Guyana Times, Wednesday 12 June, 2019

Essequibo residents rap Govt on failed employment promises P15 Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 3952

wednesday, june 12, 2019

PRICE

Ghanaian President 2-day State visit

OE conferred on Ghanaian President, recognising leadership in ACP States

See stories on pages 3, 5 and 7

– agreement for visa-free travel between Ghana, Guyana inked – Ghana offers assistance for incipient local oil & gas sector No-confidence motion cases

CCJ rejects APNU/AFC application to adduce new evidence

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Ex-Fly Jamaica workers storm out of meeting with Labour P16 Department

Woman’s P2 hand severed during attack – after being accused of stealing raw gold

Page 9

...says AG’s evidence will add nothing of relevance to case

Senior Police rank committed to stand trial for rape of P8 minor

Teen crushed was “ketching his hand” during visit to Kwakwani P10

Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akudu-Addo welcomed Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo at the Marriott Hotel on Tuesday for a brief meeting, where a number of issues were discussed including Guyana’s emerging oil and gas sector

Chronicle workers 2 electrocuted say Sherod while erecting Duncan is a “bully” poles for CCTV cameras …beg President Granger to remove him as GM Page 2

Page 14

Duo acquitted of Brazilian gold miner’s P8 murder

2 news

WEDNEsDAY, JUNE 12, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

2 electrocuted while erecting poles for CCTV cameras

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Dead: Krishna Chand

he families of two men were plunged into a state of mourning after they were electrocuted on Tuesday while erecting metal poles to carry CCTV cameras at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD). Two others were also injured after they received burns.

Dead are 17-year-old Krishna Chand, a technician attached to Smart Teck Solutions, of Lot 98 Lusignan Pasture, East

The scene after the incident on Tuesday

Coast Demerara (ECD) while the second person was only identified as Anthon of Buxton, ECD. The two injured men are Altaf Amroa, 24, of Lot 96 West Half, Lusignan, ECD , who is also a technician of Smart Teck Solutions and Brian Culley, 53, a porter of Lot 9 Vigilance, ECD.

Upon to late Tuesday afternoon, they were being treated at the Georgetown Public Hospital for minor burns.

Based on reports received, the men were part of two separate teams that were contracted by the Public Security Ministry to erect poles to facilitate CCTV cameras.

However, about 13:20h, the men were erecting one of the poles when tragedy struck. Information reaching Guyana Times revealed that Chand had the wire to do the job wrapped around his neck, while Anthon and Culley were holding the metal pole which was attached to a lift on the canter.

The top of the pole reportedly came into contact with the high voltage GPL wire, causing Krishna and Anthon to be electrocuted while Umrao received minor injuries and Culley received burnt injuries to the palm of his left hand.

Chan received severe burns to the torso, arms and face damaging them beyond recognition while Anthon

showed no sign of visible injuries. They were pronounced dead on the spot by paramedics who turned up at the scene.

Their bodies were later transferred to the Lyken Funeral Home to await a post-mortem.

At the scene, the subcontractors explained that Anthon was operating the lift to position the pole on its base when one-part metal pole came into contact with the high-tension wire that serves the National Stadium with electricity.

As a result, the electricity travelled down the pole and into Chand and Anthon, who was holding onto the pole, causing severe damage to their safety gloves and helmets.

Woman’s hand severed during attack ― after being accused of stealing raw gold

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Venezuelan national was air-dashed to Georgetown on Saturday morning after one

of her hands was chopped off following an incident at a backdam in close proximity to Aurora Gold Mines,

The woman whose hand was severed

Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni).

The injured woman was only identified as “Tiffany”.

Based on information received, the injured woman and her partner, along with a group of men, were consuming alcohol when an argument broke out over a missing bag containing a quantity of raw gold.

The woman was accused of stealing the raw gold.

“They had a fight over some gold which she allegedly stole from the man and then they left and everybody returned to their camp and then sometime during the wee hours of Saturday morning, the incident happened,” another worker related to Guyana Times.

The individual, who asked to remain anonymous, related that the vic-

tim claimed that she and her partner were attacked by a masked man and chopped about their bodies.

Her injuries were more severe than that of her partner.

The woman, who is said to be 19 years old, has two children – a one-year-old and a seven-month-old baby.

The injured teen was transported to Georgetown by the Aurora Gold Mines emergency plane and remains a patient in the Intensive Care Unit of the GPHC. The police reportedly moved into the area and ordered the miners to vacate the location. Efforts to obtain an update from E&F Divisional Commander Kevin Adonis were unsuccessful since he was not aware of the incident.

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WEDNEsDAY, JUNE 12, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

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

Wednesday, June 12 – 01:00h and 13:00h-14:30h and Thursday, June 13 – 02:00h and 14:30h-16:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Wednesday, June 12 – 12:15h-13:45h and Thursday, June 13 – 13:20h-14:50h.

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

WEATHER TODAY Light to heavy rain showers, with some instances of thunder, are expected to prevail throughout the day and evening. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Easterly to North North-easterly between 1.78 metres and 3.57 metres.

High Tide: 12:42h reaching a maximum height of 2.37 metres.

Low Tide: 06:12h and 18:38h reaching minimum heights of 0.85 metre and 0.82 metre respectively.

saturday, JUNE 8, 2019

LOTTERY NUMBERS G

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TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2019 DAILY MILLIONS

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Ghana offers assistance for incipient local oil & gas sector

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he Republic of Ghana has committed to lending assistance to Guyana as the country prepares for first oil early next year – an offer which the Coalition government and the Opposition both welcomes.

This commitment was made by President Nana Akufo-Addo, who is on a two-day visit, first, during a meeting with President David Granger and then again at a luncheon at State House on Tuesday.

“We’ve heard the good news too of the recent discoveries of large deposits of oil and gas offshore Guyana.

We should explore promptly the possibility of establishing a joint vehicle to assist in the effect and efficient management of oil and gas revenues. With our experiences, I believe Ghana is well equipped to share with you the dos and don’ts in the area, and make available fee-free quality technical assistance to you.

Hopefully, the proper management of the new revenue will help finance the spectacular development of Guyana,” President AkufoAddo stated after speaking about Ghana’s own discoveries.

This commitment was reiterated during a subsequent meeting with Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo on Tuesday afternoon.

Following the brief engagement, Jagdeo told reporters that he welcomes this announcement, noting the importance of getting first-hand advice.

“I said to the (Ghanaian) President, we appreciate his offer to share their experience and some of their technical advice on issues that they’ve had to deal with because it’s important that we have perspective from a practitioner country, developing country and not just from consultants,” he posited The Opposition Leader added that after enquiring about the impending elections, the Ghanaian Head of State assured that his commitments are beyond political parties. “(He) said that the offer is to Guyana and not to any political party. We expressed our appreciation for that because even if the PPP were to get into office, we would still need to get support from like-minded countries and Ghana has always been a good political partner,” Jagdeo said.

Earlier in the day, Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon, had told reporters that this offer of assistance to develop the local oil and gas industry au-

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo presented Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo with a book on Guyana’s history during a courtesy call at the Marriott Hotel on Tuesday

gurs well for Guyana.

“What they did was to commit to pay the salaries, the transportation and everything to get the people here and all we will need to do is to find accomodation for them… We’re talking about capabilty building, we’re talking about the capacity of the Department of Energy. Ultiamtely, the President (Granger) has spoken about the establishment of a Minsitry of Energy and so this is really going to require an expanded of talent, of persons and their skills and so on. So these are things that we’re looking at right now,” the government’s spoke’s person posited.

Currently, the budding oil and gas industry is being governed by the Department of Energy within the Ministry of the

Presidency.

Only last month, a large high-level Ghanaian delegation was in Guyana to engage local stakeholders on areas of mutual interest in the oil and gas sector, among others. The more than 15-member team, led

by Ghana’s Energy Minister and Deputy Minister of Petroleum Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam, had met with Director of Energy Dr. Mark Bynoe and his team.

However, while Ghana is ready to help Guyana, the West African State’s own petroleum industry, still young, has not had the best record with the country failing to use its oil boon to avert the economic crisis and deprivations its people are currently facing.

Ghana has been producing and exporting crude oil since 2011 having discov-

ered the resource in commercial quantities back in 2007. However, the country’s financial standing has taken a hit in recent years as prices for its main export products, including oil, have fallen.

Nevertheless, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has predicted that Ghana’s economy will grow at 8.8 percent in 2019, pegging the country to be the fastest-growing economy in the world this year.

Having made 13 discoveries of commercial oil in the Stabroek Block offshore Guyana, ExxonMobil is preparing to commence production in the first quarter of 2020. The US oil giant has announced an estimated recoverable resource of approximately 5.5 billion oil-equivalent barrels on the Stabroek Block.

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guyanatimesgy.com

WEDNEsDAY, JUNE 12, 2019

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

Mitigating trauma

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ast Saturday at Farm, East Bank Essequibo, a man was hacked to death, reportedly in the presence of his seven-year-old son. A few years ago, in Number 77 Village, Corentyne, two teenagers witnessed the gruesome act of their mother being chopped to death by their father. On June 1 this year, many saw the horrific accident in which a seven-year-old child was crushed to death by a truck at Agricola, Greater Georgetown.

Those three incidents have in common ensuing trauma for those who witnessed them and serve as a microcosm of such scenarios in society. More specifically, over time, numerous cases of domestic violence have been reported in the Guyanese media.

Many women were brutally killed.

Unfortunately, this continues despite awareness efforts. There is also the much-touted training of law enforcement officers, who are expected to be the first step of recourse with regard to the lodging of complaints.

There is more than a subtle irony in the continuance of this societal scourge in spite of the relentless efforts and the plethora of available mechanisms to inform and educate. The problem appears much larger as reflected in the news, as many cases go unreported.

This speaks to the reality being underestimated.

Many reasons have been made known for what can deter an abuse victim to not seek the intervention of the law. Among them are aspects of culture, shame, dependency and its redounding lack of empowerment for some, and the absence of confidence in law enforcement precipitated from the reported trivialising of the issue in some instances.

One may posit that education is a primary concern. On the other hand, one can argue that education has been more profound in recent times. Pertinent would be to ask if the other factors subvert the heeding of educational messaging. While the answer may be assumed, it would make for interesting and informative research.

That said, the magnitude of the impact on children cannot be underestimated. Many have cruelly been made witnesses to the horrific assaults. Those ghastly images, especially when life was snuffed out, are not only lasting but profoundly traumatising.

When young minds are so broadsided, the impact, if not managed, lingers for life. Not that it is erasable, but with meaningful and sustained interventions, the trauma can potentially be mitigated thereby aiding to better shape lives. The entire spectrum of what therefore constitutes counselling becomes vital. This naturally raises the question of the availability of adequate intervening mechanisms, not just for cases of domestic violence but other scenarios, including accidents.

While it is always heartening to hear that surviving victims and witnesses to such horrific incidents would be counselled, it would be very informative for all to know the extent of what is available and offered. While expectations would be for what obtains in the developed nations, realistically, there must be something tangible in keeping with available resources with upgrades foremost in planning.

This is not in any way suggesting that there isn’t an effective mechanism. However, counselling can be an extensive process for some depending upon the circumstances. Given the plethora of incidents that unfortunately continue and which would make added demands on the system, the question of adequacy of trained staff, needed facilities, and support systems becomes more pertinent.

Not too long ago, the country had the unenviable tag of the highest rate of suicide per capita. Prior to that categorising, the high rate made news internationally prompting a local call for suicide to be made a national priority given its impact on society and the trauma it imposes on surviving relatives. It was stated that the declaration would not only bring additional focus, but would have positioned the issue to be afforded the necessary resources for its mitigation.

It wasn’t going to be a panacea to stop suicide, but effectively structured, it increases the potential across the country, with the assistance of stakeholders, to maximise effectiveness of information gathering for targeted intervention. It would also increase confidence in the support system, to help break social inhibitors where necessary, and to better edify.

It is no different for domestic violence. While there is a disadvantage in accurately quoting figures, based on extensive research if available on the number of people lost, injured, disfigured or scarred for life as a result of domestic violence, it must be extremely high in proportion to our population. Clearly, the highest number would be those who are left traumatised.

This, therefore, must be seen as a serious cause for concern and a compelling reason for consideration for declaring domestic violence a national priority. This is an apolitical issue, and is not confined to any one group thereby making it less difficult to garner national support. In such small societies, the impact permeates throughout.

Children reading and learning about incidents through television and social media are in many ways impacted too, especially if one of their own is affected. In the context herein, the pervasiveness and impact of trauma cannot and must not be underestimated.

Its mitigation has to uncompromisingly be immediate, holistic, effective, and sustained.

A man meditates amid clashes of demonstrators with riot Police during a protest to demand authorities scrap a proposed extradition bill with China, outside the Legislative Council in Hong Kong (Reuters/Thomas Peter)

“Lives are at risk”: Venezuelan charities struggle under shortages and intimidation

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t a soup kitchen in the western Venezuelan city of Maracaibo, hungry and bedraggled men, women, and children line up for free lunch. But it’s meagre fare: They each get a bottle of milk and a few scoops of rice mixed with eggs and vegetables.

Just a few years ago, the lunch programme, which is run by the Catholic Church, provided full meals with meat and chicken, as well as fruit juice and even dessert.

But amid a deep economic depression and an outbreak of looting in the city, dozens of Maracaibo businesses that used to donate food have closed down.

“We still feed 300 people per day, but it’s a reduced menu,” says Sara Cooper, a volunteer server. “We have to work with what we have.”

Local charities are playing a growing role amid Venezuela’s unprecedented humanitarian crisis marked by widespread malnutrition and deaths from preventable diseases. With President Nicolás Maduro’s Government reeling and in the absence of a massive influx of international assistance, small aid groups are struggling to feed the hungry and treat the sick.

Maduro has refused to declare a humanitarian emergency in part, analysts say, because that would be a tacit admission that his government has failed. But aid workers say that Maduro’s stance makes it impossible for international agencies, like the Red Cross, UNICEF and the World Food Programme, to airlift and distribute the tons of supplies that Venezuela needs.

“If the Government does not recognise the situation, that limits our ability because the entrance of aid into the country has to be approved by the Government,” says Carlos Montiel,

Men, women, and children line up for free lunch at a soup kitchen in Maracaibo, Venezuela. The meal consists of a bottle of milk and a few scoops of rice mixed with eggs and vegetables

President of the Venezuelan Red Cross in the western state of Zulia, which includes Maracaibo. “Lives are at risk because we do not have enough supplies.”

Maduro insists that Venezuela is getting help from allies like China, Russia, India and Turkey.

In a recent speech, he said these nations are sending “hundreds of tons” of supplies to Venezuela.

But aid workers in Maracaibo claim they haven’t seen any of it. What’s more, food and medicine sent from overseas often get stolen upon arrival at airports in the country or by soldiers at military checkpoints who sometimes demand a cut of the supplies, says Feliciano Reyna, founder of Action for Solidarity, which distributes medicine throughout Venezuela.

In addition, aid groups are facing more scrutiny from the Maduro Government.

That is partly because the US-backed political Opposition in February tried to force tons of humanitarian aid into the country from Colombia as part of an effort

to foment regime change.

One consequence, aid workers say, is that their efforts are often misconstrued by officials as anti-government activism.

Franklin Montilla, a cook at the Maracaibo soup kitchen, says local bureaucrats recently accused it of serving food in unsanitary conditions and participating in anti-government activities.

“They began to spread false information that there were outbreaks of diarrhoea and that we were forming an opposition political movement,” Montilla says. “They wanted to close us down.”

Gustavo Rincón, President of the Maracaibobased medical charity Samaritan Foundation, said Venezuela’s secret police began monitoring his organisation after he volunteered to help Opposition leaders distribute aid in poor neighbourhoods.

“They are trying to intimidate me because if we bring in aid that’s bad for the Government’s image,” he says.

Rincón’s day-to-day strug-

gles are typical of those faced by grassroots Venezuelan charities. When NPR recently visited his office, a blackout had left it in the dark and he was unable to get on his computer to check inventory or send out requests for donations.

Inflation last month was over 815,000 per cent, the Opposition-led legislature reported this week. Rincón says his rent is so high he fears he may soon have to move, if not close down.

Owing to a lack of spare parts, none of the foundation’s five vehicles are working, Rincón says. Even if they were, gasoline shortages often prevent him from delivering supplies.

Rincón hadn’t been to a nearby leper colony for the past five months. He is anxious to see how the patients are doing, but the only way to get there is in a taxi hired by NPR. Along the way, Rincón stops at a grocery to load up on eggs, plantains, cheese and chicken for the patients.

Rincón receives a hero’s welcome from the patients, some of whom are missing fingers, ears and, in one case, both legs. Food donations are so rare that they often share them with malnourished medical personnel.

The State-run leprosy hospital is so neglected that nurses say they sometimes stop traffic in front of the building to beg for food.

Thieves recently stole electric cables, leaving half of the facility without air conditioning in the 100-degree heat.

Some of the beds have been moved outdoors to take advantage of a slight breeze.

“They are completely abandoned,” Rincón says, shaking his head.

That’s why, despite his own difficulties, Rincón promises that he’ll be back.

As he leaves one of the patients says: “May God bless you.”(NPR)

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wednesDAY, JUNE 12, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Agreement for visa-free travel between Ghana, Guyana inked

Guyana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Karen Cummings (left) and her Ghanaian counterpart, Shirley Botchway, as they signed the visa-free travel agreement. Looking on are President David Granger and Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo

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fter meetings between visiting Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and President David Granger, a number of decisions have been made to increase bilateral cooperation including visa-free travel between the two countries.

The decision to end visa requirements to travel between Guyana and Ghana was solidified by agreements. Signing those agreements on Tuesday were Guyana’s Foreign Affairs

Minister Dr Karen Cummings and her Ghanaian counterpart, Shirley Botchway.

Afterwards, on the sidelines of a luncheon at State House for the Ghanaian and Guyanese officials, Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon explained what the visa-free travel agreement entails.

“This morning we signed agreements on the abolition of the visa requirement for citizens of Guyana and citizens of Ghana. What this means

is that persons who are the holders of diplomatic, official and regular Guyanese passports can travel to Ghana and likewise, Ghana can come to Guyana, without the requirements of a visa.”

“In the initial stages, they will be entitled to 90 days without having to renew, but after 90 days they will be required to renew based on the laws of the respective countries,” Harmon said.

“Additionally, we had agreements on trade and industry.

The important thing is we’re looking to expand our relationship in business.”

Harmon further explained that Ghana has an interest in Guyana’s rum and forestry sectors. In the case of Guyana’s wood, Harmon explained that the Ghanaians are interested in using some of the better-known species of wood in Guyana to mitigate deforestation in Ghana.

There are also discussions for technical cooperation between the two countries in the oil and gas sector. For instance, Harmon revealed that a commitment was made for Ghana to send its oil and gas experts at its own expense. All Guyana would have to do, according to Harmon, is to find the accommodation for these experts.

“The President of Ghana made a very clear offer that they are prepared to assist Guyana with technical cooperation and the personnel to assist us in the development of the oil and gas sector. So this is very important for us because they committed to pay the salaries and transportation to get the people here and all we have to do is find accommodation. So it’s a clear commitment on their part.”

The Ghanaian President

Accra, the capital of Ghana

and his entourage are on a two-day visit to Guyana, during which they have already met with important functionaries and visited local breweries. Previously, a delegation of Ghanaian investors had visited Guyana to explore opportunities.

The National Industrial and Commercial Investment Limited (NICIL) Special Purpose Unit had announced recently that Ghanaians are also part of a consortium of investors looking to purchase the Rose Hall estate, one of three estates being divested.

Late last year, discussions were underway in Guyana about developing an air bridge between Ghana and Guyana.

In fact, the two governments had signed an Air Services Agreement, marking a com-

mitment for direct flights between the countries.

Then Minister within the Public Infrastructure Ministry, with responsibility for the aviation sector, Annette Ferguson and Minister of Aviation of Ghana, Joseph Kofi Adda, signed the agreements on behalf of their respective governments at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Air Transport Meeting in November.

The agreement was signed after the hosting of the third African Diaspora Meeting, where a recent assessment found that it usually takes more than 38 hours from a Caribbean country to Africa.

It was this that initiated discussions.

Let’s get on with it (Part 1) Dear Editor, As we unveil this Gallery of Photographs of our Presidents, let us strengthen our commitment to get on with it: Get on with us growing and developing ourselves and our country, aware of but not incarcerated in our history of the arrival of Europeans in the land, and subsequently the times of slavery and of indentureship.

People from six different parts of the world thrown together here like press-ganged sailors of old on a ship setting out into the then not wellknown oceans, must survive together or succumb together; thrown together for the setting up and manning of colonial plantations – cocoa, coffee, cotton, sugar, rum – we must now together find our own way in a changed and ever-changing world.

Fellow citizens, during the childhood of any of us Presidents, I suspect that there would have been little to foretell that we would have attained the highest office in our country and I am inclined to believe, reflecting on the circumstances of and the late age at which I came to the politics of our country, my becoming President might have been the most unlikely, accidental, even an interloper into politics - someone who had strayed far from his chosen, safe, solid working career of chemical engineering.

But such is life.

Friends, particularly our younger fellow citizens, we have progressed much less than was expected at our Independence, but nought but little crying over spilt milk – would we not have done better if we knew better?

It has been fashionable in our country to blame and disavow politics and politicians, but once we live in groups - living in ever larger groups, our productivities and possible standards of living go up a thousand-fold

compared with what we could do if we each lived in isolation - once we live in social and economic intercourse with others we are into politics and we are to some degree, politicians.

Early in our PPP/C being in Office, I took the visiting Prime Minister of Zambia to see the bauxite operations in Linden.

Reflecting on my assertion that I was new to politics he responded, “When someone speaks with himself, we already have the germ of politics and when two people speak, the politics is already very rich”. Politics and politicians may be to the north or south or east or west side of where the people are but they cannot be too far away from where the people are.

Each of us should strive to make ourselves the best person we could be: capable in a number of areas, kind, helpful to others and contributing to society, expecting and satisfied with receiving some fair share of what we have produced together – you would be noticed, a call to step on our political stage may never be far away.

Growing through my childhood years of the 1940s and 1950s, I was among the 70 per cent of our people who would have been assessed at that time to be below the poverty line.

Not knowing it, without chips on our shoulders, we were not restrained by that material fact – all were striving to do better.

I lived for periods of time here and there in the city, returning often to the Eastern Mahaicony countryside; coming into contact for periods of time with our various peoples in our various worlds of overlapping differences of race, religion, rural-urban, richer and poorer, traditional and modern.

Growing cognisant of the different views and imaginations in different groups of our people, my own country and world view was not fully in accord with

that of any group and to many, I would have seemed quite contrary, not fitting in with the beliefs, attitudes, behaviour which prevailing convention expected of me.

As I came to this building again today, after a number of years, my mind went back to the first time I entered this building, in August 1955, to receive my first County Scholarship, living expenses, term allowance of $15.00 (fifteen dollars) then, about $30,000 in today’s money, from our country’s Treasury which was then on the ground floor of the east block where there are now Committee rooms. This building constructed over 1829 to 1834, at the ending of slavery and the beginning of indentured immigration, known earlier as the Public Buildings, housed the total Government of those colonial days up to about the 1950s. I came here regularly unto early 1962 to draw that scholarship allowance.

I came again to this building about October/November 1970, on the request of then Prime Minister Burnham to meet him in the Prime Minister’s Office, in the upper flat of the western block, now the Office of the Clerk of our National Assembly.

Mr Burnham had a passing acquaintance with me as a nephew of one of his friends, Mr Frank Denbow.

Earlier, in about July 1962, I was called to my first one on one with him, then as Opposition Leader, at his lawyer’s office in the Clarke and Martin building. Mr Burnham, recently back from a trip to the USA, had been offered some six university scholarships by President Kennedy’s Office and I had been recommended to him, most likely by QC Chemistry teacher “Bup” Barker. No doubt on checking with his people, Mr Burnham greeted me with the probing

question, “How is Cheddi’s boy this morning?” I responded, “I didn’t tell you so, is that what you have been told?”

To set the record straight and to express my appreciation all around, a little over a year later the US Embassy sent a letter inviting me to receive the grant of a university scholarship but by then I was in Canada on a DEMBA Scholarship. Also, for the record, before mid-1990 on the way to becoming his running mate, I had not met Dr Jagan except for a passing handshake in our city streets during the Christmas/New Year season of perhaps 1962.

On this second meeting (October/November 1970) Prime Minister Burnham greeted me saying that in speaking with people in Linden/ McKenzie, he discerned that they were favourably impressed by three Guyanese members of the staff of DEMBA (about 40 Guyanese then in a total of about 200) – I was one, the youngest, not yet 27 years old.

He was about to call ALCAN for talks about participation in DEMBA but was concerned about a hinted response of “take all or nothing at all”.

At the end of the discussions, Mr Burnham asked what I thought was the greatest need for Guyana. “Better understanding between our two major ethnic-racial groups”, I replied. He responded that it was the same answer I had given him years ago in 1962, “but lots of water have passed under the bridge since then.”

It so happened that that very day was the Nomination Day for the Local Government Elections of 1970 and telephone calls kept coming updating a chuckling Mr Burnham on all the shenanigans that had seen off all other contestants, except in a very few places. I kept saying to myself, I don’t want to

overhear and know these things – these are things for our country’s elders, for our politicians.

You can imagine, therefore, how I felt in 1994 – 24 years later, a little like Jonah when it fell to me as Prime Minister heading that large Ministry that included then, Local Government and Regional Development, to lay the Bill for the Local Government Elections 1994, the very next one following the one I didn’t want to know about in 1970.

The third occasion on which I came to this building would have been about October 10, 1992, to see again and bring an end to having the Prime

Minister Office in this building, Dr Jagan had taken the position that all Executive Government Offices would be relocated away from this building and this building would thenceforth be for the exclusive use of the Parliament. And I have been here for many Parliament sittings and Committee meetings over the following twenty-three years until our change of Government in 2015. (To be continued) Sincerely, Samuel AA Hinds Former President and former Prime Minister

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WEDNEsDAY, JUNE 12, 2019

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Your digestive system S

o there you are, sitting at lunch, enjoying some grilledchicken pizza and a few orange wedges. When you’re finished, you take a last drink of milk, wipe your mouth, and head to your next class. In a few minutes you’re thinking about the capital of Italy or your science fair project. You’ve completely forgotten about that pizza lunch you just ate. But it’s still in your stomach – sort of like a science experiment that happens all the time!

The mouth starts everything moving Your digestive (say: dye-JES-tiv) system started working even before you took the first bite of your pizza. And the digestive system will be busy at work on your chewed-up lunch for the next few hours – or sometimes days, depending upon what you’ve eaten. This process, called digestion, allows your body to get the nutrients and energy it needs from the food you eat. So let’s find out what’s happening to that pizza, orange, and milk.

The digestive system The digestive system consists of the parts of the body that work together to turn food and liquids into the building blocks and fuel that the body needs.

Even before you eat, when you smell a tasty food, see it, or think about it, digestion begins. Saliva (say: suh-LYE-vuh), or spit, begins to form in your mouth.

When you do eat, the saliva breaks down the chemicals in the food a bit, which helps make the food mushy and easy to swallow. Your tongue helps out, pushing the food around while you chew with your teeth. When you’re ready to swallow, the tongue pushes a tiny bit of mushed-up food called a bolus (say: BO-luss) toward the back of your throat and into the opening of your esophagus, the second part of the digestive tract.

On the way down The esophagus (say: ihSOF-eh-guss) is like a stretchy pipe that’s about 10 inches (25 centimetres) long. It moves food from the back of your throat to your stomach. But also at the back of your throat is your windpipe, which allows air to come in and out of your body. When you swallow a small ball of mushed-up food or liquids, a special flap called the epiglottis (say: ep-ih-GLOT-iss) flops down over the opening of your windpipe to make sure the food enters the esophagus and not the windpipe.

If you’ve ever drunk something too fast, started to cough, and heard someone say

that your drink “went down the wrong way”, the person meant that it went down your windpipe by mistake.

This happens when the epiglottis doesn’t have enough time to flop down, and you cough involuntarily (without thinking about it) to clear your windpipe.

Once food has entered the esophagus, it doesn’t just drop right into your stomach.

Instead, muscles in the walls of the esophagus move in a wavy way to slowly squeeze the food through the esophagus. This takes about 2 or 3 seconds.

See you in the stomach Your stomach, which is attached to the end of the esophagus, is a stretchy sack shaped like the letter J. It has three important jobs: 1. to store the food you’ve eaten 2. to break down the food into a liquidy mixture 3. to slowly empty that liquidy mixture into the small intestine The stomach is like a mixer, churning and mashing together all the small balls of food that came down the esophagus into smaller and smaller pieces. It does this with help from the strong muscles in the walls of the stomach and gastric (say: GAS-trik) juices that also come from the stomach’s walls. In addition to breaking down food, gastric juices also help kill bacteria that might be in the eaten food.

Onward to the small intestine!

22 feet isn’t small at all The small intestine (say: inTESS-tin) is a long tube that’s about 1.5 inches to 2 inches (about 3.5 to 5 centimetres) around, and it’s packed inside you beneath your stomach. If you stretched out an adult’s small intestine, it would be about 22 feet long (6.7 metres) — that’s like 22 notebooks lined up end to end, all in a row!

The small intestine breaks down the food mixture even

more so your body can absorb all the vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. The grilled chicken on your pizza is full of proteins – and a little fat — and the small intestine can help extract them with a little help from three friends: the pancreas (say: PAN-kree-uss); liver; and gallbladder.

Those organs send different juices to the first part of the small intestine. These juices help to digest food and allow the body to absorb nutrients.

The pancreas makes juices that help the body digest fats and protein. A juice from the liver called bile helps to absorb fats into the bloodstream. And the gallbladder serves as a warehouse for bile, storing it until the body needs it.

Your food may spend as long as four hours in the small intestine and will become a very thin, watery mixture. It’s time well spent because, at the end of the journey, the nutrients from your pizza, orange, and milk can pass from the intestine into the blood. Once in the blood, your body is closer to benefiting from the complex carbohydrates in the pizza crust, the vitamin C in your orange, the protein in the chicken, and the calcium in your milk.

Next stop for these nutrients: the liver! And the leftover waste — parts of the food that your body can’t use — goes on to the large intestine.

Love your liver The nutrient-rich blood comes directly to the liver for processing. The liver filters out harmful substances or wastes, turning some of the waste into more bile. The liver even helps figure out how many nutrients will go to the rest of the body, and how many will stay behind in storage. For example, the liver stores certain vitamins and a type of sugar your body uses for energy.

That’s one large intestine At 3 or 4 inches around (about 7 to 10 centimetres), the large intestine is fatter than the small intestine and it’s almost the last stop on the digestive tract. Like the small intestine, it is packed into the body, and would measure 5 feet (about 1.5 meters) long if you spread it out.

The large intestine has a tiny tube with a closed end coming off it called the appendix (say: uh-PEN-dix). It’s part of the digestive tract, but it doesn’t seem to do anything, though it can cause big problems because it sometimes gets infected and needs to be removed.

Like we mentioned, after most of the nutrients are removed from the food mixture, there is waste left over — stuff your body can’t use. This stuff needs to be passed out of the body. Can you guess where it ends up? Well, here’s a hint: It goes out with a flush.

Before it goes, it passes through the part of the large intestine called the colon (say: CO-lun), which is where the body gets its last chance to absorb the water and some minerals into the blood. As the water leaves the waste product, what’s left gets harder and harder as it keeps moving along, until it becomes a solid. Yep, it’s poop (also called stool or a bowel movement).

The large intestine pushes the poop into the rectum (say: REK-tum), the very last stop on the digestive tract. The solid waste stays here until you are ready to go to the bathroom. When you go to the bathroom, you are getting rid of this solid waste by pushing it through the anus (say: AY-nus). There’s the flush we were talking about!

Dig that digestive system You can help your digestive system by drinking water and eating a healthy diet that includes foods rich in fibre. High-fibre foods, like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, make it easier for poop to pass through your system.

The digestive system is a pretty important part of your body.

Without it, you couldn’t get the nutrients you need to grow properly and stay healthy. And next time you sit down to lunch, you’ll know where your food goes – from start to finish! (kidshealth.org)

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WEDNEsDAY, JUNE 12, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

OE conferred on Ghanaian President, recognising leadership in ACP States ― as Ghanaian leader given red carpet welcome on 2-day visit

By Jarryl Bryan

T

he Order of Excellence, Guyana's highest national award, was on Tuesday conferred on visiting Ghana President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo based on the recommendation of the Order's advisory committee and to recognise his leadership on the African, Caribbean and Pacific stage.

Conferring the award at State House was President David Granger, who afterwards lauded the Ghanaian leader for his contributions in Africa and beyond.

According to Granger, the law provides for this award to be awarded to persons of distinction, whether local or foreign.

“The order provides that the Order of Excellence may be awarded to any distinguished citizen of another country who’s rendered valuable service to Guyana and who for any other reason the state wishes to honour.”

“Guyana is pleased to confer on his Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the order of excellence, for his dedication and commitment to the commonwealth, the organisation of African unity, the economic community of West Africa and for his

Ghana President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo being conferred with the Order of Excellence

unflinching support for the rights of developing states.”

According to President David Granger, President Akufo-Addo is also recognised for his efforts in promoting economic stability in Africa and his support for regionalism. He also noted that the Ghanaian President is noted for his leadership in these matters.

In addition, it is understood that the decision came based off of recommendations from the Chairman and members of the advisory council of the orders of Guyana. In accepting his award, the Ghanaian

President expressed surprise and appreciation for the gesture.

“This is my first trip to Guyana. Yesterday you waited for me until one in the morning, in the rain, to greet me. Today, you see fit to accord me the highest honour of your country. Of course, I’m extremely appreciative and grateful.”

“And you’ve certainly provided me with a guideline that I will try to achieve.

And I’m very concerned about how the two of us, in our two countries, can work together to promote the welfare of our people.”

The Ghanaian President arrived in Guyana at 23:00h on Monday night for his very first state visit.

He was accompanied by a 43-member delegation, who were greeted by Guyana’s President David Granger and most of the members of his Cabinet at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA). A 21-gun salute and the unfurling of the vibrant Ghanaian flag marked the arrival of the high-level team.

Prior to the conferral of the award, the Ghanaian leader’s visits included The Non-Aligned Monument and The 1763 Monument, where wreaths were laid. At The Non-Aligned Monument, Akufo-Addo was greeted by a guard of honour, members of the Ghanaian diaspora waving their national flag and curious onlookers.

He then continued his tour, first at the Marriott Hotel for a meeting with Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, then to Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) and then at Banks DIH Limited. During his meeting with the Opposition Leader, a number of things including oil and gas were discussed.

The Ghanaian President also interacted with the Ghana diaspora in Guyana and representatives from

the country’s African Group Organisations later on Tuesday. The President and his delegation are scheduled to depart Guyana today.

The state visit was announced by President David Granger two weeks ago when he accredited the new Ghanaian High Commissioner to Guyana.

The Guyanese Head of State had disclosed that he met President AkufoAddo twice – first, at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference last year and again this

year, in Cuba.

It was in Cuba that the African Leader accepted an invitation to visit Georgetown. The visit is aimed at “deepening and strengthening the cordial relationship” the two countries have built over the past 40 years.

The Order of Excellence of Guyana (OE) is the highest national award of Guyana and was established in 1970. Persons holding the award are limited to twenty-five living citizens of Guyana at a time.

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wednesDAY, JUNE 12, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

IN THE COURTS Senior Police rank committed to stand trial for rape of minor

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n Assistant Superintendent of Police who was charged for engaging in sexual activity with a 13-yearold child in June 2018 was on Tuesday afternoon committed to stand trial at the High Court.

Thirty-one-yearold Seecharran Singh of Providence Plantation, appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Sherdel IsaacsMarcus at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts where he was told that sufficient evidence was provided by the prosecution against him and as such, the case will be sent to the High Court for trial.

The cop was represented by Attorney-at-Law, Bernard DaSilva.

Singh was charged for allegedly engaging in sexual activity with the underaged child during June 1718, 2018, at his home.

It is alleged that the child was left in the care of Singh on June 17, while her mother was out with a friend. It was reported that he made advances towards the child and raped her.

Upon the return of the child’s mother and the friend, the incident of what took place between the teen and the police officer was recounted to one of the female adults and the police were informed.

Singh, on his first appearance, was not required to plea to the indictable charge that was read

Seecharran Singh

in-camera. However, he was granted bail in the sum of

$250,000 after spending two weeks on remand.

Teen remanded on 2 counts of armed robbery

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19-year-old handyman appeared on Tuesday at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts charged with several counts of armed robberies.

Mario D’Aguiar of Lot 1 Smyth and D’Urban Streets, Georgetown, pled not guilty to the charges when they were read to him by Acting Chief Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus.

The charges alleged that on June 8, 2019, at Princess Street, Georgetown, while being in the company of others and armed with a gun, he robbed Gracey Salvador of a Samsung Galaxy phone valued at $25,000.

It was further alleged that under the same circumstances, he robbed Sonia Thomas of an Alcatel phone valued at $23,000.

D’Aguiar was repre-

Mario D’Aguiar

sented by Attorney-at-Law Lawrence Harris, who made an application for bail. He told the court that his client has another offence before the court and bail should be granted since one of the victims do not wish to offer evidence against his client.

Prosecutor Adduni Innis objected to bail on the grounds of the prevalence of the offence and the fact that a firearm was used to commit the act. She further told the court that the phones were found on the defendant when he was apprehended

by Police.

Magistrate IsaacsMarcus, after listening to the facts of the matter, upheld the prosecutor’s submission and remanded D’Aguiar to prison until his next court appearance, which is slated for June 19, 2019.

Duo acquitted of Brazilian gold miner’s murder

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oberto Miggins called “Hot Skull” and his accomplice Quasi Benjamin called “Rambo”, exited the courtroom of Justice Navindra Singh on Tuesday as free men, following a formal not guilty verdict which was delivered by the empanelled 12-member jury.

The trial, which commenced on Monday, was set for continuation on Tuesday, however, the state was not able to secure the court attendance of the key witness in the matter and thus had to close their case.

Since this was so, defence attorneys for their respective clients made no-case submissions to the court, which were later upheld by the trial Judge who further instructed the jury to return a formal not guilty verdict, thus acquitting both accused of the murder charge.

Both Miggins and Benjamin denied the murder charge which had detailed that between October 12 and 13, 2016, they murdered Mario Pozzer, also called “Gaucho”, in the course of/or furtherance of a robbery.

“Hot Skull” was represented by Attorney Adrian Thompson, while “Rambo” was represented

by Attorneys Ashley Henry in association with Nigel Hughes. On the other hand, the state’s case was led by Prosecutor Sarah Martin in association with Teriq Mohammed and Tuanna Hardy.

The trial revealed that the lifeless body of Pozzer was found lying next to his All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) that was used to exit the location of his mining business. According to the evidence, Pozzer’s employees

Murder accused: Roberto Miggins (left) and Quasi Benjamin

were the ones who found his body with a wound to the head and belongings missing, inclusive of raw gold.

Investigations conducted led to the arrest of the two accused, who were charged for the said offence in 2016.

Of Moles…

O

…in government ver the past year, there’ve been a few instances where confidential information on suspicious or illegal activity from within the government was given out and ended up with the Opposition Leader. He - occupying the office constitutionally designated to keep the government on its toes - used his platform to inform the populace so that could make “informed decisions” on how their government was operating.

Not surprisingly, the government - caught with mud on its face, or more frequently with their hands in the cookie jar - has been embarrassed!! The instance of US$9000 being deposited directly into the personal account of Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson and then exposed comes to mind. Then of course, there’s the more recent case when the info that $20Million had been transferred to the children of a Minister from the accounts of the Ministry of the Presidency was revealed.

Matters took a turn into the surreal, however, when the just-appointed Minister of Public Service SaraboHalley fired the entire personnel department of the Ministry – plus a supervisor. Presumably because of the leak. Either the Minister or the government had made a decision to stop the leaks with massive force so as to deter others from repeating them. But wasn’t this like using a hammer to kill a fly that just landed on the head of the person sitting next to you? A bit of an overkill?

Well, one analyst doesn’t think so. Executive Member of the WPA David Hinds who is closely related to Minister Tabitha Sarabo-Halley felt the PPP left “moles” behind in the government when they departed and there needs to be a systematic approach to rooting them out!! Wow!!

Shades of McCarthyism creeping into Guyana!! McCarthy, of course, was the US Senator who saw communists not only in every government department after WWII, but under every bed!! He used his position to launch highly publicised hearings, forcing citizens to defend themselves against accusations of being Russian moles. Countless lives were ruined after folks just used the opportunity to “get” others they just didn’t like!!

It all fell apart when one outraged soul finally cried out to McCarthy in front of the cameras: “Have you no shame, sir?” The country then turned against the bullying McCarthy!! But why go all the way to America. Didn’t Burnham do the same thing to Hinds’ WPA back in the 1970’s -without any “hearings”?? Didn’t Burnham boast at the 1979 Congress that when he fired those WPA “traitors” they “stayed fired”?? And that’s the problem, isn’t it?

Even if the PPP had left “moles” in place, forget about how the COI that Hinds suggest would prove their guilt.

How would they be identified? …and Whistleblowers The Opposition Leader identified the persons passing on information as “whistle blowers”. This term made a distinction between “moles” who were passing on government information to foreign interests or for money and patriotic individuals who were responding to their consciences in not allowing the government Leviathan to get away with illegalities - whistleblowers. During the Vietnam War, Daniel Ellsberg passed on thousands of topsecret filed to the New York Times, which showed that the government had engaged in a massive coverup of its war efforts. More recently, there’s been “Deep Throat”, Snowden and Manning in the US. The US Code of Ethics for Government Service says bluntly, “Expose corruption wherever discovered” and “Never use any information coming to him confidentially in the performance of governmental duties as a means for making private profit.” With this background how could Hinds, who teaches in the US, call “whistle blowers”, moles?

Guyana should do no less than the US: “whistle blower” legislation’s long overdue. …and witch hunting But even before moles and whistle blowers, there were witches and witch hunting. Folks just had to make an accusation against another and the person was “tested” by the Church.

One test was to tie their hands and dump them into a river. If they survived, they were witches.

If they didn’t, too bad!!

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

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

No-confidence motion cases

CCJ rejects APNU/AFC application to adduce new evidence

― says AG’s evidence will add nothing of relevance to case

Rejected: The application from Attorney General Basil Williams to adduce new evidence has been denied

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n a stinging rebuke, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) rejected an application by Attorney General Basil Williams to adduce new evidence in the No-Confidence Motion (NCM) cases, on the grounds that the new evidence adds nothing of value and has little relevance.

According to the correspondence sent by the court and seen by this publication, Williams’ legal counsel had already based one aspect of his oral submissions on the premise that former Alliance For Change

(AFC) Parliamentarian Charrandas Persaud was aware he was disqualified as an MP due to his dual citizenship.

The court noted that adducing further facts to establish Persaud’s knowledge of his disqualification would add “little if anything relevant at all to the sub-stratum of fact for the court’s consideration”.

“And having considered, on paper, the application filed herein on behalf of the Attorney General of Guyana, pursuant to part 9.7 of the Caribbean Court of Justice

(Appellate Jurisdiction) rules 2019, it is ordered that the application for leave to adduce new evidence be and is hereby refused,” the court ordered.

The “new evidence” has to do with comments made by Charrandas Persaud during a recent Globespan live show, which Government is alleging purports to show he knew that as a dual citizen he ought not to be in the parliamentary chambers.

Persaud had crossed over to vote in favour of the Opposition’s No-Confidence Motion against the coalition Government. The application was filed on the grounds that, among other things, there was no direct evidence of whether Persaud knew that he was unqualified to be a candidate and disqualified from sitting in the National Assembly.

Attorney at law Sanjeev Datadin, who represents Persaud, has since submitted a response on behalf of his client, in which it is argued that this new evidence does not reflect the full context of what Persaud actually said on the Globespan show. The affidavit filed

by Datadin carried the full

transcript.

In the full transcript, Persaud recounts a conversation he had with Public Security Minister and AFC politician Khemraj Ramjattan, in which the Minister himself sought to allay Persaud’s concerns about his dual citizen status by pointing out that other persons in Parliament held passports from other countries.

As it turns out, at least four politicians have since resigned from Parliament due to them also holding dual citizenship at the time Persaud crossed the floor. They are Dominic Gaskin (former Minister of Business), Carl Greenidge (former Foreign Affairs Minister), Dr Rupert Roopnaraine (former Public Service Minister) and Joseph Harmon (former Minister of State).

On Monday, the CCJ set June 18 as the date for ruling on the three NoConfidence Motion related cases before it, as well as the challenge to the unilateral appointment of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairman.

This is according to no-

Part of the notice sent out by the CCJ

tices sent out by the court to the parties involved in the proceedings, as well as information from various lawyers involved in the cases.

In a brief interview, Datadin had informed this publication that the CCJ intends to rule on the consolidated NCM cases on June 18.

When contacted by this publication, Attorney General Basil Williams had also revealed that the CCJ is looking to rule on the GECOM case on June 18.

The three No-Confidence Motion cases deal with Christopher Ram v the Attorney General of Guyana, the Leader of the Opposition and Joseph Harmon; Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo v the Attorney General of Guyana, Dr Barton Scotland and Joseph

Harmon; and Charrandas Persaud v Compton Herbert Reid, Dr Barton Scotland, Bharrat Jagdeo and Joseph Harmon; the last of which deals with Persaud’s eligibility to vote in the House.

Meanwhile, the unilateral appointment case the CCJ heard on May 8 was brought by the People’s Progressive Party’s (PPP) Executive Secretary Zulfikar Mustapha, challenging the appointment of current GECOM Chairman, retired Justice James Patterson.

Patterson was appointed to the position of Chairman of GECOM in 2017 after President Granger had rejected three lists comprising 18 names submitted by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo for the post of GECOM Chairman.

10 news

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Teen crushed was “ketching his hand” during visit to Kwakwani

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ifteen-year-old Roy Odel Welchman, who was crushed on Sunday last after he allegedly slipped off the side of a truck and fell between the wheels of a skidding machine, was “ketching his hand” during a trip to Kwakwani.

This was revealed by a relative who told Guyana Times that the young man, a former student of School of Excellence in Linden had visited Kwakwani to spend time with his ailing father while his sister, with whom he lived in Linden, was out of the country. As such, he used the opportunity to “ketch his hand”.

The relative said Welchman had only been working with the company,

T Bovell Concessions, for a short time and was tasked with operating the GPS and record keeping for the said company.

“He is a student but he recently travelled there to visit his father and like all young men when they get bored, they do want to look work you know so he just went to ketch he lil raise in the meanwhile he was there,” the relative said.

The relative further said that the family is making preparations for his burial on Saturday and will also be making arrangements to meet with officials from the company.

It was reported that on Sunday at about 17:30h at

Dead: Roy Odel Welchman

16 km Bisarooni Backdam, Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice), Welchman was in the company of a driver and a porter when the accident took place.

According to the police, the driver used the skidder to leave the backdam, and on the way out, the skidder hit a bump causing the teen, who was reportedly standing on the left side of the machine, to lose his balance and fall.

Guyana Times understands that the operator immediately brought the skidder to a halt and in doing so, it ran over the teen.

The driver and the porter rushed the injured young man, who was still

conscious at the time, to the Kwakwani Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The police noted that the 15-year-old’s body was examined and it was observed that it had bruises to both temples, swelling of the face and eyelids, a bruise to the left forearm, and bruises on the upper left side of the back.

Welchman’s body is presently at the Kwakwani Burial Ground on ice, awaiting a post-mortem.

Up to late Tuesday afternoon, the operator of the machine along with the porter were released on station bail as Police continue their investigations.

High Court jury finds man guilty of 2017 rape

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fter almost two hours of deliberation, a 12-member High Court jury on Tuesday delivered a unanimous guilty verdict against George Robin, who was on trial before Justice Brassington Reynolds at the Sexual Offences Court.

Robin was indicted on the charge which detailed

that on February 6, 2017, in the county of Demerara, he engaged in sexual activity with a child, who is a family member. The convicted man in his defence maintained his innocence, as he told the court “I am not guilty, I am innocent of this”.

Meanwhile, Attorneyat-Law Maxwell McKay,

who represented the accused, in a request to the Court, asked for a probation report to be prepared.

As such, Justice Reynolds granted same and deferred the sentencing to June 25, 2019.

The State’s case was successfully presented by Prosecutors Lisa Cave and Seeta Bishundial.

SPECIAL

History of Father’s Day ather’s Day is celebrated in Guyana and the USA on the third Sunday in June, every year. This year, it will fall on June 16. This special day is dedicated to any man who plays/played a hand in the upbringing of a child, whether biological or adopted.

This day was officially recognised in the USA in 1910, but events leading up to this historic day for fathers showed that it was less popular than Mother’s Day, even a century ago.

On July 5, 1908, a West Virginia church sponsored the nation’s first event explicitly in honour of fathers, a Sunday sermon in memory of the 362 men who had died in the previous December’s explosions at the Fairmont Coal Company mines in Monongah, but it

was a one-time commemoration and not an annual holiday.

The next year, a Spokane, Washington woman named Sonora Smart Dodd, one of six children raised by a widower, tried to establish an official equivalent to Mother’s Day for male parents. She went to local churches, the YMCA, shopkeepers a n d

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wednesDAY, JUNE 12, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Government officials to drum up support for her idea, and she was successful: Washington State celebrated the nation’s first statewide Father’s Day on June 19, 1910.

Slowly, the holiday spread. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson honoured the day by using telegraph signals to unfurl a flag in Spokane when he pressed a button in Washington, DC. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge urged state governments to observe Father’s Day. Apart from the USA and Guyana, other countries also celebrate this day, though those in Europe and Latin America choose to honour fathers on St Joseph’s Day, a traditional Catholic holiday that falls on March 19. (Attributed to history.com)

12

wednesday, june 12, 201

Did you know that a ful on Father’s Day th

The full moon will rise aroun June 16 and then set in the w on the 17th. (Attributed t

Father’s D Only a Dad

By Edgar A Guest Only a dad with a tired face, Coming home from the daily race, Bringing little of gold or fame To show how well he has played the game; But glad in his heart that his own rejoice To see him come and to hear his voice.

Only a dad with a brood of four, One of ten million men or more Plodding along in the daily strife, Bearing the whips and the scorns of life, With never a whimper of pain or hate, For the sake of those who at home await.

Only a dad, neither rich nor proud, Merely one of the surging crowd, Toiling, striving from day to day, Facing whatever may come his way, Silent whenever the harsh condemn, And bearing it all for the love of them.

Only a dad but he gives his all, To smooth the way for his children small, Doing with courage stern and grim The deeds that his father did for him.

This is the line that for him I pen: Only a dad, but the best of men.

19 | guyanatimesGY.com

ll moon shines his June?

nd sunset on Sunday, west around sunrise to almanac.com)

Day Poems Such a Man You held me on your arms and carried me on your shoulders.

Everyday in your heart as I kept growing older.

Now that I’m grown and away, I’ve used the tricks you taught me.

Spreading my wings, flying so high being thankful for all the times you’ve caught me.

Dad, you are such a man for staying in my life, showing me the strings to everything and teaching me to do what’s right.

Now that I’m a man myself with children of my own, I look back and remember my Dad and all that I was shown

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14 news

wednesDAY, JUNE 12, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Chronicle workers say Sherod Duncan is a “bully” …beg President Granger to remove him as GM

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FC official Sherod Duncan has been described by workers of the Guyana Chronicle newspaper as a “bully” in a petition which was on Monday submitted to President David Granger.

The petition is calling on the Head of State to overturn a decision made by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo to reinstate Duncan as the General Manager of the entity, even after he was validly dismissed by a Board of Directors in light of several breaches of financial regulations.

With some 20 signatures from workers of the editorial and accounts department, the petition states: “Mr President, we respect Mr Duncan as a person but Mr Duncan attitude as a manager is nothing more than that of a bully. He listens to no one and acts as though he is law unto himself.”

Duncan, who previously served as Deputy Mayor of Georgetown, worked as General Manager from June 1, 2018, to April 1, 2019. However, during that period, he spent several months on administrative leave pending an investigation into reports of wanton spending under his watch.

He was fired with immediate effect in April 2019,

Sherod Duncan

following a decision by the Board of Directors, by majority vote.

His services were terminated after an audit found that, during his threemonth probationary tenure, there were some 20 breaches to financial regulations, including the spending of large sums of money without approval.

In one instance, Duncan took an overseas trip costing over $700,000 even though there is no documented approval for such an event and to date, documents were not brought forward to support these expenditures.

Even in light of these glaring findings, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo on May 31, 2019, dis-

patched a letter to the then Chairperson of the Board, Geeta Chandan-Edmond, instructing that the decision be rescinded.

Nagamootoo claimed, in the letter, that he heard that no actual vote was put during the Board meeting.

But minutes of the meeting seen by Guyana Times proves that all Directors voted; three in favour to dismiss Duncan and three against such a move. The Chairperson broke the deadlock by voting to have Duncan’s services terminated.

The intervention by Nagamootoo, which has since been supported by AFC Leader Raphael Trotman, has been described as an overreaching of his authority and has since resulted in the Chairperson and three other Board members resigning.

The staff of the Guyana Chronicle are also against the return of Duncan.

In the petition to the President, the workers explained that initially, they were welcoming to Duncan as their new General Manager. But as time passed, staff members became “uneasy” about his conduct on the job, including his day-to-day interference in every department of the

company.

The petition outlined that Duncan took control of key accounts on the company’s social media platform and handed the management of these to persons “who appeared on the job without passing proper interviews as per procedure”.

“He did this without regard for others who have been carrying out these duties prior to his appointment,” the document noted.

Duncan is also accused of taking control of the layout department. In the petition, it states that “the layout staff were only left to resign since their duties were handed to a private company”.

As a result of this, staff members became fearful of losing their jobs and this fear peaked when Duncan arbitrarily and unilaterally dismissed Finance Controller, Moshamie Ramotar after an online news entity reported on the newspaper’s spending.

Ramotar’s termination was since rescinded by the Board of Directors, as due process was not followed.

According to Chronicle staffers, this fear of losing their jobs has since been reignited with the return of Duncan. “Some staff members, who for years have worked above and beyond

the call of duty, have decided that they would be resigning,” the petition posited.

In fact, Guyana Times was informed that many persons who support the petition did not want to attach their signatures to the document over the fear of being victimised.

The petition implored President Granger to intervene.

“We are asking that you review the appointment of Duncan on our behalf and that this decision be swiftly dealt with even as we keep in mind that you have a busy schedule to manage the affairs of the State,” the petition stated, concluding with staff reminding that their appeal has “no origin in hate or malice towards Mr Duncan”.

The petition was copied to the Prime Minister as well as the Minister of State, Dawn Hastings-Williams.

There are over 20 transactions conducted under Duncan’s watch or by Duncan himself, which were in blatant violation of financial regulations.

Further, cash advances were given to Duncan to travel overseas, but he did not clear the amounts. It was also found that the company’s personnel policy and procedures manual were ignored during the recruitment, termination, and dismissal of employees.

The Guyana Chronicle has a Management Tender Committee, which approves transactions ranging from $100,000 to $300,000 before payments are made. But during the stipulated time examined, no approval was given for nine such transactions valued at $1.6 million.

Chateram Ramdihal Chartered Accountants Professional Services Firm, which is also known as Ramdihal and Haynes Inc, was contracted by the Auditor General to conduct a special audit on the overall management and governance of the Guyana Chronicle for the period of June 1, 2018, to September 10, 2018.

egotiations between the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) and the Ministry of Education (MoE) on a proposal to see teachers’ salary being increased by 25 per cent, among other demands, have been stalled to ensure that the Ministry fulfils its promises in the last agreement.

This is according to President of the GTU, Mark Lyte. In an interview with this publication on Tuesday, he explained that this decision was made during a conference the GTU held in April from the 23 to 26.

He was keen to note that this is the highest decision-making body for the Union and executives are required to follow these suggestions.

“The position is that the conference which you know is a high decision-making body indicated that we shouldn’t proceed with the talks until we have all the outstanding matters addressed in the present agreement… we are putting our energies and time into ensuring that the few outstanding things are settled and after that we will go full speed ahead in terms of addressing the new proposal,” Lyte stated.

He, nevertheless, assured that the Union and the Ministry have been engaging to ensure the outstanding matters are addressed.

A few of those matters

include debunching for teachers and non-payment of clothing allowance.

In addition, the GTU Head said, “We are seeing some implementation of almost every other thing like the class size. We are having some issues with the Whitley Council and its interpretation but that is being addressed with the CEO [Chief Education Officer] presently, where some of the regions are not acting as they should in terms of allowing for the allowance to take effect, so we are addressing that”.

Another issue had to do with the scaling of teachers but that too is being addressed presently, the executive pointed out.

According to him, “The Ministry had to get information from each teacher to know which file they are in and at what stage of the scale they should be placed and that was completed so they are…some of the far-flung regions’ information was slow in coming but they are on course with getting that”.

Lyte said he hopes to have these issues sorted out before the end of this term so that the Union can enter negotiations on the new proposal soon.

Along with a 25 per cent salary increase, the Union has proposed that some of the already existing policies be maintained such as Whitley Council for three

years, instead of four, and a few others.

This proposal also requests that grants be given to schools instead of having materials supplied as complaints have been flagged in the past of sub-standard materials and cleaning supplies In addition to this, the GTU President disclosed that the Union also requested the maintenance of duty-free concessions in the existing categories.

Moreover, the new proposal seeks to extend gratuity for persons leaving the profession before the age of 50 to 55, while the issue of class size for Special Needs Schools was highlighted.

President David Granger

Mayor Narine’s GTU, MoE salary proposal negotiations stalled vehicle involved N in accident

Mayor Narine’s vehicle and another that was damaged in the accident

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he vehicle owned by Mayor of Georgetown, Ubraj Narine was on Tuesday afternoon involved in an accident along the Rupert Craig Highway, East Coast Demerara, which left three other vehicles badly damaged.

Guyana Times understands that the Mayor’s driver was alone in the vehicle at the time and was making his way to Georgetown when he lost control of the vehicle bearing registration plates PPP 8909 and crashed into three parked cars in the vicinity of Movie Towne.

Commander of C Division (East Coast Demerara), Calvin Brutus confirmed the incident but was unable to give particulars of what occurred. However, an inspector attached to the Sparendaam Police Station revealed that the 42-year old driver was not under the influence of alcohol at the

time of the accident.

He further disclosed that a male driver, who was sitting in his car at the time, was injured as a result of the impact and was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he remains a patient in a stable condition.

Meanwhile, the Mayor’s driver has sought medical attention since he too complained of feeling unwell, although he did not receive major injuries.

Mayor Narine departed Guyana for Trinidad on Tuesday morning to attend a Global Covenant of Mayors (GCOM) for Climate Change and Energy in the Caribbean.

Just under a month ago, seven parked cars were badly damaged as a result of a speeding car which lost control on the vicinity of Liliendaal on the East Coast of Demerara.

news

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WEDNEsDAY, JUNE 12, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Ramsammy’s Ruminations High-handed, brazen, barefaced sharing of agriculture lands to friends and family

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he Minister of Indigenous Affairs moaned this week that we have more politicians than farmers. He ignored completely the Government he is part of has done everything possible to make the lives of farmers and their families more and more difficult with each passing day. Even as he asked more people to go into farming and be professional farmers, he shamelessly ignored the fact that Black Bush Polder, a premier farming community is still hurting from a flood that started more than two weeks ago. Not a single APNU/AFC Minister or senior member has visited the farmers in that agriculture community.

In Region Dr Leslie Ramsammy One, another important agriculture community, farmers are experiencing major difficulties for months now and not a single APNU/AFC Minister has bothered.

It is crystal clear – APNU/AFC is anti-agriculture, antifarmers. In the more than four years APNU/AFC has been in Government, there is not a single policy or action that can be deemed agriculture-friendly or farmer-friendly. Every single agriculture policy has led to a downturn in agriculture and hardships for farmers and their families. The Minister of Agriculture has been the most aloof and the most disinterested Minister of Agriculture independent Guyana has ever had.

This week, a number of cattle farmers from Region Five resorted to the Courts to prevent APNU/AFC taking away 1360 acres of State land they made a living from for more than 25 years. The farmers have reared cattle in a place called Rampoor behind Blairmont in Region Five, some of them for more than 20 years and others more than 30 years.

They have not only paid their MMA charges for all those years, but they have spent their own resources, many millions of dollars and untold hours of toil, developing those lands.

Now the MMA, carrying out the policies and actions of APNU/ AFC, has given marching orders to the farmers, for them to remove their cattle and vacate the land by last February 2019. I know these lands. I visited the cattle farmers in those fields when I was Minister of Agriculture. Those farmers were allowed occupancy of those lands. As the responsible Minister for the MMA, and on behalf of President Ramotar, I approved those farmers occupying the land, after recommendation from the MMA Board.

Adding salt to the injury, the MMA has also redistributed the land, mostly to activists and members of APNU/AFC. Among the persons who have received land from that area is a group led by the Chairman of the MMA. Of the persons being given these lands, most, if not all of them, do not own a single head of cattle. How can we encourage people to be farmers when those who have been farmers for decades and own hundreds of heads of cattle are denied agriculture land which they have occupied and developed for decades? What kind of government takes land from productive farmers and give those land to persons who have little farming credentials and who are being given cattle land when they own not a single head of cattle?

The confiscation of cattle land from legitimate cattle farmers to give to people who say they will become cattle farmers is brazen, barefaced, high-handed and screams corruption. It is not just another ugly example of the government-led rampant corruption plaguing Guyana today, but a damning example of APNU/AFC’s anti-agriculture policies and actions. Corrupt confiscation of agriculture land from farmers has been a major plank for the anti-agriculture assault. The President himself has illegally rescinded leases that farmers have owned legitimately for years. Many of these farmers have resorted to the judiciary to challenge the illegitimate rescinding of their agriculture leases and they have won in court, but this brazen government has ignored the court orders.

When the President visited Albion Sugar Factory this week to tell a select group of managers, he did not have any intention to bury sugar, he conveniently ignored he personally led the assault on agriculture. This is the same President who on several occasions in the last four years signed rescinding orders for agriculture leases from hardworking farmers. This is the same President that supported and justified the closing of four sugar estates. This is the same President that before the 2015 General Elections vowed, he would ensure no sugar estate is closed, that every sugar worker received a 20 per cent annual wage increase and who swore then that every farmer would have his or her lease secured and preserved. Today, he is leading the brazen, barefaced assault on agriculture and thinks he could still fool the people.

Essequibo residents rap Govt on failed employment promises

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esidents of Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) have expressed frustration over failed promises by the coalition Government with regards to employment for persons residing on the Essequibo Coast.

The residents related that the unemployment rate in the region is very high and this was one of the major issues that were raised with the Government during its recent outreach in the region.

They are contending that they are being misled

by Government officials into believing that they will be hired by Government agencies.

They were reportedly asked to submit applications but when they call to check on the status of same, there is no record of it being handed in.

The frustrated residents expressed dissatisfaction at the manner in which they are being treated by the Administration.

They believe that Government outreaches are a “sham” which seeks to fool members of the public in an effort to buy votes for the upcoming elections.

One of the residents who spoke to this newspaper said that his daughter applied for a job at a Government agency and when she called to follow up on the application weeks after, she was told that there is no record of her application.

“My daughter applied at a popular Government agency for a job and they promise us that they will call and so on for interview, but nothing. I know if you’re not qualified they won’t hire you I understand that but the worrisome part is that when we called, there is no record of any application for her or anybody else that applied from here, this led me to believe they are fooling people and maybe they throwing away these applications soon as they leave here. They feel people stupid,” he argued.

Furthermore, over the weekend, workers from the National Data Management Unit were in the region, this time, accepting applications for employment with that agency. This action has prompted residents to believe that the Government is “putting on a show”.

“This Government is all about a show. They eye pass people. They wasting taxpayers’ money having these people coming here for days doing nothing. Just coming here trying to fool people here. They ain’t got one vote to get from over here…watch and see. We already figure them out,” Jai told this publication.

The Cabinet was greeted by hundreds of disgruntled citizens who lined the streets of Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast, during its outreach to the region.

Regional Chairman Devanand Ramdatt was also on the protest line after the Regional Executive Officer (REO) reportedly denied him a fuel allowance to attend the activity.

The majority of the residents questioned the

timing of the outreach, pointing out that after four years in office, this is the first time such a large ministerial delegation has visited the region to offer support.

They believe Government is merely campaigning, in

light of the No-confidence Motion against it and the likelihood of early elections.

One rice farmer said rice is the breadbasket of the region and although many calls were made for Government to intervene to save the industry from collapsing,

nothing has been done.

Also at the protest were over 30 trench cleaners who were not paid for over three months. Similar to the other outreaches so far, residents flocked the booths dealing with housing issues also.

Scores of persons said they left the outreach very disappointed since their housing issues could not have been fully dealt with despite waiting long hours to have their issues addressed.

This led some persons to question why the Government is inviting persons to the Cabinet outreaches when they cannot address their issues.

16 news

WEDNESDAY JUNE 12, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Ex-Fly Jamaica workers storm out of meeting with Labour Department …say time was wasted, statements taken for possible court action

Senior Cabin Crew Member Teasha Corbin By: Davina Ramdass

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everal ex-staffers of the embattled Fly Jamaica Airline on Tuesday stormed out of a meeting with the Social Protection Ministry’s Labour Department after they claimed the meeting failed to address the issue of owed salaries, among others, affecting some 300 workers.

A Senior Cabin Crew Member, Teasha Corbin, ex-

plained that workers were summoned to the meeting with the hope of sorting out these issues with the Minister within the Social Protection Ministry, Keith Scott. However, the Minister did not even bother to attend the forum.

Corbin, who has been working with the airline for the past six years said, “Today we expected that the Minister would have met with us and have something positive to say to us regarding some help for the company or regarding our monies that Fly Jamaica owe to us”.

However, their hopes were shattered as the Department explained that they are merely trying to take statements from them with regards to the crash, as they have “no proper knowledge” on the tragedy and how it affected them.

In this regard, that ex-employee posited that she feels as though her time was completely wasted, especially since Fly Jamaica workers would have reached out

to the Department before to relate the situation.

Furthermore, she argued that seven months would have elapsed and only now the Department has taken the initiative to understand the issue before sorting it out. She said she felt very disappointed as she reasoned, “When this Government came in, Fly Jamaica was there all the way through giving support and now the Government I can say to you is not giving no support to Fly Jamaica neither to the ordinary Guyanese citizens [and] the employees [as] hundreds of us are out of jobs. We have children, we have bills we have all sorts of expenses and to date not even one help from the Ministry”.

Nonetheless, she informed that they were told that statements will be taken from them “to probably take the matter to court”.

According to her, she never formally received a letter from the airline informing her that her ser-

Ex-Fly Jamaica staffers standing inside the Department of Labour during the meeting

vices are no longer required but came across a notice via social media informing all staffers that their services have been terminated.

She claimed to have been last paid in November 2018. On this note, the former employee appealed for President David Granger to

ing engaged by a few officials from the Department.

More disappointment

Another sacked employee, an In-Flight Service Supervisor, Gina Mc Camley, told reporters that she too was disappointed by the meeting.

about 02:53h.

The crash has left the airline grappling to not only repay workers but passengers as well.

In fact, it was given until July 1, by the Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission (CCAC) to refund passengers who are

A few sacked workers

step into this situation.

President’s intervention

“My hope would be that the Government would come in, the President I am appealing that you come in.

Fly Jamaica needs help and that’s the only way they can help us, they can’t pay us, because they obviously don’t have the money,” she noted.

Corbin explained that the President may be able to fast track some assistance for the sacked workers as the court’s judgment may pass until her grandkids arrive, which would leave employees with no immediate help or any form of assistance from Government although the Jamaican Government has been assisting the fired workers in Kingston.

No apology

An employee, who did not state her name in an exclusive interview with Guyana Times, complained that employees were forced to stand throughout the meeting and were not apologised to for the inconvenience until a staffer spoke out against the treatment.

The employee noted that Fly Jamaica staffers were scattered across the hallway of the Department while be-

“They’re actually now starting the process so we are all very disappointed that we didn’t get the result that we wanted. They’re now looking into contacting the relevant officials to get a statement from them and perhaps once they get hold of somebody then they’ll start the process,” she explained.

Mc Camley, who has been employed with Fly Jamaica for one year, said she has become very frustrated as bills have been piling up and her family has to be fed, while they are just giving statements, not being told when they will be paid and are nowhere close to being paid.

Fly Jamaica had made its staff redundant at the end of March. This was announced

by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Paul Ronald Reece in a letter to employees on Friday, March 29, 2019.

These events stemmed from a plane crash Fly Jamaica’s Boeing 757 aircraft encountered on November 9, 2018. The flight left the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) for Toronto, Canada, at about 02:10h, but after reportedly encountering hydraulic issues, the pilot returned to the airport where the aircraft crash-landed at

owed in excess of $8 million.

Initially, the airline had promised the Commission to begin payments in March but has been unable to do so due to lack of funds.

This time around, CCAC said the airline is likely to be hauled before the courts if it fails to reimburse affected passengers.

Already, two lawsuits have been filed against the airline, with the most recent order issued in December.

That lawsuit was filed by a Canadian law firm to represent passengers who claimed they were injured during the crash-landing at the airport.

The notice of the class action suit stated that it was seeking compensation for not only the passengers who were on board the flight OJ256 destined for Toronto, Canada, but the families who were affected as a result of the crash.

That lawsuit came days after Canadian firms Howie, Sacks and Henry and Camp Fiorante Matthews Mogerman filed a case against the airline for injuries and losses incurred as a result of the crash.

That lawsuit was filed on November 23, 2018.

guyanatimesgy.com

WEDNEsDAY, JUNE 12, 2019

17

Around the World

India to evacuate thousands imprisoned protest leaders as cyclone nears west coast under new amnesty law I Nicaragua frees 56

Opposition Leader Yubrank Suazo, who according to local media was arrested for participating in a protest against Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega’s Government, is greeted by neighbours after being released from La Modelo Prison, in Masaya, Nicaragua, June 11, 2019

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icaragua said on Tuesday it had released 56 political prisoners under a new law that frees people who were arrested in recent anti-government protests, while protecting Police and others who violently clamped down on the demonstrations.

Under the amnesty law, former prisoners are banned from participating in more anti-government protests.

The United Nations’ top human rights official, as well as local Opposition groups, have blasted the legislation as a way to grant impunity to those who committed abuses during the violent crackdowns.

The law gives protection to “people who have not been investigated, who find themselves under investigation” or those “complying with their sentences”, according to the text of the legislation, which was approved by Congress on Saturday.

The Central American country is experiencing its worst political crisis since a bloody civil war in the 1980s.

More than 700 people were arrested in demonstrations and 325 mostly Opposition protesters died in clashes with security forces, while over 60,000 Nicaraguans have gone into exile due to political strife over the last 14 months, rights groups say.

The release of the 56 Opposition Leaders follows Monday’s release of 50 rank-and-file protesters by the Administration of President Daniel Ortega.

Nicaragua’s Opposition has made the release of political prisoners a condition of dialogue with the Administration.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

on Tuesday, while seven people - two girls, four women and a man - were pulled from the water unconscious and later confirmed dead.

A search and rescue operation in the area off the eastern Aegean island of Lesbos was called off after all those

on board had been accounted for, the coastguard said.

It was not immediately clear why the boat capsized, and the coastguard did not provide further details on the incident or the nationality of the refugees and migrants. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

At least 7 dead as refugee boat sinks off Greek island

A

boat carrying dozens of refugees and migrants to a Greek island from the nearby Turkish coast has capsized, leaving seven people dead, including two children.

Greece’s coastguard said 57 people had been rescued

ndian authorities are preparing to evacuate 300,000 people along the western coast as a severe cyclone is expected to make landfall on Thursday morning in the state of Gujarat.

Storm Vayu, which formed in the Arabian Sea, is likely to cross the Gujarat coast with gust speeds as high as 135 kmph (84 mph), the India Meteorological Department said in a statement.

It also warned the cyclone could further delay the progress of the annual monsoon rains over the rest of India, as the storm was drawing rain clouds from over the sea.

The arrival of the monsoons on the southern coast of Kerala was already about a week late this year.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani told reporters he had asked for help from the military and the

An India Meteorological Department scientist monitors Cyclone Vayu inside his office in Ahmedabad, India, June 11, 2019

National Disaster Response Force for rescue and relief work in cases the storm causes large scale disruption.

Gujarat is also home to large refineries and seaports that lie near the storm’s path, officials said.

In May, Cyclone Fani killed at least 34 people on India’s eastern coast, destroying houses and ripping off roofs.

Two decades ago, a super-cyclone battered the

coast of Odisha for 30 hours, killing 10,000 people.

The Government plans to start moving some 300,000 people from the most vulnerable areas from today into shelters. Home Minister Amit Shah asked officials to ensure any power, telecommunications and drinking water supplies affected by the cyclone are restored as soon as possible afterwards.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Trump says he’s considering giving Venezuelans protection in US

U

S President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he was looking into the possibility of granting temporary asylum to thousands of Venezuelans who have fled to the United States amid political turmoil in their country.

Trump said the situation in Venezuela was a horrible thing that’s “been brewing for a long time” and his Administration was look-

ing at granting Venezuelans temporary protected status “very seriously”.

The move would conflict with Trump’s tough-on-immigration stance. His administration has moved to discontinue the Temporary Protection Status (TPS) for many countries. He has also implemented a “zero-tolerance” policy at the US southern border.

TPS is granted to people

from countries ravaged by natural disasters or war and lets them remain in the US until the situation improves back home.

Two congressional panels have already advanced bills granting protections to Venezuelans.

Venezuela, the oncewealthy oil nation, is facing severe shortages of basic goods and hyperinflation.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

WEDNEsDAY, JUNE 12, 2019

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

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GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER (June 21July 22)

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LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Calvin and Hobbes

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

SUDOKU

The past can offer insight into an emotional situation.

Listen to what others have to say, but don’t follow the crowd if they are heading in a direction that doesn’t suit you.

Take a look at what’s available. A change of location, lifestyle upgrade or educational opportunity is favored. Do your best to keep up with industry and technology changes.

Trust will be an issue.

Offers that sound too good to be true should be ruled out.

A slow build and hard work will help you excel. Leave nothing to chance.

Look at your choices and consider trying something you’ve never done before.

Test the water to gain experience and insight. Trust your instincts and follow through.

Think twice before you make a move. Concentrate on how to best take advantage of your assets, skills and connections. Planning ahead is in your best interest.

If you get involved in group endeavors, it will change the way you think about domestic and professional situations you face. Look at your options and proceed.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Do something for yourself.

Getting a makeover, planning a trip or signing up for something that will help you develop new skills is favored.

Romance is on the rise.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Participate in events that will help you gain experience. Share your thoughts and collaborate with people you find stimulating. Embrace new beginnings.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

Don’t lose sight of what’s essential and what needs to be taken care of immediately. If you rely on someone else to handle your affairs or responsibilities, you’ll be disappointed.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

Rely on your abilities to remain calm and to avoid being talked into something before you review certain facts and figures. The best help you can offer is an honest opinion.

solution for LAST PUBLISHED puzzle AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Updates at home will turn out well and should help to lower your overhead. A significant relationship will take a positive turn if you share the work and enjoy the results together.

Get involved in projects that make you think and that require your creative input. You’ll accomplish a lot if you work with people who are practical as well as dedicated.

wednesday, june 12, 2019

T

NBA Finals: Golden State Warriors beat Toronto Raptors in game 5

he Golden State Warriors kept their pursuit of a third straight NBA title alive with a 106-105 victory over the Toronto Raptors in game five.

The Raptors, seeking a first title, had led the seven-match series 3-1, an advantage that has only been overturned once in Finals history.

Stephen Curry scored 31 points for the Warriors, who lost the returning Kevin Durant to injury in the second quarter.

The Raptors have a second chance to clinch the title in Oakland on Friday.

Game seven, if required, will be back in Toronto on Sunday.

Point guard Curry, 31, described Monday’s game as “do or die”, adding: “It wasn’t pretty in the second half but we just made the shots.”

The relief was tempered, however, by the loss of Durant, who had just returned to the court from a calf problem after missing nine play-off games, and suffered a right Achilles tendon injury that left him unable to continue.

The 30-year-old, who was named 2017 and 2018 NBA Most Valuable Player and is Golden State’s top playoff scorer with 34.2 points a game, left the venue on crutches and will have a scan.

“On the one hand I’m so proud of them, just the amazing heart and grit they showed, and on the other I’m just devastated for Kevin,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.

“So it’s a bizarre feeling we all have right now - an incredible win and a horrible loss at the same time.”

The Warriors

have won three titles in the past four seasons - their loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 is the only occasion a team has given up a 3-1 lead in Finals, which began in 1947.

And that stat is sure to give the Raptors hope of

evin Durant was lost in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday and likely for months to come with a ruptured right Achilles.

Durant, who is three weeks from another foray into free agency, played for the first time since May 8, when he strained his right calf.

“Seeing your brother go down, trying to be there for him.

It puts everything in perspective,” Steph Curry said Monday.

“I’m kind of honored the way he sacrificed, put his body on the line.”

Durant exited in the second quarter after starting the game on fire. He had 11 points, two rebounds and one block to help the Warriors set the early pace in a game they ultimately won 106-105.

“I’m just devastated for Kevin,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.

After the game, Bob Myers, the Warriors’ president of basketball operations, confirmed that Durant has an Achilles injury.

“I don’t know the extent of it,” an emotional Myers said.

“He’ll have a MRI tomorrow.”

Myers said medical and team personnel conferred several times to discuss whether Durant would play and made the decision to let him return.

“The people that questioned whether he wanted to get back to this team ... they’re wrong,” Myers said, fighting back tears.

Early in the fourth quarter, ABC’s broadcast showed Durant leaving the building in a walking boot on crutches with his agent, Rich Kleiman.

ABC reporter Doris Burke said she spoke with Kerr returning to the court after halftime

making history on Friday night after seeing their advantage reduced to 3-2 with a turnaround late in the fourth quarter.

Kawhi Leonard top-scored for Toronto with 26 points, including a back-to-back threepointer, to give his side a lead of six (10397) with just over three minutes remaining in the game.

T h e

Raptors had, however, trailed by 14 in the third quarter and head coach

Nick Nurse said: “In this day and age, up six with three minutes to go doesn’t mean a whole lot.

“I felt good at that point. We just needed to make a couple more plays.”

But Thompson and Curry each sank three-pointers to haul Golden State back into the game in the fourth and the latter scored another to keep them ahead with less than a minute on the clock.

After a Kyle Lowry score, the Raptors had one last opportunity to steal the title but a superb Draymond Green block denied Lowry a threepointer on the buzzer.

Kerr added: “Our defence was bending down the stretch but we didn’t break and the last stop was tremendous.”

(BBC Sport)

Kawhi Leonard’s 26 points for the Raptors were not enough in the fifth game of the NBA Finals

Warriors fear Durant’s right Achilles ruptured

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and he said of his message to the team, “You tell them to keep going, keep competing. Obviously we’re all worried and thinking of Kevin right now.”

Renowned former San Diego Chargers team doctor David J. Chao tweeted about Durant, “KD clearly grabbing at Achilles. Not saying complete tear but that is too low to be called calf. Bad news, his finals are done even if there is a game 7. Good news, should not affect his free agency.”

In his first game since Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Houston Rockets, Durant grabbed for his right Achilles and calf area while attempting to drive past Raptors forward Serge Ibaka with 9:46 to play in the first half. The Warriors were leading 39-34, and the home crowd erupted with cheers as Durant crumbled to the hardwood.

Ibaka and Kyle Lowry motioned to hush the fans as Durant was walked to the other end of the court and down the tunnel to the locker room.

The Raptors held a 3-1 series lead and were aiming to close out the championship series at home on Monday night. Durant had missed nine games but was cleared to return to practice Sunday.

Kerr said pregame there would be no minutes restriction on Durant if he did play.

“You worry about the conditioning,” Kerr said. “The skill, obviously, is undeniable. He’s a guy who can get a shot off anytime he wants. ... He’s Kevin Durant. If we have him out there, he’ll be a threat. We know that.”

Durant averaged 26.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game in the regular season. During the postseason, he was producing 34.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game entering Monday.

“The most difficult thing is just not being able to be out there with your teammates at the biggest time of the year,” Kerr said pregame. “From that perspective, I have just felt bad for him. We all have. If you have a chance to play, go play and see what happens.” (Reuters) Kevin Durant (35) sits on the court after an apparent injury during the second quarter in game five against the Toronto Raptors

Champions League:

Prelim round draw made 10 days after Liverpool triumph

Liverpool beat Tottenham 2-0 to win the 2019 Champions League final

I

t has only been 10 days since Liverpool lifted the Champions League trophy but the starting gun has already been fired for next season’s competition.

Four teams - from Andorra, Gibraltar, Kosovo and San Marino - were in Tuesday’s draw for the preliminary round, which will take the form of a minitournament in Kosovo.

The semi-finals - Feronikeli v Lincoln Red Imps and Tre Penne v FC Santa Coloma - will be on 25 June and the final on 28 June, with the winner earning a spot in the Champions League first qualifying round.

That first qualifying round, which will be drawn on 18 June and take place on 9/10 July and 16/17 July, will be the stage at which Scottish champions Celtic, along with Northern Irish and Welsh counterparts Linfield and The New Saints, enter the fray.

They will have to negotiate three twolegged qualifying rounds and a play-off to make it through to the group stages

of Europe’s top club tournament, which will reach its climax in Istanbul on 30 May, 2020.

Defeat along the way will still leave them with a chance of European football next season as they will drop down into the Europa League qualification.

England’s four teams in next season’s Champions League are Premier League winners Manchester City, holders Liverpool, Europa League champions Chelsea, and Tottenham.

They will all enter at the group stage, the draw for which will take place on 29 August. Group games begin on 17/18 September.

In the Europa League, the draw for the preliminary round has also taken place and Northern Ireland’s Cliftonville will play Welsh club Barry Town.

Ballymena will play NSI Runavik of the Faroe Islands, while Cardiff Met have been drawn against Luxembourg’s Progres Niederkorn, with the two-legged ties taking place on 27 June and 4 July. (BBC

Sport)

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

wednesday, june 12, 2019

Australia seek revival against uplifted Pakistan A

ustralia, having lost their first World Cup game while chasing since 1999, will aim to bounce back as they take on a determined Pakistan in their fourth match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 in Taunton on Wednesday, 12 June.

With all its might, Australia’s bowling attack, for once, seemed clueless against India, who batted them out of the game in the first half at The Oval on Sunday, 9 June. The batsmen tried their best to keep the defending champions in the hunt for most part of the chase, but Australia never looked like they had the game under control, losing wickets at crucial junctures. However, they can take heart from the performances of Alex Carey, who has taken his batting credentials up a notch.

Standing opposite them are Pakistan, the team whom Australia swept 5-0 two months ago in the United Arab Emirates, and

Australia have four points from their three matches

Aaron Finch’s men will be keen to get back to winning ways.

Pakistan have lived up

to their ‘unpredictable’ tag and have seen contrasting results in the tournament so far. They bounced back

Edward Cobenna Memorial Windball Tournament…

with a clinical 14-run win against the hosts, England, after a seven-wicket loss to West Indies in their tourna-

ment opener. They missed out on an opportunity to build on that against Sri Lanka, as their clash resulted in a complete washout. They will need to show similar intensity, and execution, as they did against England, to beat a tough opposition in Australia.

With Glenn Maxwell’s immense skills, and clean ball-striking abilities, Maxwell is capable of changing the flow of any cricket match. The right-hander averages 55 against Pakistan, and with scores of 71, 98 and 70 in his previous three outings against them, he will once again aim for a match-winning contribution on Wednesday.

Babar Azam has put up consistent performances at No.3 ever since he’s arrived in England. The righthander, with his solid technique and fluent strokeplay, will look to hold the Pakistan innings together against the quality of Australia’s pace attack.

A dry and cloudy start to the day is expected, but chances of rain thereafter might result in a shortened game. With the pitch expected to offer some assistance for fast bowlers early in the day, captains would be tempted to field first.

Squads

Australia: Aaron Finch (c), David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Shaun Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Kane Richardson, Pat Cummins, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Adam Zampa, Nathan Lyon Pakistan: Sarfaraz Ahmed (c, wk), Asif Ali, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Imam-ul-Haq, Shadab Khan, Shoaib Malik, Wahab Riaz, Haris Sohail, Imad Wasim, Fakhar Zaman (ICC Cricket)

GMR&SC Drag Championship round 2…

Defending champions “Mad Max” confirms participation off to a winning start H

S

Some of the students who participated in the tournament

everal primary school teams put their skills to the test at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue as they competed in the 22nd annual Edward Cobenna Memorial end-ofschool year windball cricket competition.

Defending champions North Georgetown Primary got off to a winning start, as they defeated rivals and last year’s runners-up Sophia Primary. Sophia batted first and scored 23-3; Georgetown Primary replied with 260. Samuel Grant top scored with 12.

In another match, St Pius Primary posted 50-0, with Danesh Ramjeaum contributing 40. In reply, St Margaret’s Primary cruised to 52-0 after notable contributions from Nehemiah Singh (28) and Nathan Parag (10).

FE Pollard posted 53 without loss as both Alex Clarks and Antoine Griffith hit 28

runs. Ketley Primary failed to reach their target, scoring 48-1. Christopher Nurse had the highest score for his team with 32.

St Agnes Primary posted 51-1 as Mark David (30) topscored, with Trevon Matthews making 14. In the chase, Bel Air could only muster 49-2 as Kymary Missigher made the highest score, 28.

Smith Memorial thumped JE Burnham after posting 420. Kelvin Bobb (24) and Deain Permaul (12) had the highest scores for Smith Memorial.

JE Burnham slumped to 320. Justin Lee Price (14) was the only player with double figures.

After attaining 44-1, West Ruimveldt lost to Enterprise Primary. Vikash Aeeran (24) and Omarian Cummings (12) had the highest scores for West, but Khy Atkinson’s 22 led Enterprise to their 45-1 win.

Winfer Gardens Primary

were also in the winners’ circle after making 52-2. Quan Torrien (26) and Shane Price (12) led the way for the East Street school. Meanwhile, the chase saw Tucville Primary missing out with 46-2.

Raheen Henry was outstanding, taking two wickets.

In the final boy’s match, West Ruimveldt made a mammoth total, 74-1, after O Cummings (29); Joshua Gomes (24) and V Aeeran (14) made contributions.

The target was too much for Redeemer Primary; they could only muster 56-1 after contributions from Cleon Rhyma (22) and Crosby Padmoore (16).

A girl’s encounter saw Smith’s Memorial triumphing over the West Ruimveldt girls. West made 41 without loss, but Smith’s Dellanna Small (22) and Fonda Bibbs (12) ensured their team would make it across the line.

aving dominated the superbike category in 2016 and 2017, Mark “Mad Max” Menezes had a one-year hiatus in 2018 before returning at the start of the 2019 Drag Championship season in March to assume his superiority in the class with wins in both the 600cc and 1000cc divisions.

Round two of the Championship had been pushed back to June 23, and the bikers including Menezes are revving to go. In an invited comment, Menezes confirmed that he would be looking to extend his points in the Championship in both categories. In addition, a fresh 2019 Yamaha R6 has just landed for him.

“My machines are working great, as you know, I am the mechanic and I have been putting in hard work day and night to ensure all systems are in place.

Being at the top of your game isn’t easy, so you know you always have to be constantly working and tweaking everything,” Menezes shared.

He is just one of the many bikers who have confirmed their participation in round two of t h e

Championship.

Meanwhile, last week, Guyana Motor Racing & Sports Club (GMR&SC) President Rameez Mohamed confirmed via a correspondence to the media that Team Mohamed’s newly-acquired white Nissan GT-R was set to finally make its competitive debut at the event after missing out in March owing to transmission is-

sues.

Over 100 competitors are expected to register for the event which will see the driver with the fastest reaction winning $20,000.

More importantly, DEL Ice Co has sponsored cash prizes for the fastest 10-second ($200,000); 11-second ($150,000) and 12-second ($100,000) cars.

Sponsors for the event include Platinum Car Show, KFC, Supreme Bets, R Kissoon Contracting Services, Deryck Jaisingh Trucking Service and Machinery Rentals, DEL Ice Co, Mohamed’s Enterprise, BM Soat Auto Sales, Prem’s Electrical, E-Networks, Motor Trend, Nexus Machine Shop, Power Line, Jumbo Jet Auto Sales, Windjammer Hotel, Cyril’s Taxi, A&R Jiwanram Printery, Blue Spring Water, Choke Gas Station, Miracle Optical, Special Auto, First Class Auto Spares and Sales, GT Tuners, West Coast Customs Washbay and Imran Autoworks .

Tickets for adults cost $1000 and children $500. Action starts at 09:00h on race day.

Mark “Mad Max” Menezes dominated both 600cc and 1000cc classes in round one

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21

Jack Warner loses

extradition appeal

F

ormer Government Minister Jack Warner has lost his appeal over the dismissal of his lawsuit challenging the United States (US) extradition request for him.

Three Judges of the Court of Appeal upheld the decision of Justice James Aboud to dismiss his judicial review lawsuit in September, 2017.

Their decision does not mean that Warner’s extradition proceedings will finally commence before Chief Magistrate Maria BusbyEarle-Caddle as the judges granted a stay pending the filing of Warner’s appeal to the Privy Council.

Warner is challenging the procedure adopted by the Office of the Attorney General (AG) in signing off on the US’s request for his extradition, made in May 2015 Warner is alleging that this country’s extradition treaty with the US contradicts the Extradition (Commonwealth and Foreign Territories) Act. They were claiming that, in passing the act, Parliament afforded citizens certain protections which are ignored by the interna-

fore he signed off on the Authority to Proceed, which was required to kick off the proceedings in the magistrates’ court.

Aboud ruled that Warner did not have a right to be consulted.

Warner’s case

Former FIFA vice president and former T&T National Security Minister Jack Warner

tional treaty.

In his 50-page judgement, Aboud agreed that there were minor inconsistencies between the treaty and legislation, but said Warner’s concerns were exaggerated and speculative.

Aboud also noted that Warner’s rights would be protected during the

eventual extradition proceedings before Busby-Earle-Caddle as she would have to apply local laws to the charges against Warner alleged in the US extradition request.

Warner was also complaining that AG Faris Al-Rawi failed to give his attorneys a fair opportunity to make representations to him be-

Warner, 73, a former Fifa vice-president, is accused of 12 charges related to fraud, racketeering and engaging in illegal wire transfers.

The offences are alleged to have taken place in the United States, T&T and other jurisdictions between 1990 and June 2011 when Warner quit Fifa.

He is one of several senior executives of world football’s governing body who were indicted on a series of charges after an investigation into corruption in football, conducted by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Justice.

Several, including his two sons Daryll and Daryan, have pleaded guilty to the charges and are serving sentences in the US. (T&T Guardian)

Jaguars go down to Haiti in final warmup match ahead of Gold Cup debut

A

ll the Guyanese players were afforded valuable playing time in their friendly international match against Haiti on Tuesday at the CAR Turrucares Playfield in San José, Costa Rica, which is at least 2900 feet above sea level.

The closed-door friendly, which was played at 10:00h San Jose time (12:00h Guyana time), saw both teams playing all their players as they sought to get in valuable match time ahead of the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup. In Tuesday’s match, the Golden Jaguars conceded an early (questionable) penalty which was scored by the Haitians and they got their second midway in the opening half via a corner kick.

The starting XI of Akel Clarke in goal; defenders - Kadell Daniel, Ronayne Marsh-Brown, Terence Vancooten, Jordan Dover; midfielders – Neil Danns, Brandon Beresford, Callum Harriott, Anthony Jeffrey and forwards Terell Ondaan and Emery Welshman held their own despite falling behind and focused on the plan that the technical staff wanted them to execute.

The Golden Jaguars had the first shot on goal in the encounter as they started the match pushing forward; the first 20 minutes also saw Guyana forcing three corners before the Haitians were able to notch their first.

The second half saw the Haitians further increasing their advantage when they tucked in goal number three. A number of chances were created by the Golden Jaguars, but Haiti defended well to keep the Jaguars at bay.

However, the Guyanese were able to pull one back in the final 10 minutes, thanks to a well-placed shot at the first post by Keanu MarshBrown.

Head Coach Michael Johnson, commenting after the match, said that it was a good exercise for his

The Golden Jaguars XI which started against Haiti

charges once again in high altitude, citing that each player got in valuable competitive match time lending to a higher degree of fitness.

“Again you saw the progression and there’re lots of positives to take while there are areas that we have not [progressed] which include defensive corners. The first goal was a penalty which was debatable and the second goal was from a corner; we’ll now tighten up as we go to our USA camp. We’re in positive spirits, I’ve just reminded the players not to focus on the results, focus on what we tried to do, what worked, what we need tidying up on and there’re a lot of things that we can now move into this final stage with,” Johnson said.

He shared that playing at a high altitude was much more intense, but once you got back to normal sea level, it was beneficial even though it was tough for some of the players to get through.

The Golden Jaguars played the first of two friendly internationals against Bermuda last Thursday in Bermuda and went down by a lone goal in that match.

As the team now head to Minneapolis, Minnesota today ahead of next Tuesday’s debut match against the USA, Johnson informed that the focus now would be on tidying up a couple of areas that they have cited with a view of being ready for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup. The Gold Cup kicks off on

Saturday, June 15, with a Group A double header at the Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California from 16:30h when Canada oppose Martinique followed by Mexico against Cuba.

Guyana, drawn in Group D, will face off against the USA at the Allianz Field, St Paul, Minnesota in the feature match next Tuesday evening; the opening encounter in this group pits Panama against Trinidad and Tobago from 18:30h.

Haiti, drawn in Group B, which would commence on June 16 at the Estadio Nacional, San José, Costa Rica, will open against Bermuda from 16:00h, with the main attraction being between home team Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

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wednesday, june 12, 2019

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

KFC Inter-Association tournament resumes June 15 A player involved in the draft picks from one of two pots

A

fter scintillating competition at the intra-association level, the winners and runners-up from those Regional Member Associations will converge at the National Training Centre, Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD) for

the final showdown.

The KFC Independence Cup tournament was coordinated by the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) and sponsored by the fast food giant, in order to fill a gap in the succession of developmental tournaments.

The Under-20 competition was hosted in each of the nine Regional Member Associations beginning on April 27, 2019.

With Georgetown concluding their leg of the tournament last week, each winning team and runner-up will now battle to crown a national champion.

As such, a draw was conducted at KFC’s Vlissengen Road head office, to see who each team would play when the round of 16 kicks off on Saturday.

Before things heated up, GFF’s Director of Competitions, Ian Alves shared two new rules with the players and Coaches present.

“Remember in the IntraAssociation phase you went straight to kicks from the penalty mark after full time.

However for the nation-

Sentinel Security recommits to Gregory Gaskin Berbice Sports Awards

KFC’s Carina Westford presents one of the trophies to a player

al play-off we’ll have extra time, two halves of 10 minutes. The second rule I want to bring to your attention is that for this phase we’re allowing each of the clubs participating in the national play-off to have three guest players. Those players must be from your Regional Member Association,” Alves disclosed.

As a result of the draw, Timehri Panthers will come up against Soesdyke Falcons FC in the first encounter.

New Amsterdam United will take on Amelia’s Ward Falcons while Botofago FC battle Den Amstel. Potaro Strikers will go toe to toe with Dynamic FC and Fruta Conquerors will face off

with Cougars FC. Buxton United are slated to battle Queenstown United FC and Pouderoyen FC will take on Santos FC. The winners of each game will then go on to the quarter-finals, where the Rupununi Strikers will join the competition.

GFF Executive Member Dion Inniss used his time at the microphone to urge other corporate companies to get on board with this or other tournaments.

“The Under-20 level is a very important level for us, it’s all from the transition between the lower developmental stage, moving on to the professional stage. So, I’d like to use this opportu-

nity to ask other corporate entities to come forward and partner or assist in our developmental plans for the future,” Inniss urged.

Speaking on behalf of KFC, Shevon Martin noted that the company was elated to be involved in such a project.

“KFC is very pleased to be associated with Guyana Football Federation and I wish all the players the best of luck,” Martin stated.

The regional champions, along with the runners-up, received their respective trophies prior to the draw.

The action will kick off on Saturday, June 15 and the final is scheduled for July 1, 2019.

Drayton elated about being chess champion …wanted to take on Meusa for the title

P

Sentinel Berbice Manager Priya Rampersaud hands over the sponsorship to RHTY&SC Assistant Secretary Simon Naidu

opular security company Sentinel Security Inc has renewed its sponsorship of the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club (RHTY&SC) Gregory Gaskin Memorial Berbice Sports Awards for the sixth consecutive year.

The sponsorship, worth $120,000, will see the Club hosting the awards ceremony, which is being held in memory of the late former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Cops Security company, Gregory Gaskin.

His widow, Noreen Seubarran-Gaskin, who now heads Sentinel Security, sponsors the Awards.

Assistant Secretary/CEO Simon Naidu stated that under the 2019 Award Scheme, five awards will be shared out – the Berbice Sportsman of the Year 2018, Berbice Sportswoman of the Year 2018, Sport Personality of the Year 2018, Association of the Year and Lifetime Achievement Award.

The RHTY&SC is encouraging members of the public, Berbice sports associations, members of the Berbice media, schools and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to submit recommendations to the Club’s office in writing or via email at foster_hilbert@yahoo.com.

A special committee headed by veteran television news editor and sports administrator Gregory Rambarran will select the awardees based on their performances during 2018 in their respective discipline, combined role model status and discipline.

The objective of the Awards is to recognise and honour outstanding Berbicians who excel in the sporting arena, to provide positive role models to youths, to encourage persons involved in sports to always strive

for excellence and to promote the “Say Yes to Sports Message” to youths in Berbice.

Additionally, the Club and Sentinel are keeping the memory and legacy of Gaskin alive. Gaskin was actively involved in motor racing and was an outstanding supporter of sports as an alternative. Noreen Gaskin stated that she and Sentinel were very supportive of the RHTY&SC owing to the outstanding work it is doing and noted that the awards ceremony has always been well organised while fulfilling all of its objectives.

Meanwhile, on July 26, 2019, the Club and its 10 cricket teams will also be hosting the seventh edition of its ANSA McAL Award of Excellence. Under this Award, outstanding Berbicians are honoured for their sterling contributions to Guyana in the fields of health, education, culture, sports and community development. The awardees are selected by the RHTY&SC cricket teams and the Rambarran-led Committee based on the recommendations received from the general public. Persons nominated should have been employed for a minimum of 20 years, made a contribution to the development of Guyana, be a positive role model and be willing to share their experience with the younger generation. Naidu urged members of the Berbice public to submit nominations for persons who they believe have made outstanding contributions. The deadline for the nomination process is July 10, 2019. Each Awardee of the Gregory Gaskin Memorial Berbice Sport Awards and the ANSA McAL Award of Excellence will receive a trophy, medal, framed certificate, and a collection of prizes, and will be treated to a special luncheon.

W

ith the absence of a long-time rival, Anthony Drayton finally saw his dreams unfold before his eyes as he was crowned the 2019 chess champion.

Drayton, who holds a 2007 rating and FIDE Master title, has dominated the chess scene for the past two years. He played undefeated in this year’s competition and although it was a great feeling to have outplayed his many opponents, the male chess champion felt like his ascension to the title was missing one key factor: the former champion.

Taffin Khan bagged six wins in the chess championships to finish in second place while Loris Nathoo came third.

Nevertheless, Drayton credited his win to continuous hard work and dedication to the game.

“It always feels good to come out on top, especially when you know you tried and did your best and your hard work pays off,” he stated.

Former male chess champion Wendell Meusa was strongly against the hosting of this year’s championship until the Guyana Chess Federation hosted its election. Since the Federation has not done so as yet, the former champion opted to stay out of this year’s competition. For Drayton, this put a damper on the competition as he revealed that he would

have been much happier with the title had he been able to play against Meusa.

‘I’m a little annoyed by that; I really wanted to play him to get the title, so I’m somewhat disappointed. The level of competition is always stiff, but like I said, without Mr Meusa, it’s not how it’s supposed to be,” Drayton explained.

For next year’s championships; however, Drayton has already made it clear that he looked forward to a grand battle between himself and Meusa.

“It’s good to hold a title at least once, so next year I’ll be open to representing this title. Let’s say Meusa plays next year, I’ll put up the title again, just to play him. Maybe an 11-round or a 9-round match between us,” the 2019 chess champion said.

Looking towards his future in international competition, Drayton has a few objectives that he hopes to achieve before or during the 2020 Chess Olympiad, which is slated f o r August 1 to 15 in

Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia.

“My preparation will be strictly to improve my knowledge of chess, so I can one day claim the title of international master and to also get my ratings over 2200.

But for this year, I’ll be aiming to get over 2100.”

On the other hand, the female chess championships will conclude in the upcoming weekend, and it already seems as though reigning champion Maria Verona Thomas is looking to retain her title.

Anthony Drayton

guyanatimesgy.com

wednesday, june 12, 2019

23

Brizzle’s drizzle fizzles out

Sri Lanka and Bangladesh match F

or the second-day running, the 2019 World Cup witnessed a no-result that forced Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to walk away with one point each.

This is the fifth World Cup being staged in England, and incredibly this one has already witnessed two abandonments (cancellations without toss), the most-ever in a single edition.

Sri Lanka, who already endured a washout against Pakistan, now have two points courtesy rain, which effectively amounts to second win. For Bangladesh, the situation is dire as they are in the bottom half of the points table with just a solitary win in four outings.

Wednesday in Bristol dawned dark and grey with heavy overnight showers dashing hopes of a prompt 10.30am start. In fact, the teams were back at their hotel until noon, before Sri Lanka arrived to some frenetic activity in the outfield.

As many as three pitch inspections had to be called off at different stages because of heavy rain.

And while the groundstaff tried their best to flush out the water that had seeped into the outfield, the persistent and steady rain eventually put paid to hopes of even a 20-over shootout. The match officials eventually called off the game at 1.55 pm BST. The result aside, Bangladesh

These Bangladesh fans came prepared but did not get a chance to witness the match

will have a nervy next few days, sweating over the fitness of Shakib Al Hasan, who was a doubtful starter for this fixture having picked up a thigh injury at training.

There was some sombre news in the Sri Lankan camp too, with Lasith Malinga set to dash home to Colombo for the funeral of his mother-in-law. He is, however, likely to return in time for

Sri Lanka’s next clash against Australia on Saturday.

Rhodes unhappy with ICC’s reserve day policy

“We put men on the moon, so why can’t we have a reserve day, when actually this tournament is a long tournament,” Steve Rhodes asked in jest after Bangladesh were forced to split points after

a washout against Sri Lanka in Bristol on Thursday.

Rhodes was reacting to a question on the number of rained out matches - three so far in this edition alone, and the second straight day of no results. This left Bangladesh precariously placed, with a win and a washout after four matches. No other edition has seen these many rain-affected matches in the tournament’s history.

Rhodes, who hails from Worcestershire, also felt there was a case to fit in reserve days as most sides had at least “two to three days” between matches.

Bangladesh, for example, have a five-day gap before their next game against West Indies in Taunton.

“I know logistically it would have been a big headache for the tournament organisers,” Rhodes began at the post-match press conference. “I know that it would have been difficult, but we have got quite a lot of time in between games, and if we have got to travel a day later, then so be it.

“The games are spread out. I would say that it’s disappointing for the crowd, as well. They have got tickets to see a game of cricket, and you know it would be up to them if they can get there the day after.”

Dimuth Karunaratne, the Sri Lanka captain, didn’t think Rhodes’ suggestion was feasible.

“If they could put a reserve day it would have been fine. But it’s a major tournament and we’re all playing nine games. I don’t know if they can keep a reserve day for us,” he said.

“The next day you have to travel to a different venue, so it’s not easy. If they can put a reserve day, though, it’s going to be good for the all the spectators and everyone.”

(ESPNcricinfo)

RHTY&SC to host 29th annual Cricket Academy in July T

he 10 cricket teams of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club (RHTY&SC) in their continuing quest to remain the leading cricket club in the Ancient County will be hosting the Annual Cricket Academy from Monday, July 15, 2019.

The two-week Cricket Academy will be held at the Area H Ground, and the management of the Club will be targeting a total of 120 youths between the ages of 8 to 18 years.

Assistant Secretary/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Simon Naidu, who will serve as Director of the Academy, stated that the Academy serves as the main output of cricketing talent for Guyana’s leading youth and sports organisation.

The Academy will be conducted by Coach Delbert Hicks in the absence of regular Head Coach Winston Smith, who is currently overseas. The Academy will start at 09:00h daily and ends at noon with the organisers pro-

viding meals and refreshments to the youths.

Naidu noted that the RHTY&SC welcomed youths across Berbice to join the Academy and then return to their respective clubs when it concludes.

The main objectives of the Academy will be to assist the youths to improve their cricketing skills; to improve their knowledge of the game, its history and laws, and to promote the importance of education and physical fitness while a lot of classroom work will be done to get the youths to understand their roles as ambassadors of the Club, Berbice, and Guyana.

Among the topics to be discussed during the classroom lectures are drug abuse, career choices, importance of education, importance of discipline, personal hygiene, role of a sports ambassador, rules of cricket, captaincy, history of cricket, public speaking and dealing with the media. Longstanding RHTY&SC Secretary/CEO Hilbert

Foster will spearhead the classes along with some highly-qualified and successful personnel like doctors, social workers and Head Teachers. Naidu noted that admission to the Academy is free while the Sports Club and several of its sponsors will stand the cost of meals, gear, refreshments, educational materials, trophies, medals, and gifts.

Since 1991, the Cricket Academy has served as a nursery and feeding ground for the success of the five time Guyana Cricket Club of the Year awardee. The Club, which won the Award in 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010 and 2016, has over the last 29 years won over 60 major championships and produced numerous players for Berbice, Guyana and the West Indies. The Academy, over the years, has produced over 2000 young cricketers with over 100 going on to play for Berbice while over 60 have represented Guyana at the junior or senior lev-

el. Among players who came through the Academy are Royston Crandon, Assad Fudadin, Abdel Fudadin, Eon Hooper, Renwick Batson, Shemaine Campbelle, Erva Giddings, Plaffiana Millington, Mariam Samaroo, Dominique Rikhi, Askay Homraj, Khemraj Mahadeo and Shawn Pereira to name a few.

Interested parents who want to register their children can contact the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club on 337-4562 or email: foster_hilbert@yahoo.com or contact Naidu on 643-9040.

wednesday, june 12, 2019

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

guyanatimesgy.com

KFC Inter-Association tournament resumes June 15 Page 22

Representatives of the winning and runner-up teams show off their trophies

Brizzle’s drizzle fizzles out Sri Jack Warner Lanka and Bangladesh match loses extradition appeal Page 23

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