Guyana Times, Saturday, December 22, 2018

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Countdown to Christmas

Joint Services Page 15 veterans honoured Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 3784

THE BEACON OF TRUTH Saturday, December 22, 2018

Govt has to resign and call elections in 3 months – Nagamootoo

…PPP/C wins No-confidence Motion in National Assembly …as AFC’s Charandass Persaud votes against Govt

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Child rapist gets life P8 imprisonment

Woman dies in EBE accident P10

Leaked rape video

Wanted bulletin issued for suspects in “Yellow” P10 murder Couple busted with gun, ammo, P14 drugs

“We’re ready to work with Govt on way forward” – Opposition Leader "We have to find a way now to ensure that we maximise all of the national skills and look past the politics"

P14 CPCE challenged in hiring lecturers

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news

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saturdAY, december 22, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, December 22 – a night retraction at 04:30h and a day retraction from 14:30h-16:00h and Sunday, December 23 – 05:30h-07:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, December 22 – 15:45h-17:15h and Sunday, December 23 – 16:35h-18:05h.

Govt defeated

…PPP wins No-confidence Motion in National Assembly …as AFC’s Charandass Persaud votes against Govt

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

Sunny weather with intermittent cloudy skies can be expected throughout the day, with clear to partly cloudy skies in the evening. Temperatures are expected to range between 20 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-easterly to North-easterly and North North-easterly between 1.78 metres and 5.36 metres.

High Tide: 04:01h and 16:15h reaching maximum heights of 2.67 metres and 2.83 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 09:49h and 22:19h reaching maximum heights of 0.55 metre and 0.36 metre respectively.

AFC Member of Parliament Charandass Persaud (centre)

By Jarryl Bryan

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

here was shock in the National Assembly on Friday evening as a no confidence motion brought by the Opposition Peoples Progressive Party against the Government succeeded when Alliance For Change (AFC) Member of Parliament Charandass Persaud broke ranks and voted in favour of the motion.

A total of 10 MPs debated the motion, but when the dust was settled and a vote of division was called, Persaud’s vote changed the numbers to 33 in favour of the motion versus Government’s 32 votes against the motion.

A hush fell over the Assembly when Persaud voted in favour of the motion, and his erstwhile colleagues immediately rounded on him to ask that he clarify what he had said. This caused the opposition to verbally complain to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland, about the interference.

The tension in the chambers only increased when Scotland asked for a recount of the Government’s votes; and it was here that Persaud made it clear he would not change his mind when he repeated his “yes” thrice. And even though

the remaining Government MPs voted against the motion, the damage was done.

Outside the chambers, Persaud defended his vote against the Government.

According to the MP, he voted that way because of the AFC’s subordinate role to the majority A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).

Persaud cited examples, like Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence’s recent controversial statement about hiring party faithfuls, and pointed out that the AFC leadership did not condemn, but rather condoned, the statement.

“I am an AFC member, and I’m extremely disappointed in the AFC team. My reason for voting in favour of the motion is that I have no confidence in what the AFC team will do,” Persaud said, when questioned by the media.

“We are sitting in Parliament as yes men to APNU, and we are AFC. We have not blended with the APNU, the other parties have; we’re not. Why are we doing everything they want (us) to do? We are not opposing, we are not saying no to anything.

That is where the problem is. I can’t stand that. This is a conscience vote,” he explained.

Persaud denied being affiliated in any way to the People’s

Progressive Party (PPP).

Asked if he would switch sides to the PPP, Persaud indicated that he in fact intends to leave the life of politics behind.

Asked point blank if he was coerced to vote the way he did, he made it clear he was not.

The MP also acknowledged that this act may have put his life in jeopardy. In fact, Persaud mentioned specific threats to his life that he received only minutes after the vote. While he lauded Public Security Minister and fellow AFC member Khemraj Ramjattan for offering him Police protection when leaving the premises, Persaud’s demeanour was of a man without fear.

“My conscience is now clear. My life may go, but I’ll die a happy person, and with a clear conscience… This is the one time I had a say, and I said it according to my conscience. Those who are APNU and those who are AFC, I have nothing against you,” he declared.

“The AFC team has disappointed me. And I did not work so hard to put them in power so they could run around and enjoy the good life.

You destroyed the lives of sugar workers in a village I live in. I can’t live with that. If I die now because people aren’t happy with what I’ve done, I’ll die a happy person,” he reiterated.

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saturdAY, december 22, 2018

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

The catfish ban

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rom all indications, the current issue regarding the United States’ ban on Guyana’s catfish is nowhere close to being resolved. The ban, which was instituted by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) against Guyana earlier this year, came as no surprise since the mediocre approach to such issues has now become a norm in this country.

Veterinary Public Health Unit Director, Dr Ozaye Dodson had said the imposition from the US export market was just a temporary technical barrier to trade. He had posited that the country fell short of the US standards in three areas: first, on the issue of the presence of inspectors; secondly, there was insufficient documentation detailing verification of each step in the sanitation and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) process and thirdly, there was insufficient documentation specifying how the industry manages adulterated catfish products.

When questioned a few days ago about the present status of the ban, Agriculture Minister Noel Holder was reported in this newspaper as saying that efforts are being made to remedy the situation. However, he has not provided any detail as to how far Guyana is at the moment as it relates to being in compliance with US regulations; nor did he provide any definite timeline as to when he hopes the ban would be lifted.

According to Holder, these negotiations are largely being done by the Public Health Ministry. As such, he admitted he is not entirely up to date with where the matter is.

Certainly, this ban has had, and is having, a huge negative impact on the industry and the people who depend on it for a living. The economic reality is the fisheries sector employs over 16,000 fishermen and fish farmers, and a further 6000 in processing and marketing. Thousands more depend directly or indirectly from fishing-related occupations, such as boat building, accessories supply, and maintenance services etc. It must also be mentioned that the fishing industry in Guyana represents approximately US$70 to $80 million annually; and it is believed that the ban on catfish is currently costing the country approximately US$1.2 million.

The effects of the ban have been felt by all who are involved in the sector. Some are of the opinion that the coalition Administration is not doing enough to address the concerns of the fishing industry regarding the ban; given that officials here were notified of the USA’s pending changes to export regulations since November 2015. The Government, despite having received notice of these changes, failed to communicate effectively with the stakeholders of the fisheries sector, many of whom have invested heavily in this area. From all indications, the Government had received an extension until February 3, 2018, to bring Guyana into compliance with the new export regulations but was unsuccessful in doing so.

So far, very little information is being fed to the various stakeholders regarding the ban and there is a great deal of uncertainty as to the future of the sector. We believe that it would be beneficial if the Agriculture Ministry convened an urgent meeting with all the relevant stakeholders so as to update them on the present status of the dialogue with the US authorities and seek their input as to what role they could play in ensuring that Guyana meets the requirements of the US. Additionally, the Government must ensure the relevant legislation is enacted as it relates to the export of the various species of fish to other countries, particularly the US. The assistance of the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) could be sought with the aim of ensuring that Guyana is well placed so that we do not find ourselves in this situation again.

It could be recalled that Opposition Member of Parliament Gail Teixeira had used the opportunity during the consideration of the 2019 Budget estimates to question Minister Holder as to whether the Government has any plan to draft legislation to assist Guyana in becoming compliant; here again there was no definite answer to when this would be done.

Our hope is that in 2019, more serious efforts will be made at all levels, and with the involvement of all stakeholders, in ensuring that Guyana becomes compliant with the necessary regulations to allow the continuation of export of catfish products. The lackluster and careless approach to important matters such as the matter at hand, must be a thing of the past if Guyana were to move forward.

The staff of the Guyana Tourism Authority welcoming incoming passengers at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) with traditional Guyanese black cake

Jamal Khashoggi’s final months as an exile in the long shadow of Saudi Arabia (Part 1)

By Souad Mekhennet and Greg miller

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amal Khashoggi had been in the United States for only a few months when the forces he had fled in Saudi Arabia made clear that he would never fully escape.

He was at a friend’s home in suburban Virginia in October 2017 when his phone lit up with an incoming call from Riyadh. On the line was Saud al-Qahtani, a feared lieutenant of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The royal heir and his henchman were at that point in the early stages of a brutal crackdown in the kingdom – arresting rivals, torturing enemies and silencing critics. Khashoggi had previously been banned from writing or even tweeting, but fear that worse could be in store had prompted him to seek refuge in the United States.

Qahtani was uncharacteristically amiable on the call.

He told Khashoggi that public comments praising Saudi reforms, including a decision to allow women to drive, had pleased the crown prince. He urged Khashoggi to “keep writing and boasting” about Mohammed’s achievements.

While the conversation was cordial, the subtext was clear: Khashoggi no longer lived under Saudi rule, but the country’s most powerful royal was monitoring his every word.

Khashoggi reacted with a combination of the nerve and trepidation that would define the remaining months of his life. He challenged Qahtani about the plight of activists he knew had been imprisoned in the kingdom, according to a friend who witnessed the exchange. But even as he did so, the friend said, “I saw how Jamal’s hand was shaking while holding the phone.”

A year later, Khashoggi, 59, would be dead, and Mohammed and Qahtani

would be implicated by US intelligence agencies in his killing, which was carried out by a team of assassins dispatched from Riyadh.

The crime has roiled relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia, exposed the ruthless side of a crown prince who was supposed to represent the kingdom’s enlightened future, and revealed the extent to which the Trump administration prioritises protecting an oilrich ally over humanitarian concerns.

The case has also taken on the dimensions of a global cause. Khashoggi, a contributing columnist for The Washington Post, was a writer of modest influence beyond the Middle East when he was alive. In death, he has become a symbol of a broader struggle for human rights, as well as a chilling example of the savagery with which autocratic regimes silence voices of dissent.

Khashoggi’s life and work, particularly in his final year, were inevitably more complicated than can be captured in that idealized frame. The complete truth about his fate remains elusive in large measure because of a determined Saudi effort to obscure events – an effort that included relaying false information to executives at The Post in the days after Khashoggi’s death.

This account of his final 18 months, which reveals new details about Khashoggi’s interactions with Saudi officials, his activities over the last year of his life as an exile and his killing, is based on interviews with dozens of associates, friends and officials from countries including Saudi Arabia and the United States as well as Turkey, where Khashoggi was killed and dismembered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018.

Underestimating Saudi Arabia Khashoggi was an advocate for reform in his country, but neither saw himself as a dissident nor believed in bringing radical change to a nation that has operated for the past eight decades as an absolute monarchy.

He relished his newfound freedoms in the United States, and the attention his writing got from a Western audience, but often resisted appeals from associates to be more forceful in his criticism of the kingdom. He was by many accounts depressed by the separation from his country and the strain that his departure and work placed on his family.

Even in exile, Khashoggi remained loyal to Saudi Arabia and reluctant to sever ties to the royal court. In September 2017, at the same time he was embarking on a new role as opinion columnist for The Washington Post, he was pursuing up to $2 million in funding from the Saudi government for a think tank that he proposed to run in Washington, according to documents reviewed by the paper that appear to be part of a proposal he submitted to the Saudi Information Ministry.

Khashoggi also sent messages to the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Khaled bin Salman — the brother of the crown prince — expressing his loyalty to the kingdom and reporting on some of his activities in the United States, according to copies reviewed by The Post.

In one case, Khashoggi told the ambassador that he had been contacted by a former FBI agent working on behalf of families of victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks – in which 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi. He said he would to go forward with the meeting and emphasize “the innocence of my country and its leadership.”

But in the conspiracy-driven climate of Middle East politics, Khashoggi came under mounting suspicion because of his writing as well as associations he cultivated over many years with perceived enemies of Riyadh.

Among Khashoggi’s friends in the United States were individuals with real or imagined affiliations with the Islamist group the Muslim Brotherhood, and an Islamic advocacy organization, the Centre on American-Islamic Relations, regarded warily for its support of the public uprisings of the Arab Spring. Khashoggi cultivated ties with senior officials in the Turkish Government, also viewed with deep distrust by the rulers in Saudi Arabia.

After leaving the kingdom, Khashoggi sought to secure funding and support for an assortment of ideas that likely would have riled Middle East monarchs, including plans to create an organization that would publicly rank Arab nations each year by how they performed against basic metrics of freedom and democracy.

Perhaps most problematic for Khashoggi were his connections to an organization funded by Saudi Arabia’s regional nemesis, Qatar.

Text messages between Khashoggi and an executive at Qatar Foundation International show that the executive, Maggie Mitchell Salem, at times shaped the columns he submitted to The Washington Post, proposing topics, drafting material and prodding him to take a harder line against the Saudi government. Khashoggi also appears to have relied on a researcher and translator affiliated with the organization, which promotes Arabiclanguage education in the United States. (The Washington Post)

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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

Gajraj will be remembered for opposing those who tried to compromise voters

Dear Editor, I wish to extend condolences to the family of the late Mr Ronald Gajraj, a former Minister of Home Affairs.

His tenure as Minister occurred at a time when, quite unfortunately, persons in the then opposition, with the aid of seasoned criminals, top-brass officials acting under the collar of law enforcement, and others sympathetic to the opposition, willfully orchestrated a campaign of violence to remove or compromise an elected PPP Government.

The aforesaid tenure regarding security of the country is controversial because it involves confrontation with citizens whose premeditative intent was the open and notorious subversion of the will of the electorate that emerged at the March 19, 2001 Guyana gener-

al elections.

I know this because I was steeped in the documentation of the period. It was a coup d’état in the making. It was much more than a crime spree.

Rape, robbery, murder, kidnapping, arson, assault, battery, petit larceny, are all criminal acts committed as means to an end. It was a former police commissioner who stated in June 2001 that crimes were being committed to “create a climate of instability in the country.”

It was not a period of mere “troubles,” as President Granger wants his supporters to promote. This is not Ireland; this is Guyana. There was no conflict about the constitutional status of any internal region. What we had were persons who swore allegiance to defend the Republic from ene-

mies both foreign and domestic and instead worked to undermine both law enforcement and the elected administration.

They offered protection to seasoned gunmen, gangs with sophisticated artillery, and nurtured a parallel army using state-owned equipment smuggled out of Georgetown into the East Coast corridor to make war on voters and open an avenue to high office for a then opposition waiting in the wing.

If memory serves all correctly, we may recall, for example, at least one second-tier PNC leader stated that for the PNC to respond to public appeal for help stem the violence, it must first be offered political concessions. People, including traditional PNC supporters were being killed or raped and the PNC leadership watched

The bitter struggle is unending Dear Editor, The lives of sugar workers have always been a devastating struggle to adequately feed, clothe and house their families. This is well documented in our history. This daily struggle has gotten more intense since this coalition Government took office in May 2015, more than three and a half year ago.

Thousands of sugar workers have been converted to beggars whilst the remainder is living under great insecurity and on a hand-to-mouth basis. The bitter struggle is unending!

In the 1960s, there ensued a harsh struggle for better conditions and wages for sugar workers, but along the way until 1976, they achieved notable gains in hours of work, housing and wages. Unfortunately, those gains were severely compromised during the 28 years of PNC dictatorship rule which saw every aspect of Guyanese lives being systematically destroyed when even access to food became a criminal act!

It was produce and yet perish in those days! The 2015 Commission of Inquiry confirmed this.

The CoI identified 31 ‘issues and needs’ and blamed ‘higher than anticipated wage increase’ as one of these. A few pages later, it shortlisted 11 ‘main issues’ which led to the ‘poor and unacceptable state of GuySuCo’ and at number five blamed GAWU for ‘unrelenting’ demands for wage increases. Yet a few pages later the CoI concluded that, ‘the current earnings of sugar workers compare favorably with other categories of workers in Guyana. This observation in no way negates recognition of the difficult and challenging conditions which field workers face’. This is in direct contradiction to the impression given earlier which had suggested that the sugar workers were overpaid due to the ‘unrelenting’ demands

by GAWU! I challenge those who feel that sugar workers are overpaid to spend just one day as a cane-harvester!

The indisputable fact is that a strong cane-harvester

will need to work the entire week to take home $40,000 and this ‘high’ earning will only last for the duration of the crop. In its entirety the crop period in GuySuCo is approximately eight months or 32 weeks. For approximately 20 weeks, the average sugar worker will earn less than $10,000 per week; this may be more due to the unavailability of work for various reasons. This is not a very healthy financial position and normally results in a continuous cycle of borrowing and debts. This cycle of poverty hardly ends yet more than 7,000 workers were callously kicked out of their jobs and converted into mendicants.

But one year and $30 billion later the closed estates are yet to be privatised! I am sure 2020 will overtake this privatisation process and in the meantime more sugar workers may be thrown onto the breadline.

This year the production target of 104,451 tonnes will be realised with the well-managed flagship Albion Estate achieving more than 56 per cent of the Company’s target, greatly surpassing its own of 56,000 tonnes! But what will the sugar workers receive? GuySuCo has said in a press statement that a bonus will be paid if the target is achieved, ‘the value of which is dependent on the final production’. I am sure the coalition Government is aware of this, yet no provision was made in the 2019 budget to give these workers even a paltry wage increase. Now that the industry has shown progress, it is the Government which must assist GuySuCo on its onward journey to prosperity and ensuring that the current sugar workers receive a much-needed increase in their wages and salaries.

No doubt GuySuCo is a loss-making entity, but so are other public enterprises which are monopolies. The Finance Minister confirmed this growing trend in this 2019 Budget presentation.

However, the Government continues to be magnanimous to them. Two most notable

loss-making monopolies are Guyana Power and Light and the Guyana Oil Company. All workers in the public entities have gotten wage increases year after year despite their poor and declining performances. In addition, in 2016, the public servants earning less than $500,000 per month received a bonus of $25,000 per month. This year, public servants will once again receive between 5-7 per cent increases with the retroactive payments this time being tax-free.

The Finance Minister could have created the fiscal space by trimming the excess ‘fat’ in the Budget to at least give sugar workers a wage 5 per cent increase since he knew that they have performed exceedingly well despite receiving no wage increases for 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. It must be borne in mind that they were even denied any Annual Production Incentives and many benefits were snatched from them during those years.

In June 2016, the erstwhile ‘champion’ of the sugar workers, Moses Nagamootoo saluted the ‘Enmore Five’ and mentioned the ‘long history of struggles for better working and living conditions’ and concluded that they ‘did not die in vain’ but this hypocritical utterance cannot mask his self-preserving loyalty to his masters by not only remaining silent but has embarking on a litany of vitriolic against them, such as calling them ‘raiders of the Treasury’. He is in a better position to assist them but his subservience and heartlessness know no bounds!

It is a season of goodwill and joy and it is my fervent desire is that the current sugar workers and the dismissed ones are treated fairly and justly. This coalition Government has now forgotten the dismissed sugar workers. I exhort all fair-minded Guyanese to ‘light a candle’ and pray for them!

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf RDC Councillor Region Six

on. Mr Raphael Trotman, the current AFC leader a former leading PNC member, arrogantly stated that the PNC’s job was to “depose” (as opposed to replace) the elected administration.

There is more, much more about who were involved to set aside voters’ will. But perhaps that is the responsibility of local journalists to disclose, especially since no one has been prosecuted for their involvement, and some are bent on disguising it all as mere socalled “troubles” or tales of crime and now, drug sprees.

It is not customary for notable politicians or political activists to go on crime or drug sprees.

Acts to subvert the will and/ or mandate of the 2001 electorate constitute some of the prima facie evidence of what transpired during the home affairs tenure of Mr Gajraj, and ought to be included in petitions or testimonies to be submitted by those who speak of court proceedings and commissions of inquiry.

Voters who bear scars from having their right to govern trampled from one general election to another, are free

to publicly recognise the late Minister as they see fit. But they must also be vigilant.

This is because democracy is a terrifying thing to citizens who have been schooled to believe that in Guyana, most have a right to vote but only some have a right to govern. This is beyond George Orwell. However, controversial it was, opposition to this kind of schooling is part of the story some will remember of the late Mr Ronald Gajraj.

Sincerely, Rakesh Rampertab

Serious emerging implications with illness of GECOM’s Chairman Dear Editor, Recently published media articles reported the ill health of Mr James Patterson, Chairman of the Guyana Election Commission (GECOM). From a humanitarian standpoint, one should indeed be very sympathetic in learning that an illness has caused the Chairman to be in and out of the hospital.

Given the demands of the office he holds, his age and the reported nature of the ailment; divine intervention towards a speedy recovery is wished and herein expressed.

There are, however, many serious emerging implications as a consequence of this unfortunate vicissitude. It is, therefore, with restraint that one must consider the toll this experience will likely have, even with pious interventions. It brings to the fore and highlights the serious questions about critical decisions currently needed, regarding actions to drive the strongly required improvements of the functioning of GECOM’s Secretariat.

There are many burning questions about accountability, transparency, and now, the special audit on some of GECOM’s staff operations which have been on the front burner for some time. It is imperative, critical and necessary for these issues to be resolved as Guyana heads to 2020 National and Regional Elections.

The importance of GECOM getting it right cannot be understated. The immediacy of clearly verifiable results from transparent systems is of ultimate paramountcy. Further, the fact that 2018 Local Government Elections (LGE) are over and the nation is still awaiting the release of the official report on the Elections, is indeed an absolute indictment which the organisation cannot afford. It begs questions about how long the official result of the next elections take, which can result in absolute chaos.

The situation further justifies the need to have in place a mechanism that will further strengthen and support the ‘Statements of Poll’ system. As such, this column calls for GECOM’s Chairman and Commissioners to swiftly reconsider the seemingly cast aside, recent United Nations Assessment. This review, we are advised, would

have more likely informed conditions for the complementary finger print system, and also engender stronger confidence in the voting population.

It is very clear that GECOM stands vanguard over upholding Guyana’s democracy through its role exercised through the conduct of National Elections. In executing this role, the Chairman and Commissioners of the Organisation must be cognizant that less than acceptable conduct at the various levels, can influence a further rapid deterioration into social and economic anarchy.

The policies of the organisation in this realm, must therefore provide equal opportunities to all stakeholders without fear, favour or ambiguousness.

In the current environment, there is quite a lot to be achieved towards this end.

Advanced preparation under an effective functioning and monitoring by an objective Commission is necessary.

However, the possibility of the Chairman’s prolonged or even occasional absence at

this time, informs further serious challenges.

The fact that the results of the 2015 General and Regional Elections have been challenged in the courts on very serious operational and highly questionable grounds also speak volumes. It is correctly argued by many, that such matters should be treated as the matters of national security they are, and be given the most expeditious hearing once it is verified that the justifications stand on good grounds. This approach must be seriously thought out and effected by the Judiciary.

The illness of Mr Patterson will slow down many things, even as the general public is aware that at least some of the Commissioners are kept in limbo. There are still very serious questions about the staff that works during the Elections. At the very beginning, the Returning Officers (ROs) were ‘hand-picked’, although there were serious allegations and objection against these persons.

Sincerely, Neil Kumar

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saturdAY, december 22, 2018

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Foundation

By Amy Packham

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he Christmas season is a dream for many children, what with the visits to Santa, copious amounts of chocolate and presents galore.

But for anxious kids, meeting family members they haven’t seen for months, sitting on Father Christmas’ knee and a change in routine, are not conducive to good mental health.

Miriam Gwynne’s nine-year-old daughter Naomi was diagnosed with anxiety three years ago and the festive period can be difficult for her.

“Santa brings a whole new level to my daughter’s anxiety,” the mum from Lanarkshire, Scotland, told HuffPost UK. “She was so worried about Santa coming into her house when we were all sleeping, and anxious about him forgetting her or leaving the wrong things.”

“We have had to adapt the traditional idea of Santa coming down the chimney, to Santa asking mum and dad to buy what the children want to help him out,” Gwynne continued.

“Christmas is a particularly challenging time for her as so much is unexpected.

“School routines change to incorporate nativity plays and practises for shows, meals change from what she is used to and there are so many social events going on.”

Why can Christmas be hard for anxious children?

Naomi’s experience is not unique. Kids are creatures of habit and can be prone to being over-anxious when routine goes out the window, explains Geraldine Joaquim, a clinical hypnotherapist and psychotherapist who works with children.

“Whilst Christmas is an exciting time, it is also a time of big upheaval as we decorate our houses, spend time planning for the event and perhaps visiting friends and relatives, preparing food, shopping,” she said.

“Children can be side-lined in a bid to get things done, especially as we race closer to the day.”

Gwynne’s daughter Naomi really struggles when strangers feel it’s okay to ask what she wants from Santa. She is too anxious to attend grottos and worries about shops shutting over Christmas, in case her family needs essentials.

“The weather changes make her anxious too as it is so unpredictable and snow changes what everything looks like and may mean her school is closed,” said Gwynne.

“She finds presents difficult because she likes to know what she is getting beforehand.”

Joaquim said other factors that may heighten children’s anxiety include a lack of sleep (as bedtime tends to slide in any holiday season), the weather (with less sunlight and gloomier days), socially-demanding activities and being put on the spot with forced hugs.

Emma Saddleton, parents’ helpline operations manager at children’s mental health charity Young Minds added that extensive family time may also cause tension.

“No family is perfect and family tensions, even small ones, may surface during long periods of time spent together - particularly over this period,” she said.

“Children are often acutely aware of adult tensions and some may feel anxious about family dynamics during the festive period, but may not articulate this worry to parents or friends.”

How can parents alleviate the issues for anxious children?

We spoke to experts at YoungMinds and Anxiety UK to get advice on how parents can make the festive period an enjoyable experience for anxious children.

1. Plan ahead

Gwynne said she prepares a lot of the things her family will be doing at Christmas in advance.

And according to Saddleton, this is key for keeping anxiety low.

“Talk to your children and identify what they look forward to the most, and if there is anything that they worry about or would like to do differently this year,” she advised.

“It’s a good idea to plan how you will spend time together, but it’s also crucial to plan for time to yourselves and time apart doing separate activities or having unstructured down time so there is time to relax among the festivities.”

2. Involve children in plans – with warning

Joaquim said whatever festive plans you have arranged with your children - ensure they are given plenty of warning. She advised parents to use the “countdown technique”: “Most parents will be familiar with the scenario of counting down when leaving home or a friend’s house: Give them a 10 minute warning that you’ll be going soon, followed by five minutes, then down to two and one minute,” she explained.

“Usually it doesn’t matter that the minutes are, in reality, a little stretched - it’s just a mechanism to allow the child to know what’s going to happen next.”

Gwynne prepares Naomi for upcoming festive plans by watching clips on YouTube: “We use stories and videos to help prepare her for events like the nativity or days out, by showing her what it will be like.”

3. Empathise with your child’s feelings rather than dismiss them

It’s as important as ever to make time to talk to your child about how they are feeling in the lead up to Christmas.

Nicky Lidbetter, chief executive at Anxiety UK said: “Recognise that these feelings are real and scary to them, and that you understand that a certain situations may be upsetting for them.

“Express confidence that your child is going to be okay and that you are there to support them.

“Discussing your child’s fears calmly and rationally will make them feel supported, rather than reinforcing a feeling that they are ‘wrong’ or ‘bad’ for feeling this way.

“If you share some of your child’s anxieties, reassure them that you get scared and nervous too and that you will get through it together.”

4. Prepare for the Father Christmas visit

Joaquim said it’s important to prepare children for new events, especially something so out of the ordinary as meeting Father Christmas.

“This can be done by reading books leading up to the visit, pointing out happy pictures of Father Christmas and children around him getting presents,” she explained.

“On the actual day of the visit, it should be child-led, meaning parents take their cues from the child.

“If they really don’t want to sit on his knee (and actually this is fairly rare nowadays, there’s usually a chair next to Santa) or are reluctant to go into the grotto, don’t over push it.

“Yes, it’s a lovely tradition but only if everyone is happy. No one wants stressed-out parents trying to cajole a reluctant child into doing something he or she doesn’t want to do.

“Just be gentle, take it at the child’s pace and if they’re not ready for it this year, they may be next year.”

5. Don’t force your child into social interactions

“We restrict family coming to a few at a time to make it more manageable for Naomi, and we don’t go to big parties,” explained Gwynne.

When you do attend friends’ or family’s houses, Joaquim advises allowing the child to enter at their own pace without facing an enveloping hug or kiss.

“And bring something they are familiar with like a cuddly toy, book or something small and easy to transport,” she added.

“It’s worth pre-warning relatives that your little one is a little sensitive and will approach them in his/her own time.”

Lidbetter said even when you are at relatives’ houses, don’t expect your child to interact with too many people.

“Let them know that a simple ‘hello’ will do, rather than forcing them to hug each of their relatives,” she said.

“And if your child struggles with anxiety over Christmas presents, you may want them to open one large present in front of their extended family and then give them space and privacy to open others within a smaller group.” to be continued

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saturdAY, december 22, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Govt has to resign and call elections in 3 months – PM F

ollowing Friday evening’s passage of the Noconfidence Motion filed by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Opposition against the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Coalition, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo said Government will uphold the law.

This means, in accordance with the Constitution of Guyana, the Coalition Administration will have to resign and call national elections within the next three months. Article 106 (6) and (7) of the Constitution states, respectively: “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.” And “Notwithstanding its defeat, the Government shall remain in office and shall hold an election within three months, or such longer period as the National Assembly shall by resolution supported by not less than two-thirds of the votes of all the elected members of the National Assembly determine, and shall resign after the President takes the oath of office following the election.”

During the voting of the Opposition-filed motion against the APNU/ AFC, Government Member of Parliament Charrandass Persaud voted in favour with the PPP, thus passing the

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo surrounded by Government Ministers after they were defeated

motion.

Persaud is a member of the AFC party.

Unpredictable

At an emergence press conference after the adjournment of Friday’s sitting of the National Assembly, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo posited that while the outcome was unpredictable, it must be accepted.

“Guyanese must understand that the democratic process is sometimes unpredictable. You may have results that are not planned for… but the outcome has to be accepted… It may be a surprise to some, it may be a shock to others, it may be welcomed by some and others may rejoice over the results but that is how democracy works and we are fully

committed to the rule of law,” he posited.

Nevertheless, he noted that Government will remain in office until such time that a date for elections is set. In the meantime, he posited, the coalition will have to deliberate on its options going forward.

“This is a matter that will engage the attention of the Government and our legal advisors as to what are the options available and what is the timeline for those options,” the Prime Minister, surrounded by Government Ministers and MPs in the Committee Room of the Parliament Chambers, told reporters.

Nagamootoo went on to recognise that the process within the House was “open and transparent”, adding

that it was a robust debate involving speakers on both sides – the end of which, the parliamentary democracy triumphed.

Support still there

Nevertheless, the Government took the time to alert the nation that they will be going back to the polls and the coalition will be returning to the “grounds”. In fact, the Prime Minister said they are confident the support that they got in 2015 is still there.

“The 2015 support base has not reneged from the party, has not moved away.

We will know that in the national elections but we have every reason to believe that the support we enjoyed in 2015 and even greater support [will be there]… So we

have to go down into the elections. That is how politicians would expect to behave in situations such as these that we retain our confidence, our optimism. We have suffered a setback here, it is not an ordinary setback. This is a serious political setback but then we move on and we mobilise and strengthen our base in preparation for new polls,” he stated.

Security for Charrandas Persaud

In the meanwhile, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan has assured that “all security arrangements” were put in place to escort Persaud wherever he wanted to go.

“I also understand that he’s leaving the country early in the morning and that ar-

rangement is apparently being taken care of and so that also will be taken care of. I spoke to the Commissioner of Police on the matter and he has indicated to me every security arrangement will be made. We understand the immediacy and vulnerability of Charrandass and that certainly will be taken care of,” Ramjattan, Chairman of the AFC, said.

On this note, the Government called on citizens to maintain the peace and good order during this time.

“We want nothing to happen that would affect our stability and peace and we want nothing to happen that would affect the business community in this particularly bright business and lots of activities in the streets.”

“Both sides have to display maturity” – Jagdeo T

he parliamentary Opposition were conciliatory following the Government’s shocked defeat, when the No-confidence Motion was passed in the National Assembly on Friday evening.

In an interview on the sidelines, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo called for maturity. He also noted that the discussion for a presidential candidate will begin next week Thursday.

According to Jagdeo, Friday’s events mean the process will be brought forward.

“I don’t want to speak much about it at this point

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

play maturity in address-

“We have to deal with this situation.

It’s unprecedented in our country and both sides have to display maturity in addressing it. This is a feature of our Constitution,” Jagdeo. in time. We have to deal with this situation. It’s unprecedented in our country and both sides have to dis-

ing it. This is a feature of our Constitution.”

“It was there since Forbes

Burnham was President. It was used today in a democratic setting and the House voted in a particular way.

So we have to respect our Constitution and the democratic process,” Jagdeo said.

Asked about Persaud’s vote, Jagdeo noted that the PPP was hopeful one or two persons would use a conscience vote. In fact, Jagdeo expressed some surprise at Persaud’s vote.

“I myself was a bit surprised about the way that he voted,” he said. “But he

(Persaud) comes from the sugar belt. And I suspect that coming from the sugar belt and living in that community, he saw the hardship.”

In an interview with Guyana Times afterwards, however, former Attorney General and Opposition frontbencher, Anil Nandlall also called for mature politics to prevail. He cited various no-confidence votes that were taken in the world, including in England.

“We now have one here in Guyana for the first time since our independence. It is sincerely hoped that political leaders on both sides of the divide will now behave in the requisite maturity to take the country to the next stage, which is guide it over the next three months to a General and Regional Elections.”

“We have to deal with the people out there. People may be hurt. People are enthusiastic. You have different types of emotions emanating from different people. Us, as leaders, must take the mantle of leadership and guide our country over this delicate process to ensure our Constitution is observed.”

According to Nandlall, the motion followed the Constitution of Guyana and as a lawful vote, must be respected. He noted that by allowing the motion to run its course, Guyana’s democracy has been improved and the maturity of Parliament displayed.

“We have just witnessed history,” Nandlall said. “We have just witnessed an unprecedented event, a feature of our Constitution being activated. That is what democracy and constitutional freedom is about.”

Nandlall also stressed that Persaud exercised his right as a parliamentarian and as such, his vote must be respected. The MP expressed the hope that Persaud would be protected following his vote.

“He has a right to vote in accordance with his conscience and policies and political beliefs. That is a fundamental right guaranteed to him by the Constitution. All of us have the freedom to support a party of our choice and express support in whichever forum.

Persaud has chosen to ex-

ercise that right. And whether we like it or not is immaterial. What we must understand is that we must accept that. He is a citizen.

And we hope that no danger will befall him and that he will be protected by the law abiding citizens and the security forces.”

The next steps are spelt out in the constitution of Guyana. Article 106 (6) of the Constitution 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.”

Meanwhile, clause seven goes on to state that “Notwithstanding its defeat, the Government shall remain in office and shall hold an election within three months, or such longer period as the National Assembly shall by resolution supported by not less than two-thirds of the votes of all the elected members of the National Assembly determine, and shall resign after the President takes the oath of office following the election.”

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saturdAY, december 22, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

IN THE COURTS

Child rapist gets life imprisonment

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child rapist was jailed for life after he was found guilty of raping a teenager.

Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry on Thursday imposed a life sentence on Muhammed Khan, 50, of Corentyne, Berbice after he was found guilty of raping a 13-yearold girl.

“The court must send a strong message to those who might want to commit similar crimes,” Justice Sewnarine-Beharry told the rapist, who will not be eligible for parole until serving 35 years of his sentence.

The incident was committed on September 29, 2014 at Upper Corentyne, Berbice.

Muhammed Khan

The court was told during the trial that the 13-year-old was sent to a nearby shop by her mother to make a purchase.

However, on her way home, Khan called the teenager and told her that he had a

pair of shoes to give away.

He then lured her into the yard and also offered a DVD. The court heard that the teen went to the door of the man’s house and as she waited for the item, he pulled her by her hair and dragged her into the house and then bolted the door.

He then held her at knife point and cut off her tights and underwear. He raped her twice and told her that he would kill her if she told anyone what had occurred.

The teenager related the incident to her mother who then informed the Police.

During the trial, Khan maintained his innocence.

Attorney-at-Law Mandel Moore presented the State’s case.

After listening to the ev-

idence, the jury found him guilty.

In handing down sentence, Justice SewnarineBeharry said the court considered all of the factors surrounding the incident and imposed the life sentence.

She said a strong message must be sent to anyone who was considering such a crime. The trial Judge also noted that Khan showed no remorse for his action.

As Khan was being led away from the court room he told reporters that an innocent man was being sent to prison.

“I never did it. It never happened. I am going to jail for a crime I did not do,” he yelled.

Man jailed for escaping Brickdam lockups

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robbery accused will be spending Christmas in jail after he admitted to escaping from the Brickdam Police Station lockups.

Quincy Reynolds was under arrest for allegedly using personal violence while robbing Tameka Smith of a gold chain and gold pendant

valued 60,000 on December 20, 2018, at Hadfield Street, Georgetown.

However, while at the lockups he escaped.

Reynolds admitted to the charge of escaping from lawful custody while he denied robbing the Virtual Complainant.

The unrepresented man

in a plea of mitigation told the court that he was being beaten by the Police and was forced to escape.

However, Police Prosecutor Sanj Singh informed the court that the defendant was behaving in a disorderly manner, and when he was warned to desist, he jumped over the ve-

randa of the station and made good his escape.

Magistrate Leron Daly jailed Reynolds for one year for escaping from lawful custody while she remanded him on the robbery charge.

The case will continue on January 18, 2019.

Berbice woman charged for attempting to bribe Cop

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hirty-nine-year-old Bibi Azimulla of Lot 916 New Area, East Berbice Corentyne, appeared before Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts after being slapped

with a corrupting transaction charge.

It is alleged that on November 19, 2018, at the Police Clearance Department, Eve Leary, she offered Leslyn Halley Smith, an agent employed

by the state, the sum of $20,000 as a reward or inducement to omit a previous conviction on the certificate of character of her brother, Azaad Azimulla.

The unrepresented woman denied the charge.

Police Prosecutor Sanj Singh made no objections to bail. Magistrate Daly released Azimulla on $50,000 bail.

The case will continue on January 2, 2019.

Vendor slapped with attempted murder charge

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39-year-old East Coast Demerara (ECD) Stabroek Market vendor was on Friday arraigned at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on a charge of attempted murder.

Robert Henry appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan and was not required to plea to the indictable charge which stated that on December 19, 2018 at Brickdam Road, in the vicinity of the Stabroek Market, with intent to commit murder, he wounded Lawrence Jack.

Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield informed the court that on December 19, Henry and the victim were involved in a heated argument after the virtual complainant parked next to the area where Henry was vending.

The accused, who became annoyed, armed himself with a knife and dealt the victim a stab.

The vendor was released on $200,000 bail. As a condition for bail he is required to report to the Brickdam Police Station weekly until the case concludes. The case will continue on January 2, 2019.

Waiting for…

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…the foot to fall in Parliament

our Eyewitness was reminded by the Bard’s insight: “methinks the lady does protest too much” after being bombarded with bombast for days by the government ads boasting about all the “good” things they’d done in Guyana over the past four years. So your Eyewitness moseyed over to Parliament and its environs to check out the goings on and witness if the dénouement of the protestations would reveal the government really had no answer to the PPP’s no-confidence motion.

And it wasn’t just their protestations in the press.

Seems that flyers had been distributed by the PNC calling for the faithful to gather in front of parliament to “protect democracy”. And here it was that we’d been taught by the PNC and the AFC only four years ago that “no-confidence motions” were the very essence of democracy!! Your Eyewitness received a screen-shot of a young government official swearing that the PPP would be infiltrating the gathered faithful to create “incidents”, and he wondered why would his party provide the opportunity in the first place for hiding these agent provocateurs??

Anyhow, after not seeing any massive crowds as he approached the Public Buildings he’d been expecting, your Eyewitness realized that this was another signal that “things na regula’” in the PNC camp. The singing, drumming and cuss-out of Jagdeo by the motley crew of bussed-in supporters was pathetic. Was this what the PNC had dwindled into? The first signal of its demise, of course, was the 34% PNC to 61% PPP results of the LGE. This had obviously made the Opposition Leader realize that the abysmal performance by the PNC since 2015 had forced its own supporters to remove their legitimacy. Hence the no-confidence motion.

Inside the National Assembly, Jagdeo, the Opposition Leader was in fine fettle – doing what he does best: marshalling facts and figures to demonstrate the unfitness and impropriety to allow the PNC coalition to continue mismanaging the affairs of the country. Your Eyewitness doesn’t have to go into the details, does he?? You, dear reader, have been living the dystopian reality the PNC ushered in and as Brother Bob said, “only he who feels, can know”!

Looking at the government MP’s heckling and banging their desks, it was clear that they were trying to intimidate the two or three from their ranks who they knew had been already been persuaded to vote their conscience.

The panic in their eyes was evident as they contemplated an election within three months. And then came the vote of AFC’s Charandas Persaud after the division!!

Democracy had triumphed!! God bless Guyana!!

…the rioting and looting

Not seeing any fireworks inside the National Assembly earlier, your Eyewitness had wandered past the PNC-renta-crowd at the side of St Andrews Kirk. He hoped the fella inside didn’t mind them spoiling the festive mood of HIS birthday!! Being a typical Guyanese, he squeezed over to the downtown shopping areas to do some last-minute shopping.

And he discovered a discomfiting fact: several vendors and shop owners were convinced there would be rioting at some point or other. And for sure if the PPP won their no-confidence motion. They were selling their wares with one eye poised for the rampaging mob that flattens the Commercial Section of Georgetown whenever the PNC doesn’t get its way.

The strain on some of the faces – even very young ones - was something to behold…and your Eyewitness was reminded of the facticity of “transgenerational trauma”.

This is where the memory of the trauma of riots and violations are passed down from generation to generation.

Every decade since 1962, Georgetown riots have scarred perceived PPP supporters. What will happen tonight?

Your Eyewitness hopes we have now transcended those challenges and accept the will of the people’s representatives.

…Garbage settlement

One accomplishment of the PNC government, according to Nagamootoo, to revive Georgetown to the “Garden City” status it once had under the “white man”.

Are the mounds of composting garbage intended to fertilize the Garden?

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

News

“We’re ready to work with Govt on way forward” – Opposition Leader

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pposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo on Friday evening said the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Opposition is ready and willing to work with the coalition Government to determine the way forward following the passage of the Noconfidence Motion against the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change Administration.

He was at the time delivering his final address to the National Assembly before adjournment ahead of the festive holidays.

The Opposition Leader, who is also the General Secretary of the PPP, noted that while the preceding events were unprecedented, it is pushing democracy forward.

“We on both sides of the House, we have to now sit and talk about how we move forward over the course of the next few months and over the course of the future. I’m doing that on this side… and I’m very conscious of what I mean and what implications it would have for the future of

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

Guyana,” he posited.

The Opposition Leader acknowledged that both sides have constituencies and as such, “we have to find a way now to ensure that we maximise all of the national skills and look past the politics of it so that we can, in the upcoming era, which can be transformative, we can present a unit-

ed face to the rest of the world.

And this, although it may seem an unprecedented and maybe disappointing for the members of the Government side, it’s also an opportunity – and I would hope we all see it as an opportunity – for engagement very, very early on both sides and decide on how we [move forward].”

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saturdAY, december 22, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

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saturdAY, december 22, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Woman dies in WCD accident

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young mother has lost her life while two of her friends are suffering severe injuries after the vehicle in which they were travelling veered off the road in the vicinity of De Kinderen, West Coast of Demerara (WCD).

Dead is 28-year-old Nkasi McKend of Lot 2 Sea Field, Leonora, WCD who was the driver of the motorcar bearing registration number PRR 4153.

Injured are Mario Desa and Caleb Morrison.

The incident occurred in the wee hours of Friday morning after the friends were reportedly returning from a party.

According to the Police, the young business owner lost control of the vehicle as she was negotiating a turn at an alleged fast rate along

Dead: Nkasi McKend

the public road.

The motorcar reportedly turned turtle and came to a halt after it crashed into a fence and landed in a thick clump of bushes on the western side of the road.

The now deceased woman was flung from the vehicle. She received multiple

injuries to her head and other parts of her body as a result of the impact.

However, she was subsequently picked up by Police in an unconscious state and rushed to the Leonora Cottage Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

Her friends have since been hospitalised.

Only earlier this week, Police Commissioner Leslie James, in giving a breakdown of crime and accident statistics for 2018, said there has been an overall spike in the number of fatal accidents recorded when compared to the same period last year.

He used the platform to make some requests, which can affect how the GPF can function in a positive manner. Those include provisions for a traffic advisory

The damaged car in which the woman and her friends were travelling

board, training board and promotion board. At present, consultations have been convened to determine whether these panels should

be reinstated. As a matter of fact, the Commissioner is quoted as saying, “There is need for the traffic advisory board. There is need for a training board and, of course, a promotion board.

We have strongly recommended the resuscitation of those boards. If we are an organisation that can be recognised as a prudent organisation, those boards ought to be in place.”

Guyana has been ranked along with top countries in the world that have not undertaken sufficient efforts to reduce accidents in keeping with the UN strategy.

Leaked rape video

Wanted bulletin issued for suspects in “Yellow” murder

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Wanted: Chiowa Gray

Wanted: Kenrick Bourne

he Guyana Police Force on Friday issued wanted bulletins for Chiowa Gray, 32, formerly of Lot 155 Lodge Housing Scheme, Georgetown and 41-year-old Kenrick Bourne of Lot 43 Wismar Housing Scheme, Linden, who are wanted by the Police for questioning in relation to murder committed on Sherwin Apple on September 25, 2018 at Kitty Seawall, Georgetown.

A post mortem examination (PME) conducted on the body of the 41-year-old man, whose body was found at the Kitty Seawall one day after leaked videos went viral of him and another man allegedly raping a 15-yearold girl has revealed that he was murdered and did not commit suicide.

Apple, also known as “Yellow”, was found lying face down in the vicinity of Selena Resort, Kitty Seawall in September. It was suspected that the clothes vendor, formerly of William Street, Kitty and Silver Town, Wismar, Linden, had ingested carbon tablets after the videos went viral.

However, an autopsy conducted by State Pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh on Apple gave the cause of death as asphyxiation (strangulation) with compression injuries to the neck.

The PME findings have confirmed the worst fears

of Apple’s family, who have since revealed that no trace of poison was found in Apple’s system.

In an initial report, family members noted that they were doubtful that he would commit suicide and are of the belief that the circulation of the video and its backlash led to his demise Apple’s sister, Shonette, said she had spoken with her brother in relation to the viral video, noting that he did not feel good about it and had cried as he was saddened over the situation.

She said it was the last time she heard from him.

She explained that her brother had also told a friend and his uncle that he was receiving threats over the video.

Meanwhile, Apple’s mother, Valda Daniels called for full investigation into his death.

Apple, a clothes vendor formerly of Silvertown, Wismar, Linden is survived by three children.

Police on Friday said anyone with information that may lead to Chiowa Grey’s arrest is kindly asked to contact the nearest Police station on the following numbers: 333-3876, 3332485, 333-5564, 333-2151-3, 225-3650, 226-1929, or 911.

All information will be treated with strict confidence, the Police have said.

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saturdAY, december 22, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Coalition Govt failed to manage Guyana – Jagdeo A

s the much-anticipated debate on the NoConfidence motion got underway in the National Assembly on Friday afternoon, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo took a swipe at the APNU/AFC Coalition for its failure to properly manage the country.

According to Jagdeo during his debate on the motion, which he filed against the Coalition Administration last month, if ever there was a time for a no-confidence motion to be brought against the coalition administration, it is now.

“Who does this Government manage [the country] for? It can’t be the sugar workers; it can’t be the rice farmers; it can’t be the miners; it can’t be the disciplined services, they took away their bonuses; It can’t be for teachers; it can’t be for nurses, who were promised phenomenal salaries; it can’t be for the pensioners; it can’t be for children, because from the ($10,000) grant alone, they took away $8 billion from them ($1.6 billion annually in five budgets)… it can’t be for sick people, because they have to pay more taxes on their drugs in the hospitals.

So who are they managing for, but themselves?” asked Jagdeo rhetorically.

“On the other side of the ledger, you trace the extravagance – arches; big and fancy meals; one bil-

lion more for local travels; much, much more for perks and benefits… So I hope the people outside whom they mobilised… [I hope they see that] this is an elitist group, the 33 here,” Jagdeo asserted.

The Opposition Leader further commented on a series of areas in which he said Government has failed to deliver promises made during its 2015 campaign.

“All of their promises they have failed to keep,” he noted, while highlighting that among those issues is the provision of jobs for young people.

“All the jobs that they told the young people about in the campaign -- well, the young people have disappeared, they have disappeared from the Government and every other place; they are gone; the dinosaurs and Tyrannosaurus Rex over [on Government’s side] have all disappeared the people,” he stated.

Jagdeo posited that had such a situation existed under the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) regime, that regime would have been chastised by the PNCR-led Government for showing discrimination.

“You had the famous speech at BV (Beterverwagting), where young Afro-Guyanese kids were told, ‘If you don’t have a job, you’re lazy and you’re spending out your money at

Cuba says unable to pay off debt commitments in 2019

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uba's government admitted on Friday that it won't be able to pay all its debt commitments in 2019, blaming Hurricane Irma and United States sanctions for its woes.

"In 2019, we'll have less credit than the amount of debt we're planning to pay," said finance minister Alejandro Gil during a parliamentary session.

"There will be a level of debt that we won't be able to pay next year and this will affect the performance of the economy.

"There is a high level of debt in the economy that creates daily tensions.

"We've been looking for specific solutions but it's affecting the harmonious per-

formance of the economy."

Gil insisted that Cuba's new loans would be marginally lower than the existing debts it will pay off, meaning that "we won't be increasing our level of debt."

Cuba recently defaulted on a part of its debt with Brazil and is behind in reimbursing another portion related to the construction of a port and purchase of food.

Havana blames these delays on the effects of Hurricane Irma, which made landfall in early September 2017, and a hardening US embargo that hinders its international financial transactions.

Cuba's government has said the economy grew by 1.2 per cent in 2018. (AFP)

the Guinness Bar’, but under the PPP, if they didn’t have a job, it was PPP’s discrimination,” the Opposition Leader outlined.

Jagdeo said he has never seen a Government boast about not doing anything as much as the Coalition does.

He declared that all they do is talk about the impending oil and gas industry when ExxonMobil, Guyana’s major explorer, came under the PPP Administration.

He then went on to talk about the many scandals within the Coalition, particularly those relating to procurement breaches – an area on which the APNU/ AFC has many times lashed the PPP. “If I talk about their scandals, I will run out of time. (Public Infrastructure Minister David) Patterson is before the Police and (Minister of Public Health) Volda (Lawrence)

is constantly before the Procurement Commission; yet they talk about scandal.

I can’t even list their scandals, my time will expire,” the Opposition Leader contended.

Speaking amidst loud and continuous heckling from the Government’s side during his approximately 40-minute presentation, Jagdeo posited that this reaction shows the desperation of the Government, since it could not address critical issues raised in the motion, such as corruption, high cost of living, neglect of industries, squandering of resources, and its vision for the future, among other things.

“It’s a pathetic Government that can’t even find anything to say about its tenure in office, and the sad thing is: while they can’t find anything to say….they have spent 1.3 trillion dol-

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

lars of our money, borrowed 200 billion, and they have now increase taxes by $66 billion,” Jagdeo stated.

The Opposition Leader went on to outline that

the APNU/AFC regime is useless for the people of Guyana. He added that the longer they are in power, the more damaging they will be for the country’s future.

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No-confidence Motion deba

ber 22, 2018 | guyanatimesGY.com

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ebate in National Assembly

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saturdAY, december 22, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

High Court handyman Appeal Court orders remanded for beating wife retrial for bicycle murder

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handyman attached to the Berbice High Court was remanded to prison for allegedly hitting his wife with a piece of wood several times, causing her to suffer a fracture to the left hand.

Troyden Evans, 42, of Lot 214 Mayor and Town Council Scheme, New Amsterdam, appeared before Magistrate Alex Moore on a charge of maliciously inflecting bodily harm on Rhonda McGarrel on December 14, 2018, at

Vrymens Erven.

The prosecution is contending that Evans went to his wife who was selling in front of a primary school in New Amsterdam and began threatening her.

The woman, out of fear, left her stand and ran into the New Amsterdam Library compound but he pursued her and then dealt her several blows with the piece of wood he was carrying.

The woman appeared in court with her left arm ban-

daged and indicated to the court that it was fractured.

Police Prosecutor Inspector Bernard Brown told the court that Evans was previously charged for a similar offence, but the matter was dismissed for want of prosecution.

According to Brown, he was also convicted and imprisoned for burning McGarrel’s face. He will have to return to court on January 18, 2019.

Couple busted with gun, ammo, drugs A

Patentia, West Bank of Demerara (WBD) couple was busted by Police with a gun, matching ammunition and a quantity of cannabis.

Based on intelligence received, Police swooped down on the couple’s Patentia Squatting Area, popularly known as

“Skull City”, home.

During the search the officers unearthed the unlicensed pistol with twelve live rounds in a magazine and 325 grams of cannabis, packaged in small-sized Ziploc bags.

The items were lodged, and the duo are being processed for Court.

T

hree years after a 12-member jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict, 27-year-old Ravindra Paremdass will have to undergo a retrial following a decision by the Appeal Court of Guyana on Friday, which set aside his murder conviction and accompanying prison sentence.

Paremdass was implicated in the unlawful killing of Roopram Jagdeo, called "Lil Baby" and "Rabbit" who was said to have been murdered between December 20 and 21, 2012, at Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

Paremdass was sentenced to 57 years jail by High Court Judge Navindra Singh after trial. In that decision, the judge started at a base of 60 years and deducted three years for the time the accused spent awaiting trial. The Judge also ordered that Paremdass only

Deceased: Roopram Jagdeo

be eligible for parole after he served 25 years.

Paremdass’s lawyer, Sanjeev Datadin had, however, appealed the court’s determination and when the Appeal Court considered the grounds, Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag) Yonette Cummings-Edwards and

Justices of Appeal Dawn Gregory and Rishi Persaud concurred that Justice Singh failed to adequately put his client’s defence of self-defence to the jury for consideration.

On these grounds, the Court of Appeal set aside the conviction and jail sentence and thereby ordered that the accused man face another trial in the High Court for the capital offence.

This means that the matter is set to appear at the next sitting of the Demerara Assizes which begins early next year. The facts of the matter outlined that the two men were involved in a heated argument over a bicycle and as tension unfolded, Paremdass allegedly administered Jagdeo with several blows to the head with a piece of wood.

State Counsel Tamieka Clarke prosecuted the case.

CPCE challenged in hiring lecturers T

he Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) has been faced with constraints in terms of appointing lecturers to tutor several areas of studies, which are pursued by a growing number of graduates each academic year.

This was the concern raised by the Principal, Viola Rowe on Thursday, who noted that there are difficulties in finding fulltime lecturers to direct the Physical Education, Art Education and Music curriculum education.

“CPCE continues to find it challenging to recruit fulltime staff with the right skill-mix to facilitate as tutors [and] lecturers for the delivery of physical education, art education and music education curriculum,” Rowe expressed.

Apart from this, there is also the trend of increased vending outside of the college compound, which is deemed unacceptable, since it takes away from the aesthetics of the College atmosphere.

“A seeming and disturbing trend has been the increase in vending on the parapets at the front of the college compound. This act is unwelcomed and unsightly and runs counter to the administration’s goal to im-

Principal of the CPCE, Viola Rowe

prove the aesthetic appeal of the College.”

Apart from these concerns, the Principal lauded the improvements in the hinterland region, which saw the introduction of an education training centre in Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni). This was a projected goal in the last academic year, which the institution managed to execute during the 2017-2018 period.

“In the last reporting period 2016-2017, we projected that for this current reporting period, we would offer teacher and education training in at least one location in the North Pakaraimas,

Region Eight. We’re happy to report that was done with the resuscitation of the Paramakatoi Centre.”

Adding to that, a “monitoring and evaluation system” was introduced to closely look at centres individually at all satellite centres to identify shortcomings and solutions for their rectification.

Rowe explained that this was implemented at all coastal satellite centres to ensure equality in the services being offered as well as a uniformed performance.

“We also projected to design and implement an effective system of monitoring and evaluation, which would include as a strategy, the use of the staff appraisal instrument in all satellite centres. This approach allows for gaps, strengths and limitations to be unidentified for our centres,” Rowe explained.

She further mentioned, “The results would include the areas of development that are needed for that individual centre. Ultimately, without losing sight of contextual differences, the proposed strategy would help to ensure congruence in the delivery of our centres. We introduced this system in all coastal satellite centres.”

news

15

saturdAY, december 22, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Chinese Govt donates Joint Services veterans honoured medical supplies to V Linden Hospital

Members of the Chinese Medical Brigade along with Chief Executive Officer of LHC, Dr Mohammad Ryasat (centre)

T

he People’s Republic of China through the Chinese Medical Brigade attached to the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) has donated $6.2 Million in medical supplies and equipment.

The items were donated on Wednesday by a team of doctors including the leader of the Chinese Medical Brigade to Linden Dr.Wang Feng.

The items, which will also alleviate the issue of shortages of some supplies at the hospital, will be disbursed to the Kwakwani Hospital as well as the Upper Demerara Hospital as the need arises.

The larger equipment on the list of items donated include ultrasonic atomization, at-

omizer energy chips, syringe pumps, oxygen pumps, and infant oxygen hoods. Public Relations Officer of the LHC Toshanna Allicock said the staff of the medical facility is extremely grateful for the donation which is an annual exercise conducted for the past 19 years. Last year, $5Million in items was donated and Allicock related that these donations contributed significantly to the improvement of the services, especially emergency services offered at the hospital. Some critical items that were donated last year were anaesthesia machines, portable ultrasound machines and electrocardiogram (EKG) machines.The PRO said the hospital can now offer these services on a 24-

hour basis since more doctors and nurses have been trained in managing them. “Since then we have been training doctors and nurses to use this equipment so that we can improve the speed at which we offer EKG testing and ultrasound as well … so instead of waiting for someone to come and have these EKG testing done, we have the nurses right there who are able to handle that, so we can get faster results,” she noted.

The brigade has already asked the Management to compile a list of items needed for 2019, and Allicock said, she is confident those will be donated as the hospital looks forward to a continued relationship with Government of China.

Guyanese escapes from T&T Immigration Detention Centre

P

olice in Trinidad and Tobago are currently searching for five detainees who escaped from the Immigration Detention Centre, Wallerfield on Thursday.

Looptt.com reported that at about 22:30h on Thursday, Cpl. Jeanville and a party of officers attached to the Arima Criminal Investigations Department (CID) received a report of escaped detainees and visited the Centre to conduct enquiries.

While there, officers received information about how the detainees escaped and immediately launched a manhunt for the follow-

Jose Luis Ramirez Yanez (left) and Ryan Badal

ing persons: Krishna Bailey, a 22-year-old Jamaican national; Ryan Badal a 23-year-old Guyanese and three Venezuelan nationals; 24-year-old Rodney Noel

Reyes Mendoza; 27-year-old Jose Luis Ramirez Yanez and 32-year-old Luis Carlos Sifontes.

The five men were last seen at 15:00h on Thursday.

eterans who served in the Joint Services were on Friday honoured at the annual Veteran’s Luncheon held at Roraima Duke Lodge, Kingston. The initiative which aims to pay respect to those who served Guyana and spread Christmas cheer was held for the eighth time.

During the event, the over 50 veterans sang songs, performed poems and shared stories with each other while enjoying the atmosphere.

Eighty-seven-year-old Kingly Nelson speaking with the Department of Public Information (DPI) said this is his second year at the event.

Nelson, who served in both the Guyana Defence Force and the Guyana Police Force said it is commendable that those who served their country are recognised and celebrated.

“I served in the World War II era even though I did not go overseas, I gave my whole heart to the public service and I stand here now reaping the rewards. God has been good to me that I have lived this long and enjoy those rewards.

Veterans at the luncheon hosted in their honour

So, on behalf of the Guyana Legion, I want to wish everybody a happy Christmas,” Nelson shared.

Veterans Welfare Officer and retired Staff Sergeant Beverly Somerset said this is one of the most exciting times of the year for the veterans since they look forward to the event. “Before the date is presented by Roraima, the veterans call sometimes two or three weeks before to find out when it will be held. Many of them are very excited to attend because they do not get out often due to their physical condition. So, especially at this time of the year, they are eager to come out and enjoy

themselves,” Somerset stated.

Captain Gerald Gouveia Jnr, who hosted the event, said the Roraima Group of Companies is honoured to share this festive season and give back to those who dedicated their lives and made a noble sacrifice for their country.

The Veteran’s Luncheon has become an integral part of Christmas tradition at Roraima Airways. The veteran’s associations which participated in the Roraima Veterans Luncheon were the Guyana Veterans Legion and the Millicent Greaves Citizens Home.

GLSC to strengthen capacity of legal division

T

he Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC) announced this week that there are plans to recruit additional persons to its legal department in efforts to strengthen its capacity and meeting pressing demands.

This was announced by Commissioner of the GLSC, Trevor Benn, who also indicated that plans were in the pipeline to seek assistance from an external legal consultant. The employment of a larger workforce will elevate the department to five lawyers.

“At the moment, we have two persons on staff and we intend to hire three others and also we have started a relationship with an external legal consultant as well who will assist the team… We’re taking steps to change the structure of our legal division to make sure it can meet the demands that is being placed on it at the moment,”

said Benn.

He noted that the Judicial Review Bill would have resulted in some clients seeking assistance from the judicial system to demand answers from the Commission. This has also caused some modification in their operations.

“With the passing of the Judicial Review Bill, a number of clients have chosen to utilise the courts to demand answers from Lands and Surveys about the way we’ve been making decisions and which has caused us to review the way we do business here in the Commission.”

Nevertheless, Benn insisted that collaboration and communication has been ongoing with other land agencies to ensure that consumers are being served promptly and their issues are addressed.

The Commissioner detailed, “We continue to have meetings with our colleague land agencies, the

Deeds Registry, the Central Housing and Planning Authority, the Land Registry to name a few to ensure that we are able to meet the demands of our Act as coordinated for all land agencies.”

From January 8-12, 2019, Guyana will be hosting the Seventeenth Session of the Committee for the Review of the Convention (CRIC) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre.

CRIC is a subsidiary body of the Conference of Parties (CoP). This event will see between 400 to 600 people from over 100 countries and will significantly raise the profile of the country as a ‘green’ state.

Guyana has been a signatory to UNCCD and an active participant since 1997 and is the first English-speaking Caribbean country to have acceded to membership of the CRIC Bureau.

16

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saturDAY, december 22, 2018

Regional

No-confidence Motion Jamaica, Japan reach agreement against St Kitts-Nevis PM on tax convention set for debate on Monday A

Prime Minister, Dr Timothy Harris (left) and Opposition Leader, Dr Denzil Douglas

T

he Speaker of the St Kitts and Nevis National Assembly has set Christmas Eve as the date to debate the Opposition’s motion of no-confidence in Prime Minister, Dr Timothy Harris.

During a sitting of Parliament on Wednesday, Speaker of the House, Michael Perkins, informed of the special sitting of the National Assembly on Monday, December 24, at

13:00h to hear the motion.

Opposition Leader, Dr Denzil Douglas filed a motion of no-confidence in Harris and the Government on the evening of December 11, when the National Assembly was set to convene the next day for the 2019 Budget address. He is accusing the Prime Minister of acts of corruption, nepotism and political intimidation among other things.

Although Douglas asked that the No-confidence

Motion be tabled with urgency at the next sitting of the National Assembly, Perkins noted that motions of that nature had to filed three clear days ahead of the sitting when the motion is to be heard.

A motion of no-confidence requires a simple majority to succeed, and presently the Government commands the majority of elected seats in the National Assembly with seven while the Opposition holds four seats. (Caribbean News Now)

Jamaica, Japan reach agreement on tax convention

T

he Governments of Jamaica and Japan have agreed in principle on the tax convention between the two countries that is expected to promote further mutual investments and economic exchanges between both.

The tax convention also includes provisions for the purposes of clarifying the scope of taxation in the two countries, eliminating international double taxation and preventing tax evasion and

avoidance.

The convention will be signed after the final text has been fixed and the necessary internal procedures have been completed by each of the two governments.

Thereafter, the convention will enter into force after the completion of the domestic process in both countries (in the case of Japan, approval by the Diet).

The delegations were led by Marlene Nembhard Parker, Chief Tax Counsel,

Legislation, Treaties and International Tax Matters, Tax Administration Jamaica, (Jamaica) and Daisuke Nakano, Director, Mexico, Central America and Caribbean Division, Latin American and Caribbean Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan).

Naoya Jinda, Director for Tax Treaties and International Affairs, Tax Bureau, Ministry of Finance, Japan, served as Chief Negotiator for Japan.

(Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

Brazil prosecutors charge 42 people in alleged Petrobras bribery scheme

B

razilian prosecutors leading the so-called “Car Wash” probe on Friday charged 42 people for their role in an alleged corruption scheme involving a construction contract for state-run oil firm Petroleo Brasileiro in the state of Bahia.

In a statement, prosecutors said those charged included former high-ranking officials at Petrobras and its pension fund Petros, and executives from scandal-plagued builder Odebrecht and engineering conglomerate OAS. The charges mark the latest development in the

“Car Wash” probe, a sprawling corruption investigation that has felled many members of Brazil’s political and business elite, revealing the rotten business dealings that long underpinned the upper echelons of Brazilian society.

Prosecutors said the charges related to a bribery scheme involved in the costly construction of the Pituba tower in the Bahia state capital Salvador, which was built in order to be Petrobras’ local headquarters. Money went to senior Petrobras and Petros officials, as well as to the leftist Workers Party (PT).

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s former president and a founder of the PT, is currently in jail as a result of a graft racket uncovered by the Car Wash probe.

The prosecutors said the alleged culprits had been charged with corruption, money laundering and criminal organization. The bribes totaled 67.2 million reais ($17.22 million), they said.

The charges come after police last month served 22 arrest warrants related to the racket, which allegedly lasted from 2009 to 2016.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

fter the Nicaraguan Government announced that it has asked two key human rights institutions to leave the country, the UN human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, said on Friday that she was “extremely alarmed” by a decision that means, in effect, there will be “no functioning independent human rights bodies left in Nicaragua”.

According to Bachelet, the two non-profit human rights organisations were set up by the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights (IACHR) “in full cooperation with the Government after the violence and unrest earlier this year”. One of them is MESENI, a follow-up mechanism from IACHR set up specifically for Nicaragua, and the other is known as GIEI – the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts.

Since April, when student-led protests began in response to a decree which

raised taxes and ordered changes to social security, hundreds have been arrested.

The UN human rights office (OHCHR), has received reports that fair trial rights of protesters and their leaders are being violated.

According to media reports, the violence and civil unrest has led to around 300 deaths, and a report from the UN rights office in late August, detailed numerous violations carried out by Nicaraguan security forces, including extra-judicial killings and enforced disappear-

ances. The report noted that 22 Police Officers had also lost their lives.

“These actions by the government make resolution of the crisis affecting the country much more difficult and risk blocking all dialogue within the country, with neighbouring states and with the international community at large, with possible wide-ranging consequences,” she added, hoping that some common ground can be found with the Government so this trend can be reversed. (Excerpt

from Caribbean News Now)

Cuba says unable to pay off debt commitments in 2019

C

uba’s Government admitted on Friday that it won’t be able to pay all its debt commitments in 2019, blaming Hurricane Irma and United States sanctions for its woes.

“In 2019, we’ll have less credit than the amount of debt we’re planning to pay,” said Finance Minister Alejandro Gil during a parliamentary session. “There will be a level of debt that we won’t be able to pay next year and this will affect the

performance of the economy.

“There is a high level of debt in the economy that creates daily tensions.

“We’ve been looking for specific solutions but it’s affecting the harmonious performance of the economy.”

Gil insisted that Cuba’s new loans would be marginally lower than the existing debts it will pay off, meaning that “we won’t be increasing our level of debt.”

Cuba recently defaulted on a part of its debt with Brazil

and is behind in reimbursing another portion related to the construction of a port and purchase of food.

Havana blames these delays on the effects of Hurricane Irma, which made landfall in early September 2017, and a hardening US embargo that hinders its international financial transactions.

Cuba’s Government has said the economy grew by 1.2 per cent in 2018. (Jamaica

Observer)

US plan to keep asylum seekers in Mexico sows confusion

M

exican and US officials charged with carrying out a radical new change in US immigration policy to process asylum seekers in Mexico say they have not been informed about how the plan will work in practice .

US Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and the Mexican Government released simultaneous announcements about the plan on Thursday but said details about the rollout would be forthcoming.

Mexico’s Government said on Friday it wanted more details from the United States on the plan, and vowed not to deport people seeking refuge. It is not clear how Mexico plans to house what could be thousands of people from Central America for the months, or years, it takes US immigration cases to be heard. There is currently a backlog of more than 800,000 cases pending in immigration courts.

“Today, I’m going to ask

A group of Central Americans who are hoping to apply for asylum, wait at the border on an international bridge between Mexico and the US in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on October 31, 2018

the US authorities to give us many details,” said Mexico’s foreign minister, Marcelo Ebrard, adding that the country would lay out its position more clearly on Monday once it had more information.

The immediate lack of guidance has also left U.S. immigration judges, who will have to process the bulk of the asylum claims through their courts, in the dark, said Ashley Tabaddor, the head of the immigration judges’ union.

She said that has left the nation’s nearly 400 immigration judges with many questions, including how the cases will be distributed among the more than 60 immigration courts. Currently asylum seekers that have been released into the interior of the United States are assigned to courts near where they live. Tabaddor said it was not clear if Judges would now be expected to travel to border courts en masse to hear cases there. (Excerpt from Reuters)

17

saturdAY, december 22, 2018

guyanatimesgy.com

Around the World

Pentagon chief Mattis quits, cites policy differences with Trump

U

S Defence Secretary Jim Mattis abruptly announced his resignation on Thursday, a day after President Donald Trump overruled his advice against pulling troops out of Syria and pressed forward on discussions to withdraw forces from Afghanistan.

Mattis will leave by the end of February after two tumultuous years in the post, the latest high-profile exit to shake the Trump administration. In his resignation letter, Mattis told Trump that he was leaving because "you have a right to have a Secretary of Defence whose views are better aligned with yours".

Trump wrote on Twitter

Mattis, in his resignation letter, emphasised the importance of standing up for US allies

that Mattis was retiring – but that's not what the former Pentagon chief said.

The announcement came a day after Trump surprised Washington's allies and members of Congress by an-

nouncing the withdrawal of all US troops from Syria, and as he continues to consider shrinking the American deployment in Afghanistan.

Trump's decision to pull soldiers out of Syria has

been sharply criticised for abandoning Washington's Kurdish allies, who may well face a Turkish assault once US troops leave, and had been staunchly opposed by the Pentagon.

Mattis, in his resignation letter, emphasised the importance of standing up for US allies – an implicit criticism of the president's decision on this issue and others.

"While the US remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies," Mattis wrote. (Excerpt from BBC News)

London's Gatwick airport reopens again after drones sow travel chaos

L

ondon’s Gatwick Airport reopened on Friday after a mystery saboteur wrought 36 hours of travel chaos for more than 100,000 Christmas travellers by using drones to play cat-and-mouse with police snipers and the Army.

After the biggest disruption at Gatwick, Britain’s second busiest airport, since a volcanic ash cloud in 2010, Gatwick said around 700 planes were due to take off on Friday, although there

would still be delays and cancellations.

The airport briefly closed again on Friday to investigate a new drone sighting but was soon operating as normal.

“Flights have resumed,” a spokeswoman said. “The military measures we have in place at the airport have provided us with reassurance necessary to re-open our airfield.”

Britain deployed unidentified military technology to

guard the airport against what Transport Minister Chris Grayling said were thought to be several drones.

“This kind of incident is unprecedented anywhere in the world,” he said.

The motivation of the drone operator, or operators, was unclear. Police said there was nothing to suggest the crippling of one of Europe’s busiest airports was a terrorist attack.

Gatwick’s drone nightmare is thought to be the

most disruptive yet at a major airport and indicates a new vulnerability that will be scrutinized by security forces and airport operators across the world.

The Army and Police snipers were called in to hunt down the drones, thought to be industrial-style craft, which flew near the airport every time authorities tried to reopen it on Thursday. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Serbia train crash: 5 dead as student bus cut in half

Investigators assess the damage following a deadly collision near the Serbian city of Niš

A

train has slammed into a bus carrying school students in southern Serbia, cutting it in half and killing five people, Police say. Dozens of people were injured and two teenagers were fighting for their lives after the accident, which happened early on

Friday near the city of Nis. A child and two adults were killed instantly, while two other adults died later in hospital, reports said.

Images from the scene showed one of the train's carriages had derailed.

All the casualties in Friday's accident were re-

portedly on board the bus, which was left twisted and wrecked following the impact at the railway crossing.

The bus was carrying passengers from surrounding villages to the centre of Nis at the time.

Serbian Health Minister Zlatibor Loncar said 13 of

the injured were in a critical condition, including eight teenagers. A boy and girl aged 16 had life-threatening injuries, he said.

One eyewitness, Stevan Jocic, told reporters that he "heard a big bang" and immediately "knew it was bad", Serbian daily Kurir reported. "The bus was cut down the middle, with passengers inside... high school kids. It was horrific," he said.

Police and ambulance crews reportedly arrived quickly at the scene. The cause of the collision was unclear, but Police said early indications suggested the bus driver was at fault.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Chinese chemistry student charged with poisoning US roommate

A

The student is a chemistry major and said he purchased the thallium to use on himself

Chinese chemistry student at a US university tried to poison his African American roommate over a period of several months, prosecutors allege.

Yukai Yang was charged with attempted homicide and arrested on Thursday.

Prosecutors say he laced the food and drink of Juwan Royal with thallium. Mr Royal still suffers symptoms.

Yang admits buying chemicals but says they were intended for his own use. He is also charged with writing racist graffiti in their dorm room.

The alleged poisoning took place over several months in the spring of 2018 when Royal, a fellow senior at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, sought medical help several times for feeling dizzy, passing out, throwing up and feeling shaky, prosecutors say.

Yang admitted to having purchased thallium and other chemicals on the internet but said he got them "with the intent for him to harm himself if he did poorly on future exams", District Attorney (DA) John Morganelli told reporters.

According to Mr Morganelli, "Mr Royal experienced extreme pain in his lower extremities as well as severe burning and numbness which resulted in intensive medical treatment."

The DA said the poisoning went on over a long time and the victim continued to suffer from the symptoms to this day. Odourless and colourless thallium is a chemical element that can be lethal for humans. It was also used in rat poison in the past and is still part of electronics manufacturing. (Excerpt from

BBC News)

At least 21 killed as bus crashes in Nepal's mountainous area

A

bus carrying college students and teachers veered off a highway in a mountainous area of South-western Nepal, leaving at least 21 people dead and 15 injured, officials said.

The bus, which was returning to the town of Ghorahi after an educational trip to Dang district, crashed on a road near Tulsipur town on Friday, police office Prem Bahadur Shahi said.

"It plunged about 700 meters below the road. We have found the bodies of 13 men and three women so far," he said.

Fifteen others injured in the accident were being treated at a local hospital, Shahi said, adding that at least two of them were in a critical con-

dition. Reuters news agency said rescue operations were difficult since the crash site is situated in a remote area, around 400km west of Nepal's capital, Kathmandu.

The students and instructors were from Krishna Sen Ichhuk Polytechnic Institute and were visiting a farm in a nearby district as part of their botany field trip.

Road accidents are common in mountainous Nepal, which in recent years has seen a drive to build roads connecting remote regions to towns and cities across the country.

Twenty people were killed last week when a minitruck skidded off the road in Nuwakot district in central Nepal. (Al Jazeera)

Police arrest Catalan separatists seething at Spanish Cabinet visit

P

olice dragged Catalan separatists off roads and arrested 13 during protests on Friday as the Spanish Cabinet met in the regional capital of Barcelona in both a show of central power and an attempt at nego-

tiation.

Secession supporters used tyres and rubbish to barricade highways from before dawn, and thronged the streets of Barcelona in their thousands, many flying the striped Estelada, the Catalan independence

flag that bears a lone star.

Some set off flares and burned an image of King Felipe VI, while police scuffled with masked youths in chaotic scenes. Emergency services said 32 people suffered light injuries, most of them local Police.

More peaceful rallies continued into the evening, with thousands marching along the Passeig de Gracia shopping street, normally a draw for tourists, chanting ‘Freedom for political prisoners!’ and ‘Independence!’.

Many were wearing

yellow, a colour that had become associated with jailed separatist leaders.

Protester Joan Toll lamented the lack of progress after an illegal referendum and self-declaration of independence in 2017. The decision by Prime Minister

Pedro Sanchez to convene his cabinet in Barcelona for the first time since the crisis began underlined Madrid’s Opposition to full independence for the prosperous North-eastern region of 7.5 million people.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

saturdAY, december 22, 2018

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

dilbert

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Peanuts

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Calvin and Hobbes

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

Words matter, so speak up and clear the air. Face the facts and do what needs to be done to end this year on a high note.

Communicate, get together with friends or relatives and discuss the highs and lows of the year gone by.

Let go of the past and look to the future with optimism.

Listen carefully. Don’t misinterpret what someone tells you. Sharing information that may not be true will make you look bad. Question anyone who is evasive or who tends to exaggerate.

Spread some joy. An innovative idea will bring you closer to a loved one.

Consider sporting a trendy new look and surprising everyone with a touch of dazzle.

Embrace life and enjoy taking part in activities and social events that encourage meeting new people. Be eager to listen, but not as willing to share personal information.

You can settle any differences you have by approaching problems with heart and compassion. Understanding all sides of a situation will help you put things in perspective.

Romance is amplified.

Speak up if you disagree LIBRA (Sept. 23- with the way someone treats Oct. 23) you or if you witness an injustice during social interactions with friends or family.

Keep the peace.

WORD GAME

SUDOKU

TODAY’S WORD — CAJOLING

Average mark 21 words Time limit 30 minutes Can you find 32 or more words in CAJOLING? The list will be published tomorrow.

THURSDAY’S WORD — TAMARIN solution for LAST PUBLISHED puzzle aria maar main mania manta mantra marina mart

martin mint rain rani rant riata

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

Copyright 2015, Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS

Visiting an older relative will lead to valuable information that will help you better understand your family history. Your connection to someone quite unique or different from you will grow.

Partnerships will underSAGITTARIUS go positive changes. Open up (Nov. 23- about your feelings, expectaDec. 21) tions and hopes. Much can be established that will help you achieve your dreams.

(CAJOLING: kuh-JOLE-ing: Persuading with flattery or gentle urging.)

tarn tiara train tram trim airman amir anti

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Share your emotions with CAPRICORN someone you love and trust.

(Dec. 22- Making sure you are both on Jan. 19) the same page will encourage you to proceed with confidence. A romantic celebration is overdue.

Events that involve chilAQUARIUS dren or encourage you to so(Jan. 20- cialize are favored. Sign up Feb. 19) to help those less fortunate or make a donation that will bring a smile to someone’s face.

Share your true feelings PISCES (Feb. 20- and make plans with a loved March 20) one. A romantic evening or a promise that will make someone happy should be on your agenda.

saturdAY, december 22, 2018

19

Silva says he Steven Smith opens up on has 3 fights left Newlands 'leadership failure' F ‘then it’s done’ or the first time since his career was turned upside down, Steven Smith has spoken about the moments inside the Newlands dressing room when he ignored the blatant attempts at ball-tampering that were going on

F

Anderson Silva’s knockout kick against UFC Legend Vitor Belfort became iconic

ormer UFC middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva will face undefeated upstart Israel Adesanya at UFC 234 on Feb. 9 in Australia, which he says is the first of his final three fights.

“I have three more and then it’s done. It’s over,” Silva during a media day on Monday at his gym in Los Angeles.

If Silva sticks by the final three bouts of his contract being the final three bouts of his career, they could already largely be mapped out for him, especially if he defeats Adesanya.

UFC president Dana White promised Silva a middleweight title shot should he defeat Adesanya.

So if he wins on Feb. 9, his next likely fight is a title fight against the winner of the UFC 234 main event between 185-pound champion Robert Whittaker and challenger Kelvin Gastelum.

After that and give his druthers, Silva does have a scenario in mind as to how he would like his career to wind down.

There has long been a superfight between Silva and Georges St-Pierre simmering just below the surface of the Octagon, but it has never come to full boil. Now that St-Pierre has only fought once in the past five years and may never fight again, Silva has another superfight in mind in his "perfect world" scenario.

“At his point in my career, I believe that the good challenge is the superfight,” Silva said.

“I talk to Dana about Georges St-Pierre, about (Conor) McGregor, about McGregor especially because McGregor is a challenge, this fight. I just talk to Dana a lot about the fight that’s very interesting."

If it were up to him that is how Silva's final three would play out: defeat Adesanya, fight for the title, and then fight McGregor, since St-Pierre seems to have little interest anymore.

"Conor is an amazing fighter and a legend in this sport and let’s go see.

That’s a good game, superfight, and it’s very interesting for my fans."

Of course, if Silva defeats Adesanya and then wins the belt, he would likely be required to defend it before stepping away or facing the likes of McGregor in a catchweight fight, which is likely where a bout with the Irishman would have to be contested if it ever became a reality.

First, however, Silva will have to get past Adesanya, who many are likening to the newer, younger version of the 43-year-old former champion. The two will square off as part of the UFC 234: Whittaker vs Gastelum undercard, and then Silva will see where the final fights of his career unfold from there. (MMA Weekly)

Steven Smith during the CPL 2018

in front of him.

Giving his first press conference in Australia since his tearful return to the country at the end of March, Smith revealed how he walked past teammates David Warner and Cameron Bancroft as the plan to use sandpaper on the ball was discussed.

Asked what he said in that fateful moment, Smith answered: "'I

don't want to know about it' and walked away - that was my chance where I could have stopped something from happening.

"For me in the room I walked past something and had the opportunity to stop it and I didn't do it. That was my leadership failure. Something happened out on the field and I had the opportunity to stop it at that point rather than say I don't want to know anything about it, that was my failure and I've taken responsibility for that."

He was, however, adamant that it was the first time he had experienced ball-tampering in the Australian dressing room

and also insisted his relationship with Warner, who has previously been accused of 'throwing Smith under a bus' by not taking more responsibility for his role, remains "fine".

"As far as I'm aware that was the first time it had happened," Smith said.

"I can't judge what other teams around the world do.

In any game you play you want the ball to move, but obviously you want to do it in a legal way."

Smith has returned to the public spotlight in recent days with a Vodafone advertisement, which is being aired at prime time during the BBL, followed by his appearance in front of cameras at the SCG, which he admitted was meant to have happened before the commercial went on air.

In the advert, which is in support of mental health for which Smith will be making a financial contribution to the Gotcha 4 Life charity, he speaks about the "dark d a y s " he has experienced since the events of Newlands, thoughts he echoed on Friday.

"I'm going okay now.

Initially after South Africa I was going through a bit, in a pretty dark space and had some tough days but they are few and far between now. Still have my mo-

ments, ups and downs, but I'm going okay and heading in the right direction.

"I've had tough days, but I've been really fortunate to have a close group of people around me who have helped me. There have been some dark days where I haven't wanted to get out of the bed.

A close group of people let me know it's okay. I made a mistake, quite a big mistake, now I'm trying to move and improve as a person."

Smith was stripped of the captaincy and handed a one-year ban as was Warner, while Bancroft was given a nine-month sanction. Bancroft's ban finishes on December 29 and he is expected to return for the Perth Scorchers in the BBL straightaway, but Smith and Warner won't be available until the end of March.

Both have been playing grade cricket this season while training with New South Wales, with Smith also heavily involved with the Sydney Sixers.

Smith was due to head to the Bangladesh Premier League, but that deal has been scrubbed, meaning his next top-level action will be the Pakistan Super League in February. Depending on the dates for Australia's oneday series against Pakistan - the matches could start in April after the bans elapse - he could make an international comeback in that series. He also has an IPL deal with Rajasthan Royals.

Bangladesh, Windies fined for slow over-rates in 2nd T20I

B

angladesh and the Windies have been fined for slow overrates in their second T20I in Dhaka, which the home side won by 36 runs on Thursday.

Jeff Crowe of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees imposed the fines after the Shakib Al Hasan-led Bangladesh side was found to be one over short of its target when time allowances were taken into consideration, while the Carlos Brathwaite-led Windies side was two overs short.

In accordance with Article 2.22.1 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Players Support Personnel, which relates to minor over-rate offences, players are fined 10 per cent

of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time, with the captain fined double that amount.

As such, Shakib has been fined 20 per cent of his match fee, while his players have received 10 per cent

fines. If Bangladesh commit another minor over-rate breach in a T20I within 12 months of this offence with Shakib as captain, it will be deemed to be a second offence by Shakib and he will face a suspension.

Brathwaite has been

fined 40 per cent of his match fee, while his players have received 20 per cent fines.

If the Windies commit another minor over-rate breach in a T20I within 12 months of this offence with Brathwaite as captain, it will be deemed to be a second offence by Brathwaite and he will face a suspension.

Both captains pleaded guilty to the offences after the end of the match and accepted the proposed sanctions, so there was no need for formal hearings.

The charges were levelled by on-field umpires Tanvir Ahmed and Gazi Sohail, third umpire Saikat Sharfuddoula, and fourth umpire Masudur Rahman.

(ICC Cricket)

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GUYANATIMESgy.COM

saturdAY, december 22, 2018

Shai Hope’s golden bat – 875 ODI runs, number eight ranked ODI batsman

By Brandon Corlette

W

ith his sensational batting performances in recent times, Shai Diego Hope has of late been the talk of the Caribbean. Like most Caribbean cricketers, Hope came through the ranks, graduating from List A and First Class cricket playing for Barbados.

Born in beautiful Barbados on November 10, 1993, Kyle Hope, younger brother of Shai Hope, attended Queen’s College in Husbands, Barbados, and St Bede’s sixth form on a scholarship from 2012 after being spotted on a scouting mission by Alan Wells, the school’s head of cricket.

With the foundation of a sound education, Hope is mentally strong, and this is reflected in his cricket, his having scored twin

centuries in one test match in England. The elegant, right-handed stoke-maker has 54 first-class matches beneath his belt, with eight centuries and twelve half centuries. He has scored a career best 215* against the Guyana Jaguars.

Hope has been criticised for his slow pace at batting, but his current T20 International strike rate of 151 dictates otherwise.

Having scored 3322 First Class runs, Hope’s List ‘A’ career is equally impressive, averaging 44.71 playing for Barbados Pride in the Regional Super 50 tournaments.

The premier bats-

man has scored seven List ‘A’ centuries, with thirteen half centuries in 68 matches. His highlight in the regional arena will be the back-to-back century scored in the 2017 Regional Super 50 knockouts.

In the semi-final against the Leeward Islands, Hope took control of the match, scoring a masterful 125 to lead Barbados Pride into the final. He proved his consistency by scoring another century in the very next match, to help Barbados Pride lift the Regional Super 50 title in 2017.

That 2017 tournament saw Hope being a regular member of the Windies squads, his having compiled 482 runs at an average of

Everest Masters host Media XI in "December to Remember" showdown T he festive season is set to get brighter when Everest Masters Cricket Team -- one of the most successful masters cricket teams around -- host the Media Team in a friendly 25-over-a-side contest at the Everest Cricket Club ground today from 13:00hrs.

Having enjoyed a successful year, winning 13 of the 16 games contested, Everest Masters will be looking to end the year on a winning note, although facing off against a formidable line-up. Their batting will be led by former West Indies captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul, and supplemented by players Anil Beharry, Saheed Mohamed and Hemraj Garbarran; while their captain, Rajesh Singh, supported by Basil Persaud and Roderick Lovell, will spearhead their bowling attack.

“After a good year on the field, and having a good relationship with the media, we thought it best to enjoy this time of the year with our friends, doing what we love.

So we [have] invited the men who give us the news to celebrate with us, and hopefully put on a good show,” Rajesh Singh said upon extending the invitation.

Accepting the invitation on behalf of the Media XI, John Ramsingh said, “The last time we played, the match was close and didn’t go our way; but this time we can turn the tide on the home team. We will put down our pens, turn off the computers, and bring our ‘A’ game against these guys, who are proven champions.

It will be fun.”

Over the years, Everest Masters and the Media XI have played twice, with the Masters winning on both occasions. Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Saheed Mohamed have proved to be the Masters’ difference with the bat.

The Media Team will, however, look to the likes of Rajiv Bisnauth, Akeem Greene, Shahruk Imran and John Ramsingh to lead the fight with the willow; while Kizan Brumell, Keon Blades,

Ishaka Jackman, Zaheer Mohamed and Royston Alkins will look to keep things tight with the ball.

The event is being dubbed ‘A December to Remember’, and is being sponsored by sports’ eternal friend in Guyana, Ramesh Sunich of The Trophy Stall, who will be on hand to assist with the postmatch presentation. Teams read as follows: Media XI: Avenash Ramzan, Akeem Greene, Martin Leich, Royston Alkins, Siddiq Mohamed, Yusuf Ali, Keon Blades, Marthel Semple, Ishaka Jackman, Alfred Aaron, Shahruk Imran, John Ramsingh, Darwin Leitch, Kizan Brummell and Zaheer Mohamed. Everest Masters: Rajesh Singh (captain), Sahadeo Hardaiow, Saheed Mohamed, Hemraj Garbarran, Basil Persaud, Anand Persaud, Rakesh Gangaram, Ronald Jaisingh, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Rahaman Khan, Anil Beharry, Satyendra Khemraj, Roderick Lovell and Ron Morris.

48.2, including two hundreds and three half centuries.

Shai hoped for a miracle when West Indies toured England. He entered the series as a boy with potential, and finished as Player of the Series. On the international scene, Hope had a brilliant year in 2017, scoring the most runs by a West Indian -- 773 runs in ten test matches. Hope scored two centuries and three half centuries, averaging 45.47. Only ten other batsmen in the world have scored more test runs than Hope in 2017.

That same year, West Indies registered a historic win over England at Headingley, and Hope achieved the rare feat of scoring two centuries at the historic England venue in one match. His was an innings so filled with class and maturity that not even the great Geoff Boycott had gained that achievement.

Hope maintained consistency, entering 2018 with a similar mindset -- hungry to score runs at a consistent rate. He is presently ranked number eight in the world,

with a career high rating of 780.

This gifted batsman plays his cricket with ease and grace, and ironically is ranked eighth on the 2018 most ODI run scorers list with 875 runs, tied with Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman.

Hope has registered three breathtaking centuries and three solid half centuries at an average of 67.30. Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are the only two other batsmen with better ODI averages in 2018. Hope has scored four ODI centuries and seven half-centuries, averaging 47.48 in 44 matches. The Barbadian born West Indian stalwart has on two occasions scored centuries in tied ODI matches.

In 2016, Hope scored his maiden ODI ton against Zimbabwe, and in 2018 he scored a century in a tied encounter against England.

The year 2019 may be another fruitful year for Shai Hope. With England touring the West Indies in January 2019, Hope will be aiming to consolidate his standing at home in Barbados, where the first test match is to be played.

If Hope continues his rich vein of form, the West Indies Team may be a prime candidate to win the 50 Over Cricket World Cup.

KFC Goodwill Cup 2018…

Shiva Boys on track to take title

A

fter tonight’s third and final round of play, the curtains come down on the KFC Goodwill Cup Football tournament, which is being competed between three local school teams and the Shiva Boys Hindu College of Trinidad & Tobago (T&T).

Shiva Boys, the T&T 2016 School League champions, are well placed to lift the cup, having won both matches in which they competed; while Annai Secondary have a slim chance of pulling off

an upset: if they can beat Annandale by two or more goals and Christianburg/ Wismar Secondary School (CWSS) can defeat the rampaging visitors from the twin-island republic.

Annandale Secondary, the reigning champions of the Guyoil/Tradewind Tankers School League, have lost both matches they played in the competition – against the Linden side and the visitors.

Annai, meanwhile, have lost the opening match of

the tournament 3-0 to the Shiva Boys, then outdid the Lindeners by the same scoreline.

This evening’s play will kick off at 16:30hrs with an exhibition match between Queen’s College and Marian Academy, before South Rupununi’s Annai Secondary match skills with Annandale Secondary at 18:00hrs. The feature game between CWSS and Shiva Boys commences at 20:00hrs.

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sports Trophy Stall Port Mourant/UCCA U-19 50-Over tournament…

No 72 Cut & Load undefeated after 3 rounds

T

he Upper Corentyne Cricket Association’s Under-19 50-Over round robin tournament sponsored by the Trophy Stall branch at Port Mourant, Corentyne, Berbice continued last Saturday with round 3 of the competition, wherein No.73 Young Warriors, No. 72 Cut & Load, and the Radha Krishna Foundation Academy all secured wins.

At the Number 48 Village ground, Number 73 Young Warriors defeated No. 48 Challengers by 128 runs.

Batting first, No. 73 Young Warriors scored 343 for 8 off their allotted 50 overs.

Leading the innings were Sarwan Chaitnarine, with 66; Niradj Singh, with 56; Haresh Ramlochan, with 51; Trevon Sukhu, with 40; and Vettorie Latchman, with 40.

Bowling for No. 48 Challengers, S Sookran took 4 for 48 and T Dayaram took 3 for 49.

In reply, No. 48 Challengers

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Call: 223-7230 Ext 35

were skittled out for 215 runs off 26 overs, despite K. Hooper’s 65 and B. Downer’s 51. Bowling for No. 73 Young Warriors, Sarwan Chaitnarine returned with the ball to take 6 for 38; Afseer Hussain took 2 for 28, and Vettorie Latchman took 2 for 26, all playing supporting roles.

At Number 66 Village ground, Radha Krishna Foundation Academy defeated No. 66 Cricket Club by 47 runs.

Batting first, Radha Krishna Foundation Academy were bowled out for a meagre 151 off 33 overs, with M. Headly making 65, Krishna Thomas 23, and I. Singh 15 as top scorers.

Bowling for No. 66 Cricket Club, N Satram took 2 for 37, N. Tahal 2 for 32, and Andrew Singh 2 for 10.

In reply, No. 66 were bowled out for 107 in 27 overs, as what looked like a sure victory was turned into a nightmare. Eric Sampat with 27 and Karan Persaud with 22 were the only ones to show resis-

tance with the bat.

Bowling for Radha Krishna Foundation Academy, O. Indall took 5 for 29 and M. Headly 2 for 30.

At the Number 72 Village ground, No. 72 Cut and Load defeated Scottsburg United by 19 runs. No. 72 Cut and Load batted first, and were bowled out for 157 in 21.1 overs. A. February led with 72, while Z. Shaw scored 18 and M. Chaitnarine 17 as they played supporting roles.

Bowling for Scottsburg United, G. Budram took 4 for 53; A. Naha 2 for 23, and S. Norah 2 for 34.

In reply, Scottsburg United were bowled out for 138 in 34.2 overs, with R. Gorden, 50; B. Nandalall, 19; and C. Budram, 16, being the only ones to put up a fight.

Bowling for No. 72 Cut and Load, M. Chaitnarine took 4 for 16 and Y. Budhoo 3 for 13.

After three rounds of competition, No. 72 Cut and Load are leading the standings

with 6 points, followed by Scottsburg United and No. 73 Young Warriors both on 4 points; Radha Krishna Foundation Academy on 2 points, and No. 48 Challengers on zero. Two points were allotted for a win. As mentioned above, this tournament is organised by the Upper Corentyne Cricket Association, and is sponsored

by Mr. Ramesh Sunich, Managing Director of Trophy Stall at Bourda Market in Georgetown, which is soon opening a new location at Market Road, Port Mourant, Corentyne, Berbice.

M Chaitnarine continued with his impressive form, starring with bat and ball

YWCC salutes club mate Shimron Hetmyer T

he Young Warriors Cricket Club (YWCC) of Cumberland, East Canje Berbice have sent a congratulatory message to their fast rising batting star in world cricket, Shimron Hetmyer, on his selection to play for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for 2019.

The IPL is the most-attended cricket league in the world, and was in 2014 ranked sixth by average attendance among all sporting leagues. It is the largest and most lucrative T20 tournament globally; and Hetmyer -- the first Berbician to play IPL cricket --has been bought for US$588,000.

In a release from the Young Warriors Cricket Club, “Hetty”, as he is popularly known, has been described as destined for greatness since he first went to the club at the tender age of 6. The release said he was recognized as a class above the other kids who normally played cricket at the ground, and the club nurtured his talent and made him become one of the most destructive batsmen in world cricket today.

The release further stated that Hetmyer, who comes for a simple family and grew up in a sugar cane-based area, was an aggressive batsman from the onset. He excelled at all levels of the game

wherein he played, and even above those of his age group.

He was handed the captaincy of the senior team early in his career, and this surely helped him to captain the West Indies Under-19 Team to its first win ever in Youth World Cup. The release said the club wish Hetmyer huge success, but caution him to be humble, keep his feet on the ground, be disciplined, and remember the persons who touched his life during his journey to success. He has also been urged to remember his parents, his community, his cricket club (players and administrators) and, most of all, the Almighty.

With the release, the

YWCC also took opportunity to congratulate Keemo Paul and Sherfane Rutherford on their selection.

Shimron Hetmyer

Australian Open introduces final set tiebreak

T

Classified Ads

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he Australian Open has joined Wimbledon in introducing a final set tiebreak from next year’s competition, following the “most extensive” consultation in the event’s history, tournament director Craig Tiley said on Friday.

According to the new rules, which will come into force at the Jan. 14-27 event, matches tied at 6-6 in the final set will move into a tiebreak and the first player to reach 10 points with a difference of two will win the contest.

"We asked the players both past and present, commentators, agents and TV analysts whether they wanted to play an advantage final set or not and went from there," Tiley said here Wimbledon said in

Roger Federer after winning the Australian Open Men’s singles final at Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Australia, on January 28, 2018

October that next year’s Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club would feature a tiebreak when the score reaches 12-12 in the final set of all matches.

The move came after this year’s semi-final between American John Isner

and South Africa’s Kevin Anderson turned into an epic marathon in which the final set alone, won 26-24

by Anderson, lasted almost three hours.

“We went with a 10-point tiebreak at six-all in the final set to ensure fans still

get a special finale to these contests, with the longer tiebreak allowing for that one final twist or change of momentum in the contest,” Tiley said.

“This longer tiebreak also can lessen some of the serving dominance that can pre-

vail in the shorter tiebreak.

We believe this is the best possible outcome for both the players and the fans around the world.”

Female Egyptian racks up awards at bodybuilding competition The Australian Open’s move means that each of the four Grand Slams has a different way of deciding the final set.

The U.S. Open employs traditional tiebreaks even in the final set, with the first player to reach seven points with a difference of two declared the winner.

The French Open does not have a final set tiebreak, with matches continuing until a player secures a twogame lead in the decider.

(Reuters)

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GUYANATIMESgy.COM

saturdAY, december 22, 2018

GSSF, AG enjoy fruitful 2018

"Winning Suriname Golf Open was pinnacle of 2018," says Dr Joaan Deo – looking to play more overseas games in 2019

GSSF executive Board members meeting with GDF Chief-of-Staff and other senior officers earlier in the year

By Clifton Ross

T

he Guyana Sport Shooting Foundation (GSSF) and Archery Guyana (AG), two closely knit factions, have both enjoyed a solid 2018; with a number of tournaments, clinics and practicals having been staged, thus setting a stronger base heading into 2019.

Sport Shooting continued to move from strength to strength over the years, with 2018 seeing a number of Steel Challenge shoots being staged among other weekend competitions; and those were all heavily attended by some of the top upcoming shooters of the fraternity and Guyana.

Having elected a new President in Ryan McKinnon back in February, the GSSF have been active over the recent months, as tournaments such as the El Dorado Steel Challenge; Dental Imports Guyana (DIG) Steel Challenge; Orinduik Development Challenge, which wrapped up the calendar year, have, among other tournaments, been staged.

More importantly, the GSSF have managed to strengthen ties with the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF),

managed to make waves during overseas competitions; while, locally, the level of marksmanship has significantly increased, as shooters have been exposed to more range time and challenges.

Archery Guyana (AG), meanwhile, has continued to make significant steps during its quest to put Guyana on the Olympic map. The association pulled off some big moves in 2018, as they continued from a successful 2017 collaborating with World Archery Americas and renowned Coach Phillip Graves, who conducted an 8-day Level 1 Archery Coaching Course in Guyana at the Natural Resource Center.

After local archers were given a thorough lesson on the fundamentals of archery by coach Graves, participants received their certificates and, more importantly, life-long knowledge about becoming better archers.

AG continued their weekend outdoor sessions while pushing in a few indoor regimes as they extended their coaching clinic to the St. Ignatius Secondary School in Lethem, Region 8.

Under the leadership of new President Mohammed Khan, AG shot off their Paraarchery programme, which sought to give more

Local archers had a strong 2018

two entities that play huge roles in the jurisdiction of the Timehri Rifle Ranges, as well as in obtaining the various permits and in regard to supervising firearm safety precautions which are taught to members.

During the meeting with GPF officials, which included then Assistant Commissioner of Operations, Clifton Hicken, and other senior officers, the two entities were able to map a way forward for the future. And in their meeting with the GDF, which allow the GSSF to utilise the Timehri Rifle Ranges, Chief-of-Staff Brigadier Patrick West, Colonel Nazrul Hussain and Colonel Ronald Hercules sat with GSSF executives to discuss plans regarding the future and to be kept abreast in regard to GSSF-related activities. Both sides discussed their unity going forward, while the two spoke on moves to upgrade the GDF Indoor Pistol Range and to establish a sport shooting unit, while fees are set to be attached for the future rental of the Timehri Rifle Range.

In terms of performance, local shooters like Harold Hopkinson, Pravesh Harry, Ryan McKinnon and others enjoyed a solid year with firearms. Some of the aforementioned even

exposure to Para-archers. Archery coaches then took their programme to the North West District in Region 1, where students of the North West Secondary School in Mabaruma benefited from lessons provided by Coaches Ainsworth Pritchard and Carl Albert.

The year 2018 wrapped up with an exciting tournament, which saw archers competing in the Recurve Outdoor Championships, final event on the AG calendar. After a few weeks of both indoor and outdoor competition, the curtains came down on Archery Guyana’s 2018 activities with Samaria Duncan and Robert Singh being crowned individual champs for the respective female and male categories on December 16.

In all, both associations have made significant strides in 2018; whether it be from a personal or collective standpoint. AG, during their endeavours, also received significant support from the Government through Minister George Norton and Director of Sports Christopher Jones.

And with 2019 set to be more exciting, given the projects which have been placed in the pipeline, both factions could likely exceed their feats and continue to develop, come next year.

Dr Joaan Deo

By Clifton Ross

L

ocal pro golfer Dr. Joaan Deo is very desirous of prolonging the phenomenal form she has achieved with the club this year; and is also seeking to further perfect her craft in 2019.

Currently the Suriname Open Champion, Deo told Guyana Times Sport on Friday that 2018 has not only been a great year for the golf fraternity, but has also, on a personal note, been one of her best years as a professional golfer.

Besides winning several tournaments this year, the former Guyana Open champ defeated a bevy of international golfers in the Suriname Open Championships held in October. And she achieved this feat with less than a day’s practice, thus the Guyanese pro has dubbed winning the title as the highlight of her year.

“My main goal was to win the Suriname Open this year; because, like about six years ago, I was there and I didn’t perform well. I went there (this year) and I had a day to practice, and I eventually won; and that was the highlight of the year for me,” Deo has said.

Unfortunately, she could not replicate her sterling performance a month later, during the Guyana Open Cup. Deo admitted, “I don’t like complaining, but I didn’t have a good (Guyana) Open.” She was referring to the bad final day she experienced after being on top of her game on day one. Her lapse in form inevitably led her to lose her way, and eventually the chance of being crowned dual champ.

There were close to 50 golf tournaments played in 2018, and Deo has credited the Executive Committee of the Lusignan Golf Club (LGC) for putting the sport on the map. She pointed out that, over the years, golf has been a quiet sport in Guyana; but since President Aleem Hussain and his team took office back in late 2017, golfers have been treated with 10 times the amount of games played in previous years, while the sport has managed to acquire a number of high-profile sponsors.

“Since the new committee took office, they immediately ran off close to 50 tournaments, and we had a good amount of sponsors. So, in all, I think it was a good year for the golf fraternity. Also, Aleem and his committee and the MACORP members had a solid ground staff crew which kept the conditions playable throughout the year,” Deo has said.

She noted that the immaculate condition of the course has facilitated players with more game time; and she said that development has brought a significant amount of zest and joy to the LGC family, as a number of players -- herself included -- have managed to improve their game significantly, thanks to the extensive amount of game time afforded.

She also hailed the local media fraternity for their immense input in 2018, which has helped golf to be more integrated within schools, the University of Guyana, and in other areas of education.

She opined that the committee was bent on marrying golf and school, and will seek to continue the drive in 2019.

As for her plans in 2019, the Dentist has said she wants to desperately lower her Handicap (A numerical measure of a golfer’s potential ability) to single digits, as she currently has a handicap of 14.

Having taken some time off from the sport to focus more on academics, Deo, who graduated from the University of Guyana in 2017, has said she now has more time to enhance her skills and better her game.

She says playing more overseas games will be on her agenda, and she’s currently eyeing the 2019 Open set to be held in March in Trinidad & Tobago.

She also notes that much preparation is needed ahead of her title defence in the 2019 Suriname Open.

Summing up 2018, Deo says it has arguably been the best year for the Lusignan Golf Club (LGC), and it has been one of her best years in recent times as an athlete. She extends her gratitude to the current executive committee for making the LGC a place where golfers can play, gather, and feel comfortable.

guyanatimesgy.com

saturdAY, december 22, 2018

EN ROUTE TO GREATNESS – Kevin Oswald Sinclair:

2018 GCB Youth Player of the Year

By Brandon Corlette

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mong the best youth prospects in Guyana, Kevin Oswald Sinclair is hungry for success, and is focused on taking his game to the next level. Recently named the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Youth Cricketer of the Year, Sinclair told Guyana Times Sport in an exclusive interview how unconditionally he loves ‘the gentleman’s game’ of cricket: “In less than five years’ time, I can play for the West Indies,” he declared.

Born in the Ancient County of Berbice on November 23, 1999, this prominent cricketer told this reporter, “My dream journey of playing cricket started when I was seven. I started playing at Angoy’s Avenue, where my grandfather used to gather the neighbours, and it was ‘game on’,” Sinclair related.

A resident of the New Amsterdam area in East Berbice (Region 6), Sinclair has been greatly supported by his grandfather, who possesses a huge amount of knowledge about cricket. “Through rain and sunshine, my grandfather is always there, working on the development of my game,” the National Youth Player confided.

Himself an impressive off-spinner, Sinclair declared that he enjoys watching Australia’s leading off-spinner, Nathan Lyon, and unsurprisingly disclosed that he emulates his fellow Berbician Shimron Hetmyer. He told this reporter, “Receiving such an award as the best youth cricketer in the country (gives) a great feeling. It will motivate me to move forward, work harder, and achieve more.”

A former winning captain of the Berbice Under-19 Team, Kevin Sinclair is a pugnacious opening batsman with all the strokes in the book. Possessing a solid technique, the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club player has a high score of 211 against the Number 5 Cricket Team, and a best bowling figure of 7-3 against the Rose Hall, East Canje Team.

“These are my best performances, but the 130 against a strong Young

Warriors Team will be rated as my best performance,” he explained. His breath-taking innings of 130 was scored at the historic Albion Sports Complex, where international cricket was played.

Kevin Sinclair has represented Guyana at the under-15, under-17 and under-19 levels; the last division twice. This cricketer also studies the game, involving himself in Level One coaching clinics, and is regarded as a natural leader by his teammates. Sinclair, who formerly attended the Canje Secondary School, shares his knowledge with young cricketers.

Sinclair was also selected to represent the West Indies Under-16 Team after his consistent performances in the Regional tournament.

The Most Valuable Guyana Player in the 2018 Cricket West Indies Regional Under-19 tournament, Sinclair compiled 129 runs at an average of 32 in the one-day format. To polish off a brilliant performance at the Regional level, Sinclair produced 10 wickets -- with a best bowling figure of 4 for 23 -- at a bowling average of 9.8 and a strike rate of 20.3. In the three-day format of the Cricket West Indies Regional Under-19 tournament, Sinclair grabbed 12 wickets at an average of 12.92, with a best bowling figure of 5 for 42.

This young stalwart has praised the Guyana Cricket Board for presenting him with his academy contract, which has significantly helped in the development of his game. “The contract is a stepping stone for me, and my fit-

ness has greatly improved,” he said.

“I have developed concentration to score centuries.”

His advice to fellow sportsmen is as follows: “When life gets harder, challenge yourself to be stronger.” This is exactly what Sinclair did when he went through his bad patches and was not scoring runs.

“Consistency is my challenge, I am eager to score runs at the franchise level,” he has declared.

Playing cricket for the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, Sinclair is in a great place to achieve continuous development.

Additionally, the GCB has seen it fitting to present this young sensational cricketer with a contract which facilitates his training with the best players in Guyana.

Kevin Oswald Sinclair is certainly on his way to greatness in the gentleman’s game of cricket.

Kevin Sinclair at the GCB awards ceremony (Brandon Corlette photo)

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2018

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

guyanatimesgy.com

EN ROUTE TO GREATNESS

"Winning Suriname Golf Open was pinnacle of 2018," says Dr Joaan Deo

Page 23

– Kevin Oswald Sinclair:

2018 GCB Youth Player of the Year

Kevin Sinclair about to bowl a ripper (Brandon Corlette photo)

– looking to play more overseas games in 2019

Page 22

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