Guyana Times, Friday June 05, 2019

Proposed changes to ganja law

Harmon urges P16 Magistrates to take note Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 3975

THE BEACON OF TRUTH FRIday, july 5, 2019

Money changer, teenage daughter gunned down during home invasion Page 11

Dead: Aaron Latchman, called “Star Boy”

Dead: Arriana Latchman

Opposition and President meeting

GECOM Chairman to be selected within days Page 3

…both sides to “hammer out” names …Opposition upholds 3-month election deadline

Woman chopped to death by cutlasswielding brother

…another sister, baby hospitalised

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WHAT'S INSIDE: Piracy attack CoI

Commission to collect evidence in Suriname – Harmon P14 Aurora Gold Mine strike

Workers on site being denied food, P17 shelter

Court denies Dr Balwant Singh Hospital's injunction P16 against “Melly Mel”

Rehabilitation work being done on P18 LindenLethem trail

Defying CCJ ruling

Jagdeo slams caretaker See story Govt for illegal on page 7 Page 2 “Cabinet” meetings

Man dies as truck turns turtle on Linden-Lethem trail Page 2

…porter, other occupants narrowly escape jaws of death, hospitalised

P18 Public Infrastructure Ministry prepares for spring tides in city

2 news

friday, JUly 5, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Man dies as truck turns turtle on Linden-Lethem trail …porter, other occupants narrowly escape jaws of death, hospitalised

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Georgetown resident was killed on Wednesday evening after the truck he was driving turned turtle in the vicinity of Devil Hill, LethemLinden trail.

The dead man has been identified as 35-year-old Anil Persaud of Norton Street, Lodge, Georgetown.

Based on information received, the porter of the truck, along with two oth-

er persons who were inside of the truck at the time of the accident, are said to have sustained minor injuries and were admitted at the Linden Public Hospital Complex, Region Ten, for

treatment.

Police preliminary investigations revealed that at about 14:00h, Persaud was driving the motor lorry bearing registration number BBC 9430 and upon reach-

The truck after the accident

ing the top of a hill, the trailer, which was loaded with logs, suddenly began to descend.

As this began to happen, Persaud attempted to change gears and direction but instead, the vehicle toppled downhill.

Although the porter and other occupants made it out of the wreckage, Persaud was said to have been pinned in the wrecked cabin for quite some time.

Nevertheless, he was pulled from the mangled cabin several hours later.

Commander of E Division (Linden/Kwakwani) Linden Lord told this publication that Persaud’s body was transported to the Linden Hospital Complex after which it would be taken to the Georgetown Public

Hospital Mortuary where a Post-Mortem Examination would be conducted.

Investigations into the fatal accident in ongoing.

In March last, Jomal Anthony— a porter—was crushed to death by a truck at the Kara Kara Toll Booth, Linden, Region Ten. It was reported that motor lorry GSS 1407 was proceeding along the roadway when it was alleged by the driver that the porter disembarked the lorry to pay toll fees.

He subsequently jumped up on the said lorry’s gas tank, situated on the left side of the lorry, whilst it was in motion. The porter reportedly lost his grip, causing him to fall between the lorry and trailer on to the roadway where he was run over by the trailer.

Woman chopped to death by cutlasswielding brother …another sister, baby hospitalised

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he village of Moruca, North West District (NWD) was left in a state of shock and disbelief as a brother went out of control and chopped one of his sisters to death, while leaving another sister and his 8-monthold niece hospitalized.

The dead woman has been identified as 50-yearold Cynthia Cozier of Yabakabra, Mariahaba Island, Moruca, while her sister, 25-year-old Beverly France and her baby sustained chops to their bodies.

France and her baby are reportedly being treated at the Suddie Public Hospital.

Based on reports received, at about 13:00h on Wednesday, the 28-year-old suspect of unsound mind and his siblings were involved in an argument at their home.

As the argument escalated, the suspect armed himself with a cutlass and attacked Cozier and France.

Cozier reportedly received most of the chops to her head and upper body.

The baby that was in the room when the man carried out the brutal attack was also chopped.

After the chopping

Dead: Cynthia Cozier

spree, the suspect made good his escape leaving the three injured in pools of blood. However, one of the sisters managed to raise an alarm and residents ran to their rescue.

The victims were rushed to Coomacka District Hospital but due to the severity of their injuries, they were referred to the Suddie Hospital, Region Two. They were admitted but Cozier succumbed at about 06:30h on Thursday morning.

France and her son’s conditions are said to be stable, while the Police are on the hunt for the suspect. Cozier’s body is at the Suddie Morgue awaiting a Post-Mortem Examination.

news

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friday, JUly 5, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

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

Friday, July 5 – 05:00h-06:30h and Saturday, July 6 – 05:30h-07:00h.

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Friday, July 5 – 05:45h-07:15h and Saturday, July 6 – 06:35h-08:05h.

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

WEATHER TODAY Thundery to light rain showers are expected throughout the day into the evening followed by cloudy conditions. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East South-easterly to North-easterly between 1.78 metres and 4.02 metres.

High Tide: 06:15h and 18:49h reaching maximum heights of 2.77 metres and 2.61 metres.

Low Tide: 12:19h reaching a minimum height of 0.45 metre.

WEDNESday, JULY 3, 2019

LOTTERY NUMBERS 03 18 20

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GECOM Chairman to be selected within days …both sides to “hammer out” names …Opposition upholds 3-month election deadline

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

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Opposition and President meeting

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

pposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo and President David Granger has made progress on the appointment of a new Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairman, which is expected to materialise within days.

This consensus was announced after a high-level meeting on Thursday at the Ministry of the Presidency.

Following the meeting the Opposition Leader told the media that both sides committed to having the appointment of a new GECOM chairman completed in the shortest time possible through smaller meetings.

“Both sides agreed, the President and I that this matter is so important that it should be settled in the matter of days.

We’re hoping that with good faith and negotiations on both sides, that we can resolve the matter of the new Chairman of GECOM within a matter of days.

Those were the President’s words,” Jagdeo expressed.

Article 161 (2) of the Constitution dictates that the Chairman “shall be a person who holds or who has held office as a judge of a court having unlimited jurisdiction in civil and criminal matters in some part of the Commonwealth or a court having jurisdiction in appeals from any such court or who is qualified to be appointed as any such judge, or any other fit and proper person, to be appointed by the President from a list of six persons, not unacceptable to the President, submitted by the Leader of the Opposition after meaningful consultation with the non-governmental political parties represented in the National Assembly.”

Jagdeo noted that while he has jurisdiction over the selection of these six names, the President will be allowed to make suggestions.

He contended that the list will entail some of the 18 nominees, which were rejected by the President in 2017.

“I will submit names and the President could initiate names. We are not averse to him suggesting names too but the con-

Opposition Jagdeo

Leader

Bharrat

stitutional responsibility to submit the six names is that of the Leader of the Opposition…I will start with a resubmission of the 18 names appropriately adjusted for people who may not want to have their names resubmitted. We’ll use those names as the starting point. Should we not agree on all six names coming from those 18, then we will be supplying additional names,” he stated.

The President had rejected the Opposition Leader’s choices and unilaterally appointed retired Justice James Patterson as the GECOM Chair. This led to a court battle which ended last month when the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) ruled that the appointment was done through a flawed process and in breach of the Constitution.

President

Meanwhile, President Granger, immediately after the meeting with Jagdeo said that the Government is acting in accordance with the decisions from the CCJ.

President David Granger

He agreed that the work of GECOM will accelerate under new stewardship.

“Until the GECOM Chairman is appointed, the work of the Commission will not be able to move ahead as quickly as possible. Earlier in the year, we said we were interested in credible elections. At the same time, we wanted to make sure that we operated on the basis of advice by the Chairman of the Commission itself. I met with the Chairman. I also met with the Leader of the Opposition to ensure that the Guyanese are given every assurance that everything is being done to implement the decisions of the Court,” Granger told the media.

Elections

As it relates to elections and House-to-House registration, another engagement will be scheduled to address concerns from both Government and Opposition.

According to Jagdeo, most importantly, “erroneous claims” by Government

officials about youths not being on the voters’ list should be discussed thoroughly. He maintained that continuous registration has been ongoing and a Claims and Objections period will produce a clean list.

“I said to him, if the concerns are genuine and we want to treat your concerns as expressed as genuine concerns about credible elections, where you indicated erroneously that the young people will not be on the list or the list will be flawed without House-toHouse registration. I would like to discuss at length to show you how we can have credible elections with just updating the list through Claims and Objections.”

The Opposition Leader also asserted that as pointed out to the President “we had four elections that were held on this same list.

In 2011, his party won the majority in Parliament. In 2015 he won the government on this list. They’ve held two local government elections on this very list and so they had no problems with the list before.”

While the date for elections was not discusses, the Opposition is sticking to the three-month deadline and any time further is seen as a delaying tactic.

“I believe that House-toHouse registration on their part is a ploy to delay the elections. They don’t want elections in three months and so they know going to house-to-house registration will mean elections next year,” he positioned.

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friday, JUly 5, 2019

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

Genuine and meaningful intention T

he much anticipated meeting between Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo and President David Granger has finally taken place, 10 days after the Caribbean Court of Justice had advised that the two parties meet to discuss the way forward for the selection of a new Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) chairman.

Thursday’s meeting was a welcoming sign for Guyana, as both leaders have agreed that a chairman for GECOM will be decided upon shortly.

Article 161 (2) of the Constitution states that “… the Chairman of the Elections Commission shall be a person who holds or who has held office as a judge of a court having unlimited jurisdiction in civil and criminal matters in some part of the Commonwealth or a court having jurisdiction in appeals from any such court or who is qualified to be appointed as any such judge, or any other fit and proper person…” It goes on to outline the process by which the Chairman is appointed, stating that the Chairman is “to be appointed by the President from a list of six persons, not unacceptable to the President, submitted by the Leader of the Opposition after meaningful consultation (between) political parties represented in the National Assembly”.

The ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) in the appointment of the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is without ambiguity; and so, while it is the Opposition Leader’s duty to submit the list of six persons, the mutually consensual position that Jagdeo and Granger have embarked upon to meet common grounds is also welcoming news. This position displays genuine and meaningful intention to derive practical solutions, given the delicate nature of Guyana’s political history.

“We are not averse to him (President) suggesting names too, but the constitutional responsibility to submit the six names is that of the Leader of the Opposition…I will start with a resubmission of the 18 names, appropriately adjusted for people who may not want to have their names resubmitted. We’ll use those names as the starting point.

Should we not agree on all six names coming from those 18, then we will be supplying additional names,” the Opposition Leader said following the meeting.

Both sides agreed also that the matter is of such importance that it should be settled in a matter of days.

Following the meeting, Jagdeo also said, “We’re hoping that, with good faith and negotiations on both sides, we can resolve the matter of the new Chairman of GECOM within a matter of days. Those were the President’s words.”

But while there finally seems to be good faith position on the GECOM chairmanship issue, the Government continues to defy the CCJ ruling that it had fallen and there is no longer a Cabinet.

In simple and clear language, the court declared that the NCM was properly passed and Article 106 (6) of the Constitution, which states: “The Cabinet including the President shall resign if the Government is defeated by the vote of a majority of all the elected members of the National Assembly on a vote of confidence” must now take effect.

However, in what was surmised as a surprise announcement on Tuesday, ‘Cabinet’ approved the removal of custodial sentences for persons found in possession of small amounts of marijuana. This led to questions being asked as to the status of acceptance of the CCJ ruling, since ‘Cabinet’ by law is supposed to have resigned after the Government was defeated.

The expectation is for the President to act above the fray of party politics and to endeavour to meaningfully engage necessary stakeholders to find consensus on all national issues. Many are convinced that, during his tenure, he missed opportunities to step above the fray in dealing with national concerns. Complying fully – not conveniently – with the CCJ ruling will be a good place to start.

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump arrive as massive crowds gathered at the Lincoln Memorial and on the National Mall for America’s Independence Day celebrations in Washington, DC, July 4, 2019 [Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images]

Venezuela’s rulers accused by UN of death squads and policy of fear

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he United Nations has accused Venezuela of a strategy of instilling fear in its population to retain power, removing opponents with a “shocking” number of alleged extrajudicial killings.

Victims are arrested and shot, with crime scenes manipulated to suggest they resisted Police, a report says.

The UN urges Venezuela to end the “grave violations of economic, social, civil, political and cultural rights”.

President Nicolás Maduro’s Administration has not yet officially responded to the report.

Venezuela has in the past dismissed human rights allegations as “lies”.

Maduro is locked in a political battle with Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó.

Guaidó, head of the country’s National Assembly, declared himself interim President in January and has the backing of more than 50 countries, including the US and most of Latin America. Maduro retains the loyalty of most of the military and important allies such as China and Russia.

Some four million people have fled Venezuela since 2015, according to the UN, amid a severe economic crisis that has resulted in high unemployment and chronic shortages of food and medicine.

The report is scheduled to be presented to the UN Human Rights Council today.

It is based on “558 interviews with victims and witnesses of human rights violations and the deteriorating economic situation” from January 2018 to May 2019.

Its most damning findings relate to the number of deaths the Venezuelan Government has ascribed to resisting arrest.

That figure for last year was 5287, with another 1569 up to May 19 this year.

Referring to these figures as “unusually” and “shockingly” high, the report says: “Information analysed

by Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights suggests many of these killings may constitute extrajudicial executions.”

The UN says witnesses reported how the Special Action Forces (FAES) “manipulated the crime scene and ev-

The Government is accused of neutralising opponents to remain in power

idence. They would plant arms and drugs and fire their weapons against the walls or in the air to suggest a confrontation and to show the victim had ‘resisted authority’”.

It adds that the UN “is concerned the authorities may be using FAES and other security forces as an instrument to instil fear in the population and to maintain social control”.

The BBC’s Imogen Foulkes in Geneva says the report paints a dark picture of Venezuela, in which unmarked black vans arrive in poor neighbourhoods, masked officers get out, round up young men, and shoot them.

The lengthy report also covers areas such as economic and social rights, and social programmes and policies.

Problems of access to justice – which the report says the Government has asked for help with – are also tackled.

A separate section covers the rights of Indigenous people, and migrants and refugees.

The UN concludes it believes “there are reasonable grounds to believe that grave violations of economic and social rights, including the rights to food and health, have been committed in Venezuela”.

On accusations of torture, it says detainees have been subjected to “one or more forms of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including electric shocks, suffocation with plastic bags, water boarding, beatings, sexual violence, water and food

deprivation, stress positions and exposure to extreme temperatures”.

Wasn’t there a recent high-profile case?

Yes. A navy captain arrested over an alleged plot to assassinate President Maduro died in custody with his lawyer alleging it was as a result of torture.

The death sparked outrage, coming just days after the visit to Venezuela

by UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet.

Local media say the official autopsy reported that the body of Rafael Acosta, 49, had showed signs of having been subjected to extreme force, had been starved of oxygen and had suffered severe beatings and electrocution.

Two men, Lieutenant Ascanio Tarascio and Sergeant Estiben Zarate have been charged with murder.

President Maduro has intensified a crackdown on the Opposition since a failed military uprising against him in April led by Guaidó.

Since the failed rebellion, described

by Maduro as part of a US-orchestrated coup, many Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) have lost their parliamentary immunity and some have been arrested.

While Guaidó’s parliamentary immunity has been lifted, he has so far not been jailed, even though he recently said he did not rule out the use of military force to oust Maduro from power.

(BBC News)

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friday, JUly 5, 2019

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You can send your letters with pictures to: Guyana Times, Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, Guyana or letters@guyanatimesgy.com

Grades are important, so is mental health Dear Editor, Common Entrance results were released recently. We are once again in the periodical summer where an eleven or twelve-year-old may be ecstatic and zealous or unhappy and depressed.

I’ve recently found out that for Common Entrance Examinations only 130 seats are available for Queen’s College (QC). That means that out of 14,000 students, only 130 students will get QC. That’s only 0.929 per cent. Let that sink in for a

moment. Less than one per cent of students who wrote Common Entrance will get into QC. Harvard University does not have those odds, neither does Oxford nor Cambridge.

When I was 11 years old, my parents worked with me throughout one year in order to prepare me for Common Entrance Examinations.

My father and I, every night during the weekdays, would study Mathematics and English, and my mother and I on the weekends would do the other subjects. I had all

the resources: the past papers, the textbooks, etc...

I even went to one of the best private primary schools and I worked really hard.

Despite all of that I did not get QC. I have done CXC, A-levels and written law exams and I have never been as nervous for any of those exams as I was for Common Entrance.

I did not want to disappoint my parents nor family because I felt everyone wanted and expected that I would get QC. That’s a lot of pressure on any boy or girl.

Conduct fair, unbiased investigation into recent death in Police lock-ups

Dear Editor, I am extremely disturbed at the increasing amount of our citizens who are dying or suffering serious and debilitating injuries while in Police custody.

Thirty-nine-yearold Lalbachan Bachan of Maria’s Lodge, Essequibo Coast, was the latest victim.

A young, strong man arrested for driving under the influence and died while in Police custody.

His young children are now fatherless and the breadwinner of the family has passed. People’s lives have been turned upside down.

The authorities seem to not be taking this most gross violation of people’s human rights into account. Hardly anyone ever gets punished for these terrible violations and abuse.

In some ways, this is a reflection of what is happening at the highest level of Government. The abuse of power is seeping down to all levels of the administration.

The Police force is a very important institution in any society. If people feel abused by those who are charged with the responsibility to protect them and they lose confidence in the Force, then we can decent into lawless-

ness.

I, therefore, urge the leadership of the Police to immediately do a fair and unbiased investigation and punish those responsible for the death of Lallbachan Bachan. We must halt this trend before it consumes us all.

I extend my deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Mr Bachan. I also express my condolences to the people of the Essequibo Coast.

Yours sincerely, Donald Ramotar Former President

I, as an 11-year-old, felt that if I didn’t get QC it was the end of the world. My life was over! I thought that if I didn’t get QC, I wouldn’t be a good lawyer because my father went to QC and to be a good lawyer you need to go to QC. That’s the deductive reasoning of an eleven-yearold. Parents need to remind their children that if they don’t get QC, it’s not the end of the world. If they continue to work hard and stay disciplined, they will achieve

great things.

A vast number of professionals who are leaders in their respective fields did not get QC. I cannot list everyone because the number is so vast but I shall list a few. The former Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Carl Singh, did not get QC. The former Chief, Justice Ian Chang SC, did not get QC. Guyana’s only neurosurgeon, Dr Amarnauth Dukhi, did not get QC. Business tycoon Dr Yesu Persaud did

not get QC. In light of what I mentioned, I wish to congratulate all of those students who did the Common Entrance Examinations and worked hard; and to encourage them to continue to work hard. If you didn’t get QC, it’s not the end of the world!

Continue to work hard and be disciplined and you will do great in life!

Yours sincerely, Mikel Puran

Congratulations on doing well!

Dear Editor, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate those who did well in their exams. While Stabroek News Online report “Grade Six results still poor in key areas (SN Online, 4th July 2019) highlighted the fact Mathematics fared well while there were failings in the “other” subjects. As I see it, the real problem is not the “other” subjects per se.

The very fact that Guyanese are not educated to a higher standard of ENGLISH is the reason for

T

the failings in “other” subjects, as you need a good grounding in ENGLISH to understand the “other” subjects. Most textbooks in Guyana are written in ENGLISH. You can cherish your CREOLESE DIALECT if you want but Guyanese need to be educated at a higher standard in ENGLISH to pass the “other” subjects.

It would be unwise to ask someone fluent in Creolese to write Social Studies exams in English, unless they are fluent in ENGLISH;

hence, the failings in the “other” subjects. I am not against Creolese; I am against using valuable resources to promote Creolese when these resources can be better utilized to promote a higher standard of English so that pupils can pass the “other” subjects.

For those who did not do so well, the fault is not yours. It is the educational system in Guyana.

Yours faithfully, Sean Ori

Correction

he Guyana Times apologises for a misprint in the Thursday, July 4, 2019 edition under the headline “Graham’s Hall, CV Nunes top NGSA 2019”. Sarah Johnson was incorrectly identified as Ruth Larson in one of the photo captions. This publication apologises for any inconvenience caused.

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By Sophie Henshaw, DPsych

D

isappointment is an emotion that many of have a difficult time understanding and managing. For instance, when your favourite sports team loses the championship game, it can be a bitter blow indeed.

With this kind of disappointment – and even more serious ones – I suggest that there are five steps to follow: 1. Manage emotion 2. Don’t take it personally 3. Review expectations 4. Take a big picture perspective 5. Try again – or try another tack Let’s explore these five steps on how to cope with disappointment below.

Manage emotion

This step would be number one when dealing with any difficult and perhaps unexpected life circumstances. You need to experience your emotional reaction to the event. It’s important to let yourself feel so that you can figure out what the event means to you.

Don’t be tempted to make any important decisions at this point or even to take action on your feelings. It may be a few hours or a few days before you reach a calmer state of mind; when you do, only then should you act.

Foundation

say that we deserved it, or attracted it to ourselves or were not “good enough” to have a different outcome. The reality is, life will simply do what it does, whether you are there or not.

When you take something personally, it unnecessarily narrows your point of view and prevents the acquiring of wisdom, which is an ability to see life from a deeper, broader, more meaningful perspective. Instead of making it “all about me”, allow yourself to “not know” by reminding yourself: “I don’t know, I don’t know.”

That way you can be available to a real understanding of an event when it arises and not one you just made up for the sake of expedience. You

yourself and life but not within the time limits you set. Remember just to wait. When it comes to insight, impatience is not your friend.

Review expectations

When you take a good look at your expectations, you will be getting closer to a true understanding of the event.

Perhaps your expectations were unrealistic. Perhaps they could be adjusted a little to cope with this new reality.

Either way, now is the time to question whether these expectations actually serve you.

Take a big picture perspective

The ability to self-reflect is the essence of good mental health. Take some time to explore what is happening for you around this event – what it means to you and what it has taught you about life. Talking to a therapist, someone who really listens and has your best interests at heart, is useful.

It can help you recover, re-evaluate, gain insight and clarity that will surprise you and make you feel better.

Try again or try another tack

Having followed these steps, it’s now time to make an important decision about what to do next and how to take action. If you genuinely think it’s possible to succeed by trying again, then by all means have a go. Alternatively, the wisest course of action might be to try another tack. With greater powers of self-reflection, a deeper understanding and newfound resources in dealing effectively with disappointment, you are now more likely to experience success.

Don’t take it personally

So many of us are all too ready to attribute negative life

(psychcentral.com)

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verybody worries. Grown-ups do it and kids do it, too. But what should you do about it?

Whether your worries are big or small, you can take these three steps: Try to figure out what you’re worried about.

Think about ways to make the situation better.

Ask for help.

Figure it out

Sometimes, you will know exactly what you’re worried about. Other times, you might not know exactly what’s bugging you. Let’s say you’re worried about a teacher who seems mean. But maybe what’s really bothering you is that you’re having trouble with math. If you get some help with math, that teacher might seem just fine.

Some problems, like family problems, are big and have a lot of parts. That can make it tough to zero in what the problem is or to pick one part of the problem to try to solve. But being able to focus on your problem – or at least part of it – is the first step to taking action. If you’re having trouble figuring out what worries you, skip to Step 3 and get some help from a parent or another person you trust.

Think of ways to make it better

There is almost always something you can do to help you feel less worried. Sitting there worrying is no fun and it probably won’t solve your problem. But switching to an action mode can help you feel more hopeful.

Grades at school are often a top worry for kids. If that’s your concern, ask yourself these questions: Why are grades important? What do they mean to me?

Do I have a good place to do my homework?

Have I tried different ways of studying, such as rewriting notes, using flashcards, and working with a study buddy?

If your worry is about a fight you had with a friend, you might write down all the actions you could take – from writing the friend a note to inviting him or her over for a game of basketball. Should you apologise for whatever happened between the two of you?

Once you have a list of possible actions, you can select the one you think is most likely to get your friendship back on track.

But what if you can’t think of anything to do to make your particular problem better? Then it’s time to jump to Step 3 (it’s the next step anyway) and ask someone for help.

3. Ask for help

Worrying can make you feel lonely. When you’re worried, it can help to find someone to talk to.

Sometimes people say, “Why should I bother? He/she can’t do anything about it.” But here are two reasons to give it a shot anyway: You don’t know for sure that no one can help until you share your feelings and let the person try to help.

Just the act of telling someone what’s bothering you can make you feel a little better. Afterward, you are no longer alone with your worries and whomever you told (parent, sister, brother, friend, counsellor) is now is thinking about ways to help you.

A final word about worry

Did you know worry is not all bad? If you weren’t worried about getting sunburned, you might not wear your sunscreen.

But some kids worry so much that it keeps them from doing the stuff they need and want to do. If that sounds like you, you know what to do by now: Turn to good old Step 3 and ask someone for help. (kidshealth.org) events to our own personal failings. We

may eventually discover more about

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friday, JUly 5, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Defying CCJ ruling

Jagdeo slams caretaker Govt for illegal “Cabinet” meetings I

n yet another move, which was considered to be in flagrant disregard of the Constitution of Guyana, President David Granger and his Government ministers have been meeting for their weekly Cabinet sessions.

During these meetings, they were proposing legislative amendments and approving the award of multi-million-dollar contracts.

Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency Joseph Harmon hosted a post-Cabinet press briefing on Thursday, where he updated the press on decisions the Government has taken. But Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, during a subsequent press conference, slammed to the Government for defying the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) ruling.

“When Harmon spoke there, he was speaking on behalf of an illegal Government … the Cabinet stood re-

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

signed … They had accepted that before, they said they were not meeting except by plenary but now they have reversed even that position,” Jagdeo outlined.

When the Government mounted its first legal challenge against the No-Confidence Motion in the High Court, Chief Justice Roxanne GeorgeWiltshire had ruled that the Government was defeated.

The coalition accepted this ruling and stopped meeting as a Cabinet, in keeping with the Guyana Constitution.

However, now that the CCJ has handed down a ruling, upholding the High Court’s ruling, the coalition administration is refusing to comply.

According to Harmon, the CCJ, in its ruling, did not say that Cabinet should stop meeting.

“We have seen nothing in the ruling of the CCJ that says the Cabinet should not meet,” Harmon told reporters when asked about the issue.

However, the CCJ ruled that the Government was defeated by the NoConfidence Motion on December 21, 2018 – giving effect to Article 106 of the Constitution which stipulates that “The cabinet including the president shall resign if the government is defeated by the vote of a majority of all the elected members of the national as-

Ministry of the Presidency Director General, Joseph Harmon

sembly on a motion of confidence.”

In fact, CCJ Justice Adrian Saunders had explained that elections ought to have already been held since March 21, 2019 – in keeping with the Constitution.

But Harmon contended that he will await on the CCJ’s consequential orders for clarity. The CCJ is expected to hand down conse-

quential orders on July 12, outlining how the country should proceed in these circumstances.

Until then, Harmon says the Government will continue business as usual.

However, the Opposition Leader said this posture adopted by the Government is unconstitutional. He argued that the Guyana Constitution provides for the Government to stay in office three months after the Cabinet resigns only for the purpose of calling elections. “…not to sign contracts, not to use money on ministerial perks and outreaches, not to do all the things they are doing now, all of those are illegal,” Jagdeo posited.

This is not the first act of defiance exhibited by the coalition administration with regard to the Guyana Constitution and the CCJ ruling.

In fact, on the very day of the ruling, Finance Minister Winston Jordan told an outreach in Bartica, Region

Seven, that there will be House-to-House registration, regardless of what the CCJ ruled.

“And CCJ or no CCJ, they can’t tell us that we must tinker with that list to call an improper election,” Jordan had said.

The very next day, President Granger himself declared that the process he used to appoint Justice James Patterson as the GECOM Chairman was not flawed – even though the CCJ ruled that it was.

Furthermore, Minister of State Dawn HastingsWilliams, during a protest for House-to-House registration, claimed that the CCJ cannot tell Guyana what to do.

“GECOM is the only authoritative body that will inform the Government whether they’re ready or not for elections. CCJ cannot rule; Guyana has its own institution. Guyana is an independent country with its own independent laws”.

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Sophia man to face Vendor granted jury for raping bail for 22 grams 15-year-old of cannabis

A

Aduke Josiah

duke Josiah, who is currently out on $300,000 bail, was on Thursday committed to stand trial at the High Court before a judge and jury for raping a child under the age of 16.

The 34-year-old man of Plum Park, Sophia, Greater Georgetown stood before Principal Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, where he was told that the court was provided with sufficient evidence and as such, the matter would be

A

Akeem North

sent to the High Court for trial.

The indictable charge stated that on August 8, 2018, at Plum Park, Sophia, he engaged in sexual activity with a child under the age of 16.

On the day in question, the teen was at home alone when Josiah forced his way into her room and had sexual intercourse with her. The girl later told her parents what transpired and a report was made to the Police. The defendant was subsequently arrested and charged.

vendor was on Thursday granted bail in the sum of $40,000 by Magistrate Faith McGusty on a possession of narcotics charge.

Twenty-eight-year-old Akeem North pleaded not guilty to the charge which stated that on July 2, 2019 at Stabroek, Georgetown, he had 22 grams of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.

His Attorney told the court that the illicit substance was not found on his client, but rather on the ground. He indicated that

his client was not the only person around when the ranks carried out the search.

He continued by requesting bail be granted in a reasonable sum to his client.

Police Prosecutor Annalisa Brummel did not object to bail; however, she asked that conditions be applied if bail was granted. As such, bail was granted and the defendant was ordered to lodge his passport and report to the Brickdam Police Station every Monday until the conclusion of the matter.

Moving on…

W

…or standing still? e just had a peek at the latest bunch of young’uns moving from primary school to secondary but, sadly, not a single thing seems to’ve changed. By and large, more than half of the 14,000+ who wrote the NGSA couldn’t score 50% of the marks in the basic subjects of Maths, Science and Social Studies. In English, the pass rate was 57.4% - a dip from last year’s 60.6%.

And you, gentle readers, would know that your Eyewitness’s pet peeve is that while we’re all excited by the amazing performances of the top 10 - and even the top 1% - not a tear was shed for the bottom half, who’re seen as “losers”, and will soon see themselves as such. Your Eyewitness isn’t too het up by the 39% pass rate at Social Studies; God knows that’s one curriculum that needs a serious makeover. Why should 11-year-olds have to know the names of the Ministers in the Government – especially now that Granger has expanded their number to 30+??

Isn’t that cruel and inhuman treatment?

After an abysmal showing in English some years ago, the Ministry of Education (MoE) made a big push and inched up the pass rate. This year, the push was on in Maths, and while the latter saw some improvement (42% now got more than 50% of the marks for a “pass”!!) the performance in English dropped by a corresponding number. Could it be that the brains of most kids can take about only a certain amount of information, so that as one area expands, another contracts?? Like squeezing a balloon?

Frankly, your Eyewitness really believes too much useless stuff’s being crammed into our children’s heads, and at too early an age. Remember these kids were already tested and scored in Grade 2 and Grade 4, and those marks were added to the Grade 6 marks!! It’s all rote learning, and if you read the interviews of the top flyers, you’ll see that, in addition to being in school from 8am to 5pm daily, they had extra lessons plus coaching with dedicated mothers and fathers. That’s a whole lot of cramming!

But back to the bottom 50%. And inordinate number of these are from hinterland and rural schools; for example, Region 1 couldn’t get a single pupil to qualify for the five “premier schools” in Georgetown. And that’s the clue right there, isn’t it? The primary schools in the rural and hinterland areas are as “un-premier” as the secondary schools – with less qualified teachers and substandard facilities. There is also the question of the relevance of the curriculum to their lives.

Georgetown is still Guyana!! …with the campaign The PNC-led coalition is in full campaign mode – as they’ve been since the NCM vote last December. While some believe their delaying tactics in the High, Appellate and CCJ Courts since then are designed to get their rigging apparatus in place, it’s also clear that they don’t want to rig too heavily; hence the their full court press electorate of the electorate, on Government time and funds. Their latest foray was described by the Chronic when three wellgarlanded Ministers were shown and described, promising the residents of BV-Triumph the sun and the moon. It wasn’t coincidental that the Government slate got a run for their money from some independents in BV. The PNC’s following “Campaigning 101” by focusing on the fence-sitters.

But now that the Cabinet and President stands resigned, and the Government must just ensure that services are upkept, what about the Caretaker Convention on state funds not being used for campaigning? The PNC, of course, will blithely proceed as if their status hasn’t changed.

Hope the non-governmental parties propose a stoporder to the CCJ! …with a new WI? Your Eyewitness is of the firm belief that all good things come to an end. Problem is, when the “good thing” is a human being, they just can’t accept it.

Chris Gayle shouldn’t be allowed to play on against India.

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

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“Call the Police” – Jagdeo challenges Benn on land documents deed persons sympathetic to the PPP administration got lands but he noted so did persons from the then PNCled opposition as well. He explained that apart from the fact that there was not a No-Confidence Motion lingering over the former regime, his party, during its tenure, managed to develop over 100,000 new house lots from scratch to distribute.

The coalition Government, he noted on the other hand,

O

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

pposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo is challenging Commissioner of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GL&SC) Trevor Benn to bring in the Police over recent revelations of documents that show massive giveaways of prime lands across the country.

Last week, Jagdeo made several disclosures at his weekly press conference by producing several maps to show allocations of prime lands to persons with connections to the Government.

The following day, however, Benn indicated that he will be calling in the Police to probe how those documents got into the hands of the Opposition Leader.

Jagdeo, picking up on the threat, told the media on Thursday that he welcomed the investigation but warned that the tables will turn.

“If the Police have to investigate anything, they should be investigating Trevor Benn and how many files he has taken of individuals personally, and the staff knows (about it). I will get some of the staff to go to Court to speak about it because they know what’s going on. They’re upset and many of them are resigning.

I’m daring him to do this,” the Opposition Leader stated.

According to Jagdeo, Benn never sought to dispute the land giveaways but seemed to be more concerned about how the documents were released.

“So effectively, he’s saying that those maps are public property, you can walk in and buy them from Lands and Surveys but Jagdeo got them so they’re stolen.

That’s the big concern of his, not whether the maps are fake…where did they refute us,” the Opposition Leader questioned.

Furthermore, Jagdeo went on to dismiss claims by the GL&SC Head that he is in possession of thousands of acres of leased land. He pointed out that it is ridiculous that Benn would make such a claim, noting that since the CEO has access to all the information, then he should produce the evidence of this.

“I would like Benn to do what I did and released all the maps of the thousands of acres I own. Everything that I own, it gets declared to the Integrity Commission

and I’ve done so from 2000 until I left office and then from recently again… If this Government finds one bit of anything that is not declared there, they can charge me and I go to jail for a year… So let Benn, the onus is on him since he made the charge, he should do that too; it’s at his disposal,” Jagdeo contended.

Responding to comments made following his revelations last week that it was a racist attack, the Opposition Leader explained that the is not about race but cronyism.

He noted that President David Granger is constantly given a free pass in every corruption matter that his administration is involved and this recent issue is a clear indication of that.

Jagdeo pointed out that four top officials within the Ministry of the Presidency, which falls under the preview of the Head of State, are beneficiaries of large-scale tracts of prime properties and as such, the President must answer to this.

According to the Opposition Leader, the racism issue was only raised in a failed attempt to cover up this large-scale corruption. In fact, he noted that over the years, the PPP has consistently been outspoken against acts of corruption by many “cronies” of the coalition Government who are of Indian descent but there were never any such racism accusations raised.

“So how come it was not about race at that time when we pointed out there were big cronies, of different races, who were benefiting from this Government… But suddenly because we mentioned four persons who are working close to the office of the President, and they are beneficiaries of land and because they are AfroGuyanese, we become racist.

“But this is not about race, this is about cronyism. Regardless of your race, there are people connected... I mentioned those connected to Granger’s office because there’s a pattern of behaviour… It’s important that we deal with the illegality whether it’s happening under the PPP or APNU….

That’s why we said we don’t have any problems with the investigation,” the Opposition Leader noted.

Meanwhile, when asked about the lands that were leased by the PPP administration, the Opposition Leader admitted that in-

Commissioner Trevor Benn

has not developed a single land.

Furthermore, Jagdeo outlined too that while lands were given out by the PPP, never in the 23 years in office were any prime lands, such as proposed location for the deep-water harbour projects, handed out.

“You check if we’ve given out to political people, these prime locations for deep water harbours. We never give the river to any

PPP person, the whole river you give out; up to the middle of the Demerara River.

So any time your boat drifts past the middle of the river to the western bank, you’re in private property… This is obscene, you take the prime location just as you’re in a situation where you’re about to lose power and then you hand it out to people who’re connected directly to the politicians,” he asserted.

TURN TO PAGE 16

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NEWS

S RAIGHT A

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Money changer, teenage daughter gunned down during home invasion

Will Mr Granger rise to the occasion this time?

By: Sase Singh, MSc – Finance, ACCA

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ne of America’s most famous Jurists, Antonin Scalia (1936-2016,) wrote in the University of Chicago Law Review that in a democratic system, “the rule of law has a special claim to preference since it is the normal product of that branch of government most responsive to the people”. He meant the Executive. What I gather from that academic journal was that there is no dichotomy between the rule of law and personal discretion. However, it seems from Mr David Granger’s action that he is of the predisposition that he is not a creature of the Constitution, and that he is above the law.

This business of the appointment of a GECOM Chairman confirms this character trait. From all appearances, he operates as if he can do what he wants whenever he wants and however he wants, and still have the audacity to claim the title that “I am a good man”. But good men with high integrity do not operate like this, Mr Granger.

This appointment of an unfit GECOM Chairman in 2017 left a bitter taste in the mouths of many. It was a timely reminder of the actions of two Executive Presidents (Burnham and Hoyte) who abrogated the Constitution to facilitate the theft of elections between 1968 and 1985. Are we on that road again with Mr Granger? The CCJ found that the process was flawed, but yet Mr Granger claims he was following the Constitution, although the evidence is there to prove that the spirit and intent of Article 161 was not being followed.

But, to emboss this illegality, one Mr Ramjattan (then Chairman of the AFC), now proposed Prime Ministerial Candidate for the PNC led Coalition on October 19, 2017, said: “I, Khemraj Ramjattan, support what the President did” (referring to the unilateral appointment of Mr Patterson). Fortunately, the AFC woke up, and is today calling for the appointment of the new GECOM Chairman within 2 weeks. I foresee a political collision in the Coalition, since this new AFC position is a clear deviation from Mr Granger’s style of taking as long as 44 weeks the last time to do a simple job of picking the best of six names.

Finally, it must be noted that Mr Bharrat Jagdeo, in these challenging times, illustrated his willingness to bring swift resolution to this business by committing to meeting with Mr Granger every single day until a new GECOM Chairman is appointed. Unfortunately, the process started off with a bad omen; a dirty untruth. When asked by the CCJ why the PNC and the PPP have not been able to meet, Mr Basil Williams rose and said, on June 24, 2019, that Mr Granger has written a letter to Mr Jagdeo “for them to have a meeting on relevant matters connected with these cases”. Mr Williams further told the CCJ that “they (Jagdeo/Granger) have not met as yet” since Mr Jagdeo has not yet “indicated any time, or provided any response” to Mr Granger.

This is what the letter from Mr Joseph Harmon on behalf of Mr Granger said, and I quote: “Mr. Granger invites you to meet with him at the Ministry of the Presidency at a time convenient to yourself, AFTER MONDAY JUNE 24, 2019” to discuss “the current political situation resulted from the decisions of the CCJ made on Tuesday, June 18, 2019, and the Consequential Orders which will be made on Monday, June 24, 2019”. Pick sense from nonsense – isn’t Mr Granger asking to meet AFTER JUNE 24, 2019, not before or on that date?

However, on June 24, 2019, Mr Basil Williams sought to project the image that Mr Jagdeo is yet to respond. Does Mr Williams understand the English definition of the word “AFTER”? Let me volunteer to help him. The word “AFTER” is a Germanic word that is closely linked to the Dutch word “achter”, meaning “behind”. In the final analysis, Mr Granger intimated to Mr Jagdeo that behind (after) the conclusion of the hearings on the CCJ Consequential Orders, he would like to meet Mr Jagdeo.

That means any time after 12 midnight on June 24, 2019.

Writing on behalf of Mr Jagdeo, Ms. Gail Teixeira responded that he “is prepared to meet with Mr Granger “at any time, and on a daily basis if need be, to address the appointment of a new Chairman of GECOM”.

So, while Mr Granger asks to meet on the CCJ decisions, Mr Jagdeo’s responded with a surgical focus that he wants to meet exclusively on one matter only: the appointment of a new GECOM Chairman.

In a rational environment, at most this business can be concluded in 1 day, since Mr Jagdeo has already concluded his consultations with the stakeholders on 18 names. In that pool, there are enough first rated people to select 6 suitable names. But will Mr Granger to the occasionatand do the honourable thing?

Please sharerise your thoughts sasesin1@yahoo.com.

n America Street money changer and his teenage daughter were on Thursday shot dead by two armed bandits who invaded their property.

Aaron Latchman, called “Star Boy”, and his 18-yearold daughter, Arriana Latchman, of Lot 58 Robert Street North, Better Hope, East Coast Demerara (ECD), were pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital just after 17:00h. Based on information received, the now dead man was attacked as he arrived home at approximately 15:30h.

It is believed that the two gunmen were in the man’s yard when he drove up in his motor car. As Latchman exited his car, he was immediately held at gunpoint. His daughter was with him at the time.

The man and his daughter were taken to the upper flat of the house, where the bandits might have demanded money. At the hospital, a neighbour told Guyana Times that he heard three gunshots emanating from the upper flat of the house. It is believed that after the bandits were handed a bag containing a large sum of money, they shot and killed the teenager.

The man further stated that soon after the gunshots, they saw the now dead man being escorted into the yard by the armed men.

Shortly after, another gunshot rang out, this time Latchman was shot to the upper left side of his chest. He fell in the yard and was left in a pool of blood.

The two gunmen then quickly ran out of the yard and boarded a white Toyota Carina 212 motor car, which was parked some distance away.

“Apparently like they traced he before, because they went in the yard waiting, is every day he does come home the same time. They bring he downstairs and they shoot he in the yard and left he right there,” neighbour revealed.

According to the neighbour, as the men ran, money fell from the bag they were carrying.

A brother-in-law of the now dead man told this publication that he was on his cycle when he heard the gunshots.

“I just came home, and I went over to another neighbour to borrow two razor blade and I hear a knocking on the fence, but I say, man, must be the neighbour so I ignored it. But when I ride off now, I hear somebody seh somebody in Aaron yard, so I tun back my bike now and that’s when I hear bam! Bam! (making gunshot sounds) and then I see two men running at the head of the street; I can’t say how much of them, but I only saw two,” the man recounted in disbelief.

He indicated that he quickly ran over to lend assistance, breaking a padlock

to gain access to the yard.

“So me and some others went over, we had to break the padlock for the gate and

when we reach in, we see “Star Boy” lay down on the ground and I run upstairs: now, I see he big daughter

sprawled pon the ground, I couldn’t watch at them, because didn’t feeling good,” the man explained.

The now dead man’s wife – an employee of the Dr Balwant Singh Hospital –and his younger daughter were not at home at the time of the incident.

At the hospital, the family were all seen in a distraught state, clinging to each other as they mourned.

Up to press time, no arrest had been made for the robbery-murder; however, investigations are continuing.

(Kizzy Coleman)

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Piracy attack CoI

Commission to collect evidence in Suriname – Harmon T

he recently launched Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the piracy attack on Guyanese fishermen last year will be required to travel to Suriname for to collect evidence and other pertinent information for their final report.

The Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon, explained during a post-Cabinet briefing on Thursday that the CoI will be completed in two months. Relatives of the deceased men will be needed to share pertinent information.

“The CoI has been given two months for completing its work. I cannot give the cost but I can say to you that it will require extensive interviews by family mem-

bers of the deceased. It will require the commission to travel to Suriname where the incident occurred and to take evidence where it is necessary,” Harmon posited.

On Tuesday, Dr Rishi Thakur was sworn in to lead the commission into the attack which occurred between April 27 and 28 2018.

Four fishing boats with a total crew of 20 were attacked during the two-day period. Five of the fishermen survived after being chopped and thrown into the ocean. The bodies of three of the missing men have since been recovered. Eleven are still missing and are believed to have also died.

Since the attack, Nakool Manohar called “Fyah”, the alleged mastermind of Number 43 Village,

Ministry of the Presidency Director General Joseph Harmon

Corentyne and his co-accused Premchand Persaud, aka ‘Sinbad’ were charged for the heinous crime.

Dr Thakur, who has the power to summon witnesses, will investigate and present the findings with respect to the piracy attack. More so, he will be tasked to deter-

Survivor Dhramdeo Persaud

mine the identities of those killed, the motive for the attack, and possible prosecution of those culpable.

While these persons were arrested, Harmon stated that the CoI will provide information to determine if responders fulfilled their responsibilities when the matter was reported. It can also determine how future matters of that nature are addressed.

“A Commission of Inquiry will speak towards the responses of elements

of the State to situations of this nature and what are the Standard Operating Procedures that are implied when a report is made and how do the agencies respond. It would also determine whether the responses have been adequate and will advise Government on the way which such matters should be dealt with in the future. If in fact there is a breakdown in the system, if there is something that should have been done that was not done, these are matters which the Commission of Inquiry will tell you”.

One of the survivors, Dhramdeo Persaud, called “Achie Boy”, told Guyana Times one year after the incident that he still has nightmares. Survivors of the attack had reported being burned with hot oil, attacked with cutlasses, and forced to jump overboard with anchors tied to their bodies at Wia Wia Bank just off the French Guiana Coast in the Atlantic Ocean.

Persaud received several chops to his right hand, both legs and his head before being told to jump into the cold water. He swam until he was rescued.

Meanwhile, Persaud cannot work since the attack during which he was chopped several times.

He has also not received any of the $100,000 which Government had promised to supervisors and relatives on the missing fishermen.

Since the attack, four bodies have been discovered. The bodies of Mohabir and Mahesh Sarajoo, also called “Cobra”, are the only two that have been positively identified after the deadly piracy attack.

One other body which was found in Surinamese waters is still to be identified via DNA testing while the body of Gowkarran Outal, also called “Gavin”, was found on the Number 63 Beach, Corentyne on May 10 and was positively identified by a tattoo on his chest.

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Proposed changes to ganja law

Harmon urges Magistrates to take note

Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon

T

he Coalition Government is now urging Magistrates to take notice of the proposed changes to the ganja law when imposing sentences in such matters.

Though the Bill is still in its preparatory stage, Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon on Thursday said that since Government’s decision on the matter is clear, that is that custodial sentences for persons found with 30 grams or below of marijua-

na cannot be incarcerated, all Magistrates in Guyana should take note.

“But in the interim, since it is clear what Government’s position is on this matter, I believe that there is some High Court ruling which says that Magistrates can take notice of situations like this and to exercise that discretion even now before the law becomes put into place so that it affects everybody. So I believe that it is something which our judiciary can take notice of, we are not saying that they have to do it but they can take notice of it and so the guidelines which they used for sentencing that this can be taken into consideration and the fact that the law is moving” Harmon said.

According to Harmon, since Guyana’s prisons are filled with people being penalized for petty possession offenses, the National Assembly is seeking to have the new Bill read as

quickly as possible.

“In the present system under the Anti-Narcotics and Psychotropic substances act, a magistrate does not have a discretion, once you are found guilty, they have to sentence you and so this is why many of our prisons are piled up with young men who could have been doing something a bit more beneficial to society but they are piled up in there because of this.

So we are hoping to have this matter dealt with in the National Assembly as quickly as possible…”

Harmon assured.

The existing Narcotic

Drugs Act of 1988, which criminalizes marijuana use, does not have discretion when dealing with matters above a certain level. It mandates a threeyear jail sentence for persons caught with the substance.

Over the past few months however, several groups including politicians have called for the removal of custodial sentencing for small amounts of marijuana.

This had stemmed from the sentencing of a 27-year-old man to three years for having eight grams of cannabis in his

possession.

The AFC had called on all legislators to move with alacrity in upgrading the laws of Guyana to ensure that custodial sentences for small quantities of marijuana are removed from the books in their entirety.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo had also rallied around this proposal but maintained that he is not in favour of the legalisation of marijuana for commercial purposes.

Jagdeo is however now slamming contending that the move – at this point – is in breach of the Constitution and the Caribbean Chief Justice (CCJ) ruling.

According to the CCJ, the government should be in caretaker mode, since it was defeated by a no-confidence motion last year.

At his press conference held on Thursday, Jagdeo, insisted that an illegal cabinet cannot approve the removal of cus-

todial sentences for small amounts of marijuana.

“We made it clear at the beginning, we said that the PPP would allow a conscience vote on the matter, we put it in our 2015 manifesto…we have been urging them, they had a bill from 2015 in Parliament and we are now in 2019, and they didn’t find time to discuss any of it and to bring it forward but they find time to increase their salaries and perks by 50100% but now we are approaching elections suddenly marijuana become decriminalized” Jagdeo pointed.

The Opposition has already condemned this move, saying that it is illegal and an attempt to mislead the public.

Furthermore, the Opposition noted that the Coalition had four years to address the issue of removing custodial sentences for possession of small quantities of marijuana but failed to do so.

Court denies Dr Balwant Singh Hospital's injunction against “Melly Mel”

T

he High Court on Wednesday threw out a request by the Balwant Singh’s Hospital to prevent Women’s Rights and Social Activist, Melissa Atwell also known as “Melly Mel” from sharing horror stories of pregnant women who were patients at the private institution.

In addition, Justice Fidela Corbin also disallowed the Hospital’s request for the experiences shared by the activist be removed.

These were denied by the Judge on the grounds that the private medical institution failed to prove whether or not the stories shared on the social media platform were factual.

Atwell had a $100 million law suit filed against her for tarnishing the Hospital’s reputation via social media posts.

The applicants

Women’s rights and social activist Melissa Atwell

(Balwant Singh Hospital) through their lawyer, Devindra Kissoon made an application of injunction to the High Court against the Activist who is being represented by attorneys Sanjeev Datadin, Ganesh Hira, Donavon Rangiah and Anessa Chow.

The matter came up for hearing on Tuesday for the first time in the High Court.

“Call the Police” ...

At last week’s press conference, however, the GL&SC Head failed to address the giveaway of prime lands at strategic locations where there lies possibility to develop shore base facilities.

Jagdeo had disclosed that some 50 acres along the western foreshore of the Demerara River, as well

as 40 acres in the river itself— also toward the western side— were given away.

Nevertheless, the Opposition Leader went on to disclose that he was told that a lot of these persons who collected these large tracts of lands are just front persons and that the assets are being

The private health institution is suing for; libel damages for no less than $5 million; special damages for no less than $100,000 and aggravated and exemplary damages for no less than $5 million, all to be determined at a trial.

Atwell, has maintained her innocence, in addition, with promising to take actions against the applicant and the Guyana Police Force, for her wrongful detainment and harassment as she claims that posts made on her Facebook page can be proven, and her personal computer is still in police custody.

Based on the hospital’s claims, Atwell was questioned extensively about her social activism and locked up for over 12-hours without charges.

Atwell was placed on $200,000 station bail.

from PAGE 9

stashed for after elections for politicians in the coalition. Additionally, he revealed that since these disclosures last week, several businessmen have contacted persons close to him to get him to drop the issue. But Jagdeo is advising those persons to refrain from doing so.

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Aurora Gold Mine strike

Workers on site being denied food, shelter …Harmon hopeful Labour, company find common ground

Some of the workers were forced to sleep in heavy downpours

A

s almost 300 workers from the Guyana Goldfields company remain on strike, the workers at the Cuyuni -Mazaruni mining location are allegedly being denied food and shelter by the management.

The workers claimed that they were forced to remain in the overnight downpours after the gates were locked.

In a video seen by this publication on Thursday, the workers were forced to remain in the showers throughout the night and were overheard in a discussion with Human Resources Personnel over not being provided with food.

In addition, the workers inquired about the reason for them being blocked from accessing the company’s Wi-Fi— which is their only means of communication with their families in the city and coastal regions.

The workers downed tools since Monday because of concerns over another company taking control of its mining operation and as such, they may not be paid their severance packages among other issues.

Information reaching this publication is that the staff has been dissatisfied for several months with the unfair treatment being meted out to them by the management of the company.

Some staff members complained bitterly of the discrimination at the hands of the expatriates that the company recruited to hold top positions within the company.

A number of the staff members who reached out to Guyana Times complained of gross mistreatment by those foreigners.

They claim that at the company, only the foreigners have a say and local workers’ rights are trampled upon. This, they say, is the main reason why the company is opposed to having union representation for those workers.

“They have no regard for us locals working here.

Imagine they stopped us from using phone and internet during working hours and it’s unfair as we work so far from our families.

They bring foreigners and pay them a ton of money to do the work that folks here can do better and they come here feeling they’re superior and they treat us like crap.

We have no voice and can’t complain because the management is all for them,” one worker told this publication.

The workers also stated that they have no union representation but a Grievance Committee, headed by its very own Human Resource Manager, which had no interest in the rights and well-

being of workers.

“We as workers don’t have a voice here. The HR department don’t care about the welfare of locals only the foreigners,” the staff added.

The workers alleged that the expatriates dismissed staff at their whim and fantasy without benefits and there is nowhere to lodge complaints or to receive representation.

“These people just come here, trample upon us and do as they please to. They have the full support or management and we as the small man have no say and we do most of the work. A lot of discrimination goes on here and we are gagged,” the staff stated.

Meanwhile, Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency Joseph Harmon at his post-Cabinet press briefing Thursday told reporters that Department of Labour is working with Guyana Goldfields to address the issues affecting the workers that are on strike.

The Director General expressed hope that the company and Department of Labour find common ground so that the company can continue to work, produce and provide employment for the Guyana workers employed there.

Workers who were flown out from the mining site on Wednesday afternoon

met with the Junior Social Protection Minister responsible with labour, Keith Scott.

Minister Scott acknowledged the workers concerns about being unrepresented by a union. He gave the Government’s commitment to ensure workers get representation.

Another meeting was scheduled for Thursday with the Ministry, company and proposed union representatives but efforts to obtain an update on that meeting proved futile.

The workers may return to work temporarily as the parties seek to iron out the issues affecting them, Minister Scott had said.

The company, in a statement Wednesday, said that the misunderstanding concerned management and certain open pit contractors.

The company said that workers blocked the delivery of ore to its mill. It noted that with the exception of the underground decline, operations were suspended until a resolution could be reached with striking workers.

“The company is actively working along with its employees and adhering to applicable laws and regulations and is facilitating communication with the relevant Governmental labour authorities to understand

Workers demand Wi-Fi connections as the strike intensifies

and address employees’ concerns and to resolve the matter as quickly as possible,” it said in the statement.

“AGM has been examining options to improve mining performance in order to ensure Aurora’s long-term future. No decisions have

been made concerning any possible changes to the mining operation at this time…

The company is making arrangements to have the strikers meet with representatives of the Ministry of Labour to mediate the dispute,” the company added.

18 news

FRIday, juLY 5, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Public Infrastructure Ministry NGSA 2019 prepares for spring tides in city Children should improve performance …$163M spent by NDIA on drainage in all subjects – Chief Education Officer

A flooded section of Georgetown on Monday

T

he Public Infrastructure Ministry is currently undergoing drainage works in the capital city to ensure that floodwaters recede as the Ministry prepares for upcoming spring tides.

This is although some $163 million was spent in April by the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) to assist in reducing the occurrence of flooding.

Minister David Patterson, in an interview with Guyana Times on Wednesday, said this was one of his “important” projects.

“I am working to ensure my full drainage network (is up) to deal with the spring tides. I am working to ensure we have everything covered,”

the Minister stated.

According to him, the works that are being done are vital as the spring tides make it more difficult for accumulated water to recede.

“We have spring tides, so obviously the water is higher on the outside so it has a reduced time for us to drain off. So, we are doing (checks) with additional pumps to run off but it’s coming along quite good,” he reported.

The Minister added that some issues were encountered with two of the water pumps in Georgetown but those were resolved.

He informed that works are being done along Sussex and Commerce Street, Georgetown to ensure waters recede in a timely manner.

In the meantime,

Patterson assured that waters along the East and West Coast were draining perfectly. He said, “East Coast is draining perfectly and over the river is doing really well. Georgetown of course, the low-lying areas, they’re draining now but obviously the time period between the tides (is affecting it)”.

Patterson was keen to note that the exercise is not a costly one as pumps and other resources are being shifted around to benefit residents and commuters in the city.

In April, Guyana Times reported on the costly project undertaken by the NDIA to reduce flooding in Georgetown.

It was revealed that three high capacity mobile drainage pumps would be installed at Church Street, Sussex Street, and Ruimveldt to assist in reducing flooding.

The NDIA stated that the contracts have been approved for the cleaning of the city’s drainage channels, with manual cleaning operations totalling $71.9 million and mechanical cleaning operations totalling $91.6 million.

However, in May when the rainy season kicked in, several sections of the capital city were flooded despite the costly works.

G

uyana’s top performers at the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) were revealed on Wednesday, and the Education Ministry has commenced its analysis to better these grades next year.

Chief Education Officer Marcel Hutson explained that an overall improvement across all subjects would be ideal “We want to see our children improve in their performance overall in every subject area … We want to see a universal movement in all the subject areas. We have to make sure that we’re not focusing on [Mathematics and English] at the expense of others. That is something that is brought sharply into focus at this time,” Hutson said.

This position is critical, since only one subject area – Mathematics – recorded progress when compared to last year’s results. The other three areas – English, Science and Social Studies – saw a reduced number of students gaining 50 per cent or more.

It was explained that the Mathematics campaign which was previously im-

Rehabilitation work being done on Linden-Lethem trail

plemented in schools would be extended to other subject areas, and remedial programmes would continue for slow performers.

“We have always been cognisant of the fact that we need to have programmes to improve the performance of our children. I think the Mathematics camp has shown some positive results, because we have seen improved performance in all the regions. What is important for us to recognise are those subjects that are critical for us to matriculate. Our students have been consistently doing well, that is in English and Mathematics,” the Chief Education Officer said.

He added, “Remediation is something that our teachers have always been doing. We need to discover the weaknesses of our children and strategies that will help to develop those weaknesses. We have seen that in the camps and we hope to use that kind of information and extend it to other subject areas.”

Technology and robotics have also been taking the classrooms by storm along with the introduction of smart classrooms.

“We have consistently been training our teachers in content and methodology. That is something that we are moving towards and we’re looking at a strong appraisal system, where our teachers will be brought

Chief Education Officer Marcel Hutson

to account for their stewardship. We’re going in the realm of robotics and smart classrooms. We’re trying to use technology now … Our children tend to be motivated when we use these kinds of mediums for teaching and learning,” he expressed.

Presently, the Ministry is awaiting data from the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) to determine what topics students were challenged by and how the situation should be addressed.

“Once we would have seen the items where they would have fallen down, we would be able to take it from there, because we would really need to know what are the specific areas or topics that our children might have been affected.”

Venisha Lall of CV Nunes Primary and Dave Chowtie of Graham’s Hall Primary tied for the top spot at this year’s examination.

Haitian fined, faces deportation for overstaying in Guyana

Works being done on the Linden to Lethem trail

R

ehabilitation works were done on the Linden to Lethem road. This is expected to bring relief to minibus operators and passengers who traverse the trail. The remedial works commenced on June 23 and completed on June 28, 2019.

The works were done on certain patches and major holes were filled. This was confirmed by the Mayor of the mining town, David Adams, on Thursday.

In an invited comment to the Guyana Times, he said the works were done by the Regional Administration of Region Eight and vehicles are now able to reach into Mahdia.

He added, however, that due to the persistent heavy showers and the heavy-duty trucks traversing the area, he is unsure of how long the works would suf-

fice.

He noted that the works have brought significant relief to the road users that have been suffering in the recent months.

Minibus operators plying the 72 route into Mahdia have expressed satisfaction with the remedial works which will benefit them as well as other road users. They expressed hope that the work continues and regular maintenance is done on the road.

Road users, particularly minibus operators, plying the trail have been complaining of the deteriorated condition of the trail which had become almost impassible.

Mayor Adams had said that no major works could be done on the trail during the rainy weather. During this season, extra attention needed to be paid to the

Rehabilitation works recently done on the Linden to Lethem trail after it was in a deteriorated state for several months

trail between Mahdia and Mabura, which was in dire need of repair works.

The minibus operators have complained bitterly of the deteriorating condition of the trail which they are forced to use to transport passengers and goods as a means of earning their daily bread.

They described the trail as a “death trap” and bashed the Public Infrastructure Ministry for paying zero interest in conducting longterm repairs to that trail which is the only access to those areas. Those minibus operators were forced to park their buses for a period of time.

Further, when they resumed work, they were unable to get into the mining town with their buses and as such were forced to take passengers up to a point on the trail and then trans-

fer those passengers and goods and other items to All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) and pickup trucks that were able to get through the mud and into the mining town.

This arrangement persisted for several weeks.

This had resulted in hardships on those passengers and business owners who had to offset the double cost to reach into the mining town. Residents were also facing hardships as businesses were forced to inflate prices to offset the transportation cost and as such, they had to pay higher prices for goods.

The trail has been in a deteriorated state for years and worsens during the rainy seasons after which minor substandard repairs are done on certain patches and the problem continues to recur.

A

39-year-old Haitian man, who overstayed in Guyana and plead guilty to the offence, was on Thursday fined $60,000 or in default six weeks imprisonment, along with deportation.

Pierre Baptiste appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

The charge alleged that between December 29, 2018 and July 1, 2019 at Georgetown, he, being permitted to stay in Guyana from November 28, 2018 to December 28, 2018, failed to comply with conditions subject to which any permit was granted by overstaying the said period.

Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield told the Court that Immigration ranks were conducting an operation at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport

(CJIA), where several persons were soliciting passengers and it was during that operation Baptiste was arrested.

He further stated that a search was carried out and his passport was discovered in his possession. Upon examining the passport, the ranks discovered that he had overstayed his time in Guyana.

Baptiste was arrested and taken to the CID Headquarters, where further checks were made by the investigating ranks and it revealed that he came to Guyana legally via CJIA. The ranks made checks at the Ministry of Citizenship to see if he had applied for an extension but it was discovered that the defendant did not.

When asked by Magistrate McLennan if he wanted to say anything to the Court, the man refused.

guyanatimesgy.com

friDAY, July 5, 2019

R

esidents of Georgetown are all anticipating seeing African comedian Emmanualla and her team perform live on August 7 at a show called “Emmanualla for Emancipation”. The show will be held at the National Cultural Centre.

However, Linden and Berbice, get ready to cash in on the excitement as the team is heading your way. Yes, Emmanualla and her cast will be in Linden on August 8 and in Berbice on August 9. It will be a concert that you cannot miss.

The African team includes Emmanualla, Mark Angel, Kingsley, Amanda, Denilson, Uzoma and little Success, and they are known as the best African comedy group.

Guyanese are bound to enjoy every act. The night will be filled with laughter.

In addition to the group, there will be performances by the Signature Entertainers. The host for the show will be Guyana’s own Lyndon “Jumbie” Jones.

Tickets for the event at the National Cultural Centre on August 7 cost $2500 for adults, $1500 for kids and $4000 for stage front. Tickets are expected to be released shortly with a list of locations where they can be picked up.

The prices and ticket locations for the Berbice and Linden shows are expected to be released soon.

The events are promoted by Tango’s Entertainment.

T

wenty-year-old Arian Dahlia Richmond will represent Guyana at the Miss Caribbean Cultural Queen Pageant 2019 in St Kitts and Nevis on August 7.

The Guyanese beauty will compete against 12 other contestants when the pageant is hosted at the Nevis Cultural Complex. The pageant is one of the main attractions during the Island’s Culturama Celebration.

The colourful, vibrant Arian brings beauty to the environment. She stands five feet, eight inches tall.

Born as a “cook-up” of cultures to Guyanese parents, Arian represents the beauty of a true Guyanese

woman blessed with silky ebony African skin, rich East Indian heritage and a refined Portuguese twang styled with trendy natural charcoal hair.

Her personality is super positive, vibrant, stubborn and welcoming, and can brighten up your day no matter how damp it may feel.

Arian is an artist passionate about expression through modelling, writing and make-up artistry. She is the founder of Dahlia L’artista, a social enterprise that provides professional makeup artistry, skin care and cruelty-free products.

Her work reflects the peace she finds in nature, that serene authentic vibe and beauty in varied forms. She recently modelled in the Guyana Fashion Showcase for international designers such as Yumi Katsura, Randy Madray and Michelle Cole. Her style is fierce with an effortless essence, which allowed her modelling career to flourish.

She enjoys walks through forested tracks and at the river with friends in the calm hinterland in the afternoons.

At age 19, this Guyanese beauty decided to compete in her first pageant, Miss Bartica 2018, a pageant held as part of the celebratory festival and tourism magnet – Bartica Regatta in her home town.

With much enthusiasm, openmindedness, a will to learn and anxiety, Arian competed fiercely and emerged as Miss Bartica Regatta 2018.

During her reign as Miss Bartica, she launched The Bartica’s Youth Development Camp, which was aimed at teaching students Spanish; skills in art, craft and design; self-care and hygiene; and other skills.

The camp accommodated

62 students from the Bartica community, Venezuelan migrants and refugees along with volunteers to make the project effective. The main aim of the camp was to build selfesteem, good sportsmanship, confidence, and love for self.

The project drew so much love and support that Arian, through the project, was featured by several media outlets.

Guyanese Girls Glow is a sexual health awareness initiative that was curated

by Arian at age 18 for young women in at-risk communities. The workshops lasted for a month and featured doctors and female leaders in the community who were vital to the youths that needed positive influence.

Sixty youths were certified, fed and transported from the profits of Dahlia L’artista, Arian’s social enterprise. The projects were done in Linden and Albouystown.

She believes that youth will thrive in an environment when they are able to make informed choices and it is her life’s mission to aid that process.

Pageantry offers Arian a platform that she has used as a service-centred leader and change-maker. She will continue to use this platform to represent the interests of those who may never be able to represent themselves.

Arian is elated to have been chosen to represent Guyana at The Flow Miss Caribbean Culture Queen Pageant 2019.

She believes this is a great opportunity that comes with heavy responsibility to stand firm as a beauty ambassador of the world’s number one eco-destination and currently the world’s fastest growing economy. She plans to use this opportunity to continue her message and to fulfil the true purpose of pageantry on a more regional platform.

T

he Miss World Organisation, led by Julia Morley, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO,) has announced exciting plans to bring 130 incredible women from all over the world to London for a three-week festival and the Miss World final.

Contestants will arrive in London on November 20 with the grand final taking place on Saturday, December 14 at ExCeL London.

The opening ceremony will be held in London; each contestant will then compete in a series of fast-track events that guarantee a place in the top 30. These include multimedia, sport, talent, top model, Head to Head Challenge and Beauty With A Purpose, taking them on a journey across some of London’s most iconic landmarks taking in its rich culture and heritage.

CEO Morley said: “London is the greatest city in the world to visit. It’s where Miss World started in 1951 as part of the Festival of Britain celebrations and this year, we are going to put on the best show ever.

“Each year we bring together women from around the world with a shared sense of purpose.

For many of them, this will be their first visit to London, and they are all so excited. They can’t wait to share their traditions, the music they enjoy, the food they eat, and the astonishing range of “Beauty With A Purpose” charitable projects they are working on.”

O

n Sunday, July 7, 2019, all roads will lead to Bushy Park Beach, Parika, East Bank Essequibo for Stag’s Rideout Promotion’s final drawing and Beach Jam. On this day, a few lucky persons will walk away with fabulous prizes, including a brand new 125 CC Honda motorcycle, two coolers filled with Stag, US dollars and one 50-inch smart television.

For those who are not part of the promotion, they must get onboard to get a chance to win. It is

The “Beauty With A Purpose” global humanitarian programme is at the heart of Miss World. This global platform inspires and empowers thousands of young women from around the world to use their talents to raise awareness and funds in aid of humanitarian causes that make a real and lasting difference to the poor, sick, and Miss World Guyana disadvantaged.

Joylyn Conway The Miss World Festival will be held in Thailand in 2020 to celebrate its 70th year.

Thailand will be working very closely with us to share the London experience. Full details of the 2020 celebrations will be announced shortly.

The highly-anticipated Miss World final show will be broadcast globally to over 150 countries, where viewers will watch as the reigning Miss World, Vanessa Ponce de León, pass the crown to the 69th Miss World in London.

Guyana’s candidate for the pageant, Joylyn Conway has been selected and crowned. She is optimistic that she will do Guyana proud.

as simple as 1, 2, and 3. First, drink Stag and save the crowns, then place those crowns in an envelope with your name, address and telephone number and thirdly, make sure you drop the envelope in an entry box at your favourite supermarket or bar.

The grand winners will be selected on Sunday.

After the drawing, make sure you stay for the afterparty, which is expected to be grand. Slingerz Family, Determine Sound and Supa Ray One Man Band will be setting the mood for the after party.

friday, JUly 5, 2019

20

Wimbledon: Nadal beats Nick Kyrgios in entertaining clash R

afael Nadal allowed the tennis to do the talking against an irate Nick Kyrgios, who twice served underarm, to progress to the Wimbledon third round.

Australian Kyrgios spent much of the match audibly questioning Nadal’s speed of play as the world number two prevailed 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-3).

His constant arguing saw him handed an official warning by the chair umpire, who he later called a “disgrace”.

Spain’s Nadal will play Frenchman JoWilfried Tsonga in the next round.

“He was a tough opponent,” Nadal, 33, told BBC Two. “When he wants to compete, he’s one of the toughest opponents you can face.

“It was an important victory for me, sometimes it’s tough to see a couple of things on court. It’s amazing how good he is able to play, so if he is able to forget all these things, he’s potentially a Grand Slam winner.”

Victory was twotime Wimbledon champion Nadal’s 50th match win at the All England Club.

The meeting came just five months after their last encounter at the Mexican Open in Acapulco, when Nadal was incensed by Kyrgios’ underarm serv-

ing.

In fiery press conference, Kyrgios ad-

news conference: “I know what I’m capable of.

“I’m a great tennis player, but I don’t do the other stuff. I’m not the most professional guy. I won’t train day in, day out. I won’t show up every day.

“So there’s a lot of things I need to improve on to get to that level that Rafa brings, Novak, Roger have been doing for so long.

Just depends how bad I want it.”

Serena recovers to beat teenager

Serena Williams won her first Wimbledon title in 2002

mits he purposely aimed a shot at Nadal At Wimbledon five years ago, the then 19-year-old Kyrgios hit a remarkable 37 aces to beat Nadal, becoming the first man outside the top 100 to beat a world number one at a Grand Slam since 1992.

The 24-year-old world number 43 told a

Holder rues inconsistency after poor Windies campaign

W

est Indies finished on a high with a win over Afghanistan, but Jason Holder acknowledged they must be more consistent after a poor Cricket World Cup. The Windies had not tasted victory since their first match of the tournament against Pakistan, back on May 31, ending their long wait for further success with a 23-run triumph.

But it was not just the failure to pick up the required results that frustrated captain Holder, who felt performances as a whole were not consistently up to scratch.

“I think inconsistency let us down, we were just inconsistent in the three departments,” he said in the post-match presentation.

“Our fielding has a lot to improve. Our bowlers had a really good outing - credit to each and every bowler who put up their hand whenever called up - but the batting was very inconsistent as well.

“Going forward, we need to be a lot more consistent.”

Chris Gayle was playing in his final World Cup match and his captain paid tribute to the opening batsman.

Jason Holder

“It’s hard to see him playing his last World Cup game, but I just personally want to say congratulations to Chris,” Holder said.

“He’s been an outstanding stalwart of the game for West Indies cricket and he’s done leaps and bounds for our cricket. I want to wish him all the best in all his endeavours.”

While the Windies said goodbye to a great, Afghanistan captain Gulbadin Naib saw positives in the younger members of his squad, with 18-year-old Ikram Ali Khil making 86 in their unsuccessful run chase.

Gulbadin said: “Ali is a youngster, an under-19 boy, but he showed his class today and we have a lot of talented youngsters back at home.”

And Afghanistan’s skipper hoped the team would be able to learn from the experience of a World Cup campaign in which they failed to collect a point.

“We want to come prepared in every department,” he said. “Hopefully I can take a lot from this tournament, how you work on your team. I have learned a lot here.” (Sportsmax)

Seven-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams recovered from being a set down to beat teenage qualifier Kaja Juvan and reach the third round.

Williams was surprised by the 18-year-old world number 133 from Slovenia, who twice broke serve to win the first set.

The 11th seed, 37, responded to take control in the second and eventually closed out the decider for a 2-6 6-2 6-4 victory in one hour 36 minutes.

“She played well and I started out a little slow,” said the American.

“I like the pressure. I would rather be in this position than any other and I play best when I am down sometimes. I am a fighter.”

Williams, who last won Wimbledon in 2016, will face German 18th seed Julia Gorges in the third round.

She is looking to equal Australian Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles but has struggled with a knee injury this year.

Murray returns with men’s doubles win

Andy Murray’s Wimbledon return began in ideal fashion as the Briton and his partner Pierre-Hugues Herbert thrilled the home fans with a late-night comeback win in the men’s doubles.

Murray and Frenchman Herbert won 4-6 6-1 6-4 6-0 against Marius Copil of Romania and France’s Ugo Humbert.

The first-round match finished at 21:22 BST on Thursday in front of a sizeable crowd under Court One’s new roof.

“It was great to get the win and a nice atmosphere,” said Murray, 32.

“I was a little bit nervous at the start but we got better as match wore on.”

Fittingly, it was Murray who clinched the match with an overhead volley, warmly embracing Herbert before breaking out into a beaming smile as he took the acclaim of the jubilant British fans. (BBC Sport)

PSG sign former Man Utd midfielder P

aris St-Germain have signed midfielder Ander Herrera on a five-year deal following the end of his Manchester United contract.

The Spaniard, 29, joins the French champions on a free transfer after five years at Old Trafford.

He scored 20 goals and produced 27 assists in 187 appearances for United, winning the FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League.

“Paris StGermain is the greatest club i n France,” said Herrera.

“It keeps on improving and competes to win every possible title. I hope to continue to make history with the club.

“I promise three things: work, professionalism and passion.”

Herrera confirmed in May he would be leaving United when his contract expired at the end of the season, after failing to agree terms on a new deal.

He joined the Premier League club from Athletic Bilbao for £29m in 2014 and has two caps for Spain.

Buffon returns to Juventus

Former Italy goalkeep-

er Gianluigi Buffon has completed an emotional returntoformer club

Juventus.

Buffon, 41, spent 17 years with the Turin giants before joining Paris St-Germain last summer.

The keeper, who announced on 5 June that he would leave PSG after a single sea-

son, underwent a medical with Juventus on Thursday morning.

He has signed a oneyear contract with the bianconeri, who are now managed by former Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri.

The former Italy skipper, who won 176 international caps, is one of the most decorated players in the game.

In addition to the 2006 World Cup, has Buffon won nine Serie A titles and four Italian Cups, and he also won the French league last season.

He needs to make just eight more Serie A appearances to break the record of 647 currently held by AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini.

Buffon is Juventus’ third free transfer of the summer following Aaron Ramsey’s move from Arsenal and Adrien Rabiot’s release by Paris St-Germain.

(BBC Sport)

Ander Herrera will wear the number 21 shirt at PSG

guyanatimesgy.com

friday, July 5, 2019

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21

Burnham Court comes alive with "Greatest of the Streets" tonight T

he Burnham Court at Middle and Carmichael Streets, Georgetown will be abuzz with activities as it becomes the venue for the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Georgetown Championships Playoff Round from 18:00hrs today.

Sixteen matches are scheduled to be staged, with the resulting winners advancing to the main draw of the tournament.

An official release from the tournament coordinator, Three Peat Promotions, details: “We are expecting a very competitive Playoff Round, as many teams battle for a place in the main draw. We have received several new entrants during the registration period, which highlights the expansion of the tournament.”

The correspondence further disclosed, “The anticipation and expectation for the competition is there within the respective communities. Several of the teams have already commenced their preparation, and have expressed confidence in making the main event. We are asking all the teams to be at the venue on time, so that we can have a smooth flow of games.”

The official competition, pegged to start on July 12th, will be staged across three venues over the course of seven days. The N a t i o n a l R a c q u e t Centre on Woolford Avenue in

tors advancing to the group round, which will be contested on the

Georgetown is scheduled to host this event for the very first time, while games are also slated to be held at the Scenes from National Cultural the previous Centre Tarmac and Guinness at the Burnham "Greatest of Court. the Streets" The other Georgetown playing dates Championships are July 13th, 19th, 20th, 26th and fol27th; with the grand finale lowing three days of the match. scheduled for August 3rd.

The top two finishers An elimination format would be in operation from each pool would adduring the first two nights, vance to the quarterfiwith the resulting vic- nal round, and subsequent

semi-final round which would be held on the penultimate day of the tournament.

The eight teams that fail to advance from the groups will compete in the Guinness Plate Championships.

Presently, 16 teams have secured automatic qualification to this event because of their performances in the previous edition. They are: defending champions Gold is Money, GTI Ballers, Queen Street Tiger Bay, Upsetters, Rising Stars, North Ruimveldt, Future Stars, Kingston, California S q u a r e , Trap Squad, Leopold Street, Ol-Skool Ballers, Bent Street, North East La Penitence, Sparta Boss and Norton Street.

The eventual winners will automatically seal their place in the National Championships in August.

To date, Beacons [Bartica Champions],

Melanie ‘B’ [East Coast Demerara winners], Brothers United [West Demerara/East Demerara winners], Trafalgar [Berbice champions], and High Rollers [Linden champions] are the teams to have secured automatic berths to the national championships. The complete list of fixtures is stated below.

Playoff Fixtures

Smyth Street Ballers vs Channel 9 Warriors Festival City ‘A’ vs Gaza Squad Adidas All-Stars vs Back Circle Breda Street vs Sophia United Future Leaders Seniors vs Rasville Raptors Future Leaders Juniors vs Festival City ‘B’ Sophia vs Under Dogs LA Ballers vs Stabroek Ballers Immaculate Ballers vs Alexander Village Black Pearl vs Globe Yard Judgment Yard vs Level-Up Bad-A-Yard vs John Street Ballers Durban United vs Albouystown ‘A’ South Ruimveldt vs Charlotte Street Berlin vs Pike Street

ECCC/Neville Ramotar Memorial Knockout T20 postponed

T

he East Coast Cricket Committee/Neville Ramotar Memorial Knockout T20 competition, which was set to be concluded over the weekend, has been postponed because of heavy rainfall, which has left the Enmore and Lusignan grounds waterlogged.

This competition, played in memory of the late Neville Ramotar, a former Enmore resident, commenced in April last and featured 18 teams, with matches being played on a knockout basis.

In the remaining games that precede the finals, Strathavon ‘B’ will battle Ogle CC at Ogle, with the winner taking on Lusignan East at the Lusignan ground; while Enmore CCCC will be coming up against Fairfield SC at Enmore. The winners of these two games will then face off at Enmore, while the better of the two losers will battle Enterprise BSC at Lusignan in the semi-finals.

Enmore CCCC advanced to the quarter-finals by defeating Lusignan at Lusignan ground. Batting first in a game reduced to 15 overs because of rain, ECCCC were dismissed in the last over for 128. Imran Hassan with 42, Chris Surat with 28, and Vishwanauth Ramlakhan with 21 led the scoring.

Lusignan, in reply, folded for 83 in the last over, as Yuvraj Dyal and Imran Hassan bagged 3 wickets for 16 and 2 wickets for 3 respectively.

Strathavon ‘B’, Ogle CC, Lusignan East, Enmore CC, Fairfield SC and Enterprise Busta SC are the teams that remain in the competition.

A release from the East Coast Cricket Committee has stated that dates for the remaining fixtures would be announced as soon as the weather improves.

The final and third place games will be played at

Trophies and prizes were handed over to Chairman of the ECCCC

by Kumar Ramotar, brother of the late Neville Ramotar

Enmore, and will be part of the Enmore Community Centre Bar-B-Que and fund-raising event. Entrance

to the venue would be without charge.

Meanwhile, trophies and prizes were on Monday

handed over to Chairman of the ECCCC by Kumar Ramotar, brother of the late Neville Ramotar.

Mexico and USA to face-off in CONCACAF Gold Cup Final in Chicago on July 7 GUYANA OF THE

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he Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) today confirmed that the Final of the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup will feature Mexico and USA, which will play the Championship game this Sunday, July 7, at Chicago’s Soldier Field.

Mexico will take on USA, which won their Semifinal matches against Haiti and Jamaica, respectively. The winner of the match in Chicago will earn the title of the region’s best.

Fans are advised that tickets for the Final are soldout and are encouraged to arrive early to avoid lines and enjoy Futbol Fiesta presented by Toyota, located in the Stadium Green, starting at 3:30 pm CT. Futbol Fiesta is the official pre-game fan destination, offering a celebratory and free of charge experience for all football fans planning on attending the matches.

Additionally, fans in Chicago can enjoy Gold Cup Station, a massive, 10,000-square foot experience at Chicago’s Union Station that includes unique and

engaging football-themed activities where fans can test their own football skills. The innovative fan zone located at Union Station’s Great Hall also provides fans with a photo opportunity featuring a replica of the Gold Cup trophy.

Taking place every two years, the Concacaf Gold Cup is the region’s premier national team competition, which includes North, Central America and the Caribbean, and crowns the region’s best national team while celebrating football, sportsmanship and culture. In 2019, the Gold Cup made history with first-time events i n Costa Rica and Jamaica, taking the official competition to fans across the region.

Following the Gold Cup group play, the

tournament is averaging nearly 35,000 fans, including sellouts in Minnesota, Los Angeles, Houston (group and quarterfinal games), Phoenix and Chicago, as well as setting new Gold Cup attendance records in Denver, Houston, Charlotte and Phoenix.

The 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup is sponsored by Allstate Insurance Company, Aquafina, Camarena Tequila, Cerveza Modelo, Chick-fil-A, Gatorade, Nike, Scotiabank, Sprint, Toyota, and Valvoline.

The tournament will be broadcast nationally on the Univision and FOX family of networks and transmitted on radio in Spanish by Fútbol de Primera Radio Network, and broadcast by television partners in over 180 countries around the world.

(CONCACAF)

USAMNT are currently the holders of the CONCACAF Gold Cup Trophy

22

friday, JUly 5, 2019

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

Rain forces cancellation of 3 horse racing meets for July

By Timothy Jaikarran

T

he horse racing season is about to hit its peak, but the inclement weather, showing no sign of improvement, has become a constant bother to racing enthusiasts. It has thus far caused the cancellation of three horse meets which had been set for the month of July; namely, the Crawford Memorial Horse Meet, the Georgetown Turf Club Meet, and the Jumbo Jet Racing Committee Breeders Cup. The Breeders Cup and Georgetown Turf Club will, in the near future, announce new dates for their respective meets, while the Crawford Memorial Turf Club meet is set for August 1 at the Port Mourant Turf Club.

According to Marcel Crawford Junior, President of the Crawford Memorial Turf Club, the stakes for the August 1 event will be upped by 40 percent, since there would be an addition of a new category, namely the H Class. This takes the programme to a total of 7 races.

Crawford also mentioned that the reason for the change in the venue is because the Port Mourant Club will be celebrating its centenary anniversary, and since his father, the late Marcel

Some of the action in a recently-held Jumbo Jet meet

Crawford, had done a lot for the club, this is one way of honouring his father’s memory.

For further information on the Crawford Memorial Horse Meet, interested persons are invited to contact Marcel Crawford Jr on 6785342 or 696-9009.

The Jumbo Jet Racing Committee will also be looking to move its Breeders Cup to another suitable date. The meet will, for the first time, see the introduction of a fundraising event which will feature grass track racing, horse racing and a car-and-bike show at the Bush Lot United Turf Club on the West Coast of Berbice.

The day’s card will feature racing in 5 categories, with horses competing in the E3 & Lower race for a winning purse of $400,000.

For more information on the Breeders Cup, interested individuals are invited to contact Chandu Ramkissoon on 642-9063, 608-9063 or 232-0657; Alan Padmore on 645-9635 or 2320657; Rajin Lion on 608-450, or Nikita Ross on 662-4668.

For more information on the Georgetown Turf Club Meet, interested persons are invited to contact Compton Sancho on 665-5089.

Dutch upstarts bid to shock mighty US in World Cup final

T

he Netherlands will bid to begin a new era in women’s soccer in Sunday’s World Cup final when they try to stop the allconquering United States team from claiming a record fourth crown.

It is almost a classic David v Goliath clash, although the Dutch did produce a major shock two years ago when, ranked 12th in the world, they won the European Championship on home soil to lift their first trophy.

The Netherlands have utilized technicallygifted players, like former world player of the year Lieke Martens, to reach the final against the most dominant team in women’s football history.

Both sides are managed by women, Sarina Wiegman coaching the Dutch and Jill Ellis leading the U.S. Of the 24 teams competing at the World Cup, only nine were coached by women.

The U.S., seeking to retain the trophy they won comfortably in Canada four years ago, have been severely tested in this tournament with Ellis saying it has been their hardest ever route to a final.

The Americans were indebted to goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher for saving a late penalty in their 2-1 semi-final win over England on Tuesday. The Netherlands needed extra-time to see off Sweden as a long-range strike from midfielder Jackie Groenen sent them through.

“We watched the USA game against England and of course they are a really strong team. I hope we will be able to play our own game,” Groenen said.

“We never knew this would be possible.

It is one more match and we could be world champions. It will be difficult but it will be incredible to win.”

Guyana National U-17 Team departs for Trinidad & Tobago

Wiegman, a former midfielder for the national side when they were outside the elite, took over in January 2017 and has led the team to 12 straight wins in tournament football, many coming through late goals.

The U.S. have their own record going with 11 consecutive World Cup wins. Their last defeat was the 2011 final in Germany when they lost to Japan in a penalty shootout.

The result was a major upset for the fourtimes Olympic gold medalists and Ellis is well aware of the threat posed by the European champions.

“The Netherlands have had a great tournament, obviously coming off the Euros, (we’ve seen) tremendous performances by them,” she said.

Should the U.S. triumph it would mean they have won four out of eight editions of the women’s World Cup. Questions over whether they are arrogant may still linger, particularly if joint-leading tournament scorer Alex Morgan breaks out another cheeky goal celebration as she did against England.

The Dutch, meanwhile, could cap a remarkable journey in what is only their fifth major tournament, all of them since 2009, and in only their second World Cup finals appearance.

A Dutch win would also be a fitting end to a tournament where the levels of competitiveness in women’s football around the world has shown a marked increase.

Four to represent Guyana at JITIC U-14 tournament

T

he Guyana Cricket Board’s (GCB’s) National Under-17 team departed the local shores on Thursday for the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago to participate in the West Indies Future Stars U-17 Championships.

This 50-over tournament will see Guyana facing the 5 other regional counterparts: defending champions Barbados, Jamaica, Leeward Islands, hosts Trinidad & Tobago, and the Windward Islands, in a round-robin format wherein each team will face the other once.

Guyana’s first challenge will be against Trinidad & Tobago in a match to be played in Balmain-Couva. The Guyanese will look to start their campaign on a positive note, especially as that match will be followed by a clash against defending champions Barbados.

The U-17 squad is being captained by Sheldon Charles, with the Manager/Assistant Coach being Nazeer Mohamed and the Head Coach being Orin Bailey.

The title has eluded this Guyana squad for a number of years; the closest they have ever come to winning the U17 title was in 2016, when Guyana placed second after their final game against the host nation, Trinidad and Tobago, was washed out.

This current Guyana team has some of the best players from the recently concluded InterCounty tournament, so they somewhat fancy their chances at winning this time. In 2018, the local side also came in third, with Barbados lifting the trophy.

The current U17 squad is as follows: Matthew Nandu, Sarwan Chitnarine, Marvan Prashad, Mavendra Dindyal, Niran Bissu, Zeynul Ramsammy, Andre Seepersaud, Sheldon Charles, Azizi Christiani, Chandrapaul Ramraj,

The JITIC Under-14 players. From left are: Vadeanand Resaul, Devine Kalekyezi, Saskia Persaud, Sekai Jones; and Coach Leyland Leacock

F

Sheldon Charles

Jagdesh Dowlatram, Chaitram Balgobin, Avinash Rajkumar and Ajay Gainda.

The team is scheduled to return home on July 14.

our of Guyana’s most promising lawn tennis players: Vadeanand Resaul, Devine Kalekyezi, Sekai Jones and Saskia Persaud, will have opportunity to gain experience and exposure when they compete at the regional level in the 2019 JITIC Regional Under14 Competition, expected to be staged from July 6th to 11th in the Republic of Trinidad &Tobago.

These players, all members of the Sheltez Tennis Club, will be accompanied by their coach Leyland Leacock, and the five are due to depart Guyana today in order to give themselves enough time to prepare for the competition and to acquaint themselves

well with the playing styles of each other.

The Guyana Lawn T e n n i s Association (GLTA) has expressed gratitude to a long list of sponsors who have continued to offer assistance over the years as the GLTA seeks to create opportunities for young children through the great sport of tennis.

Among those sponsors are John Fernandes Limited, Toolsie Persaud Limited, Republic Bank Limited, P & P Insurance Brokers & Consultants, Rohan Auto Spares, and Gafoors.

guyanatimesgy.com

friday, JUly 5, 2019

23

Stakeholders ready for electrifying AP Invitational on Saturday

…US$1000 incentive for female record-breakers

By Jemima Holmes

G

uyana’s best and most vibrant athletes will converge at the National Track and Field Centre at Leonora on Saturday afternoon for what has quickly become the most anticipated athletics meet, the Aliann Pompey Invitational.

With news circulating that multiple international athletes are travelling to Guyana to participate in the meet, various stakeholders gathered on Thursday to pledge their commitment to a successful meet.

Over the four years of its existence, the Aliann Pompey Invitational has grown to become a staple in the athletics arena, and this is a fact that the former Guyanese Olympian is very proud of. Highlighting some of Guyana’s current talents, Pompey explained why she is adamant about giving athletes a platform.

“We have Aliyah Abrams, Travis Collins, Emmanuel Archibald, Winston George, and a few others that are ranked in the top 50 in the world, so it would be remiss (of me) if I don’t mention that we have a lot of Guyanese competing this year; and that’s because we are that good. The Guyanese athletes have come a long way. for years I’ve been at the Olympic Games, where it was just me, and that’s not the case now. We have a great group of athletes,” Pompey explained.

Following Pompey’s lead, President of the Athletics Association of Guyana, Aubrey Hutson, stressed on the importance of giving local athletes exposure. He has pledged the Association’s commitment to running a

Director of Sport, Christopher Jones

Aliann Pompey addressing the press briefing

high-standard track meet.

“We at the Athletics Association of Guyana are honoured to partner with Aliann in this venture, because it speaks of the growth of track and field in Guyana; and we’re going to ensure, when the athletes go out on the track that day, that the results are authentic, that the meet runs on time, and (that) all the other technical aspects are held to the highest possible standard, be-

cause all the results from this meet (are) going to be honoured by the IAAF,” Hutson detailed.

Saturday’s track meet is being fuelled by a number of sponsors, who have all brought something different to the table. Collaboration with the Ministry of Communities will ensure that athletes have a clean environment in which to compete, while Sentinel Security has pledged a

prize of US$1000 to any female athlete who breaks a national record.

Meanwhile, Banks DIH’s Communications Manager Troy Peters used his time with the microphone to speak to the quality of the event. He noted that this is one reason why the company continues to stay on board.

“We are anxiously awaiting Saturday’s event. I was there last year, and I can’t wait to get back there (this year); because we’ve seen an event that has grown every year. It’s getting better, we’re seeing some top athletes trying to be a part of the event, and we’re quite happy that Aliann has seen it fit to return home to organise such an event,” Peters said.

Director of Sport, Christopher Jones, was present at the event. He predicted that, in years to come, the meet would attract more international sportsmen and women, thus improving the level of track and field in Guyana. He also detailed how Government has contributed to this goal.

“We recognise that once we continue to lend support to these events, a few years from now, the Aliann Pompey Invitational will be the meet that happens in Guyana that persons regionally and internationally will come to compete and be part of. It is part of our commitment to provide an environment in which our athletes have opportunities to compete,” Jones said.

Tickets for the event, to be staged on Saturday, are priced at $500, and patrons can enjoy a 50% discount if, before the meet, they purchase tickets, which are available at the AAG’s Light Street office.

Transcend Entertainment’s Seven-a-Side Independence Cricket Festival…

Dodson grateful for successful event despite weather

By Timothy Jaikarran

T

he Transcend Entertainment’s Sevena-Side Independence Cricket Festival having come to a thrilling end with the UG Trojans walking away victorious against a starstudded Entertainer squad, one of the festival’s promoters, Dwight Dodson, is grateful that the event has been successfully staged, despite the inclement weather.

Speaking with Guyana Times Sport, Dodson said, “I am very happy that the tournament has ended, especially with all the ups- anddowns with the weather forcing us to cancel and reschedule the event. We managed to pull off a successful tournament, we’re happy that the teams

came out, especially their supporters, despite the heavy rain on the day of the finals.

“In addition to that, we must say that our objective was achieved; we managed to bring everyone together, saw harmony, and…had fun. For the teams that participated in the event, we had big names such as Christopher Barnwell, Joshua Persaud, Tevin Imlach, Bashkar Yadram, Dexter George, Marcus Watkins, Carlos La Rose…all who would have played cricket at the national level for Guyana,” he detailed.

Dodson added that he is extremely grateful to all the sponsors that came on board, and is hopeful that, come 2020, more sponsors would come on board, so more prizes could be awarded.

Dwight Dodson

Further, he said he is grateful to everyone who had an input in making the tournament a success, as, without the sponsors, the event would not have been the success it has been.

He also said his team had worked arduously to showcase the tournament’s objective, which is to bring everyone together in harmony.

A total of 11 teams had participated in the tournament.

They are: Entertainers, Hadfield Street, UG Trojans, Defenders, Team Corruption, Eccles All Stars, Christ Ambassadors and the Underdogs.

This event gained support of the National Sports

Commission ( N S C ) , Superbet, Banks DIH, Ramps Logistics L t d , Imperial Tra d i n g , Red Carpet Wash Bay, Regal Stationery and Computer Centre, Star Party Rentals, Xavier’s Investment, Movement Auto Sales, Precision Auto Works, W&J Enterprise, Fung-A-Fat Hatchery, Ole’s Jewellery, Seeta’s Bar, Regent Household Electronics, Royal Real Estate, Church’s Chicken, Fireside Grill, Magic City, S&D Enterprises, Movement Auto Rental & Bus Service, and Sankar’s Auto Works.

friday, JUly 5, 2019

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

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Stakeholders ready for electrifying AP Invitational on Saturday Page 23

…US$1000 incentive for female record-breakers Page 19

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