majority in the National Assembly, blocked almost every financial injection from the Treasury to GuySuCo. These were actions which manifestly derogated from the promise for wages’ increase and support for the sugar industry and its workers, publicly made and advocated only a few months prior. The AFC was in collusion with the APNU when the APNU’s then economic strongman, Carl Greenidge, surmised from the floor of

for the sugar industry.

Moses Nagamootoo

the National Assembly in the 10th Parliament that financial assistance to GuySuCo is pouring money into “a bottomless black hole.”

During the Budgetary presentations of 2013 and 2014, the sugar workers came in protest in front of the Parliament Buildings.

They manhandled Moses Nagamootoo when he attempted to speak to them.

Away from the sugar workers, and in the confines of the National Assembly, Nagamootoo boasted, “the sugar workers had their say, and now the scissors will have its day,” as they cut sums of money budgeted

2015 Elections As 2015 elections approached, again the political song and dance changed.

A hypocritical hand of goodwill was extended by the APNU/AFC coalition to the sugar workers, in order to get their votes. This diabolical agenda again was led by Mr Moses Nagamootoo. Mr Khemraj Ramjattan was a close second. At the Whim Rally, Ramjattan promised no closure of estates, but new management and an economic turnaround for the sugar industry. The sugar workers are generally a trusting people, and again hundreds of them fell victim of the fraud. They voted for the coalition.

When the first bumper crop came, soon after the elections, Nagamootoo, in an act of incomparable guile, took credit for and on behalf of the coalition Government. He proclaimed the beginning of a new vista for the sugar industry. However, when the next crop produced recording-breaking low outputs, the stories of doom resurfaced about the sugar industry. Scorn and disdain were poured upon the sugar workers, and they were

Responding to some of...

No need to comment on the journalism ethics here for KN’s track record is one that does not always live up to the highest standards of journalism ethics. I wouldn’t blame its editor for this because I suspect there is interference at times, perhaps without the editor’s knowledge until after publication, in the editorial work of the newspaper by persons who don’t have the slightest clue about journalism and its ethics.

It is clear that the article’s writer (or the persons giving input) either does not know me, did not take the time to do some research in relation to my work over the years in investment promotion or just felt the need to try to humiliate me. But I am not fazed by this, but will spare no effort in “calling out” unethical journalism when it raises its ugly head. The article should have made a case in support of its contention about my track record. That would have been responsible journalism.

Or had the writer (or inputer) taken the time to find out about my involvement in investment promotion, s/he would have found out that for several years I served as a consultant to the Eastern

Caribbean Investment Promotion Service (ECIPS) in Washington, DC. This USAID-funded agency was charged with the responsibility of promoting investment opportunities in the OECS Member States.

Further, the former PPP/C Government granted licences for cellular phone service to three Guyanese, none of which produced any real and sustained service. I was granted a licence through Cel*Star Caribbean whom I worked with to produce a detailed licence application. After the intended investor failed to live up to its obligations to implement the project (instead hoping to flip the licence and make huge profits), I travelled the US and Europe promoting this investment opportunity which resulted in a reputable US company investing in this project notwithstanding a barrage of lawsuits, many intended to delay the introduction of a GSM system in Guyana. I prevailed and that effort has today emerged into what is Digicel, not only providing alternative cellular service but creating employment opportunities for hundreds, if not thousands, of young Guyanese.

Beyond this I serve in

Khemraj Ramjattan

portrayed to other workers as parasites, living-off the blood and sweat of those other workers. It was a naked and malicious strategy of dividing the working class along the lines of politics and race.

Suddenly, the sugar industry and its workers became the greatest burden on the backs of taxpayers.

The sustenance which the sugar industry provided to this nation and its people for over 300 years was obliterated. The use of billions of dollars from the sugar levy, extracted from the real wages of the sugar workers and pumped into the Bauxite industry to keep it alive for

from page 4

positions in several Private Sector companies and non-profit organisations including Chair of the private sector council of the Institute of Caribbean Studies (ICS) and President of the Guyanese American Chamber of Commerce.

Previously, I have represented Guyana in the UN system and worked in the OAS. As a journalist, I served in Washington, DC, for years as the Washington correspondent for the Caribbean News Agency (CANA) with access to some of the highest decision makers in several top companies. Just last year, I took to Guyana a trade and investment mission with 35 persons representing 28 companies. I am the founder of the Florida/Caribbean Business Expo, which was held annually from 2005 to 2009 and which generated much business for several participants.

My network of contacts in the international Private Sector is second to none. My track record speaks of initiative and results. Minister Harmon indeed could not publicly identify any level of success with my initiative re: GuySuCo, for that would have violated the agreements I have with compa-

nies about the non-disclosure rules governing our discussions.

But I can say this.

Notwithstanding all the confusing news articles and letters that appear in the media almost daily about GuySuCo and the sugar industry, I have been able to maintain the interest of several reputable companies at looking at possible investment in Guyana’s sugar industry... and this has not been an easy task. I have addressed every concern raised and answered every question posed to the best of my ability....and the results have been most positive.

So Kaieteur News can say what it likes about my track record.....those who need to know my track record know it and that’s why I am engaged by several companies and organisations internationally. And I will continue my efforts to help ensure that the thousands of workers and their families that depend on the industry for their livelihood are not sent to the breadline, once they are prepared to accept the change which is necessary to keep the industry alive.

Regards, Wesley Kirton

nearly two decades, in order to provide a livelihood for tens of thousands in Linden, Ituni and Kwakwani, was vapourised.

The sugar workers and their unions were made the object of such ridicule that not only were they deprived of their Annual Production Incentive (API), but they also did not benefit from a dollar in wage increase, while employees from every other state sector enjoyed annual increases by a minimum of 5%.When the unions attempted to negotiate a wage increase, they were told that GuySuCo was actively considering a decrease in wages!

Closure of Wales It is against that backdrop that Wales was closed, with such arrogance that the unions and the workers read about it as a small news item hidden several pages down in the national newspapers. The disclosure came not from GuySuCo, but from the Government.

Not a word of consultation, neither with the workers nor their unions. Nagamootoo was conveniently out of the country.

When public pressure rose, the workers were promised severance pay, land to do farming, and employment at Uitvlugt estate. None has materialised a year after. Instead, the nation is informed that Uitvlugt, Enmore and Rose Hall estates will now suffer closures; Skeldon is up for sale.

The machinations which

By Mohabir Anil Nandlall have occurred along the way provide some of the most striking examples of hypocrisy and deception seen in modern times.

Earlier this year, the unions and the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) were invited to provide alternative plans to demonstrate how the industry can enjoy a turnaround in fortunes.

This was followed up with a series of engagements between a team representing the Government and teams representing the PPP and the unions. As far as I am aware, those engagements have not been brought to a halt. A White Paper, and then a State Paper, were subsequently laid in the National Assembly, for there to be a national debate on the way forward for the sugar industry. These initiatives held out great hope for the workers and their families. Everyone felt that the Government was acting in good faith, and was really interested in a collaborative effort towards finding a solution. turn to page 13

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Page

guyanatimesgy.com

Foundation

– how one teacher uses project-based learning to empower her students to see themselves as agents of change in society

By Angela Mullennix

T

he population I serve is mostly atrisk students. Many of them will settle for the minimum, and most will preface any task with a comment about how they’ve never been “good” at school.

I realise that means they’ve likely had limited opportunities to explore their passions and produce products without definitive criticism. My mission is to mentor students through the process of finding their own potential and passions through project-based learning and real-world application, and that is what sparked my most recent implementation, called Change Makers.

Our students are going to graduate high school and face major social issues. We don’t have to look far to see these issues – in fact, it can be quite frightening to scroll through social media or listen to the news.

However, students should not be frightened – they should feel empowered to make a difference, and Change Makers allows for that.

Using real problems as a context for learning

Change Makers projects address a real-world social issue and encourage the five Cs—collaboration, creation, critical thinking, communication, and, perhaps most importantly, confidence.

Students are allowed maximum voice and choice in a) their selection of a real-world social issue to address; b) their methods of sustained inquiry to discover how, when, and why the issue became a problem; c) their method of reflection throughout the process of the project (eg, journal, blogging, video blogging); and d) their possible solution to the problem.

In this process, students are provided with examples of previous students’ projects and a teacher-generated model.

My role as teacher-facilitator is to guide students toward communication with an outside group or agency through email, telephone, face-to-face discussion, and

so forth. I also encourage students to explore credible sources and to utilise various means of presentation to demonstrate their public product. Students may, for example, opt to use a green screen to record a short film, or make a presentation to a group of people.

For students to complete the project, they must demonstrate knowledge of their chosen social issue; document collaboration with a community member (ie, via telephone interview, email, or face-to-face meeting); detail an idea to solve the social problem (creation of an organisation, programme, etc); and provide next steps (eg, “What should be done next?” or, more creatively, “If you

no. What’s even more astounding is that this young lady had previously come to campus with her hair over her face, a quiet voice, and a presence of trepidation. She left my classroom holding her head high with greater confidence, and she viewed herself as a change agent in society.

Another student explored human trafficking in the area. She collaborated with an organisation called Elijah Rising, and even participated in the organisation’s van tour of highly probable trafficking areas in the city. She decided to create a PowerPoint slide show with embedded hyperlinks to videos and images and presented it to the entire student body. After the project, she decided she had an interest in criminal justice or social work because she felt empowered to reach people before they become victims of human trafficking.

Feedback and assessment

were in charge of dealing with this issue and you suddenly left the job, what would your replacement need to do?”).

Two examples

These projects allow for maximum voice and choice, and my students have been able to produce some phenomenal projects. One student felt that animal cruelty was out of control in her community, so she researched the problem and contacted the local humane shelter to gather an understanding of how many animals with neglect in their backgrounds enter the shelter. She looked at which areas in Houston have the most reported incidents of animal cruelty. Then she designed a programme that would operate like Child Protective Services for animals. When I asked her if she had ever had the opportunity to create something like that project, she said

Assessment of the Change Makers project is embedded in the process. Students work on the projects at their own pace and are continuously giving, receiving, and using feedback to improve their process and fine-tune their products. I’m a facilitator who conducts ongoing check-ins with the students. They also gain useful feedback from their peers. This feedback process involves communication and deliberate discussion.

Even at the point of presenting their projects, the students receive positive, constructive feedback for improving their project should they decide to take it a step further after fulfilling the classroom requirements. Ideally, students should finish their Change Makers project feeling not as though they’ve completed an assignment that can be discarded after meeting the course requirements, but rather as having laid the groundwork for what could become a lifelong mission and purpose in life that will bring about positive change in society. (Edutopia.org)

– seven things dads can do to raise emotionally healthy children

By Dr Michael Ascher, Dr Robert Garfield Dr Stephanie Heck

A

s clinicians and family therapists, we spend a great deal of time working with men on issues of fatherhood. This work often incorporates themes of communication, commitment, identity, intimacy, and trust. The men we work with come to us because they have difficulties in their personal lives relating to the people they love most.

For example, they yearn for their children to be happy and successful, yet they may lack the skills and ability to model this type of joy and pride to their children.

The problem is that many men continue to operate under the rules of Male Code, a rigid set of social guidelines, both spoken and unspoken, that equate masculinity with stoicism, silence, and strength. While traditional male behaviours have ensured that men acquire positions of privilege, prestige, and power, they can be detrimental to men’s health and relationships, particularly in parenting their children. Poor attention to their own physical health and lack of emotional engagement in their marriages have resulted in shortened life spans and increases in their partners initiating divorce.

Since the late 1990s, a growing body of research has demonstrated that fathers have a significant impact on their children’s development. As a result, men are now being called upon to spend more time and participate in the direct care of their kids. They often find themselves emotionally overwhelmed by the need to balance work, relationship, and family demands. In our national survey, we found that men with higher emotional intimacy (EI) skills did better in their relationships with their children. We believe that men’s mental health is critically important as they become fathers, not only for their own well-being and enjoyment of parenthood, but also for the lifelong well-being of their children. A father’s emotional state, after all, has a direct influence on his children.

Be emotionally available and vulnerable Fathers have traditionally defined their roles as providers and protectors. As a dad, it’s good to get involved from the start in day-to-day parenting activities. That’s how you get to know your kids from the ground floor up. Interacting in close quarters, however, brings up surprisingly intense feelings, both positive and negative. Dads need support from their partners and friends to stay open and to respond to the emotional demands of parenting. This allows children to feel that they are connected and can open up with their fathers.

Listen and empathise Men often feel that their role should be to provide advice and wisdom. This is great when they actually have some to provide, but good parenting often requires listening without having an answer. Current developmental psychology research emphasises the link between “empathic attunement” and children’s mental health. Empathic attunement, or empathy, is a communication skill that that involves stepping into the perspective of another in order to imagine what they feel. It is a kind of emotional “tuning in” to another person, that can be validated by checking in to see if your guess is right. This is a great trait to develop with your kids, and with others, and you can start even before your kids learn to speak. Too often fathers confuse listening with passivity, and fail to make the strong connections with their kids that empathy allows.

Be curious and open to feedback One way to know if you are on the right track to being empathically attuned to your child is to ask. Openness to feedback about your understanding of and impact on another person is essential to forming strong bonds. Children, especially young children, are your best mirror; they will show or tell you without hesitation if you are in sync with them.

To this end, curbing your defensiveness and expanding your openness will go a long way toward building a great fatherchild relationship. (Excerpt from psychologytoday.com) To be continued

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MONDAY, june 19, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

GGMC's acting Broomes criticised for desecrating land manager hallowed chambers under fire for I “conflict of interest” US trafficking hero’s selfie video sparks backlash

n civilised democratic nations, a Parliament is always a very high deliberative forum where laws are passed and the most important issues affecting people, both nationally and internationally, are articulated. It is for these reasons that the precincts of our Parliament and its chambers are regarded as hallowed and sacrosanct.

It is against this backdrop that the unparalleled exhibition of Minister within the Natural Resources Ministry, Simona Broomes, a sitting member of the House, must be viewed.

Former Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall posits, “It is difficult to decipher whether the Honourable Member was engaged in an act of humour or whether she was serious.”

He was making reference to the now infamous social media post by Broomes, done in the style of Allison Hunt who is currently in Paris.

According to Nandlall, “Those of us who troll the social media would know that she was mimicking the antics of a Guyanese holidaying in Paris using the sacrosanct and sacred chambers of the National Assembly as her stage.”

Nandlall said, “What is perhaps most befuddling is that the Honourable member obviously did not think that what she was doing was at a minimum abnormal, if not heretic, because she took the liberty of sharing it with the world via the social medium of Facebook.”

The selfie video rant by

Minister Simona Broomes Minister Broomes, awarded by the United States as an anti-Trafficking in Persons (TIP) hero, has sparked a backlash for her on social media with thousands of users criticising her.

According to Nandlall, “This bizarre act of a member of the House and a minister of the Government must be condemned in the strongest possible manner. It simply cannot be justified. Irrespective of which side of the political aisle one is, one will be forced to accept that such an exhibition can only bring odium and ridicule to the hallowed halls of the House and lower it as an institution in the estimation of right-thinking members of the public.” “…. It is of little difference whether there are actual proceedings taking place at the time. Over centuries, an entire compendium of conventions, customs and practices have evolved, all intended and designed to protect and preserve the majes-

ty of that institution called Parliament,” Nandlall argued.

He pointed out that they are all applicable and are invoked during parliamentary sessions and, most specifically when there is a sitting of the National Assembly.

He noted, too, that these conventions, customs and practices find expression in the Constitution, the laws, Standing Orders and all leading texts dealing with Parliaments. They include certain privileges and immunities with which Parliamentarians are clothed when they are on their way to Parliament, within the precincts of Parliament or while they speak or act in the Chambers of Parliament.

These include immunity from arrest, service of legal process and from suit for anything done or said in Parliament.

Indeed within the precincts and Chambers of Parliament, Parliamentarians and members of the public are enjoined to adopt a sober mode of attire and the content of speeches in the National Assembly are regulated by rules which prohibit the use of certain expressions which are deemed "unparliamentary".

Nandlall alluded to the fact that the Speaker was responsible for order and decorum in the house. “Regularly, Members, in particular, in the Opposition, are upbraided for their behaviour in the House. I was restrained several times from merely alluding to matters pending in the court, though I had no intention of discussing the mer-

its of the case in a way that may prejudice its outcome – which is the rationale for not discussing matters which are the subject of pending litigation. In one instance, I was prohibited from completing my presentation because I referred to a newspaper article which I did not have on me at the time.”

Nandlall further noted that, “Only recently, the Speaker withheld his consent from the Economic Services Committee visiting communities and holding discussions with citizens on the future of the sugar industry. The Speaker did so on the basis that he cannot be satisfied that the decorum attendant to the proceedings of Parliamentary Committees would be observed. More to the point, Members of Parliament were treated to a scathing lecture by the Speaker, not so long ago for using their phones to take pictures in the House.

Now we have an entire movie broadcast to the cyber world, filmed, narrated, directed, edited, choreographed and produced by Ms Simona Broomes.”

“Against this background, and based upon the sentiments of thousands of Guyanese expressed in the social media and elsewhere, a nation awaits to see how the Speaker will treat with this matter,” Nandlall declared.

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he acting Manager of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) has been criticised for creating a “conflict of interest” in the Land Management Division of the organisation.

The division’s role includes acceptance, processing and granting of licences and permits for mineral properties; processing and endorsing of remission of taxes for mining equipment; process, and recommend for approval, all environmental and other related bonds; control and manage GGMC’s data base and GIS information, the administration of lotteries and auction; cartographic services, and processing verification of small claims.

Guyana Times was reliable informed that a report has shown that the acting senior official released into her husband’s possession forty-seven mineral properties in February 2015.

According to the source, when taking into consideration the responsibilities of the manager and the

amount of properties involved, it puts the other applicants at potential disadvantage if disputes, which are frequent in the sector, occur.

Further, the manager has access to the information for all categories of mineral properties, and this could be used to influence the selection of mineral properties during auctions, it was revealed. The source said the potential for insider trading, which is an “ever occurring issue,” is also very possible.

“There are other potential issues that are too numerous to mention”, the source said.

“The removal of the previous manager is well understood. However, for the sake of transparency, GGMC should find a neutrally competent person without any ties to the mining sector to management this important section. The mining sector needs critical support in terms of mining properties, not potential conflicts. Too much is at stake here”, the source told Guyana Times.

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monDAY, june 19, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

IN THE COURTS

Man gets 18 months jail for rum shop brawl PNC-style

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ilton Springer was last week sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment by Wales Magistrate Clive Nurse after he pleaded guilty to unlawfully and maliciously wounding 49-year-old Errol Graham in a violent altercation that took place on May 16, 2017 at the Bow George Bar at Goed Intent, West Bank Demerara.

Magistrate Nurse opined that, based on the severity of Graham’s injures, Springer should have been charged with attempted murder.

Graham, of Sisters Village, WBD, was counter-charged with wounding Springer. He pleaded not guilty, and was granted bail in the sum of $35,000.

According to the facts of the case, Graham, who was at the Bow George establishment, was about to go home

when he was attacked by Springer and another man, who together dealt him several chops about the body and managed to hold on to him before he fell to the ground and lose consciousness.

Graham said he next remembered being a patient at the West Demerara Regional Hospital, where he was treated. He later reported the ghastly crime to ranks at the Wales Police Station.

In providing an explanation to the court at Friday’s hearing, Springer told the Magistrate that he did chop the victim, but he had done so in self-defence. Springer said Graham was drinking at the shop when he, the accused, “sent a boy” to purchase cigarettes for him, and Graham then put his hand around him, saying that he

Hilton Springer will serve 18 months for chopping Errol Graham

wanted to kill him.

“I pull out me cutlass to protect meself, and I fire chop at he; we never had problems before,” Springer told the court.

When Magistrate Nurse

retorted that it didn’t make sense that Graham just walked up and attacked Springer, the accused responded that he also had been cut to one side of his body, but his medical report never stated that he was injured to his side.

The court, however, disbelieved that the scar Springer displayed had come as a result of the incident in May, as the medical report indicated that Springer was cut to his hands and fingers.

The Magistrate highlighted that, even in self-defence, the chopping was excessive, and he rebuffed the defendant’s pleas for mercy.

The 18-month prison sentence was imposed against Springer, but the duo will return to court on July 6, as Graham denied allegations that he had assaulted Springer.

Welder denies punching wife in face – claims woman slammed her own head into a post

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hirty-nine-year-old father of four, Wendell Layne, appeared before Magistrate Clive Nurse at the Wales Magistrate Court, and pleaded not guilty to unlawfully assaulting his common-law partner, Nicola Daniels, at their La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara (WBD) home.

According to police facts, at about 16:30h on June 8, at the home Layne shared with the woman, he and Daniels had a heated argument, and it resulted in the welder dealing her several punches to the face and body.

The virtual complainant reported the matter to the La Grange Police Station that

afternoon, and Layne was arrested and charged.

Layne strongly denied what his partner had told the police. He related that the argument first started with their male tenant, and when Daniels got involved, Layne accused her of always taking the tenant’s side. The accused told the Magistrate that he didn’t hit the woman. Rather, she supposedly slammed her own head into a post in the midst of their argument.

“I didn’t cuff her is she face,” Layne told Magistrate Nurse.

After his explanation, a not guilty plea was entered on his behalf, and Layne informed the court that he had paid a fine during a previous court appearance. As such, the accused was placed on $25,000 bail and put on a bond to keep the peace pending the outcome of the matter. The Parfaite Harmonie couple will return to court on July 3.

politics…

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…in coalition

our Eyewitness wonders why the WPA veterans are surprised by the short shrift they’ve been given by Prezzie and the rest of the PNC on the demotion of Roopnaraine. It was a pathetic sight to look at the bunch of grizzled political “radicals” pleading for relevancy across the desk from the new PNC -- but still the PNC. Hadn’t they paid attention to what went down with the AFC? Why did they think the PNC would treat them any differently? Because of Thomas’s swivel from being the avowed Marxist who savaged Burnham and the PNC’s economic initiatives back in the day to their point-man to defang the PPP’s strength in the sugar belt? Because of Ogunseye’s PR defence of the Presidency’s missteps?

Hey! They were just seen as hired guns! And you especially don’t earn respect for your team by betraying your principles to your former opponent. And ditto for Roopnaraine -- who out of all the WPA leaders was always most open to the PNC. How can the PNC respect him after he sold Rodney down the river?

But in addition to their own foibles, the WPA should’ve interrogated (WPA word!) why the PNC brought them into APNU. All they were needed for was to provide cover for the PNC to get back into office. The WPA should’ve remembered their performance back in 1992, when they went head to head and chanced “splitting” the votes of the PNC’s traditional constituency -- African Guyanese.

They failed ignominiously to even dent the PNC’s support.

And the PNC has never since been worried about the WPA as a threat to them electorally - on account of the polarising nature of politics in a bi-communal polity. But there was the legitimacy capital that the WPA had earned on the solid groundings of Dr Walter Rodney. The man had real class -- no pun intended! Just getting rid of Robert Corbin and floating the avuncular but relatively unknown David Granger wasn’t going to be enough to persuade a small but influential bloc of sceptical Guyanese elites that the PNC had actually gone beyond their disreputable past.

This is what was needed -- in addition to the “Indian patina” provided by the AFC in May 2015. But not anymore, obviously. The PNC is now back in power, in control of the gravy train; and, not so incidentally, now hammering the final nail into the coffin of free and fair elections with its shenanigans on the GECOM Chair.

Those in the WPA who’re serious about moving Guyana into a more win-win type of politics should have a huddle with their elder statesman - Eusi Kwayana. He’s dealt with the PNC from “within”.

…and the state

Your Eyewitness is also surprised at those who’re surprised that Minister Keith Scott has become the point man from within the Cabinet to carry the spear against the Indigenous Peoples. Like the WPA types, he’s expendable, having also provided cover - albeit minuscule - for the PNC’s spots. Apart from having a one-man party -- the NFA -- he was also Walter Rodney’s brother-in-law.

So why would he announce that, in Guyana, “sovereignty” lies in the state and not in the people, as the Constitution declares? Echoing, of course, Eric Phillips, who can deliver anti-PPP diatribes on any topic faster than the speed of thought! Scott’s just singing for his supper. It’s a way station to the next declaration -- that the PNC is “paramount” over the state.

After all, there are already enough military commissars in every department of government to make that assertion de facto!

The PNC intends to ensure it’s de jure after 2010.

…and bawdy behaviour

While the WPA was brought in to woo the “arty” crowd, Simona “I is” Broomes was supposed to work the other end of the spectrum. But seems she now wants to move up.

Her shtick in Parliament was…“wink, wink”…meant to genuflect to the in-crowd…but just confirmed her “bush” credentials.

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

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MONDAY, june 19, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Govt criticised for delaying setting up LGC

– former Minister says it exposes coalition’s “falsity”

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overnment’s reluctance to establish the Local Government Commission (LGC) is seen as a deliberate attempt to trample on local democracy; and it exposes the coalition’s “falsity”, former Local Government Minister and People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Member of Parliament (MP) Ganga Persaud has said.

Persaud said it is extremely disappointing that after all the statements and concerns expressed by the coalition Government, to enhance democracy and to rush bills while promising to give more autonomy to the local Government bodies, the LGC is yet to be established.

“I think it has really exposed the real thinking behind this Government.

When in Opposition, the local Government and establishing the Local Government Commission was the salvation for local democracy in this country. Now in Government, the Local Government Commission is seen as a monster that will eat

Former Local Government Minister Ganga Persaud

away at local democracy,” Persaud told Guyana Times on Sunday.

The former minister also chastised Government for its delay in appointing nominees for this important body, claiming that “it’s a deliberate ploy, because the minister wants to use their terms, he wants to be the control freak, to hug up all the sources of power and roll them up under his thumb.”

Persaud went on to

“It will get worse in...

“In retail trade, because they are taking so much money out of the economy through taxation, the Value Added Tax (VAT) alone will give them about $21 billion more this year, taking it out of people’s pockets. They are sapping the lives of economic activities in Guyana, and therefore retail trade is going down and almost every business you talk to is laying off people,” he laminated.

Baseless

The Opposition Leader also termed the Government’s argument that the PPP left the economy in a decline as “baseless and far from reality”. As a matter of fact, Jagdeo said, Finance Minister Winston Jordan told the National Assembly a few months ago that the PPP did a good job at managing the economy.

“That’s the picture of Guyana; and every single day you listen to this Government, rather than

addressing the economic decline, rather than saying ‘hold on a minute, we have to ensure that rice, sugar and bauxite and all the other sectors of the economy do well’, they have now latched on to a couple of excuses that they are cleaning out corruption from the economy that is why things are bad.”

He recalled than when the PPP took office in 1992, Guyana’s debt was nine and a half times the size of the local economy. It later grew, and Guyana repaid a large sum of its debt. “From the time the PPP left office, it was less than half the size of the economy, and the debt servicing in 1992, according to Carl Greenidge himself, was 153 percent of revenue of all taxes collected,” he added.

When the PPP left office in 2015, it was four percent of revenue. “So we left them a lot of money, and that is why they could have passed the three biggest budgets in

state that it is more unfortunate, given all the major promises made by the now Government to restore local democracy, give greater autonomy to people, and allow them to manage their own affairs, so that local Government can grow to the benefit of all Guyanese.

“I don’t know how the minister Mr (Ronald) Bulkan can really rest; if he does get a chance to, knowing that his strong advocacy has all been exposed as fal-

FROM PAGE 3

our history even though they are claiming we don’t have money and we left them a bankrupt economy.”

He noted that when the PPP/C demitted office, Guyana was the fastest growing country in the region, with 10 years of continuous growth. “We left 165 billion in recurrent revenue, US$700 million in the central bank, and 40 billion dollars in the semi-autonomous agencies through these private accounts… so if as they claiming, so many persons were not paying taxes…why it is that Guyana was making rapid progress and was defying all odds?”

Jagdeo also pointed to the coalition’s previous budgets, which totalled some $700 billion in the past few years. He said, “That is not the symptom of a country that doesn’t have money. But what are they doing with the money they collect; they are spending it on themselves.”

sity,” Persaud asserted.

Another PPP Member of Parliament, Neil Kumar, has also accused the coalition Government of trying to do everything in its power to frustrate the smooth running of Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) after that party had been soundly thrashed at the March 2016 Local Government Elections.

Kumar had also said that if the LGC is not established soon, the entire machinery of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) would be shut down, and the only function of the Elections Commission would be that of identification cards’ distribution at all the permanent centres.

The Opposition indicated recently that it plans to convene consultation with members of the coalition Government. The Opposition is also prepared to resubmit a new list of nominees for the post of Gecom chairman.

Although the parliamentary Opposition named its nominees to the LGC since last year, the Government has so far failed to make any nominations. This has resulted in a deadlock.

In the 2016 budget estimates, some $30 million have been allocat-

Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan

ed by the Government to the non-functioning LGC. When asked, Bulkan had stated that this was to allow the Commission operate independently of Central Government.

The LGC, when establish, will have oversight over the various local authority areas in the country.

It would also be responsible for appointing officials in the NDC and local authority areas, as well as approving budgets for the NDCs. By law, the Commission is to be made up of eight members -- four nominated by the Government, one from the unions, and three from the Leader of the

Opposition.

Former acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba and former Local Government Ministers Norman Whittaker and Clinton Collymore were nominated as the PPP’s representatives on the LGC. In addition, the Committee on Appointments had recommended that Andrew Garnett of the Guyana Local Government Officers Union be appointed as the union representative. Government is the only stakeholder yet to fulfil its responsibilities to nominate representatives to the Commission.

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guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, june 19, 2017

News

Caribbean Region should treat Cotonou Agreement with “urgency”

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he Caribbean region needs to recognise the financial security the Cotonou Agreement affords the region, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge, contends.

Minister Greenidge, speaking to reporters on Friday, said the Agreement with the European Union (EU) is “the largest source of concessional financing” to the region. However, the region remains distracted by Brexit (Britain’s exit from the EU).

The 2000 Cotonou Agreement, which comes to an end in 2020, is considered a comprehensive partnership agreement between the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states; which, among other things, has a common goal of eradicating poverty.

Minister Greenidge noted that there is still confusion among Caribbean states on the benefits of Cotonou. “There is great confusion over what, where our own interests lie, and even understanding the arrangements that we are party to,” he said.

Guyana is doing its part to “strengthen our own

Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge

trade capacity,” Minister Greenidge pointed out. “The largest source of development funds to this region is Cotonou, and yet we’ve spent more time talking about Brexit. When you think about it, it is ridiculous,” he contended.

While concerns are justified about the possible tariffs that products entering the British market may now attract, Minister Greenidge pointed out that the region has a “firm agreement” with the EU. Earlier this month, President David Granger

and Minister Greenidge were part of the State delegation to the European Development Day (EDD) forum in Brussels, Belgium, where Guyana participated in the discussions on the future of the Cotonou Agreement.

The Minister noted, however, that the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is still to make arrangements “to ensure that discussions take place and the level of analysis is raised, so that the region can have a position” to represent when the ACP countries meet.

According to a GINA report, the Minister noted that there is need for the matter to be treated with “urgency”.

Later this month, June 22-23 in Cancun, Mexico, the Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) Ministers will meet with the EU Commissioner for Development, to be updated on the EU’s views on the type of agreement, regional enlargement, and institutional arrangements in the process towards a renewed agreement which will replace the ACP EU Cotonou Agreement, which expires on February 29, 2020.

IN THE COURTS

Woman drops assault charges against reputed husband

– Magistrate orders him to pay time wasting fine

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arlier this month, Melissa Millington of La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara lodged a complaint at the La Grange Police Station against her common law husband, Devon Samuels, after the two had had an altercation. Later on, Samuels was cautioned and arraigned for abusive language and unlawful assault in regard to the May

26 th incident.

However, when the two appeared at the Wales Magistrate Court on Friday last, the wife had a change of heart and disclosed that she was no longer offering evidence against the accused. The woman was therefore found to have wasted the court’s time, and a $10,000 fine was imposed on her to that effect.

And in a twist of events,

Magistrate Clive Nurse ordered her reputed husband to pay the fine for his common law wife. The man was also placed on a bond to keep the peace for one year. Failure to do so will result in an 8-week incarceration at the Camp Street penitentiary.

The couple left the courthouse together, and were seen smiling with each other at various intervals on their court day.

Belle West man on bail for assaulting reputed wife

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46-year-old man was late last week placed on $15,000 bail for assaulting the woman with whom he lives and shares a relationship. Guyana Times understands that the accused, Jainarine (only name provided), allegedly assaulted Yadmattie Lallchan, 49, at their Belle West, Canal Number Two Polder, West Bank Demerara home.

The Wales Magistrate Court heard that Jainarine, a painter, made use of a cutlass at the time of the attack on Lallchan, a fish cleaner and mother of two. The man, however, denied the allegations when they were put to him as he stood from the prisoner’s dock.

Magistrate Clive Nurse

ordered the accused to, for the duration of the trial, leave the home the couple shares and he can return to the premises only with a police escort. Jainarine promised that he would stay with his brother at Plantation Georgia, along the Soesdyke/ Linden Highway.

Additionally, Lallchan

was counter-charged with using abusive language towards his wife and was placed on self-bail. Jainarine and Lallchan were each placed on a bond to keep the peace for the remainder of the trial. They are scheduled to make their next court appearance on June 29 for report and fixture.

Fugitive gets 18 months for wounding woman

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andram Bagwandin was on Friday sentenced to prison in absentia for the felonious wounding of Bibi Dindyall, which occurred on October 14, 2016 in West Demerara.

Magistrate Clive Nurse had earlier determined that there was enough evidence to proceed with the case against Bagwandin,

and found him guilty of the offence in his absence.

The police prosecutor observed that the man had shown the court “great disrespect,” as he never presented himself for hearings after he had been granted bail for the offence. In handing down the sentence, Magistrate Nurse said the court not-

ed the extent of the injuries that the woman had received. As such, he sentenced Bagwandin to 18 months’ imprisonment for the crime.

Meanwhile, Dindyall walked out of the Wales Magistrate Court with a relieved expression, and told the magistrate “thank you” as she departed.

MONDAY, june 19, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

11

News

UK to expand trade with Caribbean post-Brexit – Quinn

By Shemuel Fanfair

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he United Kingdom’s Department for Exiting the European Union has recently confirmed that negotiations to leave the bloc will begin today, June 19. However, concerns have once again surfaced over the country’s financial commitment to developmental projects and aid it funded in Guyana

ally to expand the relationship with all of the countries and all of the organisations in all of the regions we trade with, and that includes Guyana both as a bilateral relationship and also as a member of Caricom and the Commonwealth,” the UK High Commissioner stressed.

Quinn confirmed this approach at the sidelines of

British High Commissioner Greg Quinn

and the wider Caribbean.

However, according to British High Commissioner Greg Quinn, his country is seeking to broaden trade with the Caribbean region in the near future.

“What is very clear is that the UK wants to expand and increase its activity and its trading relationship and range of trading partners, so the message to take from that is that there is going to be a push actu-

his country’s renewed sovereignty claims over the Falklands Islands when a member of the territory’s Legislative Assembly visited Guyana last week. The Ambassador told media operatives at his residence in Georgetown that while the UK will soon embark upon new trade talks, it will be some time before the country officially leaves the 28-member bloc.

“Don’t forget the fact that

we still remain a member of the European Union until we physically leave, so our ability to negotiate separate agreements is very restricted, because we can’t do anything which goes against the EU; but certainly, there’s a lot of consideration being given within the UK as to what the relationship globally on trade will be once we leave,” Quinn committed.

He indicated that Britain would continue to lend its support to the Caribbean, and further noted that it is unlikely that funding for projects would be reduced.

Some projects are being funded by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office.

“If you look at the assistance which is coming to Guyana from the UK now compared to 5 (or) 10 years ago, it is significantly larger. We have got the 53-million-pound (sterling) worth Caribbean Infrastructure Fund, and there’s another 8 million pounds funding, an increase in FCO funding,” he noted.

When further questioned, the High Commissioner highlighted that it is not too early to know what financial changes in funding the region could expect from the EU when his country leaves.

“On the bilateral front, I don’t expect in any way, shape or form, any change on that, [but] to be honest, it’s too early for us to really know what will happen multilaterally with EU funding.

I don’t think we’re in a position to talk about that at

this precise moment in time; but certainly, on a bilateral front, there is no indication or suggestion that the assistance will (be reduced),” Quinn affirmed.

Earlier this month, the British High Commissioner told Guyana Times that support and country relations would remain strong despite whichever candidate had won the June 8 elections.

Though Prime Minister Theresa May was re-elected to the post, her party amassed fewer seats, losing its majority in the British

Parliament. Some reports had suggested that EU exit talks could be stalled.

However, from all indications, it is expected that the country’s government will honour the will of those who voted in the 2016 referendum for Britain to leave the EU. Following the country’s decision to exit the bloc, Guyana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge posited that nothing was expected to change. And Caricom Secretary General Irwin LaRocque had also

pointed out in June 2016 that he did not foresee Brexit having a drastic impact on relations with Caribbean States.

“I don’t anticipate our relationship in terms of Europe to be directly affected… We don’t anticipate any diminishing of relationship of the EU, and certainly not the UK; our relations are very strong,” he stressed last year.

It is anticipated that Brexit negotiations will take as much as two years to complete.

12 news

monDAY, june 19, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Celebrating 3rd Int’l Day of Yoga

– hosted by Indian High Commission, ICC

High Commissioner of India, Shri V Mahalingam, accompanied by his wife, and yoga teacher Rajkumar Sharma, joined the contestants of Miss Guyana World 2017 during the celebrations

Students of the ICC demonstrating yoga exercises

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he High Commission of India on Sunday celebrated the third International Day of Yoga by hosting a day of yoga education and exercises.

The event hosted at the Everest Cricket Club, Camp Road, Georgetown, saw the participation of a number of Government officials, members of the diplomatic corps

and representatives of the Indian Cultural Centre (ICC) along with scores of patrons.

The International Day of Yoga, observed annually on June 21, aims to raise worldwide awareness of the many benefits of practising yoga and is being celebrated this year under the theme, “Yoga for Health”.

High Commissioner Mahalingam presented yoga manuals to members of the diplomatic corps

The Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, through this year’s theme, intends to highlight the fact that yoga can contribute in a holistic way, to achieving equilibrium between mind and body. Moreover, the organisers believe that this approach to health and well-being can make a direct and useful contribu-

tion to humankind’s quest to achieve sustainable development and move towards lifestyles that are in harmony with nature.

As such, Guyana joins the rest of the world in the commemoration of the third International Day of Yoga. The local event was as a result of collaboration between the High Commission of India and the ICC.

High Commissioner Mahalingam, along with his wife and yoga teacher Rajkumar Sharma, presented certificates to participants (Carl Croker photos)

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monDAY, june 19, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Bilingual education project launched in Region 9 T

he Wapishana tribe in Region Nine has embarked on a pilot programme to develop quality bilingual education for primary school students. This programme is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, and the Toshaos of Deep South Rupununi.

The programme will ensure that students with little fluency in English are taught in both their native language and English.

According to a GINA release, it is also aimed at preserving the Indigenous culture.

Recently, a team from the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, led by Minister Sydney Allicock and the Ministry of Education’s Technical Facilitator, Vincent Alexander, attended the conclusion of an orientation process aimed at determining an innovative way for teaching of language, mathematics and sciences.

Among those who participated in the orientation, which was facilitated by the Jesuits in St. Ignatius, were community members, deputy toshaos, Wapishana language and culture experts, artists and practising school teachers.

During brief remarks, Minister Allicock spoke of

Some participants at the launch of the bilingual project in Region Nine

the importance of education and the need to ensure that core subjects are taught in both the English and native language (Wapishana).

“You would have heard about the state of our education…last year’s report showed Regions One, Seven, Eight and Nine are way below the average, and we want to beat up on our teachers and our children without realising that the curriculum is not set to allow that child to be able to compete with those children on the coast,” Minister Allicock explained.

He pointed out that de-

ysis, or on the Commission of Inquiry’s Report, or upon any impact assessment done. Indeed, other than political considerations, no one knows on what basis the Government is acting.

GuySuCo is not simply a business, and cannot be viewed from the perspective of profit and loss.

It is an institution. The same way that the Obama Administration could not have afforded to allow certain huge companies to crash during the financial meltdown, and therefore bailed out those companies, the same way the Guyanese economy cannot afford GuySuCo’s closure.

The cost of closure exceeds cost to keep operation It still is the largest employer in Guyana, employing over 15,000 workers. It still is one of our largest foreign exchange earners, and one of our major direct contributors to GDP. When one takes into account the fact that nearly 100,000 persons directly or indirectly depend upon GuySuCo for their livelihood; the total amount of taxes which they pay; their NIS contributions; the economic impact of their domestic consumption; the cost of finding alternative employment; the cost of maintaining the drainage and irrigation network in the backlands right across the coast; the cost

that will be applicable to other indigenous communities across Guyana.

First-year nursery school teachers are being trained by the end of August this year, and the actual implementation of the new bilingual textbooks for first year nursery school will be incorporated in the September 2017 academic year.

Additionally, materials for secondary year nursery schools will be completed for the 2018 academic year, while 2019-2020 will see this introduced at the Grade 1 level, 2020-2021 Grade 2, and 2021-2022 will cover the Grade 3 level.

It is expected that, throughout the pilot pro-

velopers and policy makers must find a way to deliver appropriate education for the people living in the most remote areas in the country, and this bilingual programme is one step towards ensuring a level playing field in this respect.

“I’ve heard policy makers, developers and educators saying that ‘we are going to take education to the Indigenous peoples,’ I would prefer to say that we are going to share education. And our people understand the laws of nature and managing the eco system; they under-

Op-Ed: The Bitter Politics...

Wesley Kirton as a glorified real estate agent Lo and behold, we accidentally stumbled upon a letter written by Mr Joseph Harmon, Minister of State, acting on behalf of the Government of Guyana in appointing Wesley Kirton as a glorified real estate agent to sell all of GuySuCo, or any part thereof. This letter was written since November 2016.What this means, therefore, is that all the actions of the Government thereafter, conveying the impression that they were engaging on GuySuCo, were all a charade.

Only a few days ago, I wrote a civil and balanced letter querying a social event held in Florida last Saturday, and the legality of funds raised therefrom.

My queries were genuine and made in good faith as a Member of Parliament. The very same Mr Kirton responded. His response was as abusive as it was venomous. I refuse to descend to such level by dignifying his toxic rantings with a response. However, I was aghast and at a loss to understand the nature of his response. Then I saw the correspondence, and realised that he was singing for his supper. His commission fee for the sale may set him good for life.

The Government’s decision to sell GuySuCo is not based on any economic anal-

stand the purpose of the worm, the snake, the trees, the fishes…those on the coast can also learn from those Indigenous peoples,” Minister Allicock emphasised.

Iterating that language helps one to have an identity, Minister Allicock noted that language is disappearing among the Indigenous people. He said this programme offers an opportunity for a better curriculum to be developed for all the children in Guyana.

Vincent Alexander, in his remarks, noted that language gives people identity and recognition, and when people have identity and recognition, then there’s currency to deal with others.

Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Minister Sydney Allicock and Education Ministry Technical Facilitator Vincent Alexander among others at the launch of the bilingual project in Region Nine

from page 5

of healthcare and other social services which are provided by GuySuCo to communities nationwide; the cost of provision of electricity for 90,000 households in Berbice by the Skeldon CoGeneration Plant (as per Dr Clive Thomas), one will quickly see that the cost of closing the estates far exceeds the cost of keeping them functioning.

When one adds to this equation the over $30 billion which were disbursed to Guyana for the abolition of the subsidies and which were used as budgetary support for other sectors, with

only a small fraction going towards GuySuCo, the case becomes even more unassailable.

For the reasons I have adumbrated, I stand firmly in solidarity with the sugar workers and their families.

Their cause is just; win we must, history and time are on our side. We will grind oppression into the dust.

(The above is an opinion piece written by former Attorney General and current PPP/C Member of Parliament Mohabir Anil Nandlall)

According to the GINA report, the bilingual programme will be implemented in stages, and will see a new curriculum being developed to include both languages. The curriculum will also provide a template

gramme, the Ministry of Education and the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD) would undertake field reviews and be part of the joint review teams on a regular basis.

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guyanatimesgy.com

monDAY, june 19, 2017

Regional

Colombians leave floral T&T PM: Govt committed to tributes amid probe into positive labour relations deadly Bogota blast G

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loral tributes were placed at the Bogota shopping centre where three women were killed and nine wounded after an explosive device detonated in a restroom as Colombians flocked to buy gifts ahead of Sunday’s Father’s Day celebrations.

The normally busy Andino mall was eerily quiet as people placed flowers on the main floor of the upscale retail centre, which on Saturday afternoon was the scene of chaos and terror as the device exploded inside a toilet stall on the second floor.

President Juan Manuel Santos denounced the “cowardly terrorist act” and offered a reward of 100 million pesos (US$34,258) for information leading to capture of those responsible.

He said investigators are working on three hypotheses, but declined to provide any information while the probe is underway. No one

A man about to leave flowers at the Andino shopping centre after an explosive device detonated in a restroom on Saturday, in Bogota, Colombia, June 18, 2017

has claimed responsibility for the deadly act.

“The objective of terrorism is to sow fear, and our response to that is to show unity and bravery to confront it,” said Santos following a security council meeting with members of the armed forces and ministers.

“Colombians must unite and show solidarity to confront such cowardly acts.”

He asked residents to be

vigilant but not let the attack cower them. Santos later visited Andino’s food court to have lunch with his son.

Police said the device was placed behind a toilet bowl. Half a dozen forensic Police dressed in white overalls were at the scene on the second floor as scores of uniformed officials and intelligence personnel scanned the mall. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Cuba rejects Trump’s ‘hostile rhetoric’

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he Cuban Government of Raul Castro has criticised Donald Trump’s “hostile rhetoric” in announcing new restrictions on US ties to the country, but repeated its willingness to hold “respectful dialogue” with Washington.

Earlier on Friday, the US President pledged to overhaul his predecessor Barack Obama’s Cuba policy.

“The Government of Cuba denounces the new

measures toughening the embargo” imposed since 1962, according to a statement read on Cuban State television.

However, it said Cuba “reiterates its willingness to continue the respectful dialogue and cooperation” that have taken place with Washington since 2015 when the drive for restored ties began under Obama.

Although the policy changes announced were

limited, Trump has tightened rules for Americans travelling to Cuba, banned ties with a military-run tourism firm and reaffirmed the existing US trade embargo.

The Cuban statement criticised the “hostile rhetoric that recalls the time of open confrontation” and “return to the coercive methods of the past”. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

overnment remains committed to creating an environment that supports positive labour relations, as it understands the pivotal role of labour in the context of sustainable development and competitiveness in the global market. So said Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley in his Labour Day message to the nation. Labour Day is commemorated today in Trinidad.

In a statement Saturday, Rowley called for a re-commitment to further strengthening social dialogue processes to afford each and every citizen the opportunity for better living and work-

ing conditions.

He said from an initial ten trade unions in Trinidad, by the end of 1938, more than in any other West Indian colony at the time, T&T now boasts over 40 trade unions representing all classes and categories of blue and white-collar workers.

He said, “We have consistently encouraged open dialogue with the unions and we respect and facilitate the collective bargaining process. All of us in T&T want to see this country proceed along the path to prosperity and overcome the challenges we currently face. Over the past few months, we have

witnessed some positive developments – our talks with energy sector leaders and partners both here and abroad are beginning to bear fruit.”

Rowley said Government continues to actualise its plan of diversification into those areas where it can be competitive, such as the creative industries, tourism, maritime related services and ICT-enabled services.

“We have to respect one another across the bargaining table with a view to attaining win-win scenarios that work in the best interest of workers, employers and ultimately our country.”

(Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

President Maduro condemns Twitter for closing accounts

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enezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro has condemned Twitter as an expression of fascism and has accused the US company of persecuting his followers.

Maduro made his comments after some pro-government accounts were suspended.

Among them was that of Radio Miraflores – a station set up by Maduro that broadcasts a weekly salsa show presented by the President.

Maduro called on his followers to publish pictures of Twitter’s head in Venezuela.

“Let the people know who is responsible for this manipulation,” he said.

It is not clear if Twitter has any employees in Venezuela. The company

President Nicolás Maduro said thousands of Twitter accounts of his followers had been suspended

has so far made no response.

Neither is it clear why the accounts were suspended, or how many have been affected.

President Maduro said thousands had been suspended because his followers were an expression of

the truth and were a majority.

Earlier his Information Minister, Ernesto Villegas, said 180 accounts were hit.

Twitter guidelines say accounts can be suspended for tweeting abuse, spam or threatening security. (BBC News)

Caribbean-American Congresswoman Tropical storm systems continue wants permanent status in US for to strengthen Caribbean ‘Dreamers’ T

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aribbean-American Congresswoman Yvette D Clarke has called on the US Congress to pass legislation that would grant permanent status for Caribbean and others involved in the Deferred Actions for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme, also known as the “Dream Programme”.

“Since DACA was created in 2012, more than 750,000 young women and men have used the programme to expand their participation in our civil society, attend college, and start careers, all in the pursuit of the American Dream. Their contributions have been invaluable and their remarkable stories are now stitched into the fabric of this nation,” said Congresswoman Yvette D Clarke, the daughter of

Jamaican immigrants.

“But the DACA programme remains under threat,” said Clarke, who represents the 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, New York, in an interview with the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) on Saturday. “DACA recipients have been unlawfully arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials and needlessly detained.

“We cannot, in good conscience, allow Donald Trump to undermine their expectations or diminish their contributions,” she continued.

“Congress must act to secure their permanent status in the United States.”

According to new memoranda issued by the Trump Administration, the President will not immediately eliminate protections for

US Congresswoman Yvette D Clarke

the so-called “Dreamers”, undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as small children.

But White House officials on Friday said that Trump had not made a decision about the long-term fate of the programme and might yet follow through on a campaign pledge to take away work permits from the immigrants or deport them. (Excerpt from CMC)

wo tropical systems currently being monitored by the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) in Miami continued to strengthen on Sunday, with a corresponding increase in the likelihood of hurricane formation.

Showers and thunderstorms continue to show signs of organisation in association with a tropical wave located about 1000 miles east-southeast of the southern Windward Islands.

Some development of this system is possible during the next couple of days before environmental conditions become less favourable for tropical cyclone formation.

This system is forecast to move to the west-northwest at near 20 mph toward the Windward Islands and northeastern South America during the next two days,

and interests in these areas should monitor its progress. An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft is scheduled to investigate this system today, if necessary.

Formation chance of a hurricane through five days is estimated to be medium (50 per cent).

Meanwhile, a broad area of low pressure located over the northwestern Caribbean Sea continues to produce a large area of disorganised showers and thunderstorms.

Gradual development of this system is expected while it

moved slowly northwestward across the Yucatan Peninsula on Sunday and over the southern or central Gulf of Mexico on Monday and Tuesday, where a tropical or subtropical hurricane is likely to form.

Regardless of development, heavy rains are expected over portions of Central America, the Yucatan Peninsula, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, and western Cuba during the next several days.

(Excerpt from CaribbeanNewsNow)

MONDAY, june 19, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

15

Around the World

Gunmen attack resort outside Macron wins absolute parliamentary majority Mali’s capital, 2 dead

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t least two people were killed in an attack by gunmen on Sunday at a luxury resort outside Mali’s capital Bamako popular with Western expatriates, the Security Ministry said, but 36 guests had been rescued.

Gunmen stormed Le Campement Kangaba near Dougourakoro, to the east of the capital Bamako, a resort foreign residents often visit for weekend breaks.

“At first we thought they were armed bandits but we know how armed bandits operate, they don’t hold territory, so now we think

it is a terrorist attack,” Mali’s Security Minister Salif Traore told journalists outside the entrance to the resort late Sunday, part of which was on fire.

Malian security forces, United Nations peacekeeping mission vehicles and French military armoured vehicles were surrounding the resort, according to a Reuters witness. A helicopter was circling overhead.

Security Ministry spokesman Baba Cisse said by telephone that two people had been killed, including a French-Gabonese citizen and another whose nationality was not yet

P

An armoured vehicle drives towards Le Campement Kangaba resort following an attack where gunmen stormed the resort in Dougourakoro, to the east of the capital Bamako, Mali

known. Two others had been wounded, one civilian and a policeman, he said.

An attacker had also been

wounded and fled, leaving a sub machine gun and six bottles of explosives behind, he said. (Excerpt from Reuters)

US warplane downs Syrian army jet

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US warplane shot down a Syrian Army jet on Sunday in the southern Raqqa countryside with Washington saying the jet had dropped bombs near US backed forces and Damascus saying the plane was downed while flying a mission against Islamic

State militants.

A Syrian army statement released on Syrian State television said the plane crashed and the pilot was missing. It said the incident took place on Sunday afternoon near a village called Rasafah.

The “flagrant attack was

an attempt to undermine the efforts of the Army as the only effective force capable with its allies ... in fighting terrorism across its territory,” the Syrian army said.

“This comes at a time when the Syrian Army and its allies were making clear

advances in fighting the Daesh (Islamic State) terrorist group.”

Later the US Central Command issued a statement saying the Syrian plane was downed “in collective self-defence of Coalition-partnered forces.

resident Emmanuel Macron won a commanding majority in France's parliamentary election on Sunday, sweeping aside traditional parties and securing a powerful mandate for pro-business reforms.

The result, based on official figures and pollster projections, redraws France's political landscape, humiliating the Socialist and conservative parties that alternated in power for decades until Macron's election in May. Three pollsters projected that Macron's Republic on the Move (LREM) and its Modem allies would win 355 to 365 seats in the 577-seat lower house, fewer than previously forecast.

They predicted the conservative Republicans and their allies would form the largest opposition bloc with 125 to 131 seats, while the Socialist Party, in power for the past five years, and its partners would secure 41 to 49 seats, their lowest ever in the postwar Fifth Republic.

Official figures with 90 seats still left to be decided showed LREM had already won its majority.

"This is an opportunity for France. One year ago no one would have imagined such a political renewal," Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said in a statement.

Voter turnout was projected to be a record low at about 42 per cent. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Beyoncé gives birth to twins

(Excerpt from Reuters)

At least 62 killed in forest fire raging in Portugal

A

huge forest fire raging since Saturday in central Portugal has killed at least 62 people, most of them dying in their cars as they tried to flee, the Government said on Sunday, "The dimension of this fire was such that we don't have memory of such a human tragedy," Prime Minister Antonio Costa said in Pedrogao Grande, the mountainous region about 200 kilometres (125 miles) northeast of Lisbon.

Most victims were caught in their vehicles on

Firefightes work to put out a forest fire near the village of Fato, central Portugal, June 18, 2017

the road while fleeing flames that were destroying their

homes. The Prime Minister said the death toll could

rise as firefighters inspected charred remains of some buildings in remote villages.

Police said a lightning strike on a tree probably caused the blaze on Saturday in a region hit by an intense heat wave and dry, gusty winds, which has fanned the flames.

The Prime Minister said the emergency services acted as fast as they could, but acknowledged that some of the efforts like alerting the population might have been hindered because the blaze had ruined phone lines and communications towers.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Turbulence on Paris-China flight injures 26 many had not buckled up."

Xinhua said (in Chinese) that two violent bumps and many small bumps occurred over about 10 minutes.

It said that during the turbulence, several passengers' heads and shoulders collided with the luggage racks, some luggage racks

The latest incident comes a week after a hole was found in the engine of this China Eastern Airlines plane

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t least 26 people were injured, four seriously, when turbulence hit a China Eastern Airlines flight from Paris on Sunday, state media reports.

The turbulence struck as flight MU774 was on its way to Kunming, in the southern Yunnan province.

Passengers suffered broken bones, cuts to the scalp and soft tissue injuries, the Xinhua state news agency

reported.

China Eastern Airlines later said it was crucial passengers wear seatbelts as flights descend.

"I was on the flight, and I felt like I would not survive," the Hong Kong- based South China Morning Post quoted one passenger as saying on the Weibo microblogging site.

"Many people were injured, and among them,

broke from the impact, and some luggage fell off the racks and hit customers.

The airline said on its Weibo account (in Chinese) that the Airbus A330, that had taken off from Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport, landed safely in Kunming.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Darjeeling Gorkha separatists clash with Police

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housands are protesting in Darjeeling, India, after separatist unrest broke out in the tea-producing region.

On Sunday, protestors marched with the coffins of two men they said died in clashes with India's security forces, waving flags and calling for peace.

Around 50 people have been wounded in riots and arson attacks that began

more than a week ago.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh has appealed for calm, urging protestors and the state government to hold talks.

Tensions first escalated when Police raided the homes and offices of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) members, who want a state for ethnic Gorkhas within West Bengal. (Excerpt

from BBC News)

Beyoncé, who is married to rapper Jay-Z, announced her pregnancy in an Instagram photo in February

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op star Beyoncé has given birth to twins, according to media in the United States.

Entertainment Weekly, Us Weekly and People magazines confirmed the news, but the date of birth and gender of the babies are not yet publicly known.

Beyoncé, who is married to rapper Jay-Z, announced her pregnancy in an Instagram photo in February – the most-liked post in history on the net-

work.

The couple already have a daughter, Blue Ivy, aged five.

There has been no official confirmation of the birth from Beyoncé and Jay-Z themselves.

Other photos Beyoncé posted after her pregnancy announcement showed her swimming under water, reclining on a bed of roses and sitting naked on a floral throne.

Iraqi forces attack Mosul Old City

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here have been intense clashes on the first day of an offensive by Iraqi forces to retake Mosul's Old City, the last district held by so-called Islamic State.

Special Forces and federal Police advancing from the West and South were met with mortar fire and car bombs.

The United Nations says as many as 100,000 civilians are believed to be trapped in the densely populated Old City.

They have been told to leave the area if they can.

The Iraqi military said it

was proceeding slowly into the maze of narrow alleyways to minimise civilian casualties.

"The operation now is about street fighting. Air and artillery strikes will be limited because the area is heavily populated and the buildings fragile," Counter Terrorism Service spokesman Sabah al-Numan told al-Hadath TV in Dubai.

IS media outlets said the militants had foiled an advance by Iraqi troops to advance into one neighbourhood and carried out dawn attacks on federal Police positions.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

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monDAY, june 19, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

VOX POPULI

What the people say

I SAY...

Views on the ‘White Night’ campaign

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ollaboration between agencies tasked with keeping the roadways safe may be just what Guyana needs to reduce road fatalities. The White Night campaign is a collaboration between the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Guyana National Road Safety Council (GNRSC). The campaign seeks to encourage all road users to abstain from driving while under the influence of alcohol, or to designate a driver if an occasion calls for drinking, or to stay away from drinking if they have to drive. We asked readers to share their thoughts on the re-implementation of this ‘White Night’ campaign. Their views are as follows:

Bradley Obermuller

It is not a bad idea. I think that this re-implementation will help to reduce the speeding of drivers, and it will cause them to heed road regulations as well as follow road safety practices.

Bah Ibrahima

It is quite appalling to see the significant increase in the number of deaths caused by either reckless

I think that the campaign is a very good one, because as long as drivers are aware that it is in place, then they would think twice before drinking and driving; which will no doubt help in reducing the high accident rate here in Guyana.

I don’t have a problem with the White Night campaign, as long as they do it in a professional manner.

Christopher Persaud

Amanda Hussein

It seems to me as though this White Night campaign is helping some traffic officers, because if it was so good as they are saying, then why did they not extend it from since then? This is the first road safety system where you tell persons when you will be out campaigning and where you will be, and yet it is said to be successful. Guyanese are not that stupid. Think about it, somebody is benefiting in some other way. I think it is a good idea to have the police out to catch all who want to drink and drive.”

This has to be one of the few applaudable efforts of the Government, which is collaborating with the GNRSC. The campaign can be successful with the cooperation of the Guyanese citizenry. I believe (this) project will raise awareness of road safety and, if executed effectively, would see a decline in road fatalities and trafficking offences before the courts.

I think the White Night campaign is a great idea in reducing accidents caused by drunk drivers. Licences should be suspended and a fine should be paid for driving while intoxicated. Our Police Force should try and separate their (working) and personal relationships. As such, I urge those involved to respect the job and say no to bribery.

Deborah Scott

Alisha Medas

In my opinion it is a great initiative.

However, Police ranks selected to carry out such duties must be properly trained. In that way, what is occurring now would be avoided; that is, the harassment of people and the soliciting of bribe by traffic ranks.

I think it is a good thing, because we are having too many accidents on the road, and many times the drivers were drinking. I think the campaign should be all the time, because when they have it they only go to certain places and then announce when they will be out.

And imagine, they still catching people who drinking and want to drive… so you could imagine what happens when the police are not on the road keeping watch.”

Troy Benjamin

Jamal Gomes

Shawn McNeil

or negligent road users today. It is almost like I could never bring myself (to accept the reason) why such a troubling and grave issue has not been reversed or somewhat minimised to a greater degree. As such, the question which arises is: How can the road become safer and user-friendly again?

I strongly believe that the reimplementation of the White Night campaign will admonish all road users to practise proper road safety behaviours, such as desisting from driving while under the influence of alcohol or any dangerous drug that may inhibit their ability to use the road in a user-friendly manner; to designate a safe driver; and to desist from driving recklessly or negligently.

Shabazza Douglas

I think the initiative can be a very successful one. However, much thought and training have to be plugged into it. People were against it because, instead of ensuring that safety measures are followed, the Police officers would harass people on the roadway. So my view is that it’s a good thing but it needs to be re-implemented well.

Kester Whyte

It’s a case of a good idea on paper but impractical in practice. For one, the reputation of the Police stopping drivers for unjust reasons has left a sour taste in our mouths; not to mention the acceptance of bribes. Also, stopping a driver or a cyclist (for a pamphlet) when they are on their way to do something important or God knows what else is just going to [make people angry].

These two factors combined mean that, even with the best intentions, the endeavour will be dead in the water. Instead, they should look up countries with reduced road fatalities; use those strategies and build from there.

Denica Henry I strongly support such an initiative.

I’m of the view that it should be a year-round procedure that could include volunteers working along with the GNRSC to sensitize drivers about

the dangers and dire consequences of drunk driving. Ignorance of the law should never be an excuse for conducting yourself in a reckless manner on the roads, as this poses a grave threat to human life. It is laudable that this campaign includes volunteers working along with the GNRSC to sensitize drivers about the dangers and dire consequences of drunk driving. I also believe that future road users (should) be extensively educated on proper road usage, and business establishments where drinking takes place should have a strong police presence in the vicinity, and also at random parts of roadways where speeding is a norm.

To offenders: Not because you’ve done it before and gotten away with it that gives you the liberty to do it again! You might not be so lucky in the future. Always use the 5 Cs, take your time, and do the right thing.

news

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monDAY, june 19, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Businessmen donate Suddie Hospital in books to schools honours 60 fathers $2.5M – aimed at fighting illiteracy in Guyana

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– for Father's Day

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ixty fathers who are attached to various departments and regional hospitals in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) were on Friday honoured by the administration of the Suddie Hospital at a special pre-Father's Day programme.

The programme was organised by the Hospital's administration in collaboration with the Region Two Administration to show appreciation for the contribu-

Among those seated are some of the fathers who were honoured

A worker receiving a token from Regional Health Officer Afrah Khan

tions made by fathers in the Health Sector within the Region.

The programme featured songs, dances, and poems.

Region Two Chairman Devanand Ramdatt used the opportunity and extended Father's Day wishes on behalf of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC).

Speaking to fathers in the

Hospital's boardroom, the Chairman said that over time men have been stigmatised and as such, it was vital that persons understood that men too have emotions and should be respected.

Ramdatt also called on fathers to take up their roles and responsibilities such as attending Parent-Teachers Association (PTA) meetings as well as remember-

ing important dates and anniversaries. He also called on fathers to share equal responsibilities with mothers in moulding their households.

"It's not wrong for a father to hug his daughter nor to sit with his son.

Spend quality time with your children; ask what are the things that are affecting them; go to your respective places of worship, set the pace for the children to follow," Ramdatt posited.

Regional Executive Officer Deryck Persaud congratulated the fathers for their contributions and called on them to continue to be role models in society.

He urged them to love their families and to care for persons in society.

Sharing his experience as a father was a pharmacist from Suddie Public Hospital, Kumar Dass. According to Dass, fathers are leaders and providers and as such should set the foundation. He said at times, as a father, it is very challenging and most times men are busy making a living than earning a life.

(Indrawattie Natram)

everal businessmen from the Essequibo Coast have pooled their resources and have donated approximately $2.5 million in books to leading secondary schools in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), as well as Bartica and Linden.

The presentation was done by owner of Excellent Business Consultants, Charlie Persaud.

Some of the textbooks that were donated

Charlie Persaud’s wife presenting a textbook to one of the teachers

Speaking to headteachers at the handing-over ceremony, Persaud – a certified accountant, financial planner and Quick Books provider – said the donation was made possible through the kind contribution of businessmen from Region Two and over-

seas. Persaud said that empowerment was important among Guyanese and as such, he saw it fit to organise the project. The project, he said, seeks to provide textbooks to schools in an effort to curb illiteracy among secondary students.

Persaud said the project was just a stepping stone and promised there would

be more programmes and donations to boost education delivery in Guyana.

He noted that once persons were educated, they would be able to manage their families better and hence lead a productive life and also help to curb social ills. Some of the donors were Tamesh Jagmohan, Surest Jagmohan, Joe Jagmohan, VJ fashion and Vish Turbo.

At the presentation ceremony also was Anna Regina Mayor Rabindranauth Mohan, who thanked Persaud for the initiative, but called on headteachers to take good care of the books. He also acknowledged the importance of an education, and said he was happy that companies could aid in providing reading materials for schools.

Some of the schools that benefited included Abram Zuil Secondary, 8th May Secondary and Cotton Field. Books will also be sent to other regions. Bags were also distributed to several nursery schools.

(Indrawattie Natram)

Driver in Linden fatal accident granted $500,000 bail …deceased died of multiple injuries – PM report

By Utamu Belle

M

otor car driver Ian Alli of 764 Industrial Area, Mackenzie was on Friday granted bail in the sum of $500,000 for causing the death of former Cevon’s Waste Management employee Sherwin Hermanstein, 38, of 534 Canvas City, Wismar in an accident that occurred on June 13.

Hermanstein was killed at approximately 22:45h on June 13 after he was struck down by motor car PSS5865, being driven by Alli along the Half Mile Public Road in Wismar. Police information had disclosed that the motor car was proceeding north along the western side of the road at a fast rate of speed when Hermanstein attempted to cross the road from west to east and was hit by the vehicle.

Alli was arraigned before Magistrate Clive Nurse on two charges: causing death by dangerous driving, and

driving under the influence of alcohol. He is scheduled to make his next court appearance on July 12.

A post mortem conducted on Hermanstein’s body last Friday revealed that he died of multiple injuries consistent with an accident.

Other fatal accidents at Linden, Kwakwani

Meanwhile, ‘E’ Division (LindenKwakwani) Police Commander Fazil Karimbaksh has confirmed that investigations are continuing into two other recent fatal accidents which occurred in Region Ten. 28-year-old ambulance driver Wilbert Sydney was killed on Sunday, June 5, along the Amelia’s Ward Public Road when his motorcycle collided head on with motor car PNN 4510, being driven by 21yearold Michael Luckhoo of 96 Riverside Drive, Watooka, Linden. Reports have indicated that Sydney, a father of 2 and of Lot 70 Half

Mile, Wismar, Linden, was proceeding east along the northern side of the roadway on his motorcycle CH5634 at a fast rate of speed. He overtook minibus BVV6450 driven by Gordon Saul, 55, of Lot 20 Hardina Street, Wortmanville, Georgetown, and was in the process of overtaking motor lorry GRR 6181, driven

by Mark Charles, 39, of Lot 121 Amelia’s Ward, when he collided head on with the motor car.

The car was reportedly proceeding west along the southern side of the road, also at a fast rate of speed.

As a result of the collision with the motor car, Sydney and his motorcycle were reportedly thrown into the motor lorry, then onto the northern parapet.

He and the drivers of the motor car and lorry were rushed to the Linden Hospital, but he was pronounced dead on arrival.

While the drivers involved in the accident were

questioned as Police conducted their investigation, no one has so far been charged in relation to the incident. Luckhoo was reportedly detained briefly and questioned, but was later released.

The Commander explained that legal advice has been sought and that Police investigations were expected to wrap up shortly.

Then 20 year-old Wesley Morvin Patoir, also called ‘Bucky,’ of Kwakwani Park, was on Monday, June 6, reportedly crushed by a truck in the vicinity of Kurubuku Mines, situated between Aroaima and Kwakwani, Region 10.

While details surrounding the incident remains sketchy, unconfirmed reports reaching this newspaper indicate that the truck in which Patoir was travelling had developed mechanical problems and was stationary at the side of the road when Patoir attempted to fix the problem. As he was

Killed: Sherwin Hermanstein

sitting alongside one of the tyres, another heavy duty truck, driven by 61-year-old Carsdale Aaron of Wismar, Linden, reportedly drove alongside, and Patoir was crushed between the two tyres. Police were reportedly summoned to the scene, and Patoir’s body was transported to the Kwakwani Hospital, where he was

pronounced dead on arrival. Both the deceased and Aaron were reportedly working with Sayhid Trucking at the time of the incident.

Aaron was detained for questioning, but was released and is said to be assisting with investigations.

Legal advice has also been sought in relation to this incident.

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guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, june 19, 2017

ARCHIE

Don’t get worked up over nothing. Erratic behaviour (March 21- will lead to trouble, while April 19) carefully considered ideas will help you get what you want and stabilize your life.

Use your intelligence.

ARIES

Stay focused on what and TAURUS who is important to you. A (April 20- personal change will make May 20) you feel good about your future. Look for innovative ways to get fit and to stay healthy.

dilbert

Strive for perfection GEMINI (May 21- through dedication and hard June 20) work. Your talents will not go unnoticed, and your voice will be heard. Press forward earnestly and you will excel.

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Peanuts

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Calvin and Hobbes

Don’t get angry when you can get moving. It’s up to you to make things happen. Stick to your plan and take care of your responsibilities without causing a fuss.

Greater involvement in events that will help change the lives of disadvantaged people will make you feel good, but don’t neglect your responsibilities to your family and friends.

Be careful what you say.

VIRGO (Aug. 23- Someone will twist your Sept. 22) words or use the information you provide against you. Be precise and leave nothing to chance. Work alone, if possible.

You’ll be eager to try new LIBRA things, but before you jump (Sept. 23Oct. 23) in, make sure that you have taken care of your chores or any promises you made to a friend or loved one.

WORD GAME

SUDOKU

Your magnetism will not SCORPIO be wasted. You will charm (Oct. 24someone who has something Nov. 22) unique to offer to you. Love and self-improvement are featured and should be priorities.

If you express your desire SAGITTARIUS for change or share your ideas (Nov. 23- to improve your life and work, Dec. 21) you will receive several helpful suggestions. Be open to good advice.

Participate in events and

CAPRICORN activities geared toward meet(Dec. 22- ing new people and sharing Jan. 19) thoughts with like-minded in-

SATURDAY’S

solution for Last Published Puzzle

dividuals. Your passionate, goal-oriented approach to life, love and success will lead to an interesting partnership.

Take care of personal busiAQUARIUS ness without delay and avoid (Jan. 20criticism. What you do will Feb. 19) be valued, but empty promises will not. Finish what you start and move on to more enjoyable pastimes.

RULES OF THE GAME: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” is not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed. To contact Word Game creator Kathleen Saxe, write to Word Game, Kathleen Saxe, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

Copyright 2015, Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS

You’ll be put in a vulPISCES nerable position if you don’t (Feb. 20March 20) choose your words wisely.

Your charm will open doors, but living up to your promises will keep them open.

monDAY, june 19, 2017

A

19

part from the traditional church going or relaxation at home being the major “Father’s Day” activities, fathers were involved in various sporting activities around the city of Georgetown on Sunday.

They were either joined by friends or family members, who were all outside their homes to ensure the patriarchs enjoyed their day.

Places where most of these activities occurred stretched from South to North Georgetown, especially in the National Park.

A mixture of junior and senior dads enjoying a tape ball competition organised by Transcend Entertainment in the National Park

Fathers participating in a game of cricket on the National Park Tarmac

While the fathers took a break the youngsters competed in a game of football at D’Urban Park

Several families picnic in the stands of the National Park and were treated to big hitting in some cricket action

These fathers were competing to see who would catch the first fish, the biggest fish, and the most fishes

More than a dozen persons (families and friends, including young fathers) participated in a team sport using a Frisbee. Here are some who were engaged in action

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

mondAY, june 19, 2017

Pakistan thrash India to win Champions Trophy

I

ndia started the Champions Trophy final as favourites, but were absolutely hammered as Pakistan produced a stunning performance.

Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Amir starred as Pakistan completed a remarkable turnaround at the ICC Champions Trophy on Sunday, winning the global 50over tournament for the first time courtesy of a hugely convincing 180-run victory over great rivals India at The Oval.

A fortnight on from being thrashed by India in their opening group match at Edgbaston, Mickey Arthur’s side looked a totally different team as they followed up their semi-final hammering of hosts England by trouncing the defending champions.

Pakistan’s formidable total of

338-4 - the highest score of the event - owed much to Fakhar, who took full advantage of being caught off a Jasprit Bumrah noball on three by compiling a flamboyant 114, his maiden one-day international hundred.

Azhar Ali (59), Babar Azam (46) and Mohammad Hafeez (57 not out from 37 balls) also made significant contributions as India’s frontline bowlers - with the exception of the impressive Bhuvneshwar Kumar - were put to the sword.

When the fit-again Amir, who missed his side’s semi-final win due to a back spasm, removed India’s dangerous top three in a magnificent opening spell, Pakistan were in complete command.

There was to be no way back for India, who subsequently slumped

Second time lucky: Mohammad Amir celebrates getting Virat Kohli © Getty Image

to 72-6 and only made it to 158 thanks to a stunning, 43-ball 76 from Hardik Pandya.

Fakhar was called up to make his debut versus South Africa following Pakistan’s heavy defeat to India on June 4 and made fifties against Sri Lanka and England before reaching new heights on Sunday.

After India elected to bowl first, Fakhar led a charmed life early on. Either side of his fortuitous reprieve when Bumrah overstepped, he was almost run out and struck on the helmet before reaching double figures.

However, it was not long before the opener found his feet and things looked rosy for Pakistan as Azhar and Fakhar brought up their respective fifties from successive balls in the 20th over.

Fakhar Zaman notched up his successive score of 50 or more in the tournament © Getty Images

SCOREBOARD Pakistan innings (50 overs maximum) Azhar Ali run out (†Dhoni/ Bumrah) 59 Fakhar Zaman c Jadeja b Pandya 114 Babar Azam c Yuvraj Singh b 46 Jadhav Shoaib Malik c Jadhav b 12 Kumar Mohammad Hafeez not out 57 Imad Wasim not out 25 Extras (lb 9, w 13, nb 3) 25 Total (4 wickets; 50 overs) 338 Did not bat: Sarfraz Ahmed*†, Mohammad Amir, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Junaid Khan Fall of wickets: 1-128 (Azhar Ali, 22.6 ov), 2-200 (Fakhar Zaman, 33.1 ov), 3-247 (Shoaib Malik, 39.4 ov), 4-267 (Babar Azam, 42.3 ov) Bowling: B Kumar 10-2-44-1 (1w), Bumrah 9-0-68-0 (3nb, 5w), Ashwin 10-0-0-70-0 (4w), H Pandya 10-0-53-1 (1w), Jadeja 8-0-67-0, K Jadhav 3-0-27-1 (2w) India innings (target: 339 runs from 50 overs) R Sharma lbw b Mohammad Amir 0 S Dhawan c †Sarfraz Ahmed b 21 Mohammad Amir V Kohli* c Shadab Khan b

Mohammad Amir 5 lbw b Yuvraj Singh Shadab Khan 22 M Dhoni† c Imad Wasim b Hasan Ali 4 K Jadhav c †Sarfraz Ahmed b 9 Shadab Khan H Pandya run out (Mohammad Hafeez/Hasan Ali) 76 R Jadeja c Babar Azam b 15 Junaid Khan R Ashwin c †Sarfraz Ahmed b Hasan Ali 1 B Kumar not out 1 J Bumrah c †Sarfraz Ahmed b Hasan Ali 1 Extras (lb 2, w 1) 3 Total (all out; 30.3 overs) 158 Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Sharma, 0.3 ov), 2-6 (Kohli, 2.4 ov), 3-33 (Dhawan, 8.6 ov), 4-54 (Yuvraj Singh, 12.6 ov), 5-54 (Dhoni, 13.3 ov), 6-72 (Jadhav, 16.6 ov), 7-152 (Pandya, 26.3 ov), 8-156 (Jadeja, 27.3 ov), 9-156 (Ashwin, 28.1 ov), 10158 (Bumrah, 30.3 ov) Bowling: Mohammad Amir 6-2-16-3, Junaid Khan 6-1-201 (1w), Mohammad Hafeez 1-0-13-0, Hasan Ali 6.3- 1-193, Shadab Khan 7-0-60-2, Imad Wasim 0.3-0-3-0, Fakhar Zaman 3.3-0-25-0

Although Fakhar was guilty of ball-watching when Azhar was run out, the left-hander swiftly made amends, adopting a particularly aggressive approach against spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja as he dashed from 50 to 100 in just 32 balls.

A wild swipe at Pandya eventually brought an end to Fakhar’s thrilling 106-ball knock, but Babar and Hafeez built on the fine platform that had been set, the latter hitting three sixes in a wonderful late cameo.

The ever-dangerous Amir was the next man to take centre stage, trapping Rohit Sharma lbw for nought in the first over of the reply and then having Virat Kohli (5) caught at backward point one ball after India’s captain had been put down by Azhar at first slip.

Amir also had Shikhar Dhawan (21) caught behind with a crossseam delivery, teenage leg-spinner Shadab Khan trapped Yuvraj Singh (22) lbw on review and India were doomed when MS Dhoni (4) was caught on the pull for four off Hasan Ali - the tournament’s leading wicket-taker.

Pandya did his best to rescue a hopeless situation, thumping Shadab for three successive maximums and a four in the 23rd over as he raced past 50 in just 32 deliveries.

The powerful all-rounder also hit Fakhar for back-to-back sixes, but a mix-up between the wickets with Jadeja cut short the most absorbing of counter-attacks and the end was not long in coming thereafter. (Sportsmax)

Vanguard Females cop Olympic Day Tournament

T

The St Cuthbert’s females in action at Sunday’s tournament

he Guyana Volleyball Federation (GVF) on Sunday hosted a female tournament with four teams participating. The Vanguard female squad emerged victors of the tournament, held in honour of Olympic Day. In the opening fixture, the St Cuthbert’s girls defeated the Mahaica

unit by two games to none, with scores of 25–10 and 25-8. Vanguard then easily brushed aside Castrol Strikers, winning 25-14 and 25-15.

In their next clash -- against Mahaica, Vanguard again came out on top, winning 25-9 and 25-12 en route to the finals.

St Cuthbert’s managed to beat the

Castrol Strikers in two closely contested games to earn a spot in the final. They won 25-20 and 27-25.

The St Cuthbert’s side put up a fight in the three-game final, but were eventually beaten by the more experienced Vanguard squad, who won by scores of 25-15, 25-16 and 25-18.

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West Indies unchanged De Grasse for India ODIs blown to wind-aided 100m win in 9.69s

C

anada’s Andre De Grasse was blown to an emphatic and remarkably swift 100 metres win in a wind-assisted 9.69 seconds at the Diamond League meeting in Stockholm on Sunday.

De Grasse, who may offer the biggest threat to Usain Bolt in the Jamaican’s final major meeting at the world championships in August, flew down the Olympic Stadium track to hammer the opposition in a race which saw five men dip under 10 seconds.

Yet though the Olympic

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21

on Thursday, underlined the threat he could pose to Bolt in London with a victory by 0.15 of a second over Ivorian Ben Youssef Meite and 0.2 ahead of Jamaican Ryan Shields.

“It was a shock to me when I saw the time on the board, I just wanted to run sub-10 and I didn’t feel in the shape to run that fast,” the 22-year-old De Grasse said.

“That’s the fastest I’ve ever run. It’s going to be a shock to the body. Tomorrow’s going to hurt a little bit.”

De Grasse’s time was equal

Jason Holder will lead an unchanged squad in the first two ODIs against India © AFP

W

est Indies have named an unchanged 13-man squad for the first two ODIs of a five-match series against India, opting for continuity after the 1-1 result against Afghanistan earlier in June.

Fast bowler Shannon Gabriel was unavailable as he continues his rehabilitation from an injury that kept him out of the series against Afghanistan, meaning the hosts will be without their premier fast bowler for their most important series this season. The reasons for

its importance are not just pragmatic - India brings the most lucrative TV revenues - but also cricketing. West Indies are ranked ninth in the ICC ODI table, with only the top eight guaranteed qualification for the World Cup in 2019. The drawn series against Afghanistan did not help, and this series could represent their last realistic chance to avoid playing a potentially awkward qualifying tournament, where the top two teams will go through to the tournament in England.

India arrive in the Caribbean off the back of a Champions Trophy run to the final, where they finished runners-up to Pakistan. The first ODI is on Friday (June 23) at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad and Tobago.

West Indies squad: Jason Holder (capt), Devendra Bishoo, Jonathan Carter, Roston Chase, Miguel Cummins, Shai Hope (wk), Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis, Jason Mohammad, Ashley Nurse, Kieran Powell, Rovman Powell, Kesrick Williams (Crinfo)

Frustration for Ronaldo as Portugal held by Mexico

D

espite a smart first-half assist, Cristiano Ronaldo was unable to secure victory for Portugal against Mexico in the Confederations Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo could not inspire Portugal to victory on their Confederations Cup debut as they drew 2-2 with Mexico on Sunday thanks to Hector Moreno’s late goal.

The 32-year-old has reportedly made the “irreversible decision” to leave Real Madrid amid accusations of tax fraud, but it was Moreno who stole the spotlight in Kazan as he levelled in second-half stoppage time after Cedric Soares appeared to have won the game five minutes from time.

Ronaldo had earlier teed up Ricardo Quaresma for the opener, with Javier Hernandez’s equaliser leading to a tight second half before a hectic finish.

Mexico, the 1999 winners, struggled to match Fernando Santos’ side as Portugal hit their stride halfway through the first half and Ronaldo provided Quaresma with a simple finish after the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) had ruled out a goal for Nani.

But, just as sloppy defending had let Ronaldo in, Raphael Guerreiro’s poor miscue led to an equaliser for Hernandez three minutes before half-time.

The Euro 2016 winners kicked on again in the game’s closing stages and Cedric netted with the help of a Hector Herrera deflection, but Moreno responded to earn a share of the spoils, with further talk of Ronaldo’s uncertain club future sure to follow Portugal to their next match against Group A leaders Russia.

Portugal were slow to find their feet, taking 20 minutes to get Ronaldo involved with a free-kick struck into the wall, the Madrid man then cannoning a fine left-footed effort off the crossbar

Andre De Grasse (centre) of Canada and Ben Youssef Meite (right) of Ivory Coast compete

200m silver medallist’s run was by far the fastest anywhere this year, he was aided by a 4.8 metres per second following wind, more than twice the 2 mps allowable limit, which ruled it out as a 2017 world leading performance.

Nonetheless, De Grasse, who won the 100m in the Oslo Diamond League meet

Portugal and Mexico drew their first match in the Confederations Cup 2-2

when the ball broke his way again following a half-cleared cross.

With Mexico still scrambling at the back, another delivery from the right was flicked into the bottom-left corner

by Nani, but the referee - assisted by the VAR - disallowed the goal for offside.

Santos’ side improved from there, though, and when Carlos Salcedo allowed Ronaldo in on goal on the left, the forward quickly adjusted to an uncharacteristic stumble to slip a pass into the box for Quaresma, who coolly rounded Guillermo Ochoa to prod into the net.

Hernandez nodded straight at Rui Patricio with his first real chance at the other end, but Mexico’s record goalscorer soon made amends and crashed a header into the bottom-right corner from Carlos Vela’s cushioned centre after Guerreiro had failed to clear the preceding cross.

Quaresma had missed an opportunity to double his tally moments earlier and there was then time for Hernandez to squander a second opening of his own

before the break as he blazed over.

A frantic end to the first half gave way to a dull second as both sides were found wanting with their final ball, with Ronaldo - isolated after Nani’s withdrawal - unable to influence the game.

But the Portugal captain created another shooting opportunity for Quaresma with 10 minutes remaining and, although Ochoa saved comfortably, they continued to pile late pressure on Mexico.

Ochoa saved well from Andre Silva, but he could do little as Cedric ran onto Gelson Martins’ square cross from the right to fortuitously divert the ball into the far corner.

Martins wasted an opportunity to make the game safe as he fired narrowly wide on the spin and, just as Portugal thought they had clinched the points, Moreno flicked a corner in off the far post to leave the European champions frustrated. (Sportsmax)

to 9.79 seconds with wind of 2 mps and 9.88 with no wind.

Bolt’s world record set at the Berlin world championships in 2009 is 9.58 seconds with wind of 0.9 mps.

“It gives me a lot of confidence running that fast because I didn’t feel that fast,” added De Grasse.

“I know when I actually start coming together and feeling good and getting ready to peak for the world championships, I know it’s going to be something special.”

The wind, which started to really gust as the field prepared in their blocks, was so strong that even the fifth finisher, Germany’s Julian Reus, clocked 9.99 seconds.

The following wind ensured that the Canadian record of 9.84, held jointly by Donovan Bailey and Bruny Surin, remained intact as did De Grasse’s personal best of 9.91, set when he won 100m bronze at last year’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

De Grasse’s effort rivalled the other performance of the day from Kenya’s young newlycrowned metric mile champion, Timothy Cheruiyot, who clocked a world leading mark of 3 minutes 30.77 seconds to win a high-quality 1500 metres.

The 21-year-old broke his rivals with 300 metres left, his kick leaving Bahraini Alsadik Mikhou, previously the fastest in 2017, well adrift in second (3:31.49) and an out-of-sorts Asbel Kiprop, Kenya’s triple world champion, way off the pace in fourth (3:33.17).

Another 21-year-old prospect, Norway’s muchtouted Karsten Warholm, underlined his promise with an excellent front-running 400m hurdles triumph.

It came hot on the heels of his national record-breaking victory on home soil in Oslo as Warholm outpaced another quality field in 48.82 seconds.

(Reuters)

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GUYANATIMESgy.COM

mondAY, june 19, 2017

RAN North v South Final

T

Green Machine to host USA South on July 1

he National Rugby team, Green Machine, will host United States of America (USA) South Panthers on July 1 for the Rugby Americas North (RAN) North versus South Championship.

After defeating Trinidad and Tobago 24-17 to win the South Championship, the prediction was that Guyana would travel to Mexico City to play the home side after losing 3-32 last year.

However, Mexico suffered a 39-17 loss to Cayman Islands on Saturday, which meant that USA South topped their group. It is understood that Panthers had 11 points compared to Mexico and Cayman Islands, who both ended on nine points.

Cayman Islands’ 3917 win over Mexico means that the Caymans have improved their rankings from 43.72 to 45.20 points. Having lost heavily,

A high-octane clash is expected between the two sides

Mexico’s ranking has fallen from 46.61 to 45.12 points.

This translates into Mexico falling from 9th to 12th in the Americas’ Rankings.

The Cayman Islands move up one spot to 11th. There are also gains for Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago.

Both rise one spot.

Despite the historical re-

sults being dead even between the sides, today’s win was an upset. This is also the case despite the Cayman Islands having had home advantage.

Mexico won the 2016 fixture 34-24. Moreover, in this year’s competition, Mexico entered with wins over both the USA South

Ming, the new F4 champion in Mexico

Panthers and Bermuda.

The Caymans, by way of comparison, defeated Bermuda but fell in their match against the Panthers.

RANK

COUNTRY

POINTS

WRR

1

Argentina

79.31

9

2

USA

66.10

17

3

Uruguay

63.15

18

4

Canada

59.21

23

5

Chile

54.76

28

6

Brazil

54.50

29

7

Paraguay

48.54

40

8

Colombia

47.97

44

9

Guyana

46.55

51

10

Trinidad & Tobago

45.51

55

11

Cayman Islands

45.20

56

12

Mexico

45.12

57

Digicel’s School Football Championship…

4

Berbice teams progress

Canje Secondary, Berbice Educational Institute, Rosignol Secondary and Berbice School of Excellence were the latest teams to record victories (file photo) Standing Tall! Calvin Ming lifts the winning trophy on the podium

O

vverseas-based F4 Driver Calvin Ming continues to write his own chapter in Guyana’s Motor racing history. On Saturday at the world famous Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez Formula 1 Circuit in Mexico City, Ming sealed the top spot in the Mexican NACAM FIA Formula 4 championship series.

According to reports from Mexico, Ming started off the weekend activities of the 8th and final round by turning in the fastest times during the first practice session. He later went on to qualify and start race #1 in second position.

After leading the race for several laps, he encountered some problems with the engine’s performance when it started losing pow-

er. Having carefully calculated the various permutations, and being aware that he had a 55-point lead, he nursed the car to a fourth place finish, knowing that in this position he would emerge as the champion of the series, irrespective of whether or not he participated in the two other races on Sunday.

Stanley Ming, Calvin’s father and manager, felt the efforts of the members of the Ram Racing Team, which is owned by retired Mexican Air-force General Jose Antonio Ramos and meticulously managed by his son ‘Pato’, were undoubtedly major contributory factors to the entire team’s successes during the series.

He also extended sincere thanks and appreciation to

the Mexican officials, and especially Flavio Abed and his brother Felipe Abed, “who provided invaluable support and guidance from the beginning of our participation in the series”.

The veteran motor racer added, “To my extremely supportive fans in Mexico, Guyana, and Guyanese around the world, the Ming family members are buoyed and encouraged to make our best efforts, as proud Guyanese, to keep the Golden Arrowhead flying high”.

On Sunday, Calvin started in Position 4. He took the lead from lap #1 and never looked back, winning from Alexis Carreno in P2 by 11.85 secs, with Alexandra Mohnhaupt in P3.

F

our teams from Berbice have managed to notch clinical victories on Sunday when Digicel’s Schools Under-18 Knockout Football Championship continued across to two venues.

Playing at the Paradise Ground, Rosignol Secondary defeated No. 8 Secondary 4-1 via double from Nial Renolds and assistance from Delrico Griffith and Lindon Singh. Renolds scored in the 32nd and 61st minutes, while Griffith and Singh made their mark in the 19th and 58th minutes respectively.

Joshua Charles’s 36th minute strike was the lone goal for the losers.

In the other match, Berbice School of Excellence edged Fort Wellington 2-1 after Tarone Pompey (13th) and Anthony Alexander (32nd) gave them the lead.

Ziekel Johnson scored a consolation goal for Fort

Wellington in the 55th minute.

Over at Burnham Park, Kelly Amsterdam’s 63rd minute goal made the difference in the Berbice Educational Institute’s 1-0 win over Berbice High.

In the other match, Canje Secondary crushed New Amsterdam Secondary 5-1. Tyrese Williams helped himself to a double, with goals in the 29th and 63rd minutes, while Alade Grant in the 40th minute, Elond White in the 66th minute, and Akeem Moses-Bovell in the 69th minute added their names to the score sheet.

The only respite for New Amsterdam was an own goal scored by Canje in the 48th minute.

Close to 160 schools are participating in this year’s Championships.

At stake is the prospect of gaining top honours and winning one million dollars which will go towards a school project of choice.

Second place finisher will play for $700,000, third $400,000, and fourth $350,000. All money won will go towards a school project of the winner’s choice.

The top regional winners of the straight knockout tournament will be awarded $100,000 each.

guyanatimesgy.com

monDAY, june 19, 2017

23

GBTI Tennis Open

Sublime Sparta storm Lopes waltzes into men’s final D to title in thriller ‒ Albouystown whip Sophia for 3rd place

Sweet Victory! Sparta Boss’s Sheldon Shepherd collects the first place prize from Managing Director of Xtreme Clean Maintenance, Shani Gomes, while his teammates and Director of Sport Christopher Jones (far left) and Banks DIH Outdoor Manager Mortimer Livan (far right) look on

O

rchestrated by Gregory Richardson’s helmet-trick, Sparta Boss produced arguably one of their most memorable performances to defeat Tucville 7-4 in the final of the Xtreme Clean/GT Beer ‘Gold Rush’ Futsal Tournament at the

As soon as calm was restored to the proceedings, Richardson turned to his right and slipped one past an outstretched Sealy to level the scores in the 20th minute, much to the delight of Sparta’s numerous fans.

Eight minutes lat-

Gregory Richardson (blue attire) kept the opposition on their heels the entire evening

National Gymnasium.

The blockbuster clash, which went into the wee hours of Sunday morning, was filled with non-stop action from the blow of the whistle; and the result does no justice to the intense spirit of competition that prevailed in the match.

Tucville’s Dennis

er, Dennis and his brother Raphael responded, scripting together an impressive set-piece, with Dennis scoring from the left side with his right foot, to end the first half in Tucville’s favour.

A decisive second half changed the complexity of the match. In the 32nd minute, Sealy made a lapse,

the 46th, Sheldon Shepherd scored in the 52nd, and Richardson struck again in the 53rd as Sparta began bossing their way again.

Jermaine Junior responded with goals in the 54th and 55th minutes, but by then the match was far from Tucville’s grasp. To cap a splendid performance, Richardson then added his fourth goal, in the 57th minute, and Sparta fans swarmed the court at the blow of the final whistle.

For their efforts, Sparta won $500,000 and the Championship Trophy, while Tucville received $200,000 and the respective accolade.

Richardson won $50,000 for being the Most Valuable Player, and Junior was the highest goal scorer with 11 goals.

Meanwhile Lennox Cort’s hat-trick ensured Albouystown won against Sophia 5-3. Cort netted in the 3rd, 10th and 20th minutes. Roy Cassou (9th) and Sherwin Fordyce (14th) were the other two marksmen.

Omallo Williams (19th), Shem Arthur (25th) and Dwayne Lowe (38th) scored for the opposition.

The fans were out in their numbers cheering for their respective teams

Edwards, in the 10th minute, evoked thunderous cheer from the partisan crowd with a stunning right-foot volley that gave his side the lead.

Sparta had a chance to equalise soon after with a barrage of shots, but were kept at bay by the steely goal-keeping of Leon Sealy.

spilling the ball into the path of Eusi Phillips, who nonchalantly dabbed the ball in the goal to draw his side level.

One minute later, Richardson slipped one in with his left foot, and Tucville suddenly began to look ragged. Devon Millington then did a cheeky back-heel in

Albouystown won $100,000 while Sophia took home $50,000.

Prior to the start of the final, Minister of State Joseph Harmon and Director of Sport Christopher Jones greeted both teams. (Akeem Greene)

aniel Lopes comfortably defeated Benjettan Osbourne in two sets to move into the final of the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry Tennis Open men’s final after play on Wednesday at the bank’s facility.

The feature match between Lopes and Osbourne turned out to be a one-sided and ill-tempered affair, but the former won the match 6-0, 6-1.

Lopes was simply too dominant for Osbourne. He played some of his best tennis, and cut down on unforced errors significantly to nullify the potential challenge of Osborne. His opponent was skillfully kept off balance and unable to launch an attack as Lopes kept moving the ball around the court.

A visibly perturbed and frustrated Osborne repeatedly questioned line calls, and was able to save only 6-0 in the second set when he dug deep and won a game to be 5-1, before Lopes served out the set.

Lopes has advanced to the finals, where he will face top seed Anthony Downes.

Godfrey Lowden, campaigning in the Over-45 category, proved to be good in his matches, as he registered comprehensive wins in his singles and doubles matches. In his semi-final match against Rudy Grant, his fast-paced style allowed him to put away Grant 6-3, 6-1 after Grant was able to mount an early challenge.

The old rivalry has been more one-sided in Lowden’s favour in recent years, as

Joshua Kalekyezi

Grant now plays sparingly and is less mobile.

In Men’s Over-45 Doubles action, Lowden partnered with Omar Persaud and encountered stiff resistance from American Albert Razick and Steve Surujbally, who took the first set 7-6 in the tiebreak, before the match changed and they won only one more game before the team retired, facing a 4-0 deficit in the final set. Final scores in the match were 6-7, 6-1, 4-0 (retired).

Other entertaining matches were when an injured Heimraj Resaul was able to hold off the challenge of talented but inconsistent junior Khalid Gobin 6-2, 7-6 in the Boys’ quarterfinal as the pair played excellent tennis. An injured Resaul subsequently had to forfeit his remaining matches to allow Joshua Kalekyezi, who first defeated Nigel Lowe at 6-1, 6-0 and unexpectedly upended top ranked Mark McDonald in three sets 6-3, 5-7, 10-7, to book his first GBTI Boys Final against Jordan Beaton.

Daniel Lopes

In the Men’s Open Doubles semis, the new pairing of Mark McDonald and Andre Erskine gave top seeds Anthony Downes/ Jason Andrews a challenge as they took the second set 6-3, before going down in three sets as the top seeds restored order with a 6-2 final set, after having a similarly dominant 6-1 first set.

Leyland Leacock/Daniel Lopes also easily defeated Nicholas Glasgow/Joseph DeJonge 6-2, 6-1 to book their place in the semis.

A keenly contested Ladies Singles match was cut short when Cristy Campbell could not overcome progressive muscular cramps, and retired in the third set to Kalyca Fraser 3-6, 6-3 1-0.

Mixed Doubles quarterfinal action saw Ciara Pooran/ Nicholas Glasgow defeating the pair of GLTA executives Grace McCalman/Jamal Goodluck 6-3 , 6-1, but the two subsequently gave Daniel Lopes/Sarah Klautky a w/o in the semis to reach the Finals.

GCF National Championships Day 2

Vintage McKay takes top honours

W

arren McKay emerged the winner of the road race on day two of the Guyana Cycling Federation’s (GCF’s) National Championships on Sunday when he crossed the finish line ahead of Leer Nunes, who came in second, and Steve Ramsuchit, who came in third in the U-45 category. McKay finished in a time of 2hrs, 58m, 40s.

In the Juniors category, Briton John eased ahead of his competition to win ahead of Nigel Duguid and Marcus Peeler, who placed second and third respectively.

Andrew Spencer came off a tough race to beat second placed Ian Jackson and third placed Oliver Young in the Over45 category.

Over in the ladies race, Clair Fraser Grace finished ahead of Shenika Texeira to claim the win.

The various cyclists who took part in Sunday’s road race started off at 8:00hrs from Home Stretch Avenue and then proceeded to Camp Wesleyana on the Linden/Soesdyke Highway before returning to the starting point on Home Stretch Avenue.

The championships will continue on Sunday, June 25. The seniors, juniors and veterans will start their race on Home Stretch Avenue, proceed to Timehri, double back to the Linden/Soesdyke Highway,

head to Camp Seweyo, and return to Home Stretch.

The distances for the various categories are as follows: Ladies and Juveniles: 53 Miles; Juniors and Veterans: 70 miles; and Seniors: 103.4 miles.

Defending Champion Geron Williams is confirmed to be taking part in the road race on June 25, despite being out of the country presently. Challengers for his title will be cyclists such as Jamal John, Paul DeNobrega, Curtis Dey, Romello Crawford, Andre Greene and Christopher Cornelius, among others.

MONDAY, JUNE 19, 2017

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RAN North v South Final

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Ming, the new F4 champion in Mexico

Green Machine to host USA South on July 1 After toppling Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana will now play USA Panthers on July 1 on home turf

Representing Guyana! A proud Calvin Ming hoists the Golden Arrow Head in Mexico

Pakistan thrash India to win Champions Trophy

The victorious Pakistan team lift the Champions Trophy ©Getty Images

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