Guyana Times 27 November 2017

Govt hands out 450 scholarships for UG and GSA P8

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

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Monday, November 27, 2017

Issue No. 3405

PRICE

To be presented today by Govt

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Budget 2018 must address job creation, economic stimulus, blackouts – PPP Page 3

Submersible vessel confiscated in Port Kaituma …2 in custody Page 2

$80 vat included

Canadian citizen dies in accident at Lethem

5-year-old girl, grandmother injured during armed home invasion P5 – at Corentyne

1 in custody for iNews reporter P8 robbery

Page 2

GTT, Pulse unveil “Amazon Gems” Page 9 for Mash Day revel

3 busted with 5 P8 kilos marijuana

… in Berbice

Sentencing Council P13 recommended for Guyana – to assist with reducing large prison population

Garbage woes

Designer Olympia Small-Sonaram, GTT’s Samantha Gooden and Pulse Entertainment CEO Robbie Singh strike a pose with the gorgeous models (Carl Croker photo)

AFC must leave Govt, withdraw support to maintain credibility – Ramkarran …says party has lost sight of its support base

Page 7

Puran and Cevon’s resume P10 garbage collection services …as Govt bails out City Hall

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monDAY, november 27, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Canadian citizen dies Submersible vessel confiscated in Port Kaituma in accident at Lethem …2 in custody

The submersible vessel found at Port Kaituma

T

wo men are now in custody following the discovery of a submersible vessel in a creek at Annbisi River, Port Kaituma, North West District on Saturday.

The detained men, one Guyanese and one Venezuelan national, are both said to be about 40 years old.

According to information reaching Guyana Times, discovery of the vessel resulted from ranks receiving intelligence information about the submerged craft being seen at the bank of the creek.

This publication understands that the vessel -- about 25 metres long, 2.7 metres wide, and 2.8 metres in depth -- was at the time of its discovery and seizure undergoing maintenance work which was being carried out by the Guyanese man.

The submersible vessel has been lodged at CID Headquarters in Georgetown, where it remains under guard.

A team of CID officers, backed by ranks of the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard, is being deployed to the location as investigations into the discovery of this vessel intensifies.

The detained duo is meanwhile expected to remain in custody.

A section of the vessel

The displaced SUV submerged under the Manari Bridge

A

n early Sunday morning accident in which an SUV drove off a bridge and ended up in a creek on the Manari Trail in Lethem, Region 9, has claimed the life of an elderly Canadian citizen who had been travelling in the vehicle.

The dead man has been identified as 87-year-old Brandis Kennedy, who had been visiting from Canada.

According to Police re-

ports, pickup truck PKK 6060, owned and driven by 32-year-old Anthony Pillew of Bachelor’s Adventure, East Coast Demerara, was proceeding east along the Manari Trail at about 3:10hrs on Sunday when the incident occurred.

Pillew reportedly lost control of his SUV while crossing the Manari Bridge, and the vehicle landed about 30 feet below the structure and then be-

came submerged.

Shortly after, passers-by removed the duo from the vehicle and rushed them to the Lethem Hospital.

The Canadian citizen was pronounced dead on arrival at that medical institution, while Pillew was admitted and treated for abrasions.

Kennedy’s body remains at the hospital’s mortuary awaiting a post-mortem examination.

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BRIDGE OPENINGS

To be presented today by Govt

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Monday, November 27 – 11:30h-13:00h and Tuesday, November 28 – 12:30h-14:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Monday, November 27 – 10:30h-12:00h and Tuesday, November 28 – 11:40h-13:10h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

Thundery showers will prevail throughout the day and evening, interrupted by heavy rain showers in the early afternoon hours. Temperatures are expected to range between 25 degrees Celsius and 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Easterly to East North-easterly between 3.12 metres and 5.36 metres.

High Tide: 10:59h and 23:27h reaching maximum heights of 2.20 metres and 2.23 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 16:57h reaching a minimum height of 1.04 metres.

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Budget 2018 must address job creation, economic stimulus, blackouts – PPP

By Jarryl Bryan

B

udget 2018, the fourth such budget under the coalition Government, is scheduled to be presented

by Finance Minister Winston Jordan in the National Assembly today (Monday).

Going into the budget presentation, there are a number of expectations for areas in which the Government will have to do better when compared to previous budgets.

One such area is the implementation of the Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP), the poor implementation of which can have a negative effect on the economy. But more than that, the parliamentary Opposition is holding out hope for concrete measures that will directly stimulate the economy and create a good life.

As a start, People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) parliamentarian Juan Edghill pointed out that there should be measures to ensure job creation. This, he said, means the Government must be able to lay out its strategy for creating jobs in the mining, tourism, manufacturing, rice, agro-processing and the general agriculture sectors in Guyana.

“The Budget must address the retaining of jobs.

We have seen, over the years, thousands of jobs being lost.

This budget must have some measure that would allow for the retaining of jobs, which would include addressing the issue of sugar and the impending loss of jobs in the sugar industry.”

“Secondly, it must address the creation of these jobs. Because we have too many young people who are unemployed and we have too many adults who were in jobs and have lost jobs and are now in the ranks of the unemployed.”

The Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) also stressed the need for new foreign direct investment to be brought to the country, something he pointed out the Government has failed to do, but has instead maintained PPP/C-procured investments.

“The Budget must send a signal to the Private Sector, both local and international, that Guyana is a good invest-

Protesters calling for the removal of VAT on private education, just one of the measures from the last budget which citizens protested against

ment destination. All the signals they have been sending so far are chasing businesses away. There have been layoffs, contractions; the Budget must be able to address those things.”

The former Minister within the Finance Ministry also noted the role played by a reliable supply of electricity in almost every sector; hence,

Government took office, moving from $18,200 to $19,000 in the last budget.

“APNU/AFC [A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change] promised huge increases to pensioners. And it is time that they fulfil their promises. And we are not expecting a pittance,” he stressed.

In the Government’s 2015

The Parliament where Finance Minister Winston Jordan will deliver his fourth budget speech in just under three years

the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) power generation woes were not forgotten.

“The Budget must address the issue of poor, unreliable and inadequate electricity supply,” he said. “If we have a budget that doesn’t address bringing reliable, renewable, cheap electricity to Guyana, we are wasting time because that is the catalyst for transformation in Guyana’s economy.”

Edghill expressed the need for Value Added Tax (VAT) to be removed from education and medical supplies, as well as in sectors where it has had a negative impact.

He lamented the fact that despite the Party trying to use the parliamentary channels to get it reversed, its motion has been stymied.

On the issue of Old Age Pensions, Edghill called for a substantial increase rather than the usual “pittance”.

The pension has been incrementally increased since the

Budget, some $221 billion was declared in funding for the fiscal plan. The Budget was even more substantial in 2016, with a whopping $230 billion being announced.

Under the theme “Building a diversified green economy: delivering the good life to all Guyanese”, Budget 2017 was read last year with $250 billion being allocated.

The economy

But on a sector by sector basis, the last report on Guyana’s economy tells a worrying story. The Finance

Ministry’s half-year report, which was released in July of this year, had showed contractions in certain sectors, when compared to the corresponding period in 2016. The declining sectors had included sugar, livestock, forestry, mining and quarrying and even the bauxite industry.

It showed that sugar production was recorded at 49,606 tonnes at the half year and when compared to 56,645 tonnes during the first half of 2016, represented a decline of 12.4 per cent. The livestock industry also contracted by 10.9 per cent in the first half of 2017, as heavy rainfall severely affected production, second-quarter production was even more so affected.

The forestry industry also showed an 18.2 per cent reduction in the first six months of 2017, compared to the same period in 2016.

Declining production within the forestry industry was due to structural changes in the industry.

The mining and quarrying sector contracted by 4.0 per cent, during the first half of 2017. Gold production fell by 1.7 per cent to 317,096 ounces, in the first half of 2017, compared to the same period in 2016. Also, the bauxite industry declined by 11.5 per cent, as a result of reduced production of higher value grades.

This was on account of poor weather combined with mechanical issues at one of the mines. However, production of metal grade bauxite (MAZ) increased by 97,016 tonnes or 21.3 per cent, the half-year report had stated.

The report coincided with the trial period for the broadened imposition of the 14 per cent VAT on production in most sectors – even the education sector.

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Remembering Castro’s legacy

O

ne year after his death, the iconic Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro remains present in the minds of not only Cubans, but many around the world, who remember his numerous exploits, speeches and writings.

Since his death at the age of 90, on November 25 last year, his wishes have been respected in Cuba. On his first death anniversary, the Cuban state media reported that no street, square or building bears his name, and no statue or monument has been erected in his honour.

Despite the fierce divide between admirers and haters, how can one forget the legacy of Fidel Castro? He was the revolutionary leader of Cuba who defied the US, the mightiest country on the globe, for over half a century by representing an alternative vision of human development in the twentieth century.

Like most countries in Latin America, Cuba had been ruled in the 1950s by a dictator, Batista, who had close ties with business and political interests in the US, and they controlled much of the Cuban economy. An idealistic, newly-minted lawyer, who was the son of a wealthy plantation owner, the young Castro launched an attack against a military barrack, on July 26, 1953, to trigger an open rebellion against the dictatorship. Even though it failed ignominiously and he was captured, at his trial, Castro made a powerful speech in which the phrase “history will absolve me” became a rallying cry for many youthful colonial politicians who were struggling to free their countries from the yoke of imperialism.

Castro was released and fled to Mexico, where he raised a rag-tag group of revolutionaries, including the Argentinian medical doctor Ernesto “Che” Guevara. He returned to Cuba, and waged a guerrilla war against the Batista regime from the Sierra Maestra mountains. By January 1959, he and his troops had entered Havana and taken over the Government, after Batista fled to the US. Castro was just 32 years old.

Initially, he was viewed positively in the US, but after he nationalised businesses, land and property owned by Americans to distribute to landless peasants, sentiments shifted. And as he adopted an increasingly radical posture and opened up communication with the USSR -- then locked in a “Cold War” with the US -- by 1960, the Eisenhower Government had begun preparations for a CIA-organised invasion to overthrow Castro’s “revolutionary Government”.

This “Bay of Pigs” invasion was eventually conducted by the new administration of John F Kennedy, and its miserable failure was to weigh heavily on his foreign policy initiatives.

Castro’s story became intertwined with ours right here in Guyana after Cheddi Jagan won the 1961 elections and visited Washington in search of aid. In the opinion of JFK, it equivocated on the question of whether Jagan was a “communist”. His fate was sealed, and he was duly deposed by 1964 in a CIA-directed operation that worked through local labour and political leaders.

The PNC, which was ushered into office under Forbes Burnham, was allowed to rig elections to remain there for 28 years, because Cheddi Jagan was still unacceptable to the Americans.

Castro encouraged revolutionary activity against dictatorships in Latin America; and in 1962, there was one leftist guerrilla group in western Venezuela which encouraged that Government to collaborate with the US in efforts to remove Jagan from office. JFK actually visited Venezuela at that time.

Ironically, of course, Burnham veered “leftwards” after 1970, and vied with Jagan for the approbation of Fidel Castro as a “revolutionary”. Burnham was one of the Big Four leaders in the British Caribbean who opened up diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1972. Eric Williams, one of the other Big Four leaders, wrote a book, “From Columbus to Castro”, to signal the seminal role Castro played in West Indian History.

Domestically, Castro held the faith on the low esteem leftists held for what the West defined as “democracy” but they called “bourgeois democracy”, since it focused on the “political” right to elect governments, but not on ensuring that “economic and social rights” were concretely given meaning.

Castro’s regime introduced universal free education from nursery to university, levelled income distribution, gave his country a free medical system, and concretely integrated Cuba’s mixed population.

Body art is just one of the many ways people have chosen to remember the late iconic Cuban leader Fidel Castro, who died one year ago – on November 25, 2016. But perhaps the most famous Fidel tattoo is that of Argentine football star Diego Maradona, pictured here showing it off to the El Commandante himself. (Photo: Reuters)

There is no place for sexual predatory practices in our school system Dear Editor, I was about to write on another topic when a letter from a prominent attorney on the school sexual case caught my eye. I took particular interest in his letter because it shows the depth, width and scope this sexual predatory practice has become in our school system.

It seems -- and from discussions I have had with folks in Georgetown -- like this high school sexual mess is a pretty pervasive act, starting from the Ministry of Education officials right down to the ordinary teacher; all are involved.

It is an endemic situation, and it seems like what those in authority would like is that this entire matter be held ‘hush-hush,’ and somehow it would blow over. It is tantamount to the saying that it is an everyday thing, everybody doing it, so why the fuss?

Well, I have news for all the sympathisers and actors in this sordid affair: it would neither blow over nor would it be a case of a slap on the wrist “naughty boy teacher/s” ap-

proach to this matter. If he or whoever else is in the business of sexual harassment and exploitation in our education system, then an example has to be made of them, now!

From Attorney Jerome Khan’s letter, you get the subtle line of argument that ‘if you tell on me, then I will tell on you’ attitude. Interesting!

Then we have a big case on our hands now, so let them bare all in a court of law.

That is why I am not in the least excited by the Ministry of Education’s approach to this matter. It tells me that it would be another one of those nonsensical displays of going around in eddying circles, T-dance just to let the guilty go free.

If you ask me the question, ‘What should be the approach to this matter?’, I would say parents join together in one unitary whole and take the matter to court; this is your right! And I am talking about taking this matter to the High Court.

It is a criminal matter involving minors against alleged

sexual deviants; as such, nothing should preclude you from litigation. Absolutely nothing!

It is already in the public domain, and no ministry or family court can remedy the damage done to those kids.

Your children’s future is at stake here.

Our children’s lives are at stake; that is why I view this matter with utmost sincerity and severity. When sexual predation, in this case “institutionalised sexual predation,” can be condoned, then immediate serious action has to be taken.

You are talking about young, vulnerable, minor children whose lives may never be the same due to some roving sexual animals in our education system.

Their lives have been ruined by adults who should know better. You cannot call them loose or other vile terms, because teenagers who are now finding themselves sometimes behave unseemly; but is this license for adults to exploit them? Our adults should take the higher mor-

al road of responsibility into guiding them right. To exploit them is vile, immoral and criminal, and should be dealt with swiftly and condignly.

Like I said in a previous letter, when I send my child to school, he/she has a right to be free of all encumbrances -sexual or otherwise -- in his/ her pursuit of an education.

No one should stand in their way, and no system should hinder them from obtaining their goal.

If persons of impure thoughts and unnatural sexual proclivities are in the system and cannot contain themselves, then the law has to tell them how to conduct themselves around children.

Sexual harassment at work, school or play must be dealt with as soon as it rears its ugly head. Sexual predatory practices must be rooted out of the school system forthwith!

Respectfully, Neil Adams

Johnson’s rant has sullied the investigative process against these BHS teachers Dear Editor, I refer to Mr Ruel Johnson’s letter in Stabroek News of 25/11/2017: ‘There has been an apparent absence of any clear process of dealing with the complaints of BHS students’.

To my mind, Mr Johnson’s allegations and rants at every level -- at the level of the school, the Ministry of Education, and the Police -ought to fall early, based on his own doing. He has sullied the investigative process, and helped support the sus-

picion that he has a personal interest in pursuing this matter. How else can one explain his incessant tirades since he first broke the story on Friday, 17th November 2017, and his lack of a mandate to pursue this issue?

Further, Mr Jackson’s alleged wrong-doing is said to have been covered up by the present and immediate past heads of the school’s administration. Without evidence, I smell libel and slander against those heads. It appears to me that Mr Johnson

feels he can say and do as he pleases without consequence.

Indeed, if I were any of those persons, I would surely seek legal advice to address Mr Johnson’s allegations against me.

As for the person at the centre of this imbroglio, Coen Jackson, from what has been told to me, Mr Jackson has a Diploma in Communication and BSc. in Business Management from the University of Guyana.

He also holds a Master of Business Administration

from the University of Bradford (UK), and has been an outstanding teacher of Economics and Financial Services at The Bishops’ High School for over a decade, without a single degrading accusation or complaint lodged against him.

For this reason and more, he should be accorded the right to due process and consideration.

Yours truly, K Anthony

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$9B less public debt service nothing to boast about – Jagdeo

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overnment paying $9 billion less in debt servicing is being touted as an achievement, but Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has said that achievement has nothing to do with good financial management, but is rather due to a change of arrangements which brought about that; and it really is nothing to boast about.

Jagdeo told a recent press conference that if one were to look at the public debt report, one would see precisely how this achievement came about. “It happened largely because the PetroCaribe Agreement and the Guyana Rice Trade Agreement came to an end. So, in the last three years, we had a ballooning of principal payments because we retired those loans by clearing and writing off the promissory notes,” he explained.

The Opposition Leader noted that the achievement didn’t result from prudent management on the part of the Government, but has been occasioned because the PetroCaribe arrangement is no longer available to Guyana. He has said that if Government is claiming that the country’s debt service is down by $9 billion, it means then that $9 billion more is available and can be used to pay public servants.

“You can’t have it both ways; you can’t want to say that we reduce debt service by $9 billion in a single year, and then claim that there is no fiscal (space) to do wage increases… or to fund the budgets of the constitutional agencies; because you have $9 billion of additional fiscal space,” Jagdeo declared.

He noted that the reason why Government can’t utilize this additional fiscal space is because it is just a ‘headline’ used to excite people and to say how well Guyana is doing economically. But if one were to look beyond that and take a closer look at the Auditor General’s (AG’s) Report, one would find far more interesting things.

He pointed to Table One of the AG’s Report which he noted has revealed the coalition Government’s pattern of doing things. “The current revenue has increased from 2014 to 2016 by $31 billion more; they’re collecting -- in 2016 -- $31billion in taxes more than we were collecting in 2014. They’ve expended -- in 2016 -- $37.7 billion more than we did in 2014, and this is only the current expenditure, not on the capital,” he pointed out.

Jagdeo said speaks of the pattern -- that they are taxing more and col-

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

lecting more from people. “…taking more out of their pockets; and they are spending more, $37.7billion more than we spent in 2014.” Touching on the Consolidated Fund, the Opposition Leader said the overdraft on the Consolidated Fund has increased from 2015 to 2016 alone by some $25 billion more in credit from the Consolidated Fund.

“But that number -- the overdraft on the Consolidated Fund -- is not reflected as yet in the debt numbers, because that’s credit to the Government… So, assuming you have to finance this now, you have

to issue another $25 billion of debt to finance the budget, because they overdrew the Consolidated Fund by $25 billion between 2015 and 2016; it’s an overdraft,” he argued.

Jagdeo said it is therefore important not to look only at the growth in debt over 2016 when compared to 2015, because it overgrew by about 4.1 per cent more.

“So we had an increase in overall debt and we had a significant increase in domestic debt, and we’ve had $25 billion overdraft on the Consolidated Fund in that single year. And this leaving out the extraordinary financing they brought in to finance the budgetary deficit,” he explained The Finance Ministry’s recent Public Debt Annual Report has highlighted that since 2015, there has been a 4.1 per cent rise in Guyana’s indebtedness to creditors.

The report details that Guyana’s total debt, inclusive of external and domestic, increased to $330 billion as at December 2016.

The Finance Ministry has attributed this to disbursements from the Export/Import Bank of China to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) expansion project, as well as sums of money received from

multilateral creditors.

A breakdown of the figures shows that total external debt amounted to $240 billion, a 72.6 per cent bite out of the total public debt. On the other hand, domestic debt stood at $90.6 billion, or 27.4 per cent of the total.

The report noted that Guyana’s four main external creditors are the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), the State-owned Export-Import Bank of China (China EXIM Bank) and Venezuela’s Stateowned oil company (PDVSA).

Together, they constitute some 77.7 per cent of Guyana’s public external debt stock as at end December 2016, with the IDB being the most dominant creditor.

According to the report, the IDB has an average share of 42.0 per cent of the debt portfolio.

The CDB is Guyana’s second largest creditor, accounting for 12.6 per cent of total public external debt.

The Export-Import Bank of China follows closely behind the CDB with a 12.5 per cent share of external debt, while Venezuela’s PDVSA accounted for 10.6 per cent. Important to note is PDVSA has recently been declared to be in default of its debts by a trade group in the US.

AFC has lost its identity in coalition Govt

– former member says party now ‘political dead meat’

By Samuel Sukhnandan

A

former executive member of the Alliance for Change (AFC), who was actively involved in the 2011 elections campaign, is of the firm view that the party to which he once pledged allegiance has now become ‘political dead meat’, and has lost its identity after some 30 months in office.

Overseas-based financial analyst Sasenarine Singh’s comments were made in light of the recent decision taken

by President David Granger to sideline two AFC nominees and instead appoint 71-yearold Working Peoples Alliance (WPA) executive, Desmond Trotman, to fill the post of a commissioner at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

“I believe (that) -- because of the lack of commitment to the original intent of the AFC: of being the balance of power between the big forces (PPP and PNC) -- they have now surrendered that middle ground. They have become a political poodle of the People’s National Congress (PNC); so much so that they cannot distinguish themselves from the PNC anymore. They are basically political ‘dead meat’ as we speak, and it is not going to improve,” he opined.

AFC Chairman Khemraj Ramjattan revealed that President Granger had requested the party to present a name to fill the vacant post of commissioner of GECOM. The party had suggested Trevor Williams, a youth leader in the AFC; and as an alternative nominee, Beverley Alert, a former AFC spokesperson.

But neither person was selected. AFC Leader Raphael Trotman has since expressed his disappointment at this development.

Singh believes this recent action taken by the President points to the fact that young people are not being given the

Former AFC executive member Sasenarine Singh

chance to work on the task of reshaping the new Guyana.

“They are literally struggling in an environment that is dominated by septuagenarians and octogenarians. I am of the belief now that President Granger has an obsession with this group of people, (which) constitutes less than 10 per cent of the Guyanese population; and he is clearly out of sync with what the world is demanding for today and tomorrow. He seems more obsessed with a yesterday’s world.”

The former AFC executive member, who resigned from the party back in 2014, said this is a dangerous precedent being taken by the President, especially in light of World Bank statistics which shows that 91.2 per cent of the Guyanese populace is under the age of 65 years old. He said this obviously means that there is a huge demographic mismatch happening under the coalition Government.

Singh noted that the world is moving ahead with placing young people in leadership roles, and so should Guyana. He made reference to a number of young people, including Canada’s youngest Cabinet member, 29-yearold Karina Gould; Emmanuel Macron, President of France; and Austria’s newest leader and former Foreign Minister,

31-year-old Sebastian Kurz, among several others.

“This latest appointment of Desmond Trotman clearly does not represent the views of the majority, and it feels like an imposition almost, when these appointments are made of these septuagenarians as alternative representatives,” Singh said, while expressing his own disappointment.

Singh recalled that it was former President Desmond Hoyte who had established a principle that, as the Leader of the Opposition, two commissioner positions at GECOM would be given to the People’s National Congress (PNC) and one would be designated to the combined opposition, with the largest small force being given the nod. He said this explains how Robert Williams from the Good and Green Guyana (GGG) party had managed to get appointed to sit on the GECOM executive team.

The AFC, being electorally the largest small party, should have been given the nod, Singh said. “But as we are seeing today, Granger does what Granger wants, and he wants septuagenarians and octogenarians.”

But, Singh said, Guyanese need to understand that not only does the President has an obsession with people between 70 and 80 years old, but he is also obsessed with “domination of the PNC in all these key positions. I believe it is very important that we pick up on that and question it,” he pointed out.

Another concern raised by the former AFC executive member is that President Granger is allegedly attempting to operate as a military leader even while being President.

“This is not the military.

Guyana is not a military organization, so much so to the point that when a general says, ‘March!’, the whole country will march. NO SIR, it will not happen! I think President

Granger is still stuck in his military mindset. Well, he will find it extremely difficult growing Guyana economically if he continues along this path,” Singh added.

Singh said, too, that it seems as though the leadership of the AFC is also trying to keep step with the President and his orders. “So, in my view, they have lost

their identity. The easiest categorisation of the AFC now is ‘certified poodle force of the PNC’ and nothing else,” he argues.

5-year-old girl, grandmother injured during armed home invasion – at Corentyne

The ladder that the suspect used to gain access to the inside of the building Injured: Savitri Hasan

By Andrew Carmichael

P

olice in Berbice are on the hunt for a man who allegedly shot a fiveyear-old and her grandmother after breaking into their home at Number 72 Village, Corentyne in the wee hours of Sunday.

Police, in a press report, said the young girl and her grandmother had to seek medical attention at the Skeldon Hospital, where they were treated for alleged gunshot injuries – 13 pellets were removed from the child's left leg, while the grandmother sustained injuries to her lower abdomen. The incident occurred at Section B, Number 72 Village Corentyne about 03:30h.

Investigations revealed that Savitri Hasan and her husband, Rajkumar, along with their granddaughter, were asleep on a mattress on the floor when they were roused by a loud explosion.

The five-year-old girl was injured in the attack

Upon investigating, they saw a male, who is known to them, fleeing the house and it was then Hasan realised that she and the child were bleeding.

The suspect is being sought, the Police release added.

Savitri told Guyana Times that after the loud explosion, her granddaughter started to scream. She said at first it was believed that the girl was screaming out of fright, but later it was discovered that she was bleeding.

She said the shooter ran out of the house using the back door, which was open.

According to her husband,

Rajkumar, he was able to recognise the shooter.

He told this publication that he was awakened by the explosion and quickly got up as he realised that there was someone in the house.

According to him, when he looked through the bedroom door, he saw a man who is known to him (his neighbour).

According to Rajkumar, at the time there was light in the house enabling him to see clearly. There were five adults in the house along with the five-year-old and two babies at the time of the incident. turn to page 13

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Foundation

– sound and vision work differently as metaphors for learning

By Laura Otis, PhD

I

n the hands of great fiction-writers, sensory descriptions do more than convey what characters hear or see. In the craft-talk of writers, descriptions can “do work for a story”, hinting at what characters are thinking and feeling in the context of particular scenes.

Descriptions that report what characters sense often work figuratively as well as literally. For cultural and physiological reasons, the senses work differently when used as metaphors. Sound and vision, on which I'll concentrate, can both be used to represent discovering, learning, and knowing. But sight and sound imply different kinds of learning, divergent paths to distinct truths. The different ways that sound and vision work as metaphors may offer insights into cultural understandings of the senses and the ways that sensory systems work.

“Metaphor” derives from the Greek verb “metapherein” to transfer, and denotes a transfer of meaning from one concept to another. In literary terminology, a metaphorical “vehicle,” a relatively better-known concept (such as a box of chocolates), is used to transfer meaning to a lesser-known concept, the “tenor” (such as life). A metaphor is no simple substitution or comparison. In the 1950s, philosopher Max Black pointed out that a resonant metaphor can change the way people think about both the vehicle and the ten-

or, about the box of chocolates and about life (Black 283-85).

As a metaphorical vehicle for learning, sound has a shadier reputation than sight. Consider the connotations of “I saw” vs “I heard,” or of “insight” vs “hearsay”.

Despite the legitimate protests that Western culture privileges verbal over visual learning, paradoxically, it also privileges sight over sound as the securest route to knowledge. What one has “seen” is more likely to be believed as true; what one has “heard” comes across as removed from the truth, mediated by language, and not much better than gossip.

The use of vision to represent knowledge goes back to Greek philosophy and may be as old as humankind.

Plato’s cave allegory in the Republic (c 380 BCE), compares the predicament of uneducated people to that of prisoners watching shadows cast by puppets in a poorly lit cave. True enlightenment would mean seeing the sun shining in the world outside, for which ignorant people are unprepared (Plato 747-752). During the 18th Century Enlightenment period, vision, light, and clarity worked as metaphors for the acquisition of knowledge through reason. In the sciences, especially, vision has been used as a way to describe understanding models and systems of logic. “I see” means “I understand” whereas “I hear you” means something quite different: it implies a more emotional un-

derstanding.

In literature, metaphors that represent learning through seeing often (but not always) work as they do in philosophy and mainstream culture. Characters may learn the truth when they see something they aren’t supposed to see, or when they see someone in an unexpected context. Less attention has been paid to the ways that characters learn through hearing, and to the differences between visual and auditory metaphors for approaching knowledge.

Recently, my research and teaching have shown me that while vision often represents reason-based paths to truth, hearing can offer intuitive paths to unpleasant realisations. The truth a character discovers through sound may be one s/he has known all along but doesn’t want to know. Discoveries mediated through sound often involve the presence of a predator, or of a fact one has long denied and can no longer suppress. In Ethan and Joel Cohen’s film version of “No Country for Old Men (2007)”, the faintest ticking in a near-silent soundtrack reveals the presence of the predator. A glimpse of the hunter would inform the audience in a different way and carry a different emotional impact.

Few writers have represented sound more powerfully than Edgar Allan Poe, who organised “The Fall of the House of Usher” (1839) around sonic vibrations. His tale comes from the perspec-

tive of a man who visits a melancholy school friend and slowly discovers how sick his friend is. Roderick Usher suffers from a “morbid acuteness of the senses,” especially a “morbid condition of the auditory nerve” (Poe 9, 12).

In his body, as in the stones of his house, the material is just barely holding together, as though one strong set of vibrations could disintegrate it. Such a shock comes when Roderick’s twin sister, Madeline, dies and Roderick and his friend seal her in the family vault. Poe pulls readers into the story by writing that the door’s “immense weight caused an unusually sharp, grating sound, as it moved upon its hinges” (Poe 17).

Poe then uses sound to drive the story toward its emotional climax. During a violent storm, the protagonist reads a romance to Roderick and hears increasingly real echoes of the sounds in the story. They are coming from the bowels of the Usher house. Finally Roderick murmurs: “Yes, I hear it, and have heard it.

Long--long--long--many minutes, many hours, many days, have I heard it--yet I dared not--Oh pity me, miserable wretch that I am!--I dared not--I dared not speak!

We have put her living in the tomb!” (Poe 24). Roderick and Madeline die in each other’s arms, and the friend barely escapes their collapsing house. Through sounds perceptible to Roderick long before the protagonist can hear them, Poe conveys

truths too terrible to “see.”

A young woman has been buried alive, and the whole Usher dynasty will sink into the earth--as will the protagonist, someday.

On human faces, eyes and ears lie close together, and both deliver vital sensory information. Once processed by human brains, however, visual and auditory information offer different, complementary ways of knowing the world, and they form varying emotional associations. Many languages

divide the immense turf covered by the English verb, “to know.” Spanish offers “saber” and “conocer”; German, “wissen” and “kennen,” which distinguish knowing information (saber, wissen) from having a personal acquaintance with someone or something (conocer, kennen). It would be too simplistic to align vision with information; and hearing, with personal acquaintance, but culturally, the metaphorical associations with vision and sound run this way. (Excerpt from psychologytoday.com)

Strategies for students with scattered minds

– teachers can help students strengthen their brain’s executive function with “workouts” in which they practise pausing, prioritising, improving their working memory, and mapping their options

By Dr Donna Wilson and Dr Marcus Conyers

I

magine a team without a coach guiding players toward working together to execute a winning strategy. Imagine a company without a leader to make sure that employees across departments are equipped and organised to collaborate on continually improving products and increasing sales. Imagine a marching band without a drum major to lead musicians through their complicated maneuvers while staying on beat.

The brain’s executive f u n c t i o n n e t w o r k performs in the same capacity as a coach, CEO, or drum major: directing one’s thinking and cognitive abilities toward setting goals and planning to achieve them, establishing priorities, getting and staying organised, and focusing attention on the task at hand. Now imagine trying to perform those abilities if your brain’s executive functioning system wasn't working effectively – no coach to develop a game plan, no CEO to help you organise your resources for accomplishing your goals, no drum major on which to maintain your learning focus.

That’s the challenge facing students with attention deficit disorders, who in effect struggle with executive dysfunction. As a former classroom teacher and school psychologist, Donna

worked with many youth who had great difficulty with various executive functions, including: The ability to inhibit behaviour, which often resulted in impulsivity, an abundance of movement, and difficulty following instructions Initiation and planning behaviour, the lack of which made it hard for students to get started on classroom work and assignments and maintain their focus on learning tasks for the duration required to complete them Working memory and the ability to selectively m a i n t a i n attention on

information needed to complete a learning

task Cognitive flexibility, or the ability to recognize when it may be useful to adjust one’s thinking and action based on new information Children and youth can be taught to develop their executive functioning to become more successful selfdirected learners. Explicit instruction about executive function and how to improve it is especially useful for students with learning challenges, as they can benefit the most from learning to rein in and consciously direct their "scattered minds." (Excerpt from

edutopia.org)

To be continued

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monDAY, november 27, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

AFC must leave Govt, withdraw support to maintain credibility – Ramkarran …says party has lost sight of its support base

T

he inability of the Alliance For Change (AFC) to successfully push for constitutional reform, a platform on which the party campaigned, has seriously damaged its credibility; and in order to restore some of its integrity, the AFC must resign from Government.

This was the blunt advice proffered by former Speaker of National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran, on his weekly blog.

“If the AFC has been pushing for constitutional reform and the Government as a whole has been dragging its feet, the time has come for the AFC ministers to resign from the Government.

It cannot sustain its credibility while remaining ineffective in relation to the most important aspects of its platform,” Ramkarran wrote on his weekly blog.

He said the lack of success in this aspect would leave the party’s credibility in tatters, and its Members of Parliament (MPs) would be far more influential and respected for leaving the coalition Government. This move, he adds, would put the AFC in a stronger position to demand that APNU fulfil its campaign promises.

“By resigning its ministries, the AFC will restore some of its credibility and perhaps support. The public will see that, for the AFC, political office and the perks are of less importance than political principle; that the AFC is determined to ensure that its policy of the end of racial politics is implemented; and that the AFC is a party of integrity,”

lack of a proper dispute resolution mechanism within the Cummingsburg Accord was a primary issue.

AFC’s support

Former Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran

Ramkarran said.

The Senior Counsel noted that with the AFC out of Government, with its members remaining Parliamentarians sitting on the back benches, it should be the subject of the amended Cummingsburg Accord.

Five days ago, the leadership of the AFC indicated that the APNU would be formally write on a revision of the Cummingsburg Accord.

The party’s statement indicated that the National Executive Committee had named members to the party’s negotiating team in anticipation of APNU naming its negotiating team.

Additionally, the NEC also pointed to the need for strengthening of the party’s structures to prepare for the 2018 local government elections.

In August this year, the AFC had said that a review committee had found the

Prior to joining hands with the APNU (A Partnership for National Unity), the AFC was seen as the third force -- the party of integrity, with support coming from across the ethnic divide. So when the party negotiated with APNU the Cummingsburg Accord in 2015 to contest the General Elections, it was the support from the “Guyanese Indians” that enabled the APNU-AFC Coalition to become successful, Ramkarran said.

The former Speaker has said that the party’s lack of understanding of its support base would ultimately be its downfall. He alluded to the fear, particularly by the Indo-Guyanese, of rigged elections, which seems like a possibility with President David Granger’s decision to unilaterally appoint the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

The President is the leader of the People’s National Congress (PNC), which has a history of rigging elections for almost two decades; and Ramkarran has said that that party had never garnered more than 42 per cent of the electoral votes in free and fair elections.

On the issue of the GECOM Chair appointment, the AFC told its supporters that it was never consulted prior to the appointment. However, emails leaked to the media revealed

that the Party’s leadership advised the President to reject the nominees submitted by the Opposition L e a d e r and appoint someone of his choosing.

The Party’s stance on the issue caused major disagreement

with members of its overseas chapters.

“The AFC’s insensitivity to this scenario, and its failure to persuade, or seek to persuade, the President to adopt a different approach to the appointment of the

GECOM chair has lost it substantial credibility. This is what the dispute with its Canadian leaders symbolises,” Ramkarran said.

Over the past 30 months since the coalition have been in power, the AFC have been repeatedly sidelined by the APNU. The most recent incident being the sidelining of the AFC nominee for the post of Commissioner on the Guyana Elections Commission.

8 NEWS Govt hands out 450 scholarships for UG and GSA M monDAY, november 27, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

inistry of the Presidency’s Department of Public Service has handed out some four hundred and fifty full scholarships for students to attend the University of Guyana and the Guyana School of Agriculture to advance their education.

The scholarships include payment for courses and stipends, which eases the burden of students being required to work whilst studying. However, recipients are expected to maintain a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.8 during the course of their study at their respective institution. ‘ At the orientation ceremony held at the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE), Turkeyen, Advisor to the Education Minister, Vincent Alexander, urged the students to take full advantage of the opportunity being presented to them, while reminding them that certification and acquiring good jobs are just part of

training because it is convinced of the transformative power of education.

Last year, the Ministry awarded about 310 scholarships, although only a small percentage of those recipients pursued studies at the

GSA. The Ministry also offers grants to students pursuing studies at the Carnegie School of Home Economics and The Burrowes School of Art, among other institutions.

1 in custody for iNews reporter robbery

…suspect nabbed while attempting to sell laptop

Some scholarship awardees

learning.

“Education is a process of being able to assess your environment and to apply your skills and knowledge for navigating the environment; being able to recognise challenges and to confront them successfully,” he explained.

Additionally, Alexander told the students that the citizens of Guyana are investing in the education of these scholarship recipients for the development of the

country, and he encouraged them to make effective use of the knowledge they would receive.

Permanent Secretary of the Department of Public Service, Reginald Brotherson, called upon the students to “look forward to what you can do for your country through the education that you will receive.

Your training could create the jobs that are necessary that many others could also

benefit. So we are looking at education in a transformative situation.”

The scholarships, he said, indicate Government’s commitment to education, national development, and to creating a bright and prosperous nation.

The Permanent Secretary noted that scholarships incur a cost to the State, but he said Government is committed to investing in education and The car that was broken into

J

ust hours after bandits broke into the car belonging to a soonto-be wed couple from the media, within the vicinity of the Georgetown Marriott Hotel on Saturday, a suspect has been taken into custody after attempting to sell an item which was stolen during the robbery.

Bandits had smashed a window to gain entry into the car parked on Battery Road, Kingston, as popular iNews reporter Ramona Luthi and her fiancé were in a pre-wedding photo shoot around 16:00h.

The robbers managed to cart off the laptop computer, two camera lenses, a battery pack and several storage devices, as well as a handbag containing several important documents and a quantity of cash belonging to the couple and the photographer, all of whom are members of the media.

Altogether, these items carry a value in excess of $500,000.

Shortly after the incident, a prospective buyer of the Asus laptop computer, which went missing from the car, cancelled the transaction based on the suspicious actions of the perpetrator who was on a mission to sell the stolen item.

The woman instead contacted the Police, allowing for ranks to intercept the suspect who was nabbed with the stolen item in his possession. In addition, one of the hard drives which were taken from the car was also retrieved.

Meanwhile, the man has been taken into custody where his fingerprints are expected to be crosschecked with those that were lifted from the damaged vehicle.

Investigations into the matter continue.

3 busted with 5 kilos marijuana … in Berbice

P

olice ranks on the West Coast of Berbice, while on an early morning patrol, on Sunday arrested two males and a female after a routine stopand-search operation on the Weldaad Public Road led to the discovery of 11 taped parcels containing the suspected illicit drug.

The parcels of marijuana were found in a motor car driven by one of the detainees.

According to the Police, the suspects aged 42, 26 and 24 respectively, all residents of New Amsterdam, are presently in Police custody assisting with investigations.

Meanwhile, the West Coast Berbice Police have launched an investigation following a separate and earlier incident on the same day, in relation to a parcel of contraband, which was thrown over the walls into the compound of the New Amsterdam Prison.

Official information received from Police indicates that the bag contained some 930 grams of cannabis and 52 packs of cigarettes among other prohibited items.

The package was promptly retrieved by security personnel at the penitentiary and later handed over to the Police. Investigations are in full swing.

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monDAY, november 27, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

GTT, Pulse unveil “Amazon Gems” for Mash Day revel

By Akeem Greene

C

ome February 23, Guyanese are poised to enjoy a ‘cloud nine’ experience with GTT and Pulse Entertainment since the duo have promised to deliver an electrifying atmosphere on Mashramani Day. The enticing revelation was made on Saturday evening at the Giftland Mall parking lot as the two entities unveiled their Mash Band themed “Amazon Gems”.

With confetti and smoke filling the air, the sizeable audience was wowed by the colourful costumes, which were designed by the renowned Olympia SmallSonaram.

The glamorous outfits, which highlight precious stones in the Amazon comprises three categories: Emerald Bliss, Tanzanite Flame and Lapis lazuli.

Beautiful ladies! Some of the models showcase the flamboyant costumes

Mash 2018, she emphatically stated.

Likewise, Pulse Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Robbie Singh, who was ecstatic about the partnership, promised to deliver an unforgettable fete for all those who wanted to join

Models display the Tanzanite Flame costumes (Carl Croker photo)

After the models left the stage, reigning International Chutney Soca Monarch Ravi B and Trinidadian Soca artiste 5 Star Akil then serenaded fans with their popular hits, which gave a hint at the excitement to come on Mash Day. GTT’s Marketing and C o m m u n i c a t i o n s Consultant, Samantha Gooden explained to Guyana Times that in their effort to “do more” for Guyana, they want to showcase the hidden treasures of the region and highlight our culture”.

“It is all about bringing the best of our culture and where better to go than into the Amazon. We are bringing the absolute best of all Guyana to the stage for

biggest band. It will be phenomenal….let’s not forget the drinks; there will be a lot of that,” Singh confidently expressed.

Comfort for all

Designer SmallSonaram, noting that this was her best product thus far since it brought forth the beauty of Guyana, further explained that the costumes were geared towards ensuring all of Guyana could indulge in the frolic and still be comfortable.

“There are a variety and my idea is to let everyone feel comfortable. They cater for every size, every shape and every ethnicity. So, I have several designs to allow every person who would want to express themselves to be involved,” she assured.

The Emerald Bliss models enjoying the frolic

the band.

“We will provide you with everything. We have never done something of this magnitude before and we will amaze you with the

Gooden also reiterated the aspect of comfort. “What you saw is just a glimpse of everything…we want to make sure there is enough for everyone and there will

Ravi B certainly entertained the fans who attended the display

be something called Monday wear so if you don’t feel like having the costumes or too much being revealed, they will have extended sections.

We want our customers to feel comfortable.”

The entities are hoping to attract a minimum of 400 persons to the Band, and this Friday, they will have a re-launch at GTT’s 55 Brickdam location.

Additionally, they are expected to give information on the website persons can access to enquire about payment plans, order costumes and have chances to win prizes. Costumes will also be sold to foreigners.

10 News

monDAY, november 27, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Garbage woes

Puran and Cevon’s resume garbage collection services …as Govt bails out City Hall

By Lakhram Bhagirat

M

onths after withdrawing their services due to not being paid for work already done over a protracted period of time, garbage contractors Puran Bros Disposal Services and Cevon’s Waste Management Inc. have resumed collecting garbage in the City after Central Government would have made them payments.

The Mayor & City Council (M&CC) had, through the

Ministry of Communities, approached Central Government for a bailout of four hundred and seventy-five million, six hundred and thirty-five thousand, two hundred and forty-five dollars ($475,635,245) to settle the City’s debt to Puran Brothers, Cevon’s, and another company.

Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan disclosed that Government had decided to grant City Hall the bailout.

Georgetown Mayor, Patricia Chase-Green, had said the City was in a crisis

Puran Bros Disposal Services has put back its compactor at Stabroek Market (seen here on Sunday afternoon), and will have all its trucks back on the road today collecting the city’s garbage

all way round, but especially when it came to addressing the current garbage situation since the two major contractors had withdrawn their services. At an Extraordinary Statutory Meeting of the M&CC, she had bashed Solid Waste Director Walter Narine for misguiding her in relation to the current garbage situation.

A Cevon’s facility was set up outside the Stabroek Market on Sunday

“I am looking at a bailout from the Government to bring this City back in order; because the garbage is killing me, and Mr Narine can’t tell me they got no red velvet out there, because the place nasty.

On Mandela Avenue it is laced with garbage; there is garbage everywhere,” she had said.

“We are in a crisis, in my own opinion, with this garbage. I am not listening to Mr Narine anymore, because he is

not directing me right; he telling me one thing in here, and when I go out there is something else; and I am believing everything I seeing with my own two eyes,” Chase-Green had added.

She had noted that the smaller contractors who were taken on to fill the gaps did not have the capacity to continue picking up the City’s garbage on a long-term basis. continues on page 11

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monDAY, november 27, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

ICT will be primary focus for education budget – Minister – special needs education, psycho-social support system also on cards

By Jarryl Bryan

B

udget 2018 is slated to be read today, and at least in one sector – education -- there is some insight into what is to come.

Funding for the education sector would be mostly aimed at making education more technologically friendly.

This is according to Education Minister Nicolette Henry, who was at the time responding to questions on a radio programme. According to the Minister, one primary area the education budget will focus on is Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

“My 2018 budget will provide the beginning of a roadmap that will take us to 2030.

The Ministry of Education will be focused on reviewing that, and ensuring that we have a roadmap that can take us to 2030, in alignment with our Sustainable Development Goals.

“The primary focus (will be) ICT. We’re looking to modernise education, and that will play a big part.

“The other area we will be focusing on is technical and vocational education. So you will hear some of the new facilities we will establish as it relates to technical institutes.

“We will also speak about special education needs. We will focus on putting a school in Georgetown that will (have) the early childhood programme, to ensure that at a very young age we are able to make the appropriate diagnosis.”

Henry claimed that these are new initiatives. According to the Minister, providing mobile psycho-social support to students would also be on

Education Minister Nicolette Henry

the agenda. She identified “mobile clinics” as one way to achieve this.

“I am talking (about an initiative that is) much broader than counselling (itself). We want to ensure there is linkage and a continuation of care and psycho-social support services. We’re not talking about a counsellor at a school, we are talking about a serious issue that requires that type of issue; you can be given the linkage to a competent service provider.”

Education

Government had, in April 2016, launched an inquiry into the education system with the aim of gathering “evidential bases” for the revision, upgrading and extension of the system. It has been expected that the CoI’s findings would be considered when budgeting for the Ministry was actually done.

The CoI set up to conduct this probe held hearings across the country with parents, guardians, teachers, religious leaders, unions, and the private sector on their

Puran and Cevon’s... from page 10

Manager of Puran Bros, Kalesh Puran, has told the Guyana Times that the company has already recommenced collecting garbage in the city. “We have already collected the household and commercial waste. We also put back our compactor at Stabroek Market, and tomorrow (Monday) you would see all our trucks back on the road collecting the garbage,” he said.

Solid Waste Director Walter Narine has said these two contractors would recommence working for the City with reduced responsibilities.

He said the new arrangement would see each contractor being paid $10 million per month for their services, as compared to what had previously obtained, with them getting paid sums ranging from $43 million to 45 million per month.

The M&CC has implemented fees for commercial waste collection with effect from September 1. Small business operators across Georgetown are required to pay $5000 per month; medium-size businesses are required to pay $8000 per month; and large business

operators are required to pay $12,000 per month for the collection of their waste.

The Solid Waste Director had told the Council that while the originally approved fees for commercial garbage collection were $5000, $10,000 and $15,000; the latter two were reduced to $8000 and $12,000 after consultations. Puran Brothers Disposal and Cevon’s Waste Management had withdrawn their services on July 30, 2017, after City Hall’s debts had risen to the multi-million-dollar range. According to the companies, the issue of non-payment has been a long-standing one, with many debts going as far back as 2015.

Many Councillors at Monday’s statutory meeting commended themselves for keeping the City clean despite the withdrawal of these significant garbage collection services. A Councillor, however, noted reports that a truck (registration number provided) had been going around charging residents $500 to empty their garbage barrels – a service which currently attracts no additional fees for homeowners.

perception of the state of the education system, as well as recommendations for its enhancement.

The commission has found that there is need for greater collaboration between the regional education departments and the regional administrations, to determine the educational needs of each particular region.

The commission had also suggested that an education committee be established at the regional democratic level. It was also urged that that committee should be structured to examine the needs of the region and convey those to the Department of Education, so those needs could be adequately addressed.

The commission’s findings also included a recommendation that the National Centre for Education Resource Development (NCERD) be equipped with the research capacity it needs, since progress in the sector cannot be measured and analysed.

The report also noted that the Ministry’s inspectorate

Expressions of the need for a support system for students at the Ministry level have been gathering momentum in the public domain in the wake of recent sexual misconduct allegations being levelled against a teacher

should have a separate unit, and not be a part of another unit. “We are the only country probably in the world where the Inspectorate Unit is part of another unit. The Inspectorate Unit (is) supposed to be an autonomous body, reporting to the highest office in the land.”

The commissioners also found that there is a greater need for welfare officers

who are equipped with guidance and counselling skills, and recommended that there be one such officer in each school. However, they noted that if this is not possible, there should be one officer with responsibility for no more than five schools.

In accepting the report, then Education Minister Dr Rupert Roopnaraine had said he would be presenting

same to both Cabinet and the National Assembly.

“I would prefer the report not be buried in another Select Committee and we go on and on about the issues. I would think the comprehensiveness of the commission of inquiry is sufficient enough for us to act, and that is going to require some commitment; and that is something we are a bit short on,” he had said.

12 news

monDAY, november 27, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Local businesses already losing out to foreign companies – GCCI

– stresses need for “buddying system”, joint ventures to be enforced

F

oreign companies securing work in Guyana without including locals in the process are causing some amount of concern among the local private sector. This is especially so as Guyana is still without a final Local Content Policy while preparing for the coming on stream of an

oil industry.

Expressing concern over the failure to meaningfully incorporate Local Content was Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) President, Deodat Indar, who noted that foreign firms are registering as businesses in Guyana.

At a recent press confer-

ence, he pointed out that foreign businesses do not even seek joint ventures with the companies they meet here.

According to the GCCI head, these businesses instead go out and bid for contracts on their own.

“There are businesses that were registered here, and I will tell you this from

fact: the law firms in this country, most of them saw an influx of new registration of businesses from foreign companies,” he posited.

“They did not come and meet a company in Guyana and say, ‘Okay, you are good at catering and I am good at catering; could I come and maybe we can work on an arrangement where I can be your associate company and we can bid for the contract?’

No, they did not do that; they came and set up their own companies here, and they now are going to bid by themselves,” Indar related.

The GCCI President observed that the ‘buddying system’ he was advocating was either a JV (joint venture) or an associate arrangement. But he noted that, at the end of the day, the partnership must in-

clude skills transfer. He gave a few examples, including providing training or even building education facilities.

At the time of the press conference, the GCCI head had recently returned from a fact-finding mission to Canada. He related that, while in Canada, he was able to observe their oil industry in action from a legislative and operational perspective.

While he acknowledged that the buddying system was not perfect, he noted that foreign companies should, before going elsewhere, at least make sure that there are no companies in Guyana with the capacity to partner with them or supply goods and services.

“The buddying system works well, and we should

pursue that rather than extensions, (whereby) foreign businesses come and set up here and have a shop front; that does not do anything for our development. Because the same way they come and set up, the same way they leave. That does not do anything for Guyana’s development. We need to build capacity,” the GCCI official explained.

Local Content and what it will do for Guyana has been a burning question since the announcement of an oil find in the Stabroek block. ExxonMobil had first tempered expectations by saying that few job opportunities would be created by oil, but it has since said that it would help with Local Content delivery.

The oil giant was granted a production licence in June of this year, and Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, had given Exxon a six-month deadline in order to submit its Local Content plan to the Government.

ExxonMobil’s newly appointed Country Manager in Guyana, Rod Henson, had previously announced that the company would be relocating its onshore operations, which were used for support services, from neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago to Guyana. turn to page 14

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monDAY, november 27, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Sentencing Council recommended for Guyana – to assist with reducing large prison population

By S amuel S ukhnandan

O

ne of the recommendations coming out of a study that looked at alternatives to incarceration for pre-trial detainees is for Guyana to establish a Sentencing Council. The final draft report stated that this could help to address the problems associated with the increase in the prison population here.

The report which was recently submitted to Government and was prepared by consultant Peter Pursglove under the Citizen Security Strengthening Programme (CSSP) of the Public Security Ministry stated that there was a lack of clear and coherent sentencing policies.

Over the years, sentencing policies have been developed piecemeal and there has been no unified approach to sentencing issues among the legislative, executive and judicial branches of Government.

As such, Pursglove said that there was a need for this specialised body to oversee and

coordinate sentencing policy in Guyana. But to perform this function, a Sentencing Council must be established and mandated to draft sentencing guidelines.

“The establishment of the Sentencing Council will address the problems inherent in the current sentencing structures, whether neither Parliament nor the judiciary acting alone is able to make comprehensive sentencing policy and manage sentencing levels and prison populations,” the report added.

It was noted that where Parliament provides little or no legislative guidance on sentencing, it is sentencing judges who largely determine sentencing policy.

They are directed to the Court of Appeal for guidance on sentencing. However, it was found that the usefulness of individual appellate court decisions is limited. But more importantly, when giving sentencing guidance, courts of appeal do not have the time and resources to undertake systematic research or to investigate

the cost-effectiveness of the options.

“A Sentencing Council with a mandate to draft sentencing guidelines can improve transparency, predictability and consistency of sentencing.

It can help to address the problems of prison over-use, sentencing disparity, increase public confidence in the criminal justice system and provide a means of avoiding the politicisation of sentencing practice and policy,” it further added.

Pursglove said in the final draft report that given the importance and complexity of sentencing and the magnitude of the task to be accomplished by the various agencies involved in the criminal justice system, there is a need in Guyana for a permanent and specially constituted body to oversee the entire sentencing process and ensure effective coordination of consistent sentencing policy.

In providing an insight as to what may constitute a Sentencing Council to be established here, the consultant said that it would include the provision of guidance to Judges and

5-year-old girl, grandmother...

According to the 47-yearold Rajkumar, the intruder used a ladder to climb through an opening between the top of the wall and the roof of the house to gain entry.

Before the shot was fired, the suspect opened the back door of the house in order for him to have a quick escape.

Rajkumar said that the house was destroyed by a fire in March 2014 and he was in the process of rebuilding it and he had a little more work to do in order to have it completed and secured.

Meanwhile, his wife claimed that the suspect had made threats before and had burnt a clothes line in her yard previously.

Those incidents were both

reported to the Police and there was little action taken, the woman told this newspaper. According to her, the reports were made on October 21 and 22 at the Skeldon Police Station.

She said three Community Policing Group (CPG) officers went to make the arrest and they were confronted by a cutlass-wielding man and had to abort the probe. Following an outburst by the suspect in October, Savitri said she enquired from her neighbour what the issue was and she was allegedly told that her husband was peeping at the suspect’s wife in their house.

Guyana Times was taken to the backyard and shown the distance between the Hassan's

from page 5

yard and the suspect’s house and also the high vegetation surrounding the house where the suspect lives.

The woman explained that her husband was in the backyard on that day to patch holes in the fence in order to prevent his chickens from leaving the yard.

Savitri says she is living in fear and is of the belief that had the Police acted on the initial reports, Sunday's incident could have been avoided.

She said even though it appeared that the Police have now taken serious action in making real efforts to apprehend the suspect, until they do and the suspect remains at large, the family would continue to live in fear.

Magistrates; the gathering and provision of information and statistics for monitoring; planning and policy development; and engaging the community by informing and consulting the public.

The role of the Sentencing Council could be amplified to include collecting and disseminating sentencing information, compiling statistical data, developing sentencing guidelines and providing judicial education and training for judicial officers.

It could, therefore, play a valuable role in producing accurate but readily accessible information about sentencing issues for the media and the public.

“The Sentencing Council could also carry out an evaluation of the impact of both existing and proposed sentencing legislation, particularly in relation to penal resources and the cost-effectiveness of different sentencing options, including their impact on prison populations,” he added.

Pursglove acknowledged in his report that the current

sentencing system did little to prepare judicial officers for sentencing the offenders who appear before the courts. One deficiency pointed out in the Guyana sentencing process is the lack of adequate information and data to support sentencing divisions. And given the lack of that information, it has led to a disparity in sentencing.

With the establishment of a permanent Sentencing Council, it could effectively complement the work of the Court of Appeal.

The Council would be primarily responsible for the formulation, review and updating of sentencing guidelines while the Court of Appeal would be responsible for application of the guidelines. This partnership would help to balance the need for greater uniformity and equality of justice while maintaining a sufficient degree of flexibility to allow for individualisation of sentences in appropriate cases.

The consultant conducted meetings with key stakeholders in order to be able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of Guyana’s approach to the provision of alternatives to incarceration, along with oppor-

Consultant Peter Pursglove

tunities for reform and development.

The study also looked at issues including juvenile detention; sentencing policy; discretion available to Judges, Magistrates, Police and Prosecutors; capacity of probation and other systems of supervision of non-custodial sanctions, including possible collaboration with civil society organisations; restorative justice; and decriminalising certain acts.

14 news

monDAY, november 27, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Chinese medical team hosts outreach in Kwakwani

I

n an effort to enhance their corporate social responsibility (CSR) and extend their reach across the country, the 13th Chinese medical team partnered with logging company Rong-An Inc. to stage a one-day medical outreach in Kwakwani on Saturday.

This was as 15 foreign medical practitioners journeyed to the Upper Demerara, Region 10, to offer much need medical services and nutritional advice and care to residents within the area.

This initiative, which is unique to the region, was organised by the timber concessionaire that operates in close proximity to the community.

While speaking to <<Guyana Times>> during the event on Saturday, Sara Huang, assistant to the managing director of the organising entity, explained that the initiative was birthed from the already existing relationship between the logging entity and the Kwakwani community.

Representatives of Rong-An joined by the 13th Chinese medical team and officials in Kwakwani during the outreach

Huang highlighted, “Our company recognises that there is a great portion of people who are unable to receive the necessary medical support, or even sufficient medical support, here in Kwakwani.”

Acknowledging the need to bridge the gap in medical services offered in the Upper Demerara community, the logging company reached out to the Chinese Medical Team to organise the outreach.

“We organised such a medical programme with the hope that it will provide certain benefits for them (the residents), especially with certain medical advice,” relayed the Rong-An representative.

The 13th Chinese Medical Team comprises of practitioners specialised in the fields of gynecology, orthopaedics, paediatrics, ophthalmology, general surgery, as well as neurology.

Following the examina-

tions conducted by the doctors, it was highlighted that an alarming number of residents within the area were presented with cases of hypertension and diabetes.

With that in mind, the medical practitioners expressed interest in returning to the far-flung community to offer further support, especially with medication and other forms of treatment.

Welcoming the initiative was Leona Narine, who is the Assistant Regional Executive Officer of Region 10. Narine told reporters

that close to 100 residents benefited from the medical venture.

The REO extended gratitude to the teams for their selfless service, and thereby opened the doors for other such ventures in the future.

The 13th Chinese Medical Team has been deployed to Guyana for some 5 years now, and has embarked on several similar initiatives to date. Of the 15 doctors as part of this team, 11 of the specialists are currently on attachment at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Identify your role in fight against HIV/AIDS – Dr Rhonda Moore

UN Resident Coordinator Mikiko Tanaka; NAPS Manager, Dr Rhonda Moore, and others participating in the health walk

A

s Guyana marks more than 25 years in the fight against HIV/ AIDS, Guyanese are being encouraged to identify their roles in the battle.

The call came from Programme Manager of the National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS), Dr Rhonda Moore, at a ‘World AIDS Day’ walk on Saturday morning.

“Do you see your role as a valuable contribution, or is it a lifetime commitment to ending HIV/AIDS? The goal is to end AIDS by 2030,” Dr. Moore said.

She observed that dedication and hard work are necessary if the goal of eliminating HIV/AIDS within 1213 years is to be achieved.

Dr Moore reported that

2016 statistics show that, worldwide, there are 21 million persons living with HIV/AIDS who have access to treatment. Guyana has an estimated 8,492 persons living with HIV. “Sixty-nine per cent of those persons knew that they have HIV. Of those who knew their status, 84 per cent were on treatment; and of those who access treatment, 68 per cent achieved virus suppression,” Dr Moore detailed.

The NAPS Programme Manager further noted: “The National AIDS Programme Secretariat will this year celebrate 25 years in fighting against HIV/ AIDS.” However, she said, work still needs to be done to reduce stigma and dis-

crimination while creating an enabling environment for persons to access care and treatment.

Dr. Moore emphasised it is crucial that this service is sustained.

According to the Department of Public Information, hundreds attended the Health Walk, which was a collaboration between the National AIDS Programme Secretariat and several public health agencies and international developmental partners. The exercise culminated at the Square of the Revolution with a brief interfaith programme World AIDS Day will be observed on December 1, 2017, under the theme ‘My Health, My Right’

Local businesses already...

He had told participants at a meeting that it was not a case whereby ExxonMobil would be looking to build a facility for its support services, but would rather put out tenders, and anyone interested in providing the shore base services could present a proposal.

The Government itself had also formulated a Draft Local Content Policy which sets out its plan for ensuring that Guyanese develop socioeconomic capacity from oil, a finite resource. In the plan, which was seen by this publication, Government promised to work with stakeholders, including investors and skills development agencies, to design and deliver train-

ing programmes.

The document says this training would be for individuals and firms appropriate to the sector’s needs.

Among other things, the document promised employment and business opportunities, as well as to implement appropriate legislation.

The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry, after a review of the document, was not impressed. It has been reported in the media that the GCCI is dissatisfied with the document’s lack of specificity and the policy, plaintively stating that few direct and indirect jobs can be derived from the sector.

from page 12

The GCCI has observed that jobs such as maintenance crewmen, pump men, cooks and riggers are not being done by Guyanese, but rather by foreigners.

The GCCI also noted that the University of Guyana should have been cited in the policy as the body to run courses and certifications for workers in the industry.

Trotman, however, had in the past responded to the GCCI’s concerns. He had said that a lot has already been done to push Local Content, and that the policy was just a draft that would be guided by the input of stakeholders. (Jarryl Bryan)

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monDAY, november 27, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

VOX POPULI

What the people say

I SAY...

Reactions to current school sex scandal

W

ith social media blowing up over allegations of sexual molestation implicating a high school teacher, Guyana Times asked a few random persons for their recommendations in handling sexual offence matters in schools and more so how can such cases be prevented altogether? Here are the views of the public:

Andrea Bryan-Garner

“This issue is bigger than one school or one teacher; it's a larger societal problem in terms of how we view men, women and children as a whole. But to speak to this specific issue, I believe we need to create safer spaces for our young people where they feel a sense of trust; where they would be willing to report instances of wrongdoing and not be chastised. Firstly, it calls for awareness of the Sexual Offences Act, then a mechanism that ensures confidentiality when reporting and it must be done in the best interest of the child followed by psycho-social support. There should also be a clear understanding of the legal repercussions of predatory behaviour which would act as a deterrent to future occurrences.”

Karran Ramsammy

“I personally think that indeed he (the implicated teacher) had some sort of sexual relations with both females during their high school days, even though he is still having a relationship with one and not the other. These relationships both started or were initiated during their school life, but it's just a matter of proof. As for the HM, I can't blame her fully because if this was happening by force they should have gone to her and she could have handled that matter accordingly.”

Jacqey Bourne

Shawn MacNeil

Alan Neil

“The entire situation is disheartening. Those young girls were helpless children in the keep of an amorous man. The response given by the HM was not one fitting of a mentor, counsellor, or of a person placed in a position of trust.”

"It's my opinion that the Ministry of Education needs to reintroduce compulsory guidance classes into the school system at every level, from nursery upwards. Educate the pupils on how to recognise and report such acts pronto, without fear of being labelled 'slackers'."

"That situation is ticklish.

According to the man, you can't stop love. I'm not condoning that the teacher is right to have a relationship with the student, but it happens. It has happened all over the world. It's happened in schools before and it's still happening. I'm not condoning that he should have a relationship with his student. It's been happening years ago, and it is still happening today. "

Maria Manarhu

“I firmly believe that it takes the partnership of the home, school and community to raise and protect children. We cannot make child abuse a norm! In order to reduce the carnage done to the innocence of our children, parents need to pay attention to their children; break the notion that sex is taboo and create a forum to have discussions with their children. In the school, we need to cultivate a child-friendly environment where children will feel comfortable to speak out. This means that confidentiality and the child’s security should be considered as priorities for teachers or workers to whom the child confides in. When cases are reported, we need speedier investigations and trial of perpetrators with strict penalties. Finally, as members of society if we recognise any sign of any form of child abuse, then report it immediately.”

Randy Williams

“I don’t know; I think everything grows over time once tolerated even once and there should be a strict and decisive course of action to deal with any such matter from the instant an allegation is made. These schools especially those like Queen’s College, Bishops’, Saints and Roses, all give their students access to counselling and I think that should be something that could have a much more prevalent presence in all schools – someone the students can confide in ... especially when actions like these are done by teachers who have long been involved in the system. On the mere admittance that he is involved with a former student of his, I think the least he should be disqualified from being in any such position again.”

Alfred Branche

“Two points that came to mind almost immediately: firstly, male teachers should not be allowed to discipline female students without a female teacher being present, preferably a senior female teacher; and secondly, male teachers should not be allowed to give after-school lessons without a female counterpart being present as well, especially if we are dealing with female students, and this is not only limited to the fourth and fifth formers because the first and second formers are also vulnerable.”

Veeren Tomby

“First of all, you need to educate the students about sexual assault and then there should be cameras in all classrooms so that nothing out of the way is happening in schools. However, if students are being assaulted after hours when they are out of the schools, persons still have the responsibility to make a report to the Police.”

Tyson English

“I would recommend the introduction of health and family life education in all schools, counselling for teachers and students, moral education to become a topic, careful screening of teachers, regular talks with females and male students of social issues and establishment of task force and committees to deal with such issues.”

16

guyanatimesgy.com

monDAY, november 27, 2017

Regional

Hondurans vote in controversial Jamaica: Child abuse prevention and parenting education presidential election campaigns for roll-out

H

ondurans headed to the polls to choose a new president on Sunday in an election that laid bare the fragility of the Central American country's democracy eight years after it suffered a military coup.

Six million Hondurans were eligible to vote on Sunday, with polls opening at 13:00GMT and to close at 22:00GMT. The election is unprecedented, marking the first time a Honduran president will seek re-election.

Despite a constitutional ban on re-election, President Juan Orlando Hernandez of the conservative National Party is running for a second term based on a contentious 2015 Supreme Court ruling that overturned the article prohibiting re-election.

His opponents argue that only the Honduran people hold the power to change the Constitution, making Hernandez's candidacy "illegal".

"There is an important percentage of citizens that reject and are against a candidate that seeks re-election in an illegal and illegit-

T

Soldiers unload election materials for distribution at voting stations ahead of the presidential election in Tegucigalpa, Honduras [Edgard Garrido/Reuters]

imate way," Eugenio Sosa, a sociologist and professor at the National Autonomous University of Honduras, told Al Jazeera.

Despite the controversy, Hernandez has been projected to win. Polls in October before the one-month polling blackout before Election Day showed he held a double-digit lead over his closest contender, Salvador Nasralla of the left-right Opposition Alliance.

"The possibility of

Hernandez winning has to do with the fact that the citizens that are against him are divided between two political forces, the Liberals on one hand and the [Opposition] Alliance on the other," Sosa said.

Hernandez has campaigned on continuing his government's hard line security policies and business-friendly economic initiatives. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

UN groups want “specific steps” to respond to violence against women in the Caribbean

T

he World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) are urging Latin America and the Caribbean countries to take “specific steps” to respond to violence against women.

PAHO and the WHO have issued a new manual coinciding with the International Day of Elimination of Violence against Women on Saturday.

The document, “Strengthening health systems to respond to women subjected to intimate part-

ner violence or sexual violence: A manual for health managers,” builds on other tools to help health care systems provide “compassionate and effective services” to survivors that address the consequences of violence and help reduce its reoccurrence.

PAHO’s Regional Advisor on Family Violence, Alessandra Guedes, said this was considered urgent because at least one of every three women aged 15 to 49 in Latin America and the Caribbean have experienced physical or sexual violence

by a partner.

She noted that violence against women was a public health problem, because it was associated with a number of significant health conditions, including anxiety, depression, suicide, unintended pregnancy, STI/HIV infection, unhealthy drinking and others.

“It can also take many forms, including sexual harassment, physical/emotional/ sexual violence by a partner, sexual violence by strangers and femicide, among others,” she said.

(Excerpt from CAM)

60-day plan to speed up Barbuda rebuild

T

he Antigua and Barbuda Government on Friday disclosed that a 60-day plan has been developed to accelerate the rebuilding of Barbuda and the resettlement of its popu-

Nicholas said a professor from the University of the West Indies (UWI) St Augustine was invited to Cabinet on Thursday to share his proposals on a recovery plan for Barbuda.

It was agreed that both a short-term and a long-term plan must be crafted for the island devastated by hurricanes

lation.

This was announced by Information Minister Melford Nicholas at last week’s post-Cabinet media briefing.

The Minister added that it was agreed that both a short-term and a long-term plan must be crafted. The short-term plan would focus

upon the next 60 days, during which time the object would be to make habitable those Government institutions and those homes that were not severely damaged.

However, Nicholas said that while telephone service, electricity and water have been restored to the island, inspections need to be done.

“The APUA has already indicated that in each instance they would have to make a fresh application such that the audit and evaluation of the internal wiring and plumbing for these homes would be tested before they are connected back to the public grid,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nicholas said that despite the number of volunteers helping relief workers, the labour available falls short of what is required to deal with the task ahead.

(Excerpt from Antigua Observer)

he National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC) is stepping up its efforts to empower parents with the knowledge and skills to effectively raise their children.

Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator Ruel Reid, in a statement in the Senate on Friday said the entity would roll out a campaign focused on the issue of abuse, beginning with a Public Service Announcement (PSA) to be aired early this week.

On December 1, the NPSC will launch its parenting education programme in Region Four, which

comprises Westmoreland, Hanover, and St James.

The Education Minister informed that parenting education interventions are now being rolled out to other regions.

The Minister's statement to the Senate came against the background of recent debate on corporal punishment after videos were posted on social media, which showed children being brutally beaten as a form of discipline.

The Minister said he was “deeply moved” by the videos, further commenting that it represented “the negative manifestation of the breakdown in the fam-

ily.”

He said that the society cannot condone acts of violence meted out against children in the name of discipline “not in the homes, not in schools and not in the wider society”.

“We cannot continue to grow our children this way and expect them to be emotionally well-adjusted teenagers growing into mature adults,” he argued.

The Minister said the Government “takes these issues (of violence) seriously,” and has undertaken specific action in relation to the videos, offering support and guidance where necessary. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

Cubans vote in municipal elections with eye to leadership change

C

ubans choose municipal councillors Sunday in island-wide local elections that are the first step in a Communist Partysupervised process that will culminate next year with the election of a successor to President Raul Castro.

No Opposition candidates are competing in the elections for the more than 12,500 council seats.

Instead, voters will choose from among 30,000 candidates selected by acclamation in neighbourhood assemblies.

More than eight million people are eligible to cast ballots, but voting is voluntary. Ballots are secret.

Cuba's only direct election, the municipal vote is the first step in a tightly controlled, multi-step process for choosing leaders at higher levels of Government.

It culminates in February with the election of Castro's successor as president, in what will be the first generational change of leadership

A Cuban casts his vote at a polling station in Havana Vieja neighbourhood in Havana, on November 26, 2017, during municipal elections

since the 1959 revolution led by his brother Fidel. For the first time in nearly six decades, Cuba's President will not be named Castro or be a member of the old guard that came to power during the revolution.

Sunday's balloting came a day after Cuba marked the first anniversary of Fidel Castro's death. All signs point to current first Vice President Migel DiazCanel being chosen to re-

place 86-year-old Raul who succeeded the ailing Fidel as President in 2008.

Diaz-Canel, a 57-year-old engineer, slowly climbed to the top rungs of the Cuban hierarchy over a three decade career under Raul's mentorship.

Castro is expected to remain head of the all-powerful Communist Party, however. He would be 90 when his current term ends in 2021. (Excerpt from AFP)

TT: Commissioner to address long-standing conflict between community, Police

W

hile members of the Beetham community have repeatedly blamed neglect and lack of jobs for protests, which have included blocking roads and the highway, a brief look at the community's history shows that the majority of protests have been due to some type of conflict with Police.

The protests have mostly stemmed from incidents where Police shot or killed members of the community, or Police arrested a member of the community.

Last week, residents of Beetham Gardens spilled onto the highway, dragging debris and throwing items at oncoming vehicles

as they raged against what they claimed to view as neglect and a lack of jobs.

The residents called for those in authority to agree to give contracts to residents to clean the drains in and around their community. That same morning, two residents of the community, well-known to Police, were detained for questioning, but residents said their action had nothing to do with this.

On Friday, the Prime Minister addressed the nation and said he had instructed Police Commissioner Stephen Williams and National Security the Minister Edmund Dillon to do what

was necessary to enforce the law.

In Parliament, also on Friday, Dillon said the plan to treat with such incidents was more community outreach.

He was replying to Opposition questions in Parliament on the protest.

Dillon, in a written statement, later detailed measures the Ministry intends to implement in order to improve trust between the TTPS and citizens.

He said, “The TTPS has indicated that the organisation will continue its efforts to increase the level of trust and confidence between the Police and citizens. (Excerpt from

Trinidad Guardian)

mondAY, november 27, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

17

Around the World

Dozens of civilians killed Mugabe will play elder statesman in Syria air strikes

D

ozens of civilians have been killed in air strikes and artillery shelling in war-ravaged Syria, activists said on Sunday.

Air raids targeting Eastern Ghouta district outside the capital Damascus killed at least 23 people as Syrian Government forces continue to increase military pressure on the rebel-controlled area.

“The toll could rise further because of the number of wounded people in a serious condition,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. At least four children were among the dead, he added.

The local Ghouta Media Centre also reported 23 ci-

Fighter jets at Khmeimim airbase in Syria seen in this June 2016 photo [File: Vadim Savitsky/Russian Defence Ministry via Reuters]

vilians had been killed.

Attacks on Eastern Ghouta over the past two weeks have killed more than 100 people, the Syrian Observatory said.

Sunday’s attacks targeted the Opposition-held residential neighbour-

hoods of Douma, Misraba, Ein Tarma, Medeira and Harasta, according to an Anadolu news agency reporter in the area.

Eastern Ghouta was hit even though it was listed as a “de-escalation zone”, where military activity is

prohibited under an agreement endorsed by Turkey, Russia, and Iran.

Rebels in Eastern Ghouta have managed to keep Syrian military forces at bay during years of war, however, a government siege of the district has led to a humanitarian crisis with severe shortages of food and medicine.

Guney Yildiz, from the European Council of Foreign Relations, told Al Jazeera that Syrian forces are stepping up attacks against Opposition fighters in advance of new negotiations in Geneva starting on Tuesday.

“I think the main goal is make rebels feel even weaker ahead of the UN talks next week,” Guney said.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

role in Zimbabwe, says mediator

R

obert Mugabe will continue to have a role to play in Zimbabwean politics, the Jesuit priest who helped negotiate his resignation has told the BBC. Father Fidelis Mukonori said he would provide “advice” as an elder statesman, including to the new president.

Mugabe, 93, resigned on Tuesday after a military intervention and days of mass protests.

Mukonori said he could not confirm reports that the ex-leader was granted US$10 million to ease him

out of office.

Emmerson Mnangagwa was sworn in to replace Mugabe as President on Friday.

Mnangagwa, long a close ally of Mugabe, was sacked earlier this month, triggering the political crisis that eventually saw his boss’s downfall.

Father Mukonori, 70, who is close to Robert Mugabe and acted as a mediator between him and the military, said the new president would go to his predecessor for political counsel.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Nepal election: 1st poll since civil war ended Pakistani Islamists

More than 15 million people are eligible to vote in the two-phase election

M

illions of Nepalese have braved cold weather to vote in

the country’s first general election since a civil war ended and the monarchy

was abolished.

Voters from remote villages in the Himalayas had to walk for hours in the snow to reach their polling stations.

They were choosing a 275-member Parliament and provincial assemblies.

Turnout was more than 65 per cent.

The centrist Nepali Congress Party is taking on an alliance of former Maoist rebels and the Communist UML party.

The country is voting in two phases, with the sec-

ond phase to be held on December 7. Results are expected a few days after that.

More than 15 million people are eligible to vote.

“We are delighted to let you know that we have achieved historic success in holding the first phase of elections in 32 districts,” chief election commissioner Ayodhee Prasad Yadav said after the polling stations closed at 11:15 GMT. “The polls were held mostly peacefully,” he added. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Mount Agung: Bali volcano activity prompts ‘red warning’

A

irlines have been issued a “red warning” about the danger of volcanic ash in the skies close to Bali after Mount Agung emitted a thick plume of smoke reaching 4000 metres (13,100 feet).

It is the second major emission from the Indonesian island volcano this week, and flights have been dis-

rupted.

The red warning means an eruption is forecast to be imminent, with significant emission of ash likely.

Authorities have begun distributing masks in some areas as ash falls.

Bali is a major tourist destination, although the main resorts of Kuta and Seminyak are about 70 kilometres (43

miles) from the volcano.

The island’s main airport is for now operating normally, but some airlines have cancelled flights. Volcanic ash can damage plane engines.

Travellers to and from the region are being urged to contact their airline or travel agent to find out the status of their flight. (Excerpt from BBC News)

China explosion: Ningbo port city rocked by major blast

A

t least two people have been killed and dozens more injured in an explosion in the eastern Chinese port city of Ningbo, local officials say.

The blast is said to have occurred at a factory about 09:00 (01:00 GMT) in the city’s Jiangbei District, causing some nearby buildings to collapse.

State media reported that at least 30 people had been taken to local hospitals amid rescue operations.

Footage showed rescuers carrying people away

The blast is said to have occurred at a factory about 09:00 (01:00 GMT) in the city’s Jiangbei District, causing some nearby buildings to collapse

from an area surrounded by debris.

Industrial accidents are common in China, and have prompted growing calls for better safety standards.

The Government says it has been tightening site inspections and toughening punishments for safety lapses.

But while the number of workplace deaths in 2017 is reported to have fallen by more than 25 per cent on 2016 – industrial fatalities still number at least 29,000 in the year to date. (Excerpt from BBC News)

clash with Police, paralyse cities

A

hard-line Islamist party’s activists clashed with security forces in Pakistan’s capital and other cities on Sunday, officials said, paralysing Islamabad a day after a failed clearing operation killed several people and wounded some 150.

The religious activists, who accuse a government minister of blasphemy for a change in the wording of an electoral oath, burned several vehicles outside the capital before withdrawing in an uneasy stand-off at a protest camp they have occupied for

two weeks, police said.

Despite orders from the civilian Government to the army on Saturday night to help restore order, no military troops were at the scene around the protest camp in Faizabad, on the outskirts of the capital, witnesses said.

The military’s press department did not respond to queries about the Government’s order.

On Sunday evening, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqabal said the paramilitary Rangers force would be authorised to handle the demonstrations. (Excerpt from Reuters)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

monDAY, november 27, 2017

ARCHIE

Keep your personal life a secret.

Sharing information (March 21with the wrong person or usApril 19) ing your password or bank cards liberally will lead to loss.

Learn from your mistakes when dealing with old friends.

ARIES

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

dilbert

Use your imagination to find solutions when dealing with partners, institutions, government agencies and superiors. Knowing where you stand will help you make the right decision.

Truth is better than ficGEMINI (May 21- tion. You can use your imagJune 20) ination, but don’t let your words hurt someone or be subject to ridicule. Fair and intelligent assessment is encouraged.

If you offer a little extra, you will stand out. Your cre(June 21- ativity when finding soluJuly 22) tions and ways to improve old methods will encourage you to do more.

CANCER

Peanuts

You’ll have great ideas and LEO wisdom to share, but choose (July 23- your collaborators carefully.

Aug. 22) Emotional manipulation will be used to take something that belongs to you.

Don’t be fooled by what VIRGO others do or say. Someone (Aug. 23will use emotional blackmail Sept. 22) to try to get you to do something that is not your responsibility.

Calvin and Hobbes

WORD GAME

SUDOKU

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Step up and make a decision. Put your qualifications to the test and give your all to bring about positive change. Learn from the past and jump into action.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Take on a new project.

Enjoy creative endeavours and do things with youngsters or a loved one that will bring you closer together.

Self-improvements and romance are highlighted.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

Don’t share personal information. Be cautious about who you trust and what you offer. You’ll be taken advantage of if you cannot say no to an unreasonable demand.

Do things your way.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

SATURDAY’S WORD –

solution for LAST PUBLISHED Puzzle

Deal with personal finances and evaluate the way you currently handle your cash. Time spent with youngsters, a loved one or best friend will lead to an interesting suggestion.

Use your sense of right AQUARIUS and wrong when dealing (Jan. 20- with people who are prone Feb. 19) to embellishment or who want to entice you into doing something you probably shouldn’t do.

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 disillusioned PISCES by what someone tells you.

(Feb. 20Question anything that sounds March 20)

unlikely. Look at your personal affairs to discover an opportunity that will benefit you physically, financially or emotionally.

monDAY, november 27, 2017

Messi’s goal

B

arcelona rescued a late 1-1 draw at Valencia on Sunday, but the officials marred the match with a controversial decision in the first half.

Jordi Alba scored late on against his former club to salvage a 1-1 draw for Barcelona in Sunday's top-of-the-table clash against Valencia, but the match was marred by a hugely controversial decision to not allow a firsthalf Lionel Messi goal.

Messi tried his luck with a firsttime effort on the edge of the area after half an hour and goalkeeper Neto fumbled the shot, resulting in the ball crossing the line by about a yard, but referee Ignacio Iglesias Villanueva and his officials failed to spot it, effectively costing Barca two points.

Ernesto Valverde's men produced what was arguably one of their best halves of football so far this season in the first period, as they quickly got to grips with Valencia's intense style and asserted their dominance at Mestalla.

The officials took centre stage with their howler, though, before Barca's misery worsened after the

19

Barcelona pulled off a stunning draw against Valencia

break.

Valencia were significantly more threatening from an attacking perspective in the second half, resulting in Rodrigo turning home from inside the six-yard box.

Barca ensured they returned home with a point, however, as

Alba made the most of a sublime Messi pass to keep the club's unbeaten start to the league season – and four-point lead over Valencia – intact, but there will be an undoubted element of frustration over the first-half controversy.

Barca looked to establish con-

trol early on by enjoying periods of keep-ball in the final third, but Valencia's aggressive pressing forced a few errors and provided some encouragement.

Ivan Rakitic was guilty of one of those mistakes, as his wayward pass back towards Thomas Vermaelen – starting in LaLiga for the first time in 22 months – was intercepted by Simone Zaza, but Samuel Umtiti made a vital last-ditch block to deny Rodrigo after he was fed by his strike partner.

Barca soon got to grips with Valencia's approach and began to dominate, but they were astonishingly denied the lead after half an hour.

Neto fumbled Messi's firsttime 18-yard effort, before seeing the ball squirm through his legs and cross the line, but the officials failed to award the goal, leaving Barca apoplectic.

Valencia almost rubbed salt in the wounds by breaking down the other end on the counter-attack, with Zaza firing narrowly wide from the edge of the area.

The hosts began the second half with renewed urgency in the final

third and put Barca under more of pressure, with Zaza shooting just off target again from 20 yards after good play by Goncalo Guedes.

Guedes caused trouble again just before the hour mark, running at Umtiti and skipping past him in the area, but Marc-Andre ter Stegen rushed out to block his eventual shot.

But Ter Stegen was helpless a few minutes later when Guedes found the overlapping Jose Gaya and his low cross was turned in from close range by Rodrigo.

The home fans were silenced in the 82nd minute, though, as a moment of genius from Messi ultimately provided Barca with the catalyst to salvage a result.

The Argentina star spotted the run of Alba into the area and clipped a marvellous pass into the left-back's path, and he duly provided a classy finish past the helpless Neto.

Valencia enjoyed some more late pressure and Zaza smashed a volley over the crossbar for one of the final touches of the match, but it finished all-square thanks in part to Villanueva's horrendous gaffe in the first half. (Sportsmax)

Late Sterling goal sets new away wins record for City

R

aheem Sterling spared Manchester City’s blushes by securing a late 2-1 win at Huddersfield Town, their 11th consecutive away win.

A late Raheem Sterling winner secured Manchester City a recordbreaking 11th successive away victory in all competitions, as the Premier League pacesetters claimed a hardfought 2-1 triumph at Huddersfield Town.

City appeared to be on the brink of dropping points in the league for the first time since August 21, but a fortuitous Sterling goal six minutes from the end spared Pep Guardiola’s blushes, their 11th straight win on the road setting a new record for English top-flight clubs.

City dominated the first half and looked particularly threatening when David Silva got himself on the ball, the Spain international crafting numerous chances.

But City wasted most of the plethora of opportunities which fell their way, with Huddersfield taking the lead just before the break thanks to a Nicolas Otamendi own goal, which had more than a hint of luck about it.

City were level again shortly after the restart, though, as Sergio Aguero converted a penalty and Leroy Sane nearly added another shortly afterwards, rattling the crossbar with

a fierce free-kick.

Attacks came thick and fast towards the end for City and eventually their persistence paid off, with Sterling bundling home a rebound to maintain the eightpoint gap at the top of the table and secure an 11th consecutive league win.

The home side were under significant pressure at times during the early exchanges, but their dogged defending initially managed to limit City’s clear-cut chances.

C i t y b e g a n to find joy once Silva took charge in midfield, however.

The Spaniard was particularly prominent in the 23rd minute, releasing Sane into the penalty area in a quick one-two, with the winger

then flashing a teasing ball across the face of goal.

Silva was at the centre of things again just after the half-hour mark, exchanging passes with Kevin De Bruyne and finding Aguero in the area, b u t his first touch l e t him down and allowed

Kyle Walker (left) and Raheem Sterling celebrate

Christopher Schindler to make a vital block.

Silva found Aguero again soon after, but this time the striker was denied by Jonas Lossl, before Sterling smashed the rebound wide.

And Huddersfield punished that profligacy on the stroke of halftime – Schindler flicking on a corner and finding the net via Otamendi’s shoulder.

But the away side enjoyed an electric start to the second half and were level inside two

minutes, as Aguero coolly stroked home from 12 yards after Scott Malone clumsily tripped Sterling in the penalty area.

Sane almost completed the turnaround for City 10 minutes later, striking the bar with a brilliant 25-yard free-kick.

Guardiola threw caution to the wind in search of the three points, replacing Vincent Kompany with Gabriel Jesus 10 minutes from the end.

And the Brazilian played a role in City’s winning goal four minutes later, latching on to a De Bruyne pass and shooting at Lossl, whose save saw the ball bounce back on to Sterling and into the net.

The hosts fought until the end, but ultimately they did not have enough and Rajiv van La Parra highlighted their frustration right at the death, receiving a red card after the final whistle for pushing Sane in the face.

Key Opta stats: - Manchester City’s 37-point tally after 13 games is the best return in the history of the Premier League – only one other side in top-flight history won as many as 37 (Liverpool in 1990-91, also 37).

- City recovered from a half-time deficit to win in an away Premier League game for the first time since April 1995 against Blackburn Rovers (3-2).

- Huddersfield have now lost five of their last seven Premier League games (W2), after losing just one of their first six.

- Sergio Aguero has scored against 31 of the 32 opponents he has faced in the Premier League, only failing to do so in one match against Bolton.

(Sportsmax)

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GUYANATIMESgy.COM

monDAY, november 27, 2017

Warner, Bancroft seal crushing 10-wicket win

SCOREBOARD England 1st innings 302 Australia 1st innings 328 England 2nd innings (Overnight: 33-2) A. Cook c Starc b Hazlewood 7 M. Stoneman c Smith b Lyon 27 J. Vince c Smith b Hazlewood 2 J. Root lbw b Hazlewood 51 D. Malan c Smith b Lyon 4 M. Ali st Paine b Lyon 40 J. Bairstow c Handscomb b Starc 42 C. Woakes c Smith b Starc 17 S. Broad c Paine b Starc 2 J. Ball c Handscomb b Cummins 1 J. Anderson not out 0 Extras (nb-2) 2 Total (all out, 71.4 overs) 195 Fall of wickets: 1-11 A. Cook,2-17 J. Vince,3-62 M. Stoneman,4-74 D. Malan,5-113 J. Root,6-155 M. Ali,7-185 C.

D

Woakes,8-194 J. Bairstow,9-195 S. Broad,10-195 J. Ball Bowling: Starc 16 - 1 - 51 3(nb-1), Hazlewood 16 - 3 - 46 – 3, Cummins 12.4 - 4 - 23 – 1, Lyon 24 - 4 - 67 3(nb-1), Smith 3 - 0 - 8 - 0 Australia 2nd innings (Target: 170 runs) C. Bancroft not out 82 D. Warner not out 87 Extras (lb-2 nb-1) 3 Total (for no loss, 50 overs) 173 Fall of wickets: To bat: S. Smith, U. Khawaja, P. Handscomb, S. Marsh, T. Paine, M. Starc, P. Cummins, N. Lyon, J. Hazlewood Bowling: Anderson 11- 2 - 27 – 0, Broad 10- 2 - 20 – 0, M. Ali 4 - 0 - 23 – 0, Woakes 11-1-460, Ball 8-1-38-0, Root 6-1-17-0

avid Warner and Cameron Bancroft resolved to offer England's toiling bowlers no crumbs of comfort in the closing moments of the first Test at the Gabba, as they eased Australia to a crushing ten-wicket win in just over an hour's play on the fifth and final morning.

After resuming on 114 for 0 overnight, Australia's openers resisted any temptation to gallop to the finishing line, with just 56 runs required and England's players doubtless distracted by overnight headlines concerning Jonny Bairstow's alleged altercation with Bancroft in Perth last month.

Both batsmen eased themselves back into the groove, seeing off another disciplined but unpenetrative burst from James Anderson and Stuart Broad before picking up their tempos against the second seamers, Chris Woakes and Jake Ball.

Ball did induce the day's solitary halfchance, an edge off Bancroft that flew wide of Alastair Cook, the solitary slip, but it was left to Bancroft to strike the winning runs, in a three-boundary fusillade in the first over after the drinks break. (Cirinfo)

Kohli’s double hundred headlines India’s run fest V irat Kohli coasted to his fifth double century as India’s frontline batsmen crushed Sri Lanka’s toothless attack to stay on course for an innings victory in the second test in Nagpur on Sunday.

Kohli smashed 213 while Rohit Sharma celebrated his return to the side after more than a year with an unbeaten 102 before the hosts declared their second innings closed on 610 for six on the third day for a commanding lead of 405.

Sri Lanka’s misery did not end there as they lost Sadeera Samarawickrama without scoring on the second ball from Ishant Sharma

to reach 21-1 in their second innings at stumps, still needing 384 to make India bat again.

Dimuth Karunaratne was unbeaten on 11 with Lahiru Thirimanne nine not out and the touring side will need a Herculean effort from their batsmen to avoid an innings defeat after the first of the three-test series was drawn in Kolkata.

The world’s top-ranked test side had not lost a wicket in the first two sessions on Saturday with Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara both getting hundreds to put the bowlers to the sword.

Kohli and Pujara ex-

tended Sri Lanka’s misery on the third morning with their third-wicket stand of 183.

Sri Lanka barely managed to trouble Kohli and Pujara as the duo picked up singles and twos at will, mixing them with occasional boundaries after resuming the day on 312-2.

India lost Pujara for 143 shortly before lunch when all-rounder Dasun Shanaka breached the right-hander’s defence to rattle the stumps.

S r i

SCOREBOARD Sri Lanka 1st innings 205 India 1st innings (Overnight: 312-2) L. Rahul b Gamage 7 M. Vijay c D. Perera b Herath 128 C. Pujara b Shanaka 143 V. Kohli c Karunaratne b D. Perera 213 A. Rahane c Karunaratne b D. Perera 2 R. Sharma not out 102 R. Ashwin b D. Perera 5 W. Saha not out 1 Extras: (b-4 lb-4 w-1) 9 Total (for 6 wickets declared, 176.1 overs) 610 Fall of wickets: 1-7 L. Rahul,2-216 M. Vijay,3-399 C. Pujara,4-410 A. Rahane,5-583 V. Kohli,6-597 R. Ashwin Did not bat: R. Jadeja,

U. Yadav, I. Sharma Bowling: Lakmal 29 - 2 111 – 0, Gamage 35 - 8 - 97 – 1, Herath 39 - 11 - 81 – 1, Shanaka 26.1 - 4 - 103 - 1(w1), Perera 45 - 2 - 202 – 3, Karunaratne 2 - 0 - 8 - 0 Sri Lanka 2nd innings S Samarawickrama b I. Sharma 0 D Karunaratne not out 11 L Thirimanne not out 9 Extras (lb-1) 1 Total (for 1 wickets, 9 overs) 21 Fall of wickets: 1-0 S. Samarawickrama To bat: A. Mathews, D. Chandimal, N. Dickwella, D. Shanaka, D. Perera, R. Herath, S. Lakmal, L. Gamage Bowling: I. Sharma 4 - 1 - 15 – 1, Ashwin 4 - 3 - 5 – 0, Jadeja 1 - 1 - 0 - 0

Lanka w o u l d have hoped for a better second session after Perera dismissed Ajinkya Rahane for two shortly after lunch but Kohli and Rohit denied them with another partnership of 173.

Kohli flicked Suranga Lakmal for a single to get back-to-back hundreds in the series after his unbeaten century in the sec-

ond innings of the drawn first test in Kolkata.

It was the 10th hundred in 2017 across formats for India’s batting mainstay who hit a six over the longon fielder against off-spinner Dilruwan Perera to get past 150 and then got a single off the same bowler to reach his double hundred.

The 29-yearold hit 17 fours and two sixes in his knock before holing out in the deep while trying to attempt another six off Perera.

Rohit, whose previous test was in October last year against New Zealand, used his opportunity well to compile his third test hundred a n d

Kohli declared India’s innings closed immediately after the right-hander got past three figures.

Perera took three wickets for the touring side but also conceded 202 runs. (Reuters) Virat Kohli raced to his fifth double century in Test cricket

Just Call Me Boss is boss

J

Just Call Me Boss

ust Call Me Boss of the Kris Jagdeo Stables lived up to his name on Sunday when seven of the country’s top horses met in the feature event of the Port Mourant Turf Club/ K.P. Jagdeo Construction one day horse race meet on Sunday.

Ridden by Champion Jockey Paul Delph, Just Call Me Boss led most of the 1500 meter race despite an early challenge by Unsettled and a late challenge by It’s

My Choice of the Jumbo Jet Stables.

The third place went to Unsettled of the S, Bacchus Stables while Good Will Boy placed fourth.

Good Will Boy did its job well and tried to hold back the pack while stable mate Just Call Me Boss took control. Seven races were carded.

A full detail of the event will be published in a subsequent report.

monDAY, november 27, 2017 | www.guyanatimesgy.com

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sports

Track & field doesn’t need Bolt replacement, claims Gatlin W

orld 100m Champion Justin Gatlin does not believes the sport needs to find a replacement for Usain Bolt but can instead depend on several talented athletes spread across its spectrum.

Bolt, the eight-time Olympic gold medallist and double world record holder, called time on a glittering career in athletics following this year’s London World Championships. With the Jamaican dominating the sport for the better part of close to a decade with his exploits on track and engaging personality off it, many and the IAAF itself have begun to look around for a viable replacement for the star.

Gatlin who beat Bolt in the final race of his individual career believes athletics can keep focus on itself by weight of numbers.

“I think there’s so many talented athletes there really doesn’t need to be one leader,” Gatlin said. “You have so many young athletes coming on and showing hunger but you have so many athletes who have done so much in the sport as well this far like Allyson (Felix) and Dalilah Muhammad and these ladies like that and people across the water as well who have done so much in our sport. It doesn’t really need one leader.” (Sportsmax) Justin Gatlin paying tribute to Usain Bolt

Parker plans long-awaited Spurs comeback against Mavericks

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21

Tony Parker

fter suffering a horrific injury last season in the NBA playoffs, Tony Parker is expected to make his season debut against the Mavericks.

Veteran San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker is planning to make his long-awaited injury return in Monday’s contest against the Dallas Mavericks.

Parker ruptured his left quadriceps tendon in the NBA playoffs last season and has spent the last six months recovering.

The Spurs never put a timeline as to when the veteran could return, but they did ease him back into practicing with the team’s G League affiliate in September.

Parker originally said he expected to return to the court in January, but it appears he will be back sooner than expected.

“I’m coming back on tomorrow’s [Monday’s] game against Dallas! I’m really excited to play again,” Parker said.

“It has been some tough months with a lot of recovery, patience and mental strength.

“I wanted to thank everyone who believed in my return. Fans, family, friends, my recovery team and the San Antonio Spurs, I couldn’t have done this without your support.” (Sportsmax)

Hamilton beaten to Abu Dhabi GP victory by Bottas

V

altteri Bottas held off team-mate Lewis Hamilton as Mercedes cruised to a dominant one-two in the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Hamilton, who won his fourth world championship two races before the end of the season, appeared quicker in the second part of the race.

But he could not get quite close enough to challenge for the lead in a drab and largely action-free finale.

Sebastian Vettel was outclassed in third place to underline the anticlimatic way in which Ferrari have ended a season that had for so long promised so much.

Hamilton and Vettel had both wanted to end this season with a victory, for different reasons - Hamilton to prevent his former title rival from winning the last two races; Vettel to give Ferrari a boost going into the off-season. But

This was not a classic race; positions not changing much after the cars left their grid positions – with Lewis Hamilton even saying to team-mates and rivals before the podium ceremony: "They have to change this track"

Bottas, who has struggled for form in the second half of the season, drove a composed and impressive weekend, beating Hamilton to pole and controlling the race from the

front.

Unlike in Brazil last time out, where he lost the race at the first corner after being passed

by Vettel, Bottas made a strong start and imposed himself on

the race from the first lap.

Bottas had a 2.5-second lead when he made his only pit stop on lap 20. Hamilton stayed out for three further laps in an attempt to try to establish

enough of a lead to rejoin the track in front but did not have enough pace.

He set a fastest lap on lap 21, but Bottas lowered that mark on lap 24, suggesting that had Hamilton extended his run, he would have lost ground rather than gained it.

Hamilton reduced Bottas' lead by 0.7 seconds on his first flying lap on his new tyres, getting to 1.1secs behind his team-mate, where he stayed for four laps before running wide at Turn 17 and losing a little time.

For the rest of the race, Hamilton was within 1.5secs of Bottas but the stalemate remained to the end.

A lock-up by Bottas at the Turn Five hairpin on lap 49 allowed Hamilton to close up, but again he lost ground in the twisty final sector as his car's aerodynamics were disrupted by the dirty air behind the leading Mercedes. (BBC)

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GUYANATIMESgy.COM

monDAY, november 27, 2017

Wickets for all Leopold Street, Back Circle as West Indians send stern warning take large lead G/Town Zone "Guinness Greatest of the Streets"

Action continued on Saturday evening in Albouystown

A

ction in the Georgetown Zone of the “Guinness Greatest of the Streets” futsal competition continued on Saturday evening and saw several nail biting games in front of a large crowd of spectators.

Among the winners on night two was Leopold Street who dispatched of tournament debutantes GTI Ballers by a comfortable 3-0 margin. Hitting the back of the net for the victors was Omallo Williams as early as three minutes into the game. However GTI Ballers rallied and held off Leopold Street until Tyrese Forde would put the game to bed with a “Guinness Goal” in the 17th minute to make it 3-0 Leopold Street.

Earlier Tucville needled Norton Street in the opener with veteran Delon Williams grabbing a goal in the 16th minute.

Kingston needed a Nigel Denny “Guinness Goal” to see off Festival City 2-0 with the scorer getting in on the act with the clock at 18 minutes.

A Daniel Ross dagger in the 12th minute ensured that Rising Stars got past Trap Squad to walk away with

maximum points.

Also winning by the same scoreline was Queen Street Tigerbay who

Day-3 Burnham Court Tuesday November 28th Gaza Squad Vs Ol Skool Ballers-19:00hrs Albouystown-A vs GTI Ballers-19:15hrs Leopold Street vs Bad-a-Yard-19:30hrs Back Circle vs Rising Stars-19:45hrs Bent Street vs Tucville-20:00hrs Broad Street vs Queen Street Tigerbay-20:15hrs North East La Penitence Vs New Market Street-20:30hrs Future Stars vs Alexander Village-20:45hrs Trap Squad vs Albouystown-B-21:00hrs

got past Stabroek Ballers courtesy of Rory Lewis in the eight minute.

The dangerous duo of Travis Grant and Eon Alleyne made sure

North Ruimveldt secured a 2-0 victory over Smyth Street. Grant opened the scoring in the fourth minute while Alleyne cemented the win with his 15th minute goal.

A late goal from Randolph Wagner earned West Front Road an important win over Judgement Yard. Wagner’s strike came in the 16th minute.

After regulation time failed to produce a winner between California Square and Broad Street, it was the former who held their nerve to win 3-2 on penalty kicks.

An own goal saw Albouystown-A suffering a 1-0 loss to Bad-A-Yard who won their first game on Saturday.

An “edge of the seat” clash between homeside Albouystown-B and Back Circle went to penalty after both teams’ defences remained watertight in normal time. Penalty kicks were taken and Back Circle won 4-3 to break the losers’ supporters.

The third night of the competition will be on Tuesday at the Burnham Court, Middle and Carmichael Streets from 19:00hrs.

(Michelangelo Jacobus)

Jaguars 50-Over League

Georgetown scrape to 1-wicket win over West Berbice I

n a match that was reduced to 20 overs per side due to early morning showers, Georgetown managed to pull off a miraculous one-wicket victory over West Berbice at Bush Lot when the Cricket Guyana Inc 50over Franchise League continued on Sunday.

Set a total of 97 for victory, the visitors limped to 98-9 in 19.4 overs after Andrew Dutchin (3-11), Wagvar Hassan (2-18) and Gudakesh Motie (29) looked to architect a stunning heist.

Openers Andrew Lyth Jnr (17) and Robin Bacchus (22) had marshalled the city-side to 39 in the sixth over when Motie had the attacking Bacchus trapped in-front after he smashed four fours and one six.

Shemroy Barrington (05) came and soon went cheaply as wickets began falling in a procession.

Experienced players Christopher Barnwell (03) and Leon Johnson (00) offered no fight in chase. It took Ramal Lewis and young Ashmead Nedd unbeaten on 15 and one respectively to seal the victory.

Early, captain Johnson was the star of the day collecting 5-26 in his

Leon Johnson

Gudakesh Motie

four overs while Paul Wintz with 2-6 added the other notable support.

Only Arthiley Bailey (24) (3x4s), Motie with 18 (2x6s) and Kevin Sinclair (16) showed any respite with bat in hand as their side were bowled

out in 19.2 overs.

Matches continue today from 09:00 hrs with East Bank battling Upper Corentyne at Everest Cricket Ground and West Demerara clashing Lower Coretyne at Tuschen.

Raymon Reifer

A

fter a satisfactory batting performance on the first day in Lincoln, the West Indians produced a solid bowling effort to dismiss New Zealand A for 237 on the second.

They used eight bowlers and all of them picked up at least one wicket, to earn a first-innings lead of 214.

The visitors declared their first innings overnight on 451 for 9, and made good use of the early morning bowling conditions. Kemar Roach dismissed Test opener Jeet Raval for 1, and Jason Holder accounted for the other New Zealand Test opener, Tom Latham, for

24.

New Zealand A slumped to 114 for 6, before Tom Blundell and Todd Astle put on 64 for the seventh wicket. Shannon Gabriel broke that stand with his only wicket of the innings. Astle top scored for the home side with 68 and they were eventually dismissed in 61.4 overs. Raymon Reifer took 2 for 27, while Roston Chase picked up 2 for 7.

The West Indians lost two early wickets in their second innings, but Kraigg Brathwaite was unbeaten on 33 and had steered his side to 53 for 2 at stumps.

(Cricinfo)

SCOREBOARD West Indies 1st innings 451/9d New Zealand A 1st innings J Raval c Holder b Roach 1 T Latham (c) c Hetmyer b Holder 24 G Worker c Roach b Cummins 8 N Broom b Reifer 27 T Bruce c Ambris b Gabriel 46 T Blundell † c Holder b Joseph 19 J Neesham lbw b Reifer 0 T Astle st Ambris b Chase 68 LV van Beek b Bishoo 21 L Ferguson not out 4 H Bennett b Chase 0 Extras: (b 1, lb 3, nb 14, w 1) 19 TOTAL: all out (61.4 Overs) 237 Did not bat: SC Kuggeleijn, AF Milne Fall of wickets: 1-7 (JA Raval, 3.6 ov), 2-37 (TWM Latham, 13.5 ov), 3-55 (GH Worker, 18.5 ov), 4-89 (NT Broom, 27.5 ov), 5-113 (TA Blundell, 32.1 ov), 6-114 (JDS Neesham, 33.4 ov), 7-178 (TC Bruce, 44.4 ov),

8-224 (LV van Beek, 55.2 ov), 9-237 (TD Astle, 61.2 ov), 10237 (HK Bennett, 61.4 ov) Bowling: Gabriel 10-1-50-1, Roach 10-4-27-1, Cummins 10-3-33 -1, Holder 5-3-4 -1, Reifer 7-0-27-2, Joseph 7-2-38-1, Bishoo 10-147-1, Chase 2.4-0-7-2 West Indies 2nd Innings K Brathwaite not out 33 K Powell b Ferguson 4 S Hetmyer b van Beek 10 R Chase not out 4 Extras: (nb 1, w 1) 2 TOTAL: for 2 (18 Overs) 53 Yet to bat: SD Hope, J Blackwood, SW Ambris, SO Dowrich †, JO Holder (c), RA Reifer, AS Joseph, D Bishoo, ML Cummins, ST Gabriel, KAJ Roach Fall of wickets: 1-9 (KOA Powell, 2.6 ov), 2-43 (SO Hetmyer, 10.5 ov) Bowling: Ferguson 4-0-7-1, Bennett 4-0-28-0, LV van Beek 5-0-11-1, Astle 5-0-7-0

guyanatimesgy.com

monDAY, november 27, 2017

23

Athletes encouraged to “make their mark in history” – as 57th “Nationals” declared open

A

t Sunday’s opening ceremony of the 57th National Schools Cycling, Swimming and Track and Field Championships, some 1500 student-athletes were told to make their mark at this year’s history making edition.

Following a colorful parade of districts for this year's Nationals, Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr. George Norton highlighted the importance of sport during his feature address.

“Sporting events play a major role in bringing Guyanese from all walks of life together. It is a powerful medium for social and economic change" Norton declared.

The Minister then pointed out that activities like the Championships also pushes athletes to be aware of their talent to potentially become future Olympians.

He added that the government recognizes the important role that sports plays, not only for social cohesion, economic and national development but also for education.

Further, Norton reminded that as a result, the government has been keen to provide substantial finances and attention towards the develop-

Social Cohesion Minister, Dr George Norton delivering his feature address at Sunday’s opening ceremony

ment and enhancement of sporting facilities, gears, training equipment and the inclusion of sports in the school's curriculum.

Another keynote speaker, Minister of Education, Nicolette Henry then emphasized that the inclusion of Physical Education in the school's curriculum was very timely as it is a well-known fact that there is a correlation between a sound mind and a healthy body.

"If we are to produce mentally

alert, energetic and healthy children, then they must be involved in sport and games."

During Henry's address, she also quoted Nelson Mandela an anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader and philanthropist, who served as President of South Africa.

“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair.”

Brief remarks were also made

by Regional Executive Officer of Region Three (3), Denis Jaikarran and General Secretary of the Guyana Teacher's Union (GTU), Coretta McDonald.

The championships begin today with the cycling events at the inner circuit of the National Park from 07:00h while swimming will be hosted at the National Aquatic Center in Liliendaal from 09:00h.

The track and field events will continue on a daily basis from Tuesday for the remainder of the week at the Leonora venue with action starting at 09:00hrs.

MoE/GTU 57th National Schools Cycling, Swimming & Track & Field Championships

From left: Deshauna Skeete of District 10 along with teammates Daniel Williams and Chantoba Bright

Jamaica halt Green Machine’s juggernaut

– but local ruggers still qualify for CAC Games

E Williams, Augusto strike Gold with 10K wins Rickie Williams reacts as he wins the 10K Road Race on Sunday (Michelangelo Jacobus Photo)

I

n the first event of the 57th National Schools Cycling, Swimming and Track and Field Championships on Sunday; the 10K Road Race, Rickie Williams of District 11 (North Georgetown) and Margaret Augusto of District 9 (Rupununi) struck gold.

Williams dominated the males race beating his nearest rival (Matthew McKenzie) by atleast 500 metres while 16-year-old Augusto participating in her first “Nationals” dispatched her competition also by a large gap.

Williams burst the tape in a time of 35 minutes 32 seconds and was followed by District 10’s (Upper Demerara/Kwakwani) McKenzie who clocked 36 minutes 20 seconds. Closing out the top three was Garvin Stephen of District 9 (Rupununi) who finished with a time of 36 minute 49 seconds.

Augusto sprinted on her way across the line in a time of 42 minutes 57 seconds to

claim gold. She was followed by District 10’s Sheama Tyrell who stopped the clock at 44 minutes 27 seconds. Takng bronze was Leyanna Charles (District 13) who crossed the finish line in 50 minutes 22 seconds.

The athletes started at Den Amstel, West Coast Demerara on the public road and made their way to the Synthetic Track at Leonora where they had to make lap before crossing the finish line.

The championships continues today with the cycling events at the inner circuit of the National Park from 07:00h while swimming will be hosted at the National Aquatic Center in Liliendaal from 09:00h.

The track and field events will continue on a daily basis from Tuesday for the remainder of the week at the Leonora venue with action starting at 09:00hrs. (Michelangelo Jacobus)

ight time Caribbean Rugby Sevens champions, Guyana’s Green Machine were dethroned

by Jamaica when they lost the Rugby Americas North (RAN) final 24-28 in Mexico City on Sunday.

Green Machine had played unbeaten in the two-day event until they stumbled upon their Caribbean rivals.

Based on reports from Mexico, Jamaica won with a final minute try. With the victory, Jamaica book their spot at the 2018 World Cup, Commonwealth Games and the Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC).

For the Guyana, the they will have to settle for a spot at the CAC Games and possibly Hong Kong Sevens.

In their first game of the tournament, the Dwayne Schroeder-led ‘Green Machine’ first disposed of the Cayman Islands 26 – 14, followed by a 28 - 21 win over Barbados.

Meanwhile in the women’s’ final match, they were hammered 0-36 by French Guiana. On a sad note, it is understood that Abioce Heywood is in coma after being hit during on her matches.

It is understood that Abioce Heywood is currently in a coma

The Guyanese women won two of their three games so far, while the men's side, the defending champions, are undefeated after two outings.

The male squad contained: Dwayne Schroeder (Capt.), Avery Corbin, Patrick King, Rondel McArthur, Jamal Angus, Lancelot Adonis, Rickford Cummings, Peabo Hamilton, Richard Staglon, Claudius Butts, Ronald Mayers, Dominic Lespierre.

Management:

John Lewis (Manager) Laurence Adonis (Coach) Philip Browne (Physio).

While the female consisted of Collette Hope (Capt.), Tricia Munroe, Alisha Mentore, Latoya Cordis, Cloetta Dublin, Kean Andrews, Mandy, Abioce Heywood, Sasha James, Shonette Mc Farlane, Sabola Gray, Cindy Fraser.

Management: Petal Adams (Manager), Theodore Henry (Coach), Abiola Blair (Physio).

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2017

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

guyanatimesgy.com

Athletes encouraged to “make their mark in history” Pg 23

– as 57th “Nationals” declared open Defending champions of the "Nationals", District 10 at the march past on Sunday

Green Machine fought hard to secure a world cup but Jamaica just pipped them in the end

Pg 23

Jamaica halt Green Machine’s juggernaut

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