Guyana Times, Wednesday June 19, 2019

Offshore Innovators trains Guyanese engineers in Subsea Robotics P14 Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 3959

wednesday, june 19, 2019

PRICE

CCJ judgements on NCM, GECOM Chair

Govt loses on all grounds See stories on pages 3, 9 and 15

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

P8 Mother confesses to killing 8-yearold son

Suspected poisoning

2 more Wakapao family members hospitalised at P12 GPHC

33 is majority

President, Cabinet must resign Charrandas Persaud's vote valid

Patterson's appointment unconstitutional Elections must be held in 2-3 months – Opposition Leader

…diplomats, Private Sector urge respect for CCJ ruling Page 7 …as President still wants advice from unconstitutional GECOM Chair Berbice River Bridge

Court orders Minister Patterson to provide information for unilateral takeover Page 2

P11 GPTWU threatens to take Govt to court over owed pensions …says Finance Ministry must stop dragging feet

Man admits to killing P10 reputed wife

Corentyne fisherman P14 jailed for 13 years for killing friend

2 news

WEDNesDAY, JUNE 19, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Berbice River Bridge

Court orders Minister Patterson to provide information for unilateral takeover …ordered to pay $100,000 in costs

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hief Justice (ag) Roxane George has ordered that Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson comply with a previous court order to provide certain information to the Berbice Bridge Company Inc (BBCI) in relation to Government’s takeover of the firm’s operations.

The order was issued on Monday during a case management hearing at the High Court.

Minister Patterson was previously ordered by High Court Justice Gino Persaud to provide reasons for taking over the bridge.

In fact, the order was issued on February 28, 2019 and the Minister was given 28 days to provide the information. But he never did.

Further, at the recent case management hearing, Minister Patterson was or-

Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson

dered to pay the BBCI costs in the sum of $100,000.

Other orders include the Bridge Company being given a date of July 12, 2019 to file an affidavit of documents, while the Minister was ordered to do so by July 26, 2019.

The Minister was also

given July 26 to file witness statements. In addition, a statement of agreed facts has to be filed by August 5.

Meanwhile, the matter itself has been adjourned until August 16.

Last year, the then BBCI Chairman, Dr Surendra Persaud had argued that in the face of bankruptcy, it would have to raise tolls for commuters to use the Berbice Bridge.

Dr Persaud, who was a strong advocate for the Alliance For Change (AFC) during the 2015 elections, took on Government when he announced new tolls for the Berbice Bridge.

The then Chairman had disclosed that BBCI was facing bankruptcy and as such, proposed to increase its tolls, to keep the Berbice Bridge afloat. He said Government’s refusal

Berbice River Bridge

to entertain consultations on the toll hike which would have prevented the continuing heavy financial losses of BBCI forced the company to announce the increases.

In response, the Public Infrastructure Minister issued a toll order, which ef-

fectively seized control of the Bridge and prohibited any increases.

The BBCI wasted little time in moving to the courts, where it is seeking, among other things, a court order reversing the takeover.

Prior to filing the legal challenge, the Bridge Company had written the Public Infrastructure Minister asking for the facts and reasons for the toll order within 14 days as provided for by Section 15 of the Judicial Review Act, but the Minister never responded.

The new tolls proposed by the BBCI were to take effect on November 12, 2018, but the Government, through Minister Patterson, issued an order and unilaterally took control of the Bridge on November 1, 2018.

However, the BBCI approached the High Court late November, asking it to quash the Minister’s order, thus allowing the company to resume responsibility for the Bridge and also to implement the toll hikes.

Both Minister Patterson and Attorney General Basil Williams were named defendants in the court action and were served with notices.

In its substantive application, the BBCI is asking the court to quash the order freezing the tolls, to prohibit the Minister and Government from exercising the functions of maintaining and operating the Bridge,

and to declare that the order was unconstitutional.

Following the unilateral takeover, BBCI Vice Chairman Paul Cheong told <<<Guyana Times>>> such an arbitrary move was a slap in the face of all public-private partnerships.

Speaking with this publication, a very livid Cheong said, “The decision came as a shock to us and, so we are working with our lawyers to weigh our legal options. I have a meeting with our lawyers tomorrow (Tuesday).

This is a slap on the whole Private Sector … this is something bigger than toll increases … it is a slap to all public-private partnerships … it was a model project for private-public partnership and so the Government will have to be responsible in its actions.”

In the 1970s and 1980s, numerous private properties were compulsorily acquired by the then People’s National Congress (PNC) Administration. These properties include what is now Citizens Bank, Hope Estate Limited, a huge tract of land at Liliendaal, Takuba Lodge, Echilibar Villas and dozens more. In many instances, no monies were paid to the owners of these properties and in the cases where there were payments, the price was pegged to a 1939 valuation as was the law during that period.

news

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WEDNesDAY, JUNE 19, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

CCJ validates passage of No-

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

Wednesday, June 19 – 05:00h-06:30h and Thursday, June 20 – 05:00h-06:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Wednesday, June 19 – 05:25h-06:55h and Thursday, June 20 – 06:00h-07:30h.

Confidence Motion toppling Govt …says 33 is clearly majority of 65

…Charrandas Persaud allowed to vote against party list

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Charrandas Persaud was vindicated by the CCJ

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he Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) on Tuesday threw out Government’s arguments and ruled that the NoConfidence Motion (NCM) that toppled it on December 21, 2018 was indeed validly passed.

Handing down the decision was CCJ President, Justice Adrian Justice Saunders, who read a summary of the final judgement. Justice Saunders said that the Court found that 33, and not 34 as the Government and supporters have argued, was the majority the Opposition needed out of 65 Members of Parliament (MPs) to pass the motion.

“The CCJ decided that the requirement for “a majority of all the elected members of the National Assembly”, referred to a majority of the total number of votes or seats in the Assembly, irrespective of the number of members who actually vote.”

In determining that majority, he added, the Court was of the opinion that the “half plus one rule was not applicable”.

Justice Saunders informed the courtroom and viewing public that the majority was clearly at least 33 votes.

The CCJ also rejected arguments that former Alliance For Change (AFC) MP Charrandas Persaud was constrained from voting against his list, a major plank of the State’s case.

Justice Saunders noted that nothing in the Constitution prevents a crossover vote and as such, his vote was and still is valid. The NoConfidence Motion, the CCJ decided, was validly passed.

Meanwhile, Justice Saunders informed that CCJ Judge Maureen Ragnauth-Lee had made the observation in her concurring judgement that the Constitution has to be clear regarding Persaud being prevented from voting against his list. She did not believe, as the Government argued, that such a provision was implicit.

On the matter of Persaud’s dual citizenship,

Justice Saunders noted that the Court had decided that had the Government really wanted Persaud out of the National Assembly on those grounds, it would have challenged his presence on the candidate list and eligibility to enter the National Assembly long before the vote – in fact, within a month of the coalition’s victory in 2015.

“Dual citizens are not allowed to put themselves up for candidacy in elections to the National Assembly. The Court found that the National Assembly (Validity of Elections) Act required that a petition alleging that Mr Persaud was disqualified from running for office would have had to be filed in the High Court of Guyana within 28 days after the publication of the results of the 2015 election.”

“Since this case was filed in January 2019, the Court held that the challenge to Mr Persaud’s election to the Assembly had been out of time. The Court also rejected the submission that Mr Persaud was absolutely required to vote against the motion of no confidence along with other members of the Government,” Justice Saunders announced.

When it comes to consequential orders, Justice Saunders noted that submissions would be heard in this regard on June 24, 2019.

In the immediate aftermath of the vote, former Attorney General Anil Nandlall described the ruling as a triumph for the rule

of law. On the other hand, Attorney General Basil Williams admitted that the CCJ “knocked them down” on every conceivable point.

President’s response

Meanwhile, President David Granger, in a public address soon after the announcement from the CCJ, claimed to respect the ruling. On the other hand, Granger went back to the position that Houseto-House Registration was still necessary, even though the activity would push elections back until after November 2019 and was advised against by the Guyana Elections Commission’s own legal adviser.

“The Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission, Justice Patterson, has previously informed me that the Commission will be ready to hold elections in November 2019. This will be after the completion of Houseto-House Registration. I now await a recommen-

dation for a specific date from GECOM and I will then issue a proclamation,” Granger said.

The list of electors, which was used as recently as the last Local Government Elections last year, only expired April month-end. Further, legal arguments are that a simple and less time-consuming claims and objections process can be embarked upon to update the list to ensure persons eligible to vote are registered.

This was, however, ignored by the President in his address.

Now that the motion has been validated, Article 106 (6) which states, “The Cabinet including the President shall resign if the Government is defeated by the vote of a majority of all the elected members of the National Assembly on a vote of confidence” will take effect, something which Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has been calling for since the passage of the motion on December 21, 2018.

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guyanatimesgy.com

WEDNesDAY, JUNE 19, 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

Aiding and abetting criminals

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here is a worrying development which is being reported in the media. If found to be true, then possibly it could reveal a sinister plot and betrayal of public trust of an indescribable magnitude.

The issue has to do with allegations surrounding a senior Policeman who reportedly may have aided and protected some criminals.

The matter came to light only following clandestine disclosures reportedly made by some junior ranks. It unfolded following events a few weeks ago, when three bandits were killed during a Police operation in the Black Bush Polder area, Corentyne. That shootout came after an extended period of lamentation by residents in Berbice over the spate of crime unleashed upon them by armed bandits.

During that time, many were robbed and beaten, with a few being killed. Fear permeated across the region, almost crippling mindsets as Berbicians were left helpless and at the mercy of the marauding criminals. The media were inundated with reports as residents pleaded for an effective response from the authorities. The effect of the crimes there also resonated in the minds of Guyanese throughout the country as worry heightened.

The cries of Berbicians were eventually heard, apparently due to public pressure. A SWAT team was dispatched to help curb the menace. Within a short span, the Police operation reaped success.

However, many have questioned, and are still questioning, the lengthy period it took for that effective response to be authorised.

The success of the Police team evoked immediate joy from residents, and there has been noticeable relief since. That joy, which was felt beyond Berbice, is gradually being replaced by worry, following the allegations noted. According to information received, a cellphone from one of the dead bandits reportedly had the senior officer’s number stored, and calls may have been made to him.

Additionally, a few junior ranks have alleged that the bandits were previously and repeatedly tipped off, reportedly by the said officer, in exchange for monetary benefits. The “whistle-blowing” ranks reportedly provided details on how the alleged scheme worked, and the negative impact such actions may have had on the related operations in Berbice.

This development has naturally precipitated common and intriguing conversations countrywide. High on the agenda is the call for an immediate and thorough investigation into the allegations.

Worrying is the seeming silence of the authorities thus far.

This administration is known for establishing Commissions of Inquiry (CoI), with a plethora having been established since its tenure began in May 2015. Only this week, the Government launched a probe into the purported dismissal of some Public Servants by the subject Minister. That is important, given the dire need to know why the seemingly sudden dismissals in bloc; and more so, reportedly by a Minister.

Similarly, there is an urgent need to know if the security of citizens had deliberately been compromised by a senior officer.

The development has negatively impacted confidence in the Police. Even before the reported revelations, the general public’s confidence in law enforcement had been low, despite efforts by the Force to change that thinking. Many victims related harrowing stories of either a lack of, or delayed, response to a crime by some ranks in parts of the country. Some have alluded to excuses on the part of the Police for not responding in a timely manner. That may have been the reality in Berbice, which led to pressure and the eventual deployment of the SWAT team.

That said, when citizens are attacked by bandits, the Police are their only hope to safeguard life primarily. Many have, in the past, alleged collusion between some ranks and some bandits. This probably explains why some residents in general are sometimes reluctant to provide information. Maybe, and possibly coincidently, the delayed response, excuses, and refusal to file a report may now have a context.

The allegations in question are frightening, to say the least; for whatever trust that remains can be swiftly eroded. Confidence, once lost, is extremely difficult to be regained, whether it’s in a person or an organisation. While a profound sense of betrayal can creep into the mindsets of many, some are not surprised, given their suspicion over time.

Be that as it may, the security of citizens must not be allowed to be compromised. As it is, citizens have to grapple with both the fear of crime being perpetrated on them and a seeming lack of assurance of an effective and timely response. That will have a telling effect on both the people and the country.

The reality is that crime seemed unabated, prompting the USA to issue an advisory, warning its citizens travelling here. That may have summed up the situation, adding pressure for swift and decisive action in investigating the allegations, letting the chips fall where they may.

Too much is at stake. Nothing but an independent CoI should be acceptable. The mere thought that a senior cop may have allegedly aided and abetted armed and dangerous criminals is frightening. The longer the issue remains unresolved, the more fear will exacerbate, and confidence in law enforcement could gradually evaporate. The ensuing consequence will be unimaginable.

Indian Muslim international karate champion Syeda Falak (centre left) shows self-defence methods to students at the Telangana Minorities Residential Girls School in Hyderabad (VOA news photo)

Fixed timelines needed on CCJ orders

Dear Editor, The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has finally rendered its long-awaited ruling on the two critical constitutional matters pertaining to Guyana and these must be honoured without delay.

The CCJ ruled that the NoConfidence Motion was validly passed and elections must be held within ninety days, and the unilateral appointment of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chair was flawed. The court asked (ordered) the lawyers for the two contending parties (really President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo) to meet and suggest a solution on a way forward to honour the rulings and return to court on Monday, June 24, with their recommendations.

If the two opposing sides can’t agree, then the court said it is prepared to impose a solution on appointing a GECOM

Chair. The key aspect of the ruling is if the two sides can’t agree, the court will impose a ruling. This means for sure, Patterson will be replaced by the CCJ, and quickly, so within a few days of June 24. It also means that the CCJ will fix a date for elections within three months.

Since the No-Confidence Motion was validly passed, then the ninety days rule must kick in. Parliament must be considered to be dissolved as of today and the President must announce a date for elections, latest by September 24 (the date the court issues a final declaration on its judgment if not September 18, the date of judgment). The Government acts as caretakers until the results of the next elections. There can be no new business transactions.

Since the appointment of James Patterson as Chair of GECOM was flawed and ille-

gal, then he must do the honourable thing (as a former Judge would do) and resign and the President must appoint someone from the lists submitted by Jagdeo. Failing to do so, the President must revoke his appointment. The CCJ mandates there must be consultation between the President and Opposition Leader on an appointee or a list of prospective nominees from which the President appoints one as Chair. The Opposition Leader (OL) and the President should immediately meet (consultation as required by the Constitution) on resolving this issue. The OL should submit a list of six names or have them ready to submit to the court.

Since there was consultation before on the last two lists (12 names) submitted

by Jagdeo, the OL can choose six names from those lists for the President to appoint one

as Chair. Patterson was not among the nominees on any list. He must, therefore, go.

His failure to leave will be seen as defying the court and a moral defeat for those who brought the case against his flawed appointment. Besides those legal and moral points, very few Guyanese have confidence in Patterson to supervise free and fair elections.

His replacement must be done urgently by the time the CCJ reconvenes on Monday.

When the lawyers return to court on Monday, they must have a fixed timeline – when the GECOM Chair will be replaced and the date for elections. If they can’t agree on timelines, then the lawyers should ask the court to impose timelines on replacing Patterson and on a date for elections.

Yours truly, Dr Vishnu Bisram

Local Govt in Georgetown is more akin to Comedy Central Dear Editor, In cities around the world, Local Government is serious business, but here in Georgetown, it is more akin to Comedy Central with innumerable humourous stories emanating out of that old fairytale-like castle which we call City Hall.

What has been going on at City Hall since Independence and which continues to go on reminds one of the old “Carry On” series of British comedy motion pictures where the humour was just ridiculous.

I think we must have broken another record for being the first city around the globe to have its Mayor’s Office so easily broken into and important documents simply carted off under the noses of the City Police Department.

Of course, the smallest child would realise that this is a special thief or thieves and no ordinary criminal who was hardly interested in the valuable items contained in the Mayor’s Office but whose interest, it was reported, was to retrieve files that contained information about

the Commission of Inquiry that was undertaken upon the request of the Local Government Commission which contains damning, incriminating and felonious information and details regarding some major players at City Hall.

A question to be asked is why? When almost every little cake shop in town has security cameras to enhance their safety and security, why does City Hall have none? Financial constraints are a non-issue as this equipment has become very inexpensive, so then was this defect deliberate? Surely this is another first for capital cities internationally.

But the bigger question to be asked is where was the City Constabulary? This is where the headquarters of the City Constabulary is located, not an outpost, not a police station and not a municipal location where a rank is posted to protect the property, but the control centre, the head office, the nerve centre of the City Police. Where their armoury is, where their lockups are located, where their

duty officers are, and a thief or thieves casually saunters into City Hall’s compound, breaks into the Mayor’s Office, takes whatever he or she wishes, and saunters back out undetected?

Unbelievable.

I hope this serves as a wakeup call to the Mayor, as to the nest of vipers that he is operating within. The deceitfulness, treachery and savagery that surrounds him are incredible.

How did this thief or thieves know of the existence of these files in the Mayor’s Office, how did they know where in the Mayor’s Office to find it?

How did they know of the most vulnerable area to break in through?

If the Mayor is serious about advancing his agenda and if he is serious about improving the living and working conditions within our garden city, then he must do two things, first he needs to remove all those who closely surround him presently, who come from the old guard and whom he inherited from his predecessors, and replace them with persons who would be hon-

est and loyal to him and second, he needs to turn all those who were fingered in wrongdoings in the CoI and their matters over to the police for investigating. As they say here in Guyana “Cow deh a pasture he nah remember seh dog and butcher deh till he see am”.

Finally, I would like to suggest that he changes from the current statutory and routine audit that the Audit Office of Guyana is currently unsuccessfully trying to undertake and summon a number of private audit companies in and order a full forensic audit to be undertaken of the Council’s books.

Someone or some persons have something to hide at City Hall and it seems as though they are willing to stop at nothing to achieve this. Additionally, the ghosts of the old ‘King’ and ‘Queen’ of City Hall seem to be still very much there and haunting City Hall with an invisible hand.

Sincerely, Roseanne Rodgers

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wednesDAY, JUNE 19, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Statement by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo on CCJ ruling

I

t behooves me to thank all of the people, including the civic minded Guyanese, such as Mr. Christopher Ram, who were involved the appeals that were advanced at the level of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).

I am not thanking them because they are members of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) or because they coordinated their positions with us. I am thanking them because they were willing to step forward and address a serious issue for all Guyanese – the issue of the constitutionality of our government, the behaviour of the APNU+AFC Coalition Government in office and, primarily, the rule of law.

Today there is no room for gloating, nor is there room for triumphalism. It is time for the country to move on together. I had said, when the no-confidence motion was passed on December 21, 2018, that we have to work together to move the country forward. Today I want to reiterate this message.

Today the call is for the APNU+AFC Coalition Government to respect the constitution and hold General and Regional Elections as early as possible.

RULING ON VALIDITY OF NOCONFIDENCE MOTION

The CCJ has declared a victory for constitutional rule in Guyana.

I want to quote from the press release issue by the CCJ. It said: “In the judgment delivered today, the CCJ declared that the motion of no confidence in the Government is valid. Guyana’s Constitution states that the Cabinet, including the President, is required to resign if the Government is defeated by the majority vote of all the elected members of the National Assembly ‘on a vote of confidence’.”

The CCJ ruling was clear on several key issues: 1. The no-confidence motion was validly passed; 2. The majority needed for the passage of the vote on the no-confidence motion was 33 votes, not 34 as the Coalition Government claimed; 3.

The vote of former Parliamentarian, Charandass Persaud, was valid and Mr. Persaud was not “required to vote against the motion of no confidence along with other members” of the APNU+AFC Coalition Government; 4. There was nothing to prevent the tabling of a no-confidence motion by any member of the National Assembly, including myself, as Opposition Leader; and 5. Despite the Speaker of the Assembly declaring that the motion had been validly passed, the Government neither resigned nor announced impending elections.

The latter point is important for us because what it does is show clearly that we had an illegal government in office, from March 21, 2019 – when the three month deadline for General and Regional Elections, after the December 21, 2018, vote passed. Article 106 (7) was triggered when the no-confidence motion was validly passed.

Article 106 (7) states that: “Notwithstanding its defeat, the Government shall remain in office and shall hold an election within three months, or such longer period as the National Assembly shall by resolution supported by not less than two-thirds of the votes of all the elected members of the National Assembly determine, and shall resign after the President takes the oath of office following the election.”

The Constitution is clear.

The President is using GECOM and the Voters’ List as excuses to desperately hang on to office, hoping his Government can spend taxpayers’ money to improve its political fortunes – all while the country is drifting.

We think that Elections could be held within maximum three months. The CCJ has indicated that the consensus should be a principled and practical position – a principled positon would be that Elections are held tomorrow, a practical position is two to three months.

I will address these matters further at my next press conference.

The purpose of the Government remaining in office, after the passage of a no-confidence motion, was also clear in the Explanatory Memorandum, on Page 15, of Bill 14 of 2000 – Constitution (Amendment). This Bill that introduced Article 106 (7) – said: “Clause 5 alters Article 106 to provide for the resignation of Cabinet and the President following the defeat of the Government in the National Assembly on a vote of confidence.

Although defeated the Government shall remain in office FOR THE PURPOSE OF HOLDING AN ELECTION.” I had warned that many things were being done by this Coalition Government prematurely. I had said that if the CCJ ruled, in the manner it did, to uphold the validity of the no- confidence motion, the Coalition Government would be illegal from March 21, 2019.

However, the Government continued with its ‘business as usual’ disposition – they returned to the National Assembly to approve another $8B in spending for 2019; they passed the Sovereign Wealth Fund Bill, as well as other legislation; they have awarded billions in contracts; they have given out thousands of acres of land to their cronies; they are privatizing assets that belong to the Guyanese people without any tender process; and they are spending $1.5B on outreaches. All of this is being done in the period that they are illegally holding office. We will decide on how these matters are addressed, based on advice that will be solicited. I will speak more on this matter at a later date.

From today onwards, anything outside staying in office for the purpose of holding Elections will be declared illegal by a PPP/C government – any contract, any transfer of lands, any privatization of state assets, any move to reconvene Parliament, any act that has nothing to do with holding Elections will be illegal.

Guyanese will deal with an illegal Government at their own risk. It is not business as usual. Every time I met President Granger, he would say the matter is in Court.

Today the final Court has spoken and we will be intol-

erant about anything that has nothing to do with holding Elections.

I want to say to our supporters and all Guyana. We will continue to act responsibly, abide by the rule of law.

Today, faith has been restored in the judicial system. When the decision was made to join the CCJ we argued that we needed an external review to ensure insulation from political influence. Had we not had this external review then the no-confidence motion would have failed based on the decision of the Court of Appeal.

Last Friday (June 14, 2019), I had said that should we win today, it would be a sprint to elections and if we did not it would be a middle distance run. I said also that whatever the outcome we have to work to rescue Guyana from this corrupt, incompetent cabal that only works for itself. I had also said that we would hit the road if we had a decision in favour of the PPP/C to force the Coalition Government to hold early elections. You will see us speak very little on this matter until the consequential orders are given by the CCJ on Monday (June 24, 2019). We want to respect the decision of the Court. This is our posture.

We hope the international community will take a strong position on this matter now that the final Court has spoken. To the Diplomatic Corps, I want to say that the matter is resolved definitively.

In the meantime, we have dusted off our plans and the Party goes into full election mode beginning tomorrow. We will accelerate work at the party level.

RULING ON APPOINTMENT OF GECOM CHAIRMAN

On the challenge to the unilateral appointment of the GECOM Chairman, James Patterson, the CCJ was also very clear. In their press release, the CCJ said: “The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) today ruled that the process through which Reverend Justice (Retired) James Patterson was appointed Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM)

by His Excellency, Brigadier David Granger, President of Guyana was flawed and in breach of Guyana’s Constitution.”

We always argued that the President breached the Constitution in making this appointment. For over a year now we have had to live with his unilateral decision and all the problems caused by the partisan actions taken by Patterson at GECOM. Today the CCJ was clear.

The appointment of Patterson was illegal and invalid.

This means President Granger cannot act in a manner that is above the Constitution. He cannot act with impunity. There is a Constitution and he must respect the Constitution. We have seen that when it comes to these matters he places himself above the Constitution. However, he derives his power from the Constitution.

Today this is an important ruling for us. It is about how Presidents act in Guyana.

On this matter, we have to return to the CCJ. The Court has asked that the two sides come together to arrive at a consensus position on the way forward. At this point arriving at a consensus position is something that will be worked out by the lawyers. We will engage at the legal level. If we do not have consensus, the Court will rule. At this time I will not speak about what our positions are. I want to assure Guyana that we are being reasonable, but we will not give in to positions that will run counter to ensuring that there is full respect for the Constitution and the rule of law.

We hope that the staff at GECOM, as well as the GECOM Commissioners, take note of the decision and act accordingly by starting preparations for very early Elections.

I have seen that President Granger is talking about a date for Elections in November, as well as House-to-House registration.

October, nor November 2019 will

not fly with us.

The President clearly lives in a bubble. He is divorced from the reality of constitutional rule. He has to be severely diminished in capacity to argue as if he has full legal authority to declare when elections are held. If it is a normal situation, the President is empowered, within the five-year term in office to call elections at any time – any time within the five years.

It is at his discretion. When you have a valid no-confidence motion, Articles 106 (6) and 106 (7) take away that discretion. The powers that the President has in a normal situation is not the same in the current situation.

The Election timeline is guided

by Constitution. The President has to follow the law.

Today, we saw the use of a national address by the President to repeat old, worn out promises, and to mislead Guyanese people on the need for Houseto-House registration.

His claim that persons who turned 18-years-old are not included in the National Register of Registrants, from which the Official List of Electors is complied, is false. With the continuous registration process, persons are registered from the age of 14 and the last such process was conducted in July 2018. His claims that the current List of Electors is “corrupted” and “may hold as many as 200,000 incorrect entries” are false. This is the same list that was used for the November 2018 Local Government Elections without complaint from any political Party, including the one headed by the President. It is unfortunate that the President would descend to such levels.

The President is using GECOM and the Voters’ List as excuses to desperately hang on to office, hoping his Government can spend taxpayers’ money to improve its political fortunes – all while the country is drifting.

We think that Elections could be held within maximum three months. The CCJ has indicated that the consensus should be a principled and practical position – a principled positon would be that Elections are held tomorrow, a practical position is two to three months.

I will address these matters further at my next press conference.

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Foundation

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t’s not hard to find drugs, and sometimes it may seem like everyone’s doing them – or wanting you to do them. But as with anything that seems too good to be true, there are downsides (and dangers) to taking drugs.

How drugs work Drugs are chemicals or substances that change the way our bodies work. Some are medicines that help people when doctors prescribe them. Many have no medical use or benefits.

When taken (usually by swallowing, inhaling, or injecting), abused drugs find their way into the bloodstream. From there, they move to the brain and other parts of the body. In the brain, drugs may intensify or dull the senses, change how alert or sleepy people feel, and sometimes decrease physical pain.

Because of the way these drugs work on the brain, they affect the ability to make healthy choices and decisions.

Even drinking makes people more likely to get involved in dangerous situations, like driving under the influence or having unprotected sex.

Although substances can feel good at first, they can do a lot of harm to the body and brain. Drinking alcohol, smoking or using tobacco, taking illegal drugs, even sniffing glue all damage the human body.

Commonly abused drugs include: alcohol amphetamines bath salts cocaine and crack cough and cold medicines (DXM) depressants GHB heroin inhalants ketamine LSD MDMA/Ecstasy marijuana methamphetamine (“meth”) mushrooms PCP prescription pain relievers (opioids) Rohypnol salvia Getting Help If you think you – or a friend – may be addicted to drugs, talk to a parent, your doctor, school counsellor, or nurse. They can help you get the help you need.

Several kinds of treatment are available for drug addiction.

The two main types are behavioural (helping a person change behaviours) and pharmacological (treating a person by using medicine).

Experts in drug treatment teach people how to live without drugs – dealing with cravings, avoiding situations that could lead to drug use, and preventing and handling relapses.

It can be hard to overcome drug addiction without professional help and treatment. It takes time and isn’t something that can be done alone – everyone needs support.

Experts who help people with addictions are trained to help, not judge. To find a drug treatment centre in your area, search online, or ask a doctor or counsellor for advice. (kidshealth.org)

What it is: Ecstasy (3, 4-methylenedioxy-N-methamphetamine, or MDMA) is a drug that is illegally made.

Ecstasy is a stimulant drug that can cause hallucinations.

It is known as a designer drug because it was created for the purpose of making someone feel high. The drug is popular with teens and young adults who go to clubs, concerts, or “rave” parties.

Users think the drug will make them feel good and keep them going for days without rest. But people who use Ecstasy don’t realise how dangerous this drug is.

Ecstasy has become one of the most common illegal drugs sold on the streets. In the last few years, Ecstasy has sent many people to emergency rooms because of its dangerous side effects.

Sometimes Called: XTC, X, Adam, E, Roll, A, 007, Molly

By Tom Badzey, MA, MFTI

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1) Naming it n order to break through the assumptions or silence that often accompanies drug use, and other issues, I invite teens and their families to specifically name what the problem is.

Sometimes, they use a generally accepted name, like “Bulimia” or “Drug Use.” But other times, they come up with their own titles, like “Pretending that She Eats” or “The Pot Smoking Problem.” This naming process can be very helpful in getting everyone on the same page and focused on what the goal of counseling is going to be.

2) Describing it During this stage in the process, my clients and I usually go through a variety of different questions and scenarios. The goal is to paint as specific and detailed a picture of the problem – when it happens, how it shows up, what it interferes with, etc. Describing the problem and understanding its facets and dimensions really help my clients to clearly express what they are really dealing with.

3) Formulating a goal This stage involves understanding how teens and their families would prefer to live in relation to the problem. Why do they want things to be different than they are right now? How would they prefer to deal with their problems? This can also be a time to discuss how they will define success. For example, “If you finally have control over drinking, what will you be doing differently?” Or, “How will you know when you’re doing better?” This is very helpful in measuring success.

How it’s used: Ecstasy can be swallowed (pill or tablet) or snorted (powder).

What it does: Ecstasy is both a hallucinogenic and a stimulant drug. It makes users experience a rush of good feelings (a high) and makes feelings much more intense, whether they’re good or bad. The drug’s effects usually last up to 6 hours.

Ecstasy increases heart rate and can cause dry mouth, clenched teeth, blurred vision, chills, sweating, or nausea. It can make some users feel anxious, confused, and paranoid, like someone is trying to hurt them or is plotting against them. Ecstasy may damage brain cells that are involved in thinking and memory.

If a person takes Ecstasy, his or her body can dangerously overheat during dancing or other physical activities, which can lead to muscle breakdown; kidney, liver, and heart damage; and even death. Ecstasy use can cause seizures, brain swelling, possible brain damage, and even death. (kidshealth.org)

4) Finding exceptions & strengths During this part of the process, it can be helpful to start identifying and describing ways in which the problem doesn’t influence you. When does it not seem to be as big? When you are able to say “no” to drugs? How are you able to do that?

What things or people seem to help? I often invite teens and their families to identify strengths and resources that can help, including activities that don’t involve their specific problems.

I believe that every teen has strengths that can be useful in building their coping skills.

5) Writing a contract Often, I find that teens and parents can more easily experience success when they put down on paper how they will work to overcome the problem. This contract can look several different ways, but it seems to be best when all members of the family are involved on the same team against the problem.

For example, when everyone has a role to play in battling an eating disorder, it tends to become overwhelmed, rather than your teen.

6) Doing the plan During this phase, my teen client and their team members will start acting against the problem. Success tends to increase even more when they can find other sources of support – from groups like AA or OA, social or church groups or other types of gatherings that don’t tolerate the problem or are vigilant against it.

7) Monitoring and adjusting Once a teen and his or her family start seeing some initial success in their plan against a specific problem, it’s vitally important that this progress is noted and monitored. Often we think that it is the job of the parents to monitor how the teen is doing, but I’ve found that the Coping Plan is even more successful when every member of the team has a role in monitoring the other members. Once again, it keeps everyone on the same page and working towards the same goal. This is also the time to keep track of things that are not working and discard them, while identifying and starting to do more of the things that do seem to help.

This 7-step plan is meant to be general, so it may be difficult to implement after merely reading this article. But it should give you ideas of possible ways to help a teen and their family to cope with problems involving sex, Drugs and Body Image issues.

A good therapist can help implement such a plan and open more possibilities. (Excerpt from goodtherapy.org)

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WEDNesDAY, JUNE 19, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

CCJ ruling

Elections must be held in 2-3 months – Opposition Leader …as President still wants advice from unconstitutional GECOM Chair

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo during his press conference on Tuesday following the CCJ judgements

F

ollowing the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) validation of the No-Confidence Motion on Tuesday, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has rejected the November timeline put forward by President David Granger for holding elections.

The Opposition Leader insisted that elections must be held in two to three months.

Jagdeo made this pronouncement at a press conference called shortly after the CCJ handed down its decision. According to Jagdeo, President David Granger’s insistence on a November 2019 date for calling elections, which he referenced in an address to the nation after the ruling, is not consistent with the reality of the situa-

tion.

The Opposition Leader reminded that as per the CCJ ruling, an election date should have been set and President and Cabinet resigned since last year. He read Article 106 (6) and (7) of the Constitution, which sets out clearly that Government must resign after being defeated by a Noconfidence vote.

Specifically, Article 106 (6) of the Constitution states: “The Cabinet including the President shall resign if the Government is defeated by the vote of a majority of all the elected members of the National Assembly on a vote of confidence”.

Meanwhile, Article 106 (7) states that “Notwithstanding its defeat, the Government

shall remain in office and shall hold an election within three months, or such longer period as the National Assembly shall by resolution supported by not less than two-thirds of the votes of all the elected members of the National Assembly determine, and shall resign after the President takes the oath of office following the election”.

“So there are clear provisions now that the no-confidence [vote was validated by the CCJ], there is no other recourse for the Government to challenge it.

The final court has spoken.

These two provisions h a v e kicked in.

And they should have been relevant since last year. So the count can’t start from today.”

“The count should start from when the motion was validly passed, 21st of December. So what we’ve had is an illegal Government since March of this year. The period between the NCM and when the elections were to be held in three months, that period is also defined in

the memorandum to the bill amending these Articles.”

Caretaker

According to Jagdeo, this definition speaks to Government staying on only to facilitate the holding of elections within that timeframe. The Opposition Leader expressed the view that Government staying on for almost a year after being defeated by a No-Confidence Motion is unreasonable.

He pointed to the Government’s actions since it lost the No-Confidence Motion, such as the less than transparent awarding of billions of dollars in contracts, the allocation of lands and the privatisation of state assets.

“Now that the Government has been illegal during this time, we will have to decide what will happen to much of their illegal acts in this period. But definitely from today onwards, any contract, anything outside of a caretaker capacity, these will be declared illegal by a PPP Government.

It’s not business as usual. It’s

President David Granger during his address to the nation on Tuesday

no longer in court. The final decision was made and the Government is illegal as per that decision.”

According to Jagdeo, such actions are a breach of the caretaker role the coalition Government was supposed to be playing since it fell to the NCM and he insisted that elections now be called as soon as practical.

“We think that elections could be held within maximum three months. The CCJ has indicated that the consensus should be a principled and practical position – a principled position would be that elections are held tomorrow, a practical position is two to three months,” Jagdeo insisted, also calling for the Guyana Elections

Commission (GECOM) to get into full elections mode.

After the ruling, President Granger had announced in an address to the nation that while he respected the CCJ’s decision, elections could not be held based on the current list and that he has been informed by GECOM Chairman Justice James Patterson (whose appointment was also declared unconstitutional by the CCJ) that the soonest elections could be held was in November.

Told about this, Jagdeo made it clear that they would approach the international community and that the President “had another thing coming”.

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WEDNesDAY, JUNE 19, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Mother confesses to killing 8-year-old son

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he mother of eightyear-old Emmanuel King, who was strangled to death in February 2016, on Tuesday confessed to the crime before Justice Navindra Singh when she made her appearance at the Demerara High Court.

Sonia King, formerly of Lot 565 Parfait Harmonie, West Bank Demerara (WBD), opted to plead guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter, though initially being slapped with a murder charge.

The indictment against King detailed that on February 21, 2016, in the county of Demerara, she killed Emmanuel King.

Justice Singh accepted the plea of the accused

Dead: Emmanuel King

and afterwards ordered that a probation report be prepared and presented in court on July 16 when King is expected to be sentenced.

The facts presented by State Prosecutor Teriq Mohammed stated that on the day in question, King (Sonia) placed a sheet over her now dead son’s head and strangled him to death. He further stated that a post-mortem examination (PME) performed on the child’s body revealed that he died from asphyxiation (suffocation).

The state’s case was led

by Prosecutor Mohammed in association with Sarah Martin and Tuanna Hardy, while the now convicted King was represented by Attorney Mark Conway.

Reports are that King initially claimed that the child fell from a guava tree during the after-

noon of February 21 after which he retired to bed. At about 22:00h, the mother had claimed that she went to check on the child but found him in a motionless state.

He was taken to the West Demerara Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. However, she later confessed that she killed the child due to frustration, saying that she took a bed sheet and choked the child to death while he was sleeping.

After the incident, King reportedly confessed to her husband to killing the child. She was arrested after confessing to investigators.

Judgement Day!!

O

…for the PNC ld people say, “Moon a run ‘till day ketch am”! And even though the PNC ain’t no moon, a very wise man once moved the sentiment into the realm of human action: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice”.

And justice was delivered to the PPP by the full panel of the CCJ yesterday in the matter of the blatant traducing of the Constitution by the Granger-led PNC in their desperate bid to hold on to power at all costs. The Justices unanimously ruled against every contention of the PNC in the cases they brought to stymie the NCM and also in Granger’s unilateral appointment of James Patterson as GECOM Chair!!

Now, no one had seriously thought the CCJ would go along with the cockamamie idea that 33 isn’t the majority of 65, did they?? That was just a “Hail Mary” thrown to the PNC, who grabbed on to it for dear life; which literally it was. It bought them time, since, after the Chief Justice -- in a masterful interpretation of the Constitution, which was upheld by the CCJ -- had rightfully thrown the PNC pleaders out on their ears, the PNC must’ve known they had the Appellate Court in the bag.

The acting Chancellor and her colleague on that Court really committed legal hara kiri when they made what was clearly a political decision to ingratiate themselves with the political directorate. JOF Haynes must be spinning in his grave!! The CCJ bench, on the other hand, knew their decisions would redound and rebound in courts across the Commonwealth, and they had no desire to be torn apart legally, time and again!!

Unlike the Caribbean politicians in CariCom, who’d turned a blind eye to Burnham’s excesses, the CCJ held the line against the comity of skin, and upheld the rule of law.

The CCJ gave the PNC another chance to redeem themselves and start acting like civilised citizens who’ll uphold both the letter AND the spirit of the law. They advised that the Government and Opposition lawyers huddle and reach consensus on the consequential orders arising out of the rulings; notably, agreement on the status of the Government and Cabinet; on a new GECOM Chair, since the incumbent was illegally appointed; and on a new timeline for elections.

But Granger’s already signalled his rejection of democratic norms, even though he claims to have accepted the verdict. In a pugnacious address to the nation immediately following the ruling, he announced flatly there will be elections only AFTER house-to-house registration! Never mind that if there’s no agreement between the two teams, the CCJ can set a date.

That is the old PNC bullyism on show! …and the PNC’s true colours exposed After the PNC’s rude awakening at the last LGE, their Chairperson, Volda Lawrence, spoke to a PNC regional meeting about their elections strategy: “We don’t have to wait no three years, comrades; there are mechanisms for us to go back to the polls. You see this long, long story, me ain’t able buse and cuss and waste me time; I lash you in you head and done the story. Done the story.

Sometimes we like to yap, yap, yap, yap too much.”

Well, Volda was at it again with the CCJ Ruling. She posted this pithy instruction to the PNC fateful on her Facebook page: “As Comrades of the PNCR, I ask that you give life to that line of our Party’s Battle song which reads, “Hold the Line of battle Comrade, link our arms in UNITY, Organise and charge the forces of our haughty enemies.

Trust shall be our Marshall Weapon Brotherhood our Armour Plate.” Lawrence knows exactly what she’s doing.

This is Burnham’s coded call for violence against the “PPP enemy” …on AFC In Medieval times, the Scholastics in the Church debated extensively on such earth-shattering questions as “how many angels could dance on the head of a pin?”

Sorta like the AFC arguing that the Cummingsburg Accord’s still valid!

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

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WEDNesDAY, JUNE 19, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Landmark decision

CCJ rules James Patterson’s appointment as GECOM Chair flawed, unconstitutional …confirms President has to give objective reasons for rejecting nominees

President of the CCJ, Justice Adrian Saunders

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n a landmark ruling issued on Tuesday, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) has ruled that the appointment of retired Justice James Patterson as Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chairman was flawed and unconstitutional.

A summary of the Court’s judgement was handed down

by CCJ President, Justice Adrian Saunders, who announced the Court had decided that the process to appoint the GECOM Chairman was “fatally flawed”.

He recommended that in the future the Leader of the Opposition and the President communicate and meet in good faith to dis-

cuss eligible candidates before a list is submitted.

The Court also recommended that moving forward, all parties work together as the Constitution envisions to select a Chairman.

Justice Saunders also declared in the ruling that before President David Granger rejected persons nominated by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, reasons should have been given for the rejections in the interest of transparency.

According to Justice Saunders, the President gave no specific reason for refusing to appoint a Chairman from the lists submitted by Opposition Leader Jagdeo. The CCJ Head noted that the President disapproved a third list, without giving a specific reason.

Justice Saunders referenced historical facts pertaining to the previous appointments of GECOM Chairmen. He cited the recommendations made by the Constitutional Reform Commission in 1999, that the Chairman should be appointed through consultations.

“In determining the main issue in the case, the Court looked first at the proper meaning of Article 161(2) of Guyana’s Constitution.

That Article sets out the

GECOM Chairman, Retired Justice James Patterson

requirements to be satisfied for a person to be eligible for appointment as GECOM Chairman. It also sets out the general process for selecting the Chairman,” Saunders said.

“To determine the meaning, the Court looked at the drafting history of Article 161(2), observing that changes had been made to it to promote consensus and inclusiveness by involving the Leader of the Opposition in the selection process.”

Transparency

The Judge noted that the President relied on the provisions that gave him discretionary powers and insulated him from providing

an explanation for excluding the Opposition Leader from his final decision.

Justice Saunders said that giving the President the power to reject candidates without giving reason will frustrate what the Constitution contemplates.

In fact, the Court decided that the President has a duty to give reasons for rejecting names in the interest of transparency.

“The Court, therefore, found that the process was flawed and in breach of the Constitution. In a concurring judgement, Mme Justice Rajnauth-Lee stated that by giving reasons why nominees are rejected, the President will engender greater public trust and confidence in the Elections Commission.”

The Court concluded that the most sensible approach to the process of appointing the Chairman of GECOM is for the Leader of the Opposition and the President to communicate with each other in good faith and, perhaps, even meet to discuss eligible candidates

President David Granger

for the position of Chairman before a list is submitted formally.”

Justice Saunders explained that the Court also considered objections made

by Attorney General Basil Williams, but found them without merit. He noted that the Court found the appointment could be enquired into by the Court and that such actions could be reviewed by a court. He stressed that the Court has jurisdiction to hear the concerns of citizens on these matters.

This case was heard by the CCJ on May 8 and was brought by People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Executive Secretary Zulfikar Mustapha. Mustapha challenged the appointment of Patterson, who was appointed to the position of Chairman of GECOM in October 2017.

At the time, President Granger had already rejected three lists submitted by Opposition Leader Jagdeo.

These lists comprised a total of 18 names of former Judges, persons eligible to be Judges and prominent members of civil society.

The list of nominees had included anti-corruption advocate Christopher Ram; current Bar Association President Teni Housty; former GECOM Chairman, Retired Major General Joe Singh, Justice of Appeal BS Roy (ret’d); Justice William Ramlall (ret’d); Oneidge Walrond-Allicock; Attorney-at-Law and former Magistrate, Kashir Khan; Attorney-at-Law Nadia Sagar and Gerald Gouveia.

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WEDNesDAY, JUNE 19, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

“Bread Man” murder trial Man admits to killing reputed wife ends in hung jury

Murdered: Andre Alexander, called “Bread Man”

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ust one day after his accomplice, Shaquille Grant was acquitted for the murder of Andre Alexander, popularly known as “Bread Man”, Neville Ford, the second accused in the said murder was remanded to prison after the trial ended in a hung jury on Tuesday.

The empanelled 12-member jury, in a proportion of 11 to 1, was unable to deliver a verdict at the end of

more than two hours of deliberations at the Demerara High Court. Asked whether the jury needed further directions to make a decision, the foreperson of the jury responded in the negative to Judge Navindra Singh.

As such, Ford is expected to have a re-trial during another session of the Demerara Assizes, and will remain on remand until it is decided. Defence Attorney Adrian Thompson had represented the accused.

Ford at Monday’s court hearing had maintained his innocence, even after his alleged accomplice, Grant, also called “Soldier Man”, had the said murder charge discharged against him after a successful no-case application by defence counsel Nigel Hughes. The duo were initially charged jointly for the capital offence, to which they pleaded not guilty at the trial’s commencement. The indictment read that on May 5, 2017

Remanded: Neville Ford

in the county of Demerara, they murdered Alexander in the course of, or furtherance of a robbery The State’s case was led by Prosecutor Teriq Mohammed, in association with Sarah Martin and Tuanna Hardy.

Guyana Times had previously reported that on the day in question, Alexander, of Lot 394 C Field, Sophia, Greater Georgetown and his wife were at their bread stand when two men on a CG motorcycle approached them and ordered three loaves of bread, paying with a $5000 note.

The now dead man was reportedly in the process of making change when the pillion rider whipped out a gun and demanded that the father of two hand over his cash.

Alexander reportedly put up a fight and in retaliation, the suspect discharged two rounds, one of which struck the vendor to the chest.

The bandits then relieved the injured man of an undisclosed sum of cash and bread before making good their escape.

Residents rushed to the scene and found the man lying in a pool of blood. He was picked up and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he succumbed while receiving medical attention.

Murdered: Indranie Sugrim

Guilty of manslaughter: Seon Singh, called “Paul”

igh Court Judge, Justice James Bovell-Drakes on Tuesday accepted the guilty plea of Seon Singh, called “Paul”, who was accused of knifing to death his reputed wife, Indranie Sugrim at their Lot 502 Ninth Field, Block ‘Y’, Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara home.

Singh was initially slapped with a murder charge in 2012 and first appeared at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court to answer to the capital offence.

However, the accused opted to admit to the lesser charge of manslaughter, which read that on November 25, 2011 in the county of Demerara he killed Sugrim, called “Indra”.

Defence Attorney Maxwell McKay, in his address to the court, requested a probation report to be prepared before sentencing. As

such, Justice Bovell-Drakes ordered the said report to be prepared and presented in court on July 18, 2019 for sentencing. The State’s case was led by Prosecutors Sarah Martin and Tuanna Hardy.

Reports indicate that the now dead woman had shared a five-year relationship with Singh, but was subjected to domestic abuse.

On the day Sugrim met her demise, neighbours had reportedly recalled hearing the couple arguing and moments later, the 39-year-old mother of three was found dead by her daughter, with her body bearing several stab wounds.

The now convicted man had fled the scene after committing the act.

Nevertheless, Police Officers later managed to apprehend Singh and place him before the court to face the offence.

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WEDNesDAY, JUNE 19, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

GPTWU threatens to take Govt to court over owed pensions …says Finance Ministry must stop dragging feet

A

fter decades of waiting on monies owed to them by the Government as a result of the privatisation of the Guyana Telephone Company (GTC) back in 1990 to the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T), retired workers who were promised benefits are now taking the matter into their own hands and are ready to fight their war in the courtrooms.

This move was signalled by the President of the Guyana Postal and Telecommunications Workers Unions (GPTWU), Harold Shepherd, during a press conference held on Tuesday at the Union’s office on East Street, Georgetown.

In the presence of several retired workers, Shepherd said, “If we are forced to take this matter to court if

it’s not resolved there [at the Finance Ministry], we are not only looking for the rightful pension but we will also be looking for retroactive payment on all outstanding amounts… if we have to go to court we will look at pain and suffering and all of those and the conditions that goes with all of that”.

He noted that the Finance Ministry has been given until the end of this week to respond before they take the matter to the court.

Asked by this publication whether the current political instability would deter them from this move, Shepherd responded in the negative.

In fact, he explained that this matter is against the Government of Guyana, irrespective of which party rules. “We [are] not looking

at party and politics, we are looking at a bread and butter issue. We don’t want to lose a next pensioner before they collect the rightful pension,” he explained.

Executive member of the association, David Wallace pointed out the importance of these monies to the pensioners, explaining that most of these retired persons have become ill and cannot afford proper healthcare.

“We are treated with scorn. Only an uncaring Government would not want to pay what is due to us.

Many of us are sick and on special medication, many have died and the rest are still suffering with hope that they will be paid,” he said.

The executive member added that the Government is continuing to paint a bad

Alleged ganja trafficker on bail

A

Timothy Badal

34-year-old man, who Police said admitted to finding a bag of marijuana while walking through a cemetery, was on Monday charged with the trafficking of narcotics.

Timothy Badal, a mason of Lot 193 Middle Road, La Penitence, Georgetown, denied the charge when it was read to him by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan

at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

It is alleged that on June 15, 2019, at East La Penitence, he had in his possession 53 grams of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.

Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield, who presented the facts, stated that on the day in question, ranks from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), acting on information, went to the home of the defendant and requested to carry out a search.

According to the prosecution’s case, the ranks then went into the home where they met with a woman who identified herself as Badal’s mother and a search was then conducted in Badal’s bedroom. The prosecution’s case noted that one of the ranks found the marijuana in two black plastic bags in a clothes basket.

Badal, when told of the offence, reportedly told the

ranks that he picked up the bags from a cemetery while he was walking home one night. Hence, he was arrested and charged with the offence.

However, the man’s lawyer, Paul Fung-A-Fat, in a successful bail application, raised the question of multiple occupants at the residence where the drug was found. The lawyer told the court that multiple persons live at Badal’s residence and the marijuana could have belonged to anyone.

Meanwhile, Prosecutor Mansfield objected to bail being granted to the defendant on the grounds of the prevalence of the offence and the penalty the charge attracts.

The Chief Magistrate released Badal on $120,000 bail. The case will continue on June 9, 2019. He was instructed to report to the East La Penitence Police Station every Friday until the hearing and determination of the matter.

From right: Executive member of the association, Lennox Skeete; President of GPTWU, Harold Shepherd and executive member of the Union, David Wallace

image of themselves to investors with this particular situation, as many may fear to invest in the country due to their fear of how they might be treated later on.

Against this backdrop, the Union members have declared that the Finance Ministry must stop dragging its feet on this matter and find the monies owed to these pensioners within a two-month timeframe.

When the GTC was pri-

vatised in 1990, the workers who stayed on under GTT were promised that they would be paid their benefits when they retired from the telecommunications giant – an Atlantic Tele-Network (ATN) majority-owned company – as if they were in the public service.

However, those former GTC/GTT workers who retired after years of service under both companies are still trying to get their cor-

rect outstanding entitlement.

Over the years, GTC/ GTT pensioners received a mere $22,000 instead of a minimum of $90,000 or a maximum of $700,000 in accordance with their last salary base. According to the pensioners, although the Finance Ministry had adjusted the rates back in 2017, it was still inadequate to what they are actually entitled to.

Over $30M in complaints received

by CAU – quarterly report shows …electronics, airline grievances top list

T

he Customer Affairs Unit (CAU) of the Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission (CCAC) has compiled 123 complaints in total for the months of January to March 2019, valuing $30,052,568, almost doubling figures when compared with those of last year for the same period.

This is according to Consumer Affairs Officer, Feyona Austin-Paul who told Guyana Times that these high figures can be attributed to the fact that many persons are becoming more aware of their rights through the Commission.

A report seen by this publication added, “The first quarter of 2019 saw an unusually high influx of complaints when compared to previous years”.

The Unit received 39 complaints by the end of January 2019, which amounted to $16, 754,801. Last January, some

30 complaints were received which valued $9,133,892.

The months of February and March saw 38 and 46 complaints respectively amounting to $5,553,101 and $7,744,666 in the same order.

These 123 complaints received by the Commission represents a 62 per cent increase when compared to the same period last year.

Moreover, they amounted to $30,052,568, an 18 per cent increase in value compared with 2018’s $25,495,011.

When delved deeper, the quarterly statistical report shows that the electronics and airline industries concentrated the list, accounting for 48 per cent of complaints received for the period.

“While the electronics industry has been a dominant area of complaint in previous years, the amount of complaints for the airline industry was primarily due to Fly Jamaica’s inability to refund affected consumers

to date. The remaining categories within the top five (5) were auto industry, clothing and accessories and appliance,” the Unit explained.

Nonetheless, the Consumer body boasted that it was able to successfully resolve 49.6 per cent of the complaints received which valued $17,801,799.

Meanwhile, Fly Jamaica’s impending refund issue accounted for 44 per cent of the ongoing complaints. They are expected to be refunded by July 1, 2019.

The remaining percentage of unresolved complaints were referred to the CCAC’s Board for a hearing.

Moreover, the report said, “Of the 61 complaints resolved, suppliers were liable for a substantial 77 per cent, with an accumulated value of $9,120,440. The remaining 23 per cent were as a result of either consumer liability or no liability (undetermined or consumer chose to no longer pursue the case)”.

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wednesDAY, JUNE 19, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Suspected poisoning

2 more Wakapao family members hospitalised at GPHC

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wo additional relatives of Selena Thomas of Wakapao, Pomeroon River, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), who died of suspected poisoning on Monday at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), were also admitted at the institution on Tuesday morning.

This would bring the number of family members currently being treated there to eight as six were admitted on Monday for suspected poisoning after they reportedly ate cassava bread which may have been contaminated. A relative told Guyana Times on Tuesday that Thomas’s cousin, Richard Thomas, and a niece, had to be rushed to the hospital after

continuous vomiting and abdominal pains on Monday night.

The relative further said that the two visited Selena Thomas’s residence last week and also ate the cassava bread. She said Thomas baked some eight cakes of cassava bread last week which they were consuming and sharing with their family. “She baked about 8 cakes of cassava bread and that’s what they were using all the time. And when family come over they would share and so…this was the norm but they didn’t imagine something was wrong with it or anything like that,” the relative said.

She said that the Thomas family is peaceful and lived neighbourly with every-

one in their community so it is unclear whether someone would have intentionally poisoned their farm.

“They live well with everybody. They are very peaceful and never had problems with anyone in the village or so. But other family believe that they were poisoned,” the relative added.

Selena Thomas, 38, died around midday while receiving treatment at the GPHC on Monday. Her family members remain patients at the said institution.

Her father is in critical condition, while her husband, father-in-law, and brother are reportedly in stable condition.

A relative told Guyana Times on Monday that the

Dead: Selena Thomas

family fell ill on Friday after consuming the cassava, which they reaped from their farm.

She explained that soon after eating the cassava, they complained of stomach pains.

“They were fine. But

they ate cassava which they get from their farm. They prepared it as a meal and then they started to vomit and they were getting bad pains to their stomach.

It was the only thing all of them eat the morning,” the distraught woman related.

The relative added that they reportedly fed the same food to two of their dogs – both of which later died. It was at this point that they suspected that their farm may have been poisoned.

She related that Thomas and her husband both visited the health centre at Wakapao on Friday for treatment. However, they were referred to the Suddie Hospital, but owing to the severity of their condition, they, along with oth-

er members of the household, were transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Meanwhile, a nurse at the medical facility confirmed that the family is being monitored for food poisoning and noted that at least one member is in a very critical state.

The nurse added that doctors suspected that the food which they consumed was contaminated.

An investigation has since been launched into the incident as officials were deployed to the community. When contacted on Tuesday, Regional Chairman Davanand Ramdatt told Guyana Times that there were no updates on the matter.

1 to lead defence, 2 freed in illegal gun, ammo, robbery case

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Casey Chapman

wo men walked free while the third suspect was ordered by Magistrate Rondel Weever to lead his defence into a series of charges that were brought against them for possession of illegal firearm and ammunition, along with robbery.

Casey Chapman, 27, a taxi driver of Lot 77 South Sophia, Greater Georgetown, 24-year-old Sheldon Andrews, also a taxi driver, of Lot 306 West Ruimveldt,

Georgetown and 30-yearold Adam McDonald, a block maker of Amelia’s Ward, Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), were arrested in November 2018 after allegedly trailing a businesswoman from the Eugene F Correia International Airport and robbing her of a package before shooting at her vehicle.

Andrews and McDonald walked out of the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts as free men, after the Magistrate ruled that insufficient evidence was led against them by the prosecution.

Chapman was then informed by Magistrate Weever that he will have to lead a defence in the matter on June 26.

When the matter was called by the magistrate, she informed Andrews and McDonald that based on the

Freed: Sheldon Andrews

evidence provided by the witnesses, they were not in the vehicle when Police arrived at the scene. However, she stated that the victim positively identified Chapman as the person who robbed her.

The allegation against the three men stated that on November 26, 2018, at High and Princes Streets, Georgetown, while being in the company of each other,

they had in their possession one .32 Taurus pistol without being holders of firearm licenses.

The second charge stated that on the same day and at the same location, the men had in their possession one 9mm Glock pistol without being holders of firearm licenses.

It was further alleged that on the same day and at the same location, they had in their possession 12 live rounds of 9mm ammunition without being holders of firearm licenses.

The last charge against the men stated that on the same day and at the same location, they had in their possession seven .32 ammunition when they were not licensed firearm holders.

It was further alleged that Chapman on July 5, 2017, at Grove Access Road, East Bank Demerara, while

Freed: Adam McDonald

being in the company of another and armed with a gun, robbed Marcia Maria Martin of a cellular phone worth $70,000, four ounces of raw gold worth $600,000, $700,000 cash and other articles totalling $1.4 million.

The three men denied the allegations on their first court appearance before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan.

According to the prosecution’s case on November 26,

2018, Police received information that three men were in a vehicle trailing a businesswoman from the Eugene F Correia International Airport at Ogle, and as a result, roadblocks were set up.

The prosecution is contending that Police ranks from the Ruimveldt Police Station were on the lookout at High and Princes Streets, Georgetown, when they observed three men sitting in a vehicle and acting suspiciously. The ranks then approached the vehicle where they identified themselves.

A search was conducted in the vehicle and they found the articles mentioned in the charges. The men were all arrested and taken into custody.

The prosecutor told the court that an identification parade was held and Chapman was positively identified by the victim.

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WEDNesDAY, JUNE 19, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Garbage piles up in Illegal liquor shops creating noise front of Region 3 RDC nuisance at Waiakabra – residents

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hat was once a clean and well-kept area located just in front of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) Region Three, Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara (WCD), has now become a sore sight with the frequent buildup of garbage. Dumping in the area has now become the norm for minibus drivers, conductors and touts who assemble at the location daily for passengers. Persons in the area and those who would usually assemble at the bus stop in the afternoons are complaining of the condition of the area.

At the site, there are water bottles, beverage bottles, plastic cups, food boxes and other trash, which according to bystanders, are being dumped at the location by the bus drivers, conductors and touts who dwell in the area on a daily basis.

One person told this publication that she has witnessed this, explaining that “they blatantly finish drinking and eating their stuff and fling them there…Just filthy!”

Another woman, Cynthia Rose, stated that on one occasion while sitting in one of the Route 32 buses awaiting other passengers, she observed a bus driver eating his lunch and then casually throwing the waste into the already large pile.

She said she pointed out to him the error of his ways but was met with verbal abuse.

“So I seh man, out deh already ain’t looking good, why y’all doing this, this is the public road plus in front

More garbage one month after the area was cleaned by the RDC

of the region RDC. Who tell me to seh that? He ask me if that is my problem and went off” Rose complained.

Following the incident, she revealed that she was one of the persons who lodged a complaint with the RDC about the situation.

“I ended up coming out of the bus and I went over there to the region [RDC] and I tell them about the situation. A day I pass and I saw people working to remove the garbage but watch again, same thing. They need to do something serious about this because it ain’t looking good,” the woman complained.

A clothes vendor, who plys her trade close to the littered area said that the situation is affecting the outlook of her business surroundings.

“Imagine people have to walk around that (pointing to the garbage pile) to come in my place, it ain’t looking good man, them really need

to stop this, is big people man” the woman urged.

Just last month, after several complaints were made to the RDC and the Regional Executive Officer (REO), Jennifer FerreiraDougall, the area was cleaned.

However, this has not deterred the trash throwing which will now see the Council seeking to take stricter actions.

When contacted, Regional Chairman, Julius Faeber revealed that a meeting will be held within the Council to seek a way forward.

He noted that the RDC will most likely be looking to have the area policed which will see charges being filed against persons found littering.

“We will need to put policing in place there and charge somebody with littering because the situation keeps recurring” Faeber said.

he community of Waiakabra, Soesdyke-Linden Highway, is being plagued by noise nuisance as a result of a number of illegal liquor shops operating in the area. Residents told Guyana Times on Tuesday that these shops are selling alcoholic beverages and are in the habit of playing loud music all day and into the wee hours of the morning, thereby causing a disturbance.

Aliya De Abreu told this publication that she was forced to move out of the community and stay with a relative during her son’s CSEC examination period in order for him to be able to study undisturbed.

“I had to stay at my sister in Soesdyke when my son was preparing for his exams. The noise is too much…the music wakes you up in the mornings and after midnight they music still on top. It’s terrible here. And nobody doing anything about them.

We fed up calling police on them and they never show up,” she said.

Another resident claimed that these shops are operating without a license and in addition to the noise nuisance, they create a haven for unlawful activities and disorder-

ly behaviour in their community.

“The noise is really affecting us. The loud music would run anybody mad, and no matter how much we try to talk to these people and ask them to show some consideration for us, they just don’t care. They have people drinking and carrying on there making noise, fighting up and all kinds of nonsense going on there. We fed up and we want someone to look into this,” Adesie James related to this publication.

They are calling on the relevant authorities to intervene and set some stipulations on those operators and a few residents who want to follow suit and compete with those shops in playing loud music.

Leah Persaud, a resident for over 15 years, told this newspaper that as of recent, some residents are now in the habit of playing their music at loud volumes. “What’s going on here is that some residents want to compete with these shops. They saying that nobody ain’t doing anything about those people so they gonna play their music equally as loud trying to start a problem and that isn’t right. This used to be a peaceful area and now a set of lawless-

ness and madness going on here. The music is enough to send anybody mad in this place…you can take a drive in here any afternoon into night and you will hear the music by the time you turn off the highway,” she said.

She noted that on several occasions, she personally went to the Kuru Kuru Police Outpost and made numerous calls to the Timehri Police Station in an effort to have a patrol visit the area and offer a warning to those persons, however, her efforts were always unsuccessful.

“I went plenty times to the outpost but they always saying they don’t have vehicle available. I stop going there and I started calling Timehri police and reporting over and over. All they say is that they hear about the problem and they will look into it soon and to date nothing. We asking that the police come in here and look into this problem because it affecting us a very long time now. We pleading with them to maintain a presence here,” she added.

The residents urged the police to conduct regular patrols in the community to ensure peace and order is restored and operators abide by the law.

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WEDNesDAY, JUNE 19, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Sexual misconduct allegations

Senior CJIA official sent on administrative leave …complainant also removed from post

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he senior official attached to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) being investigated for sexual misconduct, an allegation made against him by another employee of the airport, was on Tuesday sent on administrative leave pending the outcome of a new investigation into the complaint.

In a statement, the airport also revealed that the victim has also been removed from her post.

The investigation into the alleged sexual misconduct was launched following a report made by the

victim to the Timehri Police Station. The incident occurred about a year ago.

In a detailed report given to the police, the woman alleged that in July of last year, the senior official held and kissed her without her permission during a visit to his office for a work-related matter.

She told Police that while in the office, the man first invited her out, claiming that it was his birthday. While doing so, the official reportedly left his desk, came over to the victim, grabbed and kissed her.

Shocked at this action,

the woman revealed that she attempted to leave the office but was held and kissed a second time. The woman explained that she ran out of the office and threw up.

The following day, the matter was reported to a senior official at the airport and a representative of the Human Resources Department.

After being assured by the official that the matter would be investigated, the victim left. However, it was only last week that the woman received word via WhatsApp regarding the investigation, telling her that

Offshore Innovators trains Guyanese

the matter had been dealt with but noted that no evidence was offered for further action.

When further questions posed to the airport heads

went unanswered, the woman visited the police station where she reported the matter.

The police are presently investigating and are said to

be preparing a case file to be sent for legal advice.

However, CJIA is now assuring employees that steps are being taken to strengthen the existing protocols.

Several Linden roads earmarked for rehabilitation

engineers in Subsea Robotics

Members of the RDC at the statutory meeting

T Guyanese engineers who were trained during the 18-day programme in Trinidad

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ffshore Innovators Guyana Inc has recruited and trained a team of five Guyanese engineers in Subsea Robotics to support deep-water operations offshore Guyana. The training experience was hosted

by Subsea Specialist Ltd at the Deepwater Hub in Chaguaramas, Trinidad, and delivered by Carlos Sardinha of Blue Laguna Inc US. The five-man team underwent a rigorous 18day training programme which included Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) induction training to meet the International Marine

Contractors Association (IMCA) guidelines for entry into the ROV industry.

The candidates were also trained on two of the most popular work class ROV platforms in the industry, TechnipFMC’s Schilling HD and Forum’s Perry Slingsby XLX. The Guyanese engineers, who hail from Warapoka Village, East Bank Demerara, East Coast Demerara and Georgetown, underwent training in Offshore Survival (BOSIET) including Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (HUET), first aid, confined space

entry, working at heights, and rigging and lifting. The training programme was supported by DOF Subsea America, who provided accommodation onboard the Skandi Neptune and access to their Forum Perry Slingsby XLX systems for hands-on training.

Offshore Innovators subsea personnel development programme for Guyana is modelled after the company’s local content development programme which was implemented in Trinidad over the last decade.

Through the support of Team Trident USA, Offshore Innovators joint venture partner, the Guyanese personnel are afforded the opportunity to access further on-thejob (OJT) training experience offshore. The Offshore Innovators team is focused on supporting the Guyana technology transfer process during the execution of the ExxonMobil Liza Destiny and Liza Unity Projects.

The execution of the Guyanese subsea personnel development programme is the first in a series of training programmes planned

by Offshore Innovators and hosted by Subsea Specialist Ltd to be delivered in 2019.

he Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) Regional Democratic Council (RDC) has earmarked several roads in the Linden community for rehabilitation, as well as drainage and irrigation works this year.

Additionally, the Council has planned to construct a bridge across the Kara Kara creek to link the Speightland community.

Regional Chairman Renis Morian during a recent statutory meeting of the Council said the bridge was requested by residents of the Speightland community and is expected to be built in such a way that it will accommodate vehicular traffic.

Meanwhile, Regional

Vice Chairman (VC) Elroy Adolph highlighted the roads which will be constructed, rehabilitated and on which the drainage and irrigation works are slated to be carried out. He noted that the Crabwood Creek, Greenheart and Silverballi Streets, First and Second Alleys, One Mile Extension, Berbice Road and Block 22 will benefit from drainage and irrigation works. The VC noted that a number of drains and soakaways will also be done at Section C Christianburg, Burnham Drive, Industrial Area, Silvertown, Sunflower Street, West Watooka, and Speightland. Additionally, Adolph stated that roads will be constructed at

Nottinghamshire, Three Friends and Section C Christianburg. Roads to be rehabilitated, according to Adolph, include the Wisroc Front Road, Stanley, Block 22, Blueberry Hill and Wisburg school roads, Upper Demerara Hospital to Winifred Gaskin Highway, Felix Road Wisroc, Highway Boulevard - Amelia’s Ward, Main Street, South Amelia’s Ward, Toucan Drive, Fraser road - Kara Kara, front road - Christianburg, Richmond Hill, Casaurina and Riverside Drives, Potaro Road, Procter and Woodpecker Lane - Amelia’s Ward amongst several other roads.

Corentyne fisherman jailed for 13 years for killing friend

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Jailed: Hilton Lilly

Corentyne, Berbice, fisherman was on Tuesday jailed for 13-years by Justice Joann Barlow after pleading guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter.

Hilton Lilly of Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara had indicated his willingness to plea to the lesser count when the charge was

read to him at the June session of the Berbice Criminal Assizes.

The 49-year-old man pleaded not guilty to the capital offense of murder but guilty to manslaughter. According to the prosecution’s case, on October 26, 2014, at Number 66 Village Corentyne, Regions Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) Lilly killed Lakeram Singh also called “Dafat” and David of Lot 13 Fyrish Village, also on the Corentyne.

It had been reported that the two fishermen were imbibing at a shop a short distance away from the Number 66 Fishermen’s Complex when an argument ensued resulting in both men being injured.

Singh allegedly armed himself with a cutlass and

Dead: Lakeram Singh also called “Dafat”

chopped Lilly on his hand.

Lilly, in turn, grabbed a knife and stabbed Singh.

The man was stabbed to his face, head and back and collapsed. He was picked up and rushed to the Skeldon Hospital where he died while receiving medical attention.

Lilly was subsequently arrested and charged.

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WEDNesDAY, JUNE 19, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Ramsammy’s Ruminations

NCM, GECOM unilateral appointment

CCJ urges consensus on way forward by June 24 APNU/AFC’s management of sugar is poster child for …to facilitate consequential orders’ effect to rulings incompetence and corruption …as diplomatic community, PSC call for decision to be respected

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he sins of the David Granger-led APNU+AFC Government are innumerable. APNU+AFC is impotent, as its friends and cronies plunder the treasury, bungle the economy, ravage important state entities, and push corruption to heights never imagined before in Guyana. No sector in Guyana has been spared the deleterious impact of APNU+AFC’s ineptitude and incompetence, recklessness and corruption.

If there is any one thing that exposes the incompetence, impotence, recklessness and corruption of APNU+AFC, it has to be the total mismanagement of GuySuCo since 2015. It is true that APNU+AFC’s mismanagement of GPL encapsulates all these nasty things, and there are people who would persuasively argue that APNU+AFC’s mismanagement of GPL is even more rotten than Dr Leslie Ramsammy its mismanagement of GuySuCo. There are those who would insist that nothing screams incompetence, impotency, recklessness and corruption more than the mishandling of the EXXON contract.

There are still others who would argue that APNU+AFC’s bungling of the feasibility study for the new Demerara River Bridge represents the height of incompetence and brazen corruption. There are sound arguments that the overall mismanagement of the economy, the health sector, the agriculture sector, public security, etc., is potent evidence that APNU+AFC is the most incompetent, impotent, reckless and corrupt administration that Guyana has ever had.

But while so many areas reflect the ugly truth that APNU+AFC is nothing more than an impotent and corrupt enterprise; hard-headed, brazen and bullying, its management of GuySuCo provides the clearest example. From day one, in May 2015, there was confusion about who really is in charge of GuySuCo. For more than four years, the responsible Minister, the Minister of Agriculture, has refused to take leadership and responsibility for GuySuCo. At one point, he insisted that the Minister of Finance is in charge.

Then there was NICIL; they think they own GuySuCo. NICIL established a Special Purpose Unit (SPU) to manage GuySuCo matters.

They took a loan on behalf of GuySuCo, a loan of a staggering $30 billion, one of the largest loans ever for Guyana. But GuySuCo and, worse, the Minister of Agriculture, do not seem to have any say. In the meanwhile, the Board of GuySuCo, traditionally one of the most powerful state boards, has become invisible; impotent against NICILSPU. While the industry is floundering each day, reaching new lows, GuySuCo and NICIL-SPU are engaged in a deadly fight; deadly because, as they wage war against each other, GuySuCo is sliding into a coma.

President Granger, who before the 2015 General Elections joined Moses Nagamootoo and Khemraj Ramjattan to promise sugar workers and Guyana that no sugar estate will be closed, not only ignored his own CoI, but led the closure of four sugar estates. Otherwise, he has been silent and impotent for more than four years. He did visit Albion two weeks ago, pronouncing that he would not bury ‘sugar’. But if this President and his APNU+AFC Cabinet cannot resolve a war between GuySuCo and NICIL-SPU -- their own creatures -- how would anyone be confident they can rescue ‘sugar’?

The war between GuySuCo and NICIL-SPU did not start this week. It has been ongoing since establishment of the SPU by NICIL. One would recall the embarrassment of two boards for GuySuCo functioning at the same time; one appointed by the Cabinet and one appointed by NICIL-SPU. President Granger and his Cabinet allowed that confusion to simmer, and took action only weeks after NICILSPU had taken out an expensive whole page advertisement in several daily newspapers, blazing the names of members of the NICIL/SPUappointed GuySuCo Board.

Under pressure, Cabinet rescinded the appointment of the Board

by NICIL-SPU, but no one was held accountable, and no one was punished. Outside of the $30 billion loan, the SPU’s most notable action is creating a sports bar for NICIL managers to hang out.

While more than 7,000 sugar workers have lost their jobs in the last four years, and some of them have not yet received their severance; while sugar production has been mired in its lowest figures since Guyana gained independence, there are serious questions relating to the $30 billion loan NICIL-SPU took for GuySuCo. They claimed they have given out almost $8 billion to GuySuCo, but GuySuCo is unable to account for how this money was utilised. The Ministry of Finance has confirmed that it paid more than $1.8 billion in interest since last July, But President Granger and his Cabinet are impotent, unable to get accountability.

The questionable $30 billion transactions are not the only things raising questions about corruption in the sugar industry. This past week, there have been reports that two communication towers belonging to GuySuCo have apparently been divested by NICIL-SPU to a supporter and friend of APNU+AFC for a measly $2 million; there was no advertisement of the availability of these towers, there was no tender, there was no appraisal. Now there is emerging news of a corrupt, multi-million-dollar deal selling off GuySuCo’s assets as scrap metal, yet SOCU and SARA are nowhere to be found.

The bitter story of brazen corruption, incompetence and recklessness in ‘sugar’ includes selling out GuySuCo’s land and other assets at prices far below their value. Factory parts are being scavenged and disposed of as waste metals, and there are secret deals to privatise sugar estates.

Sweet ‘sugar’, Demerara Gold, is now the poster child for impotence, ineptitude, recklessness and corruption.

Chairman, retired Justice James Patterson. The court had earlier found that Patterson’s unilateral appointment was unconstitutional.

Meanwhile, Justice Jacob Wit noted that, in keeping with the June 24 date to return for submissions, he was “hoping for a happy marriage between principle and practicality”.

Diplomatic community The diplomatic community did not wait long after the ruling to come out urging respect for the decision. In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, British High Commissioner Gregory Quinn, United States Ambassador Sarah Ann-Lynch, Canadian High Commissioner Lilian Chatterjee and the European Union noted the importance of respecting the ruling.

“The Caribbean Court of Justice has ruled, and it is important that all sides respect that ruling. We also encourage all to come to an agreement on the way forward,” the diplomats stated in their joint missive.

“(We’re) hoping for a happy marriage between principle and practicality” – CCJ’s Justice Jacob Wit

By Jarryl Bryan

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n the wake of its landmark ruling upholding the No Confidence Motion, many are questioning whether the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) will order that elections be held by a certain date. But according to the court, parties will be given time to make submissions before it issues any orders.

This was communicated

by CCJ President, Justice Adrian Saunders, when he delivered the ruling from his bench on Tuesday. According to Saunders, parties will present their submissions on June 24. And he hinted that if the various sides cannot reach an agreement, the CCJ will take matters into their own hands.

“The rulings of the court are final, and it is now just a question of consequential orders. If, between now and the 24th, there is no concurrence on that issue, then we will have to find a way… I didn’t want to go there, because I am hoping that, on the 24th, you will come back and tell us that all sides have agreed on the consequences that follow. And the court will order accordingly,” the judge said.

According to Saunders, the CCJ wants to hear again from the parties involved, particularly on what should be the fate of Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM)

PSC

Meanwhile, the Private Sector Commission (PSC), in a statement, noted the ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice that the no-confidence motion was validly passed on December 21, 2018 and the appointment of the GECOM Chairman was unconstitutional.

The PSC expressed optimism that an early consensual agreement can be reached between the President and the Leader of the Opposition on a new GECOM Chairman. To do this, the PSC noted, the parties involved have to meet.

The Caribbean Court of Justice

“The Commission is heartened by the recommendation of the CCJ to the parties involved: to meet and agree on a course of action that will be in the best interest of the nation. The Private Sector Commission urges all Guyanese to respect the ruling and the statement by His Excellency President David Granger, that his Government will abide by the ruling of the Court.”

CCJ lauded

Meanwhile, Attorney-atLaw Christopher Ram (one of the appellants in the No Confidence Motion) issued a statement in which he lauded the CCJ for ensuring that the constitution prevailed. He urged President David Granger to put country first and reach out to the Opposition.

“As a litigant in one of the no confidence cases, I was always more than moderately confident that the court would rule as it did. It was a victory for democracy, the rule of law and the Constitution of Guyana. It was also a vindication of the decision that Guyana should subscribe to the regional Court, whose reputation has no doubt been enhanced by today’s rulings.

“The Court, throughout the hearing of these appeals, continuously hinted at the need for dialogue between the Government and Opposition, and has affirmed this in its judgments. Even at, or more so now, citizens appeal to President Granger to seize this unique moment to heed the call of the CCJ, and through inspired leadership, put our country first, reach out to the Leader of the Opposition, restore democracy and move our country forward,” Ram added.

On Tuesday, the CCJ ruled that the No Confidence Motion of December 21, 2018 was validly passed against the Government. It also ruled that Alliance For Change (AFC) defector Charrandas Persaud was entitled to vote against his party list; and that, even as a dual citizen, his vote was still valid, as steps were not taken beforehand to remove him from the candidate list.

On the matter of Patterson, the court ruled that not only was his appointment unconstitutional, but the President ought to have given the Opposition Leader an explanation as to why consecutive lists of nominees were being rejected.

Body found next to submerged car

Taxi driver run over by car – autopsy

The grieving wife, Natasha Rambarose, being comforted by her brother, Michael Rambarose

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he Corentyne, Berbice taxi driver, whose lifeless body was discovered a short distance away from his submerged car might have been run over by his own car.

This view was arrived at after an autopsy was performed on the body of Lynsey Grant on Tuesday by Government Pathologist, Dr Vivakanand Bridgemohand.

The dead man’s brother-inlaw, Michael Rambarose, who witnessed the autopsy and later spoke with the pathologist, explained that Grant also had several broken ribs.

After revisiting the scene,

Rambarose told Guyana Times that Grant might have hit a hump on the Lesbeholden Public Road while travelling at a fast rate and lost control of the vehicle which subsequently toppled.

“The mirrors for the car were on the ground about thirty feet apart, this is from how the car was toppling, I presume.”

Grant’s body was found next to the canal in which his car was submerged.

“He did not go into the canal because there was no mud on his boots and a cushion that usually be in the car for his wife to sit on and drive

was on the ground too. When the vehicle topple the cushion pitch out and like as the car keep toppling he pitched out too and the car rolled over him.

That is why he had broken ribs and internal bleeding… His jaw was also in like he had a broken jaw,” the brother-in-law revealed.

When Grant’s body was discovered, he was still wearing jewellery and had cash in his pockets. This dispelled rumours that he fell among robbers and his body was dumped.

The body of the 39-yearold man of Lot 52 Adventure Public Road, Corentyne, was found on the parapet next to the canal on Monday.

According to his wife, Natasha Rambarose, her husband was last seen at Mibicuri, Black Bush Polder, at about 18:00h on Sunday and was expected to be home within an hour, but never turned up.

This led to family members searching for Grant on Sunday evening and again on Monday.

A farmer made the dreadful discovery on Monday morning.

Natasha Rambarose described her husband as a

Dead: Lynsey Grant

very jovial person who was fond of the Indian culture.

Grant had been operating his taxi along the BerbiceGeorgetown route but had given that up to go into the construction field and also to operate in the Black Bush Polder as a taxi driver.

However, over the past two months, Grant, who also plants cash crops at his Adventure home, returned to driving a taxi full-time.

He leaves to mourn his wife of 14 years and his 12-year-old daughter.

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guyanatimesgy.com

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2019

Regional

Jamaican Govt announces

investigation into detention, abuse of fishermen by US Coast Guard

T&T: State witness killed in Santa Cruz

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female State witness was gunned down in Santa Cruz, Trinidad on Tuesday afternoon.

Police Officers are currently on the scene.

According to preliminary

reports, about 14:45h the woman was walking along Santa Barbara Boulevard, Santa Cruz when a white wagon pulled up alongside her and gunmen with rifles opened fire.

She was killed at the scene.

Guardian Media was told that the woman was on her way home after attending her son’s graduation. (Trinidad

Guardian)

Mexico plans cutbacks to President’s flagship “Mayan Train” project

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The Jamaican fishermen who said they were detained illegally and abused by the US Coast Guard

amaican Govt announces investigation into detention, abuse of fishermen by US Coast Guard The Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Ministry says it is investigating the matter in which four Jamaican fishermen have brought a case against the United States Coast Guard for alleged mistreatment, following their arrest and detention in 2017 in Haitian waters.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the law firm Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP last week filed a lawsuit against the US Coast Guard, seeking damages on behalf of the fishermen – Robert Dexter Weir, Patrick Wayne Ferguson, Luther

Fian Patterson, and David Roderick Williams – who were secretly detained without due process at sea in inhumane conditions on four Coast Guard ships for over a month.

The lawyers said the men were held under the Coast Guard’s unlawful detention and mistreatment policy that ramped up in 2012 as part of the United States’ “war on drugs”. Under this policy, the Coast Guard stops boats in international waters, searches them and their crew for drugs, destroys boats, and detains crewmembers for prolonged periods of time in inhumane conditions, regardless of whether any drugs are found aboard.

According to the ACLU,

the fishermen set out on September 13, 2017 for a fishing trip to Morant Cays, expecting to be gone just one day. But the US Coast Guard stopped their boat and arrested them before riddling the vessel with bullets and setting it on fire. The organisation said the Coast Guard held the men in secret for more than a month, chaining them to the exposed decks of four different Coast Guard ships, while denying them access to shelter, basic sanitation, proper food, and medical care.

Jamaica’s Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Minister Senator Kamina Johnson Smith said her Ministry became aware of the matter last Thursday, through media reports. (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

M

exico will shorten the 1525-kilometre (948-mile) route for a proposed “Mayan Train” designed to link tourist hot spots and spur development on the Yucatan Peninsula, an official said on Tuesday, in a move aimed at saving about US$287 million in costs.

The change is one of the first major cutbacks to one of the flagship projects put forward by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, whose infrastructure plans have drawn scepticism from influential sections of the business community.

The reduction of 55km (34 miles) of rail between the colonial town of Valladolid and the resort destination of Cancun would slash costs by about 5.5 billion pesos, said Alejandro Varela, legal director for the National Fund for Tourism Promotion (Fonatur), which is overseeing the project.

Varela said in an inter-

Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador takes part in an indigenous ceremony to the Mother Earth to mark the start of work on the so-called Mayan Train project in Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico, December 16, 2018

view that each kilometre of track will cost roughly 100 million pesos, giving the redesigned project, at 1470 km (913 miles), a cost of US$7.7 billion. It was originally slated to cost between US$6 billion and US$8 billion.

Lopez Obrador, a leftist who took office in December, has described the “Mayan Train” as a social project,

saying it will boost local economies in part by connecting isolated regions that are less developed than the more industrialised north.

The train is also intended to promote tourism, whisking visitors to popular sites such as the white sandy beaches of Tulum and the famed Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Chile’s Codelco seeks to defuse strike after miners clash with Police Cabinet approves plan for integrated

C

hilean mining company Codelco sweetened its contract offer to workers on Tuesday in a bid to defuse rising tensions after miners striking at its giant Chuquicamata copper mine were involved in clashes with Police earlier in the day.

Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas early on Tuesday as workers at the mine tried to block access to the site operated by Stateowned Codelco, the world’s largest copper miner.

Codelco said in a state-

ment it had made a new “serious, responsible and realistic” offer to workers to try to end the strike, now in its fifth day. The offer included an important element related to improving workers’ retirement plans.

“This is the maximum effort Codelco can make,” the mining company said, citing the “current reality of the mining business” and a major restructuring Chuquicamata is currently undergoing.

Reuters had earlier reported, citing sources, that the miner had sweetened its

offer.

The improved offer comes after a group of workers at the mine from unions 1, 2 and 3, which represent 80 per cent of its workforce, was repelled by Police, while at least 12 people were arrested, one of the unions said.

“The repression is absolute and harsh,” said Hector Milla, President of union 3, adding the workers were part of a strike action that began on Friday when negotiations over a new collective labour contract failed. (Excerpt

from Reuters)

Colombia deports undocumented Venezuelans entering Cucuta

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hen border crossings between Venezuela and Colombia reopened, it came as a relief for Venezuelans desperate to cross over and get food, medicine and other things they can’t find at home.

But an increase in Police numbers means the journey now carries even greater risks for those without the right papers, as Colombia has been deporting undocumented Venezuelans entering the Cucuta border area.

In response, Venezuela now requests migration cards for Colombians travelling to Venezuela. (Al Jazeera)

response to children and violence in

Jamaica

C

abinet has approved the National Plan of Action for an Integrated Response to Children and Violence (NPACV), says Permanent Secretary in the Education, Youth and Information Ministry, Dr Grace McLean.

Speaking at a plenary session for the eighth Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston on Monday, Dr McLean said the plan was also tabled in the Parliament recently.

The National Plan of Action is part of Jamaica’s response to its commit-

ment made to the Global Partnership to end violence against children and will be implemented over a fiveyear period.

The goal is to create and maintain a protective environment supportive of and responsive to the issues of violence, child abuse, and maltreatment of children in Jamaica.

“What this means is that, for the first time, we have a comprehensive response, an inter-sectoral response to treating with violence against children,” she said.

The plan involves collaboration among several Government Ministries, agencies and departments, civil society groups and oth-

er stakeholders The core objective of the NPACV is to reduce the impact of violence against children through an integrated approach to prevention, control, intervention responses, monitoring and evaluation.

This is to ensure that the rights of children are preserved, and that an environment is created to stimulate their positive growth and development into productive citizens of Jamaica.

The Diaspora Conference is being hosted by the Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Ministry under the theme “Jamaica and the Diaspora: Building Pathways for Sustainable Development”.

(Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

Cuba's Foreign Minister concludes Caribbean tour in Barbados

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A crackdown by Colombian Police means the journey now carries even greater risks for those without the right papers

uba's Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodriguez concluded in Bridgetown, Barbados on Tuesday a tour to Caribbean countries, where he ratified his country'’s brotherhood with the people of this region.

In Barbados, the Foreign Minister met with intellectuals and Barbadian cultural personalities, friends of Cuba and representatives of the Movement of Solidarity

with the Island.

He also met with Cuban collaborators in the country and members of the Association of Cuban Residents 'Martyrs of Barbados'.

As part of the broad agenda, Rodriguez was welcomed by the President of the Senate, Richard Lionel Cheltenham, and Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly, Gline A Clarke.

During these meetings, he highlighted the tradi-

tional relations of friendship and cooperation that join both nations.

Rodriguez Parrilla paid tribute to the 73 victims of the 1976 bombing of a Cuban commercial aircraft mid-flight off the coast of Barbados.

He also met with the Governor General of Barbados, Dame Sandra Mason, and both highlighted the friendship, solidarity, and cooperation ties that join both nations. (Prensa Latina)

guyanatimesgy.com

wednesDAY, JUNE 19, 2019

17

Around the World

Russia, China warn US over sending Chennai water crisis: City’s reservoirs run dry 1000 new troops to the Gulf

T

he United States is “pumping up tensions” and could open a “Pandora’s box” in the Middle East after announcing it will deploy 1000 more troops to the already volatile region, Russia and China said on Tuesday.

Fears of a confrontation between Iran and the US have mounted since Thursday following explosions on two tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane for the world’s oil supplies. Washington and Tehran traded accusations over the mysterious incidents.

China and Russia both expressed concern in strong statements over the developing situation in the Middle

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln left in May on its deployment to the Gulf [Jeff Sherman]

East.

“We call on all parties to remain rational and restrained, not to take any actions to provoke the escalation of tension in the region, and not to open a Pandora’s

box,” Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters in Beijing.

“In particular, the United States should change its practice of extreme pressure,” he said.

Wang also urged Iran to

“make prudent decisions” and not “so easily abandon” the 2015 deal.

On Monday, acting US defence chief Patrick Shanahan announced the deployment of about 1000 more troops to the Gulf for what he said were “defensive purposes to address air, naval, and ground-based threats in the Middle East”.

The move is in addition to an increase last month that brought US military personnel in the region up to 1500.

Meanwhile, Iran has set a 10-day deadline for world powers to fulfil their commitments under the nuclear deal that Washington abandoned. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Gunmen kill 41 people in central Mali – Mayor

U

nidentified gunmen on motorbikes attacked two villages in central Mali, killing at least 41 people in a part of the country where ethnic reprisal attacks have surged in recent months, a local mayor said on Tuesday.

The attacks on Monday evening on the villages of Yoro and Gangafani 2 compound a dire security situation in central Mali, where ethnic militias regularly

slaughter civilians from rival groups and Islamist militants are also active.

“About 100 unidentified armed men circulating on motos all of a sudden invaded Yoro and fired on the population,” Ganame told Reuters.

“Then they descended on the village of Gangafani 2, which is about 15 km (9 miles) away.”

The tit-for-tat violence in recent months has largely pitted Dogon hunters against

Fulani herders. Attackers believed to be Fulani raided a Dogon village last week, killing at least 35 people.

In March, suspected Dogon militiamen killed more than 150 Fulani in two villages in central Mali, one of the worst acts of bloodshed in the country’s recent history.

On Tuesday, two labour unions representing civil servants called on state administrators in the Mopti region, where most of the attacks

have occurred, to leave their posts and decamp to the regional capital due to death threats.

French forces intervened in Mali, a former French colony, in 2013 to push back a jihadist advance from the north. But the militants have since regrouped and use northern and central Mali as launchpads to stage attacks across the region and stoke tensions among different communities. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Empty water pots in Chennai, which has run out of water

T

he southern Indian city of Chennai (formerly Madras) is in crisis after its four main water reservoirs ran completely dry.

The acute water shortage has forced the city to scramble for urgent solutions, including drilling new boreholes.

Residents have had to stand in line for hours to get water from Government tanks, and restaurants have closed due to the lack of water.

“Only rain can save Chennai from this situation,” an official told BBC Tamil.

The city, which, according to the 2011 census, is India’s sixth largest, has been in the grip of a severe water shortage for weeks now.

As the reservoirs started to run dry, many hotels and restaurants shut down temporarily. The Chennai metro has turned off air conditioning in the stations, while of-

fices have asked staff to work from home in a bid to conserve water.

The situation has also prompted clashes to break out between residents. Last week, police arrested a man for stabbing his neighbour during a fight over water-sharing in the neighbourhood.

Officials are trying to find alternative sources of water, with the city’s water department starting to identify and extract water from quarries.

But the big concern is the dry reservoirs and low groundwater levels.

The water crisis has also meant that most of the city has to depend solely on Chennai’s water department, which has been distributing water through Government trucks across neighbourhoods.

“The destruction has just begun,” an official said. “If the rain fails us this year too, we are totally destroyed.”

Turkey: Erdogan slams Egypt’s “tyrants” as thousands mourn Morsi Hong Kong leader signals

T

u r k i s h President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has attended a prayer service in Istanbul for former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, who collapsed and died during a court session in Cairo on Monday.

Turkey’s religious authority, the Diyanet, had called for absentee funeral prayers to be held on Tuesday throughout the country’s 81 provinces.

At Istanbul’s Fatih mosque, where thousands joined in prayers, Erdogan called Morsi a “martyr” and blamed Egypt’s “tyrants” for his death, adding that he doesn’t believe that Morsi died of natural causes.

The Turkish President also denounced the Egyptian authorities for burying

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends the funeral prayer at Fatih Mosque in Istanbul

Morsi discreetly, with only a small number of family members and confidants present.

A leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood group, Morsi won Egypt’s first free presidential election in 2012, a year after an uprising that toppled longtime

leader Hosni Mubarak.

His term in office was short-lived, however, as he was overthrown and imprisoned in a July 2013 military coup led by Egypt’s then-Defence Minister and current president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

At the time of his death,

Morsi, 67, faced a host of legal charges, which he, along with many human rights groups and independent observers, said were politically motivated.

He was buried in eastern Cairo on Tuesday alongside other senior members of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Family members were permitted to attend the funeral, although authorities refused to grant permission for a burial in Morsi’s home province of Sharqiya, his son, Ahmed, said in a post on Facebook.

Turkey’s main opposition leader lashed out at the circumstances surrounding Morsi’s burial, saying his party would have wished Morsi to be buried with a presidential ceremony. (Excerpt

from Al Jazeera)

end to extradition bill but refuses to quit

H

ong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Tuesday signalled the end of a controversial extradition bill that she promoted and then postponed after some of the most violent protests since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

In a closely watched press conference, Lam apologised for the turmoil but refused to say the bill would be “withdrawn”, only that it wouldn’t be re-introduced during her time in office if public fears persist.

This was the strongest indicator yet that the Government was effectively shelving legis-

Strong quake strikes northwest Japan, triggers small tsunami, power cuts

A

strong and shallow earthquake struck Japan’s northwest coast around Niigata prefecture on Tuesday, triggering a small tsunami, shaking buildings and cutting power to around 9000 buildings.

The magnitude 6.4 quake, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS),

lasted for as long as 20 seconds and damage included a landslide that struck a road, according to public broadcaster NHK. There were no initial reports of fatalities or fires.

Authorities lifted a 0.2-1.0 metre tsunami warning for the region after waves several centimetres high struck parts

of the Niigata coast.

A tsunami of up to one metre could have caused some flooding and damage in low-lying coastal areas and river banks, though much of Japan’s coastline is guarded by sea walls.

The quake struck at 10.22 pm local time (1322 GMT Thursday) at a depth of

12 kilometres (7.5 miles), the USGS said.

It measured 6.7 according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, and in some places was as high as a strong six on the agency’s seven-point “Shindo”, or Seismic Intensity Scale, which measures ground motion at specific points, unlike magnitude which expresses the amount of energy released.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Tokyo Electric Power Co’s (Tepco) Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant was not affected by the quake, which hit 85 km ( 53 miles) northeast of the site. All of its seven reactors were already shut down, NHK said.

The quake also temporarily halted express bullet train services in the region, with some roads also closed, according to NHK. (Excerpt from Reuters)

lation that would allow people to be extradited to mainland China to face trial, even if it fell short of protester demands for the Government to scrap the bill altogether.

Lam, appearing both contrite and defiant, used much of the same language as a previous press conference on Saturday when she announced a postponement of the bill. A day later, about two million people spilled on to the streets, many demanding that she step down.

Lam, asked repeatedly whether she would quit, refused to do so, saying there remained important work ahead in the next three years, which would bring her to the end of her current five-year term of office.

Lam apologised for plunging the city into major upheaval, saying she had heard the people “loud and clear” and would try to rebuild trust.

But some protest organisers and opposition Democrats said Lam remained tone-deaf to public demands, namely that she states categorically a retraction of the bill, step down immediately and pledge not to prosecute any protesters on rioting charges. (Excerpt from Reuters)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

wednesDAY, JUNE 19, 2019

ARCHIE

ARIES (March 21April 19)

Ignore anyone who gives you a hard time.

Your focus should be on your responsibilities and living up to your promises. Diplomacy will work in your favor.

If you connect with an TAURUS old friend or colleague, (April 20you’ll be offered valuable inMay 20) formation. Take time to digest what you find out and mull over what you should do next.

dilbert

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

Visualize what you want, consider what it will take to reach your goal, and put a practical plan in place.

Maintain a steady pace, an open mind and a strong work ethic.

CANCER

A proactive approach will help you get your way.

Use your intelligence and connections to convince others to follow your lead. Walk away from extravagant people and situations.

(June 21July 22)

Peanuts

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Calvin and Hobbes

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

An energetic approach will help you meet any challenge that comes your way.

Events that involve older or younger people in your life will highlight your day.

Take advantage of a sale.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Don’t let someone’s insensitivity get to you. Focus on family dynamics. Listen to complaints and look for solutions. Make adjustments to your living arrangements.

Offer peace and love.

SCORPIO

SUDOKU

Yesterday’s WORD

Take the initiative and check out a health fad that’s worked well for someone you look up to. With a little effort and discipline, you can obtain the appearance and healthy look you desire.

(Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Make plans and follow through with them.

The help you need and the chance to try something different will fall into place. A transformation at home will help you get things done.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

Keep a low profile and a sharp watch. Someone you least expect will misrepresent you or create a dilemma that will make you look bad. Don’t give anyone reason to talk about you.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

Speak up about the way you feel, and then get on with your day. Much can be accomplished if you have a plan in place and the support you need.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

Nothing will be as it appears today. Don’t pass up an opportunity that could lead to extra cash. Put items you no longer use up for sale.

solution for LAST PUBLISHED puzzle

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

If you attend an event, you’ll meet someone who shares your concerns.

Don’t be timid. If you see something or someone who interests you, take the initiative to investigate further.

WEDNesDAY, JUNE 19, 2019

19

Man City willing to pay £62.6M release clause for Rodri M

anchester City are in talks with Atletico Madrid to sign Spain midfielder Rodri and are willing to pay his £62.6m release clause.

City boss Pep Guardiola is keen to sign a defensively minded player to bolster the Premier League champions’ squad.

Rodri, 22, who joined Atletico from Villarreal in May 2018, has been one of their main targets.

If a transfer does go through, it would break the club-record £60m City paid Leicester for Riyad Mahrez a year ago.

No deal has been done yet, with Bayern Munich reportedly also showing interest.

It is understood City are also thinking about re-signing Spanish left-back Angelino from PSV Eindhoven.

The 22-year-old left City for the Dutch club last summer after six years in Manchester.

However, a £5.35m buyback clause was included in the deal and, with other clubs attracted by Angelino’s impressive form last season, City are now considering activating it.

He would give Guardiola another option at left-back in addition to Oleksandr Zinchenko and Benjamin Mendy.

Mata inks new Manu contract Midfielder Juan Mata has agreed a new contract at Manchester United.

Mata’s present deal expires on 30 June but it is understood he will sign an extension in excess of one year.

Unlike fellow Spaniard Ander Herrera, who is set to join PSG, Mata, 31, continued negotiations with United

after the end of the season.

This is the second year in a row United have agreed terms with a senior player long after the campaign has reached its conclusion.

Marouane Fellaini was away at the World Cup with Belgium when his new contract was announced on 29 June last year.

Mata joined United from Chelsea for a club record £37.1m in January 2014.

He has scored 45 goals in 218 appearances and netted in the 2016 FA Cup final win against Crystal Palace.

Mata also started when United won the Europa League and EFL Cup under Jose Mourinho the following season.

Atletico Madrid keen to sign Portuguese forward Atletico Madrid are keen to sign Benfica forward Joao Felix but face stiff competition from other clubs, BBC Sport understands.

Felix, 19, whose contract has a 120m euros (£107.5m) release clause, recorded 15 goals and nine assists last season having made his debut in August.

A source close to the Spanish runners-up said it would be “very difficult” to sign the Portugal international.

Atletico require a leading forward with Antoine Griezmann set to leave.

The French international made the decision on his future in May, although he has yet to agree terms with another club.

Felix’s transfer would be the fifth most expensive in history behind Neymar (222m euros/£200m), Mbappe, Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele.

And he would become the second-most expensive teen-

Team Ineos rider taken to hospital for checks after crash

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eraint Thomas has been taken to hospital after crashing out of the Tour o f Switzerland during stage four.

T e a m Ineos said the 33-year-old suffered “abrasions to his shoulder and a cut above his right eye”. “ W e ’ l l wait until they properly check him and t h e n we’ll know more. I’m no doctor but he looked OK,” added Team Ineos sports director Gabriel Rasch.

Rasch confirmed that Astana’s Andrey Zeits had crashed in front of Thomas, causing the Welshman to hit the deck.

Thomas was able to sit up and talk to team-mates before being taken away in an ambulance.

He has been expected to lead the team at the Tour de France since Chris Froome’s crash at the Criterium du Dauphine last week.

There were fears immediately after the crash of a possible broken collar bone, but they were calmed by the sight of Thomas moving both of his shoulders while being treated.

Team Ineos tweeted Thomas “was alert and speaking to the team” immediately after the incident.

Rasch said the Welshman had wanted to continue riding, but the team doctor made the decision to send Thomas to hospital.

Thomas was lying in eighth place overall going in to Tuesday’s stage - 28 seconds off leader Peter Sagan.

Ineos team-mate Froome, a four-time Tour de France winner, is expected to be out for at least six months after suffering a fractured neck, fractured right femur, broken hip and fractured ribs in his crash last week.

The 34-year-old Englishman was the lead rider for Team Sky - now Team Ineos - at last year’s Tour de France before Thomas earned the support of his team as he closed in on victory in the final stages.

This year’s Tour de France starts on 6 July.

Elia Viviana won Tuesday’s stage of the Tour of Switzerland following a sprint finish. Sagan finished just behind him in third and retains the overall race lead. (BBC Sport)

Geraint Thomas was able to sit up before being taken to hospital following his crash (Getty Images)

Caster Semenya

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ager following the 180m euros paid to Monaco by Paris StGermain for forward Kylian Mbappe in 2018.

Former Porto youth player Felix made his international debut against Switzerland in the Nations League semi-final earlier this month.

He scored a hat-trick against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League in April, becoming the youngest Benfica player and the youngest Portuguese footballer to score three goals in Europe and the youngest player ever to do so in the competition. (BBC Sport)

Joao Felix won the league title with Benfica last season

Semenya says IAAF used her as a human guinea pig, fears others at risk

aster Semenya says athletics’ world governing body “used” her like “a human guinea pig” by insisting she takes medication to control her testosterone.

South Africa’s Semenya, 28, is in legal dispute with the IAAF, who have said the 800m runner must take medication or compete over a different distance.

The two-time Olympic champion says the drugs made her feel “constantly sick” and have “unknown health consequences”.

“I will not allow the IAAF to use me and my body again,” said Semenya.

Semenya spoke out as the Court of Arbitration for Sport released a 163-page document explaining in detail why it had rejected her appeal against the IAAF’s rules.

Since the Court of Arbitration for Sport’s decision she has gone to Switzerland’s Federal Supreme Court (SFT), which has temporarily suspended the IAAF ruling.

“The IAAF used me in the past as a human guinea pig to experiment with how the medication they required me to take would affect my testosterone levels,” added Semenya.

“Even though the hormonal drugs made me feel constantly sick, the IAAF now wants to enforce even stricter thresholds with unknown health consequences.

“I am concerned that other female athletes will feel compelled to let the IAAF drug them and test the effectiveness and negative health effects of different hormonal drugs. This cannot be allowed to happen.”

IAAF rules state Semenya - and other athletes with differences of sexual development

(DSD) - must either take medication in order to compete in track events from 400m to the mile, or change to another distance.

People with a DSD do not develop along typical gender lines. Their hormones, genes and reproductive organs may be a mix of male and female characteristics, which can lead to higher levels of testosterone - a hormone that increases muscle mass, strength and haemoglobin, which affects endurance and which - the IAAF argued - gives Semenya and DSD athletes an unfair advantage over other women.

Since the ruling, Semenya has raced over 2,000m and took victory at the Meeting de Montreuil in Paris.

She has been named in South Africa’s preliminary squad for the World Championships in Qatar later this year but has only been entered in the 800m, meaning her participation depends on the outcome of her appeal.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has said the new rules for athletes with differences of sexual development were discriminatory, but concluded that the discrimination was “necessary, reasonable and proportionate” to protect “the integrity of female athletics”.

The IAAF has welcomed the full release of the Cas findings, saying: “Having the arguments of all parties and the detailed findings of the Cas panel in the public domain will help to foster greater understanding of this complex issue.

“The IAAF considers that the DSD regulations are a necessary, reasonable and proportionate means of protecting fair and meaningful competition in elite female athletics, and the Cas agreed.” (BBC Sport)

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WEDNesDAY, JUNE 19, 2019

Half-way into the bouncy World Cup; Shakib, Amir lead players

By Brandon Corlette

T

he first half of the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup was completed yesterday June 18, 2019 with the match between England and Afghanistan.

With a total of 48 matches to be played in this World Cup that has ten teams, 24 of those matches have been done and dusted.

At the half-way stage, England are leading the points table with eight points from their five matches with a netrun rate of +1.862. The defending World Cup champions, Australia have been defending their title fairly well, sitting in second position with eight points in five encounters with a netrun rate of +0.812. New Zealand are in third position with In controversial style, Virat seven points Kohli was dismissed on a while India c o m p l e t e s bouncer during this World Cup the top-four teams in the World Cup thus far.

The inspired Bangladesh are in fifth, Sri Lanka in sixth, West Indies in seventh and South Africa are in eight position on the points table with five four and three points respectively. Pakistan is in ninth position with three points while Afghanistan who is yet to win a match is in last position.

This 2019 World Cup has been an intense one, apart from the rain, the fast bowlers have peppered the batsmen with the short ball in the first quarter of the tournament.

This ploy was set-up by the West Indies when they bounced out Pakistan cheaply in the second match of the World Cup. Looking at the leading wicket-takers in the tournament thus far, the faster bowlers has dominated in the charts.

Pakistan’s left-arm seamer, Mohammed Amir leads the wicket-tally with 13 wickets in four matches including a best figure of 5-30. The 2015 World Cup leading fast bowler, Mitchell Starc is sitting pretty in second position with the same amount of wickets as Amir. Starc has played five matches and picked up a best figure of 5-46 thus far in the World Cup. Like Amir, Starc has pitched up the Mohammed Amir ball and occasionally gets the rear swing. These bowlers have not overused the short ball. The X-factor, Jofra Archer is also in the run for the leading wicket taker. Archer who bowled the quickest ball in the tournament at 153kph has 13 wickets thus far and has used the bouncers to great effect for England especially at the latter part of the innings.

Pat Cummins (11) Mark Wood (9), Mohammad Saifuddin (9) and Lockie Ferguson (8) are the other leading seamers thus far in the tournament. South Africa’s Imran Tahir

Pooran sets sights on T20 Blast in England after World Cup

Nicholas Pooran

W

est Indies batsman and Guyana Amazon Warriors selectee, Nicholas Pooran is set to play for Yorkshire in the Vitality T20 Blast in England. The 23-year old Trinidadian, Pooran has agreed to feature in five group games in the 2019 edition of the Vitality T20 Blast between the World Cup final on July 14 and the West Indies’ home series against India, starting in Florida on

August 3, 2019.

However, Pooran short term-deal is dependent on him making three more appearances during the ongoing ICC World Cup as English domestic cricket’s regulations state an overseas player must have either earned 15 international appearances. However, since this announcement was made Pooran has further played two more ODIs in the ongoing World Cup and has 17 International matches un-

der his belt.

Therefore, he is not an overseas player that is eligible for selection in the T20 Blast. The explosive lefthander, Pooran has been a player that has been watched by teams around the World.

Since announcing himself as West Indies Under-19 World Cup player, Pooran has went on to play International cricket at the senior level and he has also featured in various T20 leagues around the World.

Pooran played for Kings XI Punjab in the 2019 Indian Premier League where he impressed with the bat on his few opportunities presented.

His recent impressive performance came in the World Cup match against England where he scored a career best 63 against the World Number one ranked ODI team.

Pooran has also been featured in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) where he played for teams as Trinbago Knight Riders, Barbados Tridents and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. In the 2019 edition, Pooran is the marquee player for the Guyana Amazon Warriors.

The Trinidadian who has 102 T20 matches in a short span has also played in the Global T20 League in Canada, the Bangladesh Premier League and the T10 League in Sharjah.

The World has now seen Pooran as specialist whiteball batsman who has the ability to wicket-keep.

Yorkshire Vikings comprises of English stars, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root and Adil Rashid.

has eight wickets the most by a spinner followed by India’s Yuzvendra Chahal who has six wickets.

The batting in the World Cup thus far has been impressive Skakib Al Hassan, the World Number one all-rounder in ODI, has 384 runs in four innings. Al Hassan scored back-to-back centuries and has two half-centuries as well.

Joe Root has 367 runs with two centuries as well and two half-centuries for England. Aaron Finch has 343 runs and Rohit Sharma has 319 runs. David Warner has 281 runs; Eoin Morgan has 249 runs while Steve Smith has 243 runs.

At the half-way stage of this tournament 12 centuries have been scored despite the faster bowlers enjoying the fast wickets in England; t h r e e five-wicket hauls were registered thus far all by the pace- Shakib Al Hassan men.

A l e x Carey and Shai Hope are the leading gloves men with 14 and 10 dismissals respectively.

Shakib and Das have featured in an unbeaten 189 run partnership against West Indies, which is the highest in the tournament thus far while England scored 397 runs, the most by a team in this tournament thus far.

With 24 big matches remaining, a lot more is expected at the back end of the tournament where teams will know their faith in gaining qualifications.

Guinness “Greatest of the Streets” hits Georgetown July 12

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Keen competition is one aspect the tournament brings in large supply

ollowing the conclusion of the emerging Bartica leg, the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Georgetown Championship is slated to officially commence on July 12th.

This was disclosed by the organizers Banks DIH Limited. The event will last for the duration of seven days, with the venues slated to be finalized shortly.

The other playing dates are July 13th, 19th, 20th, 26th and 27th, with the grand final scheduled for August 3rd. The first two nights of the event, which features 32 teams, will utilize an elimination format.

The resulting 16 teams will advance to the group stage which will held over the period of three days.

The top two from each group will advance to the quarterfinal round and subsequent semi-final, which is penciled for the

penultimate match-day date.

Meanwhile, the eight teams which fail to progress to the knockout round will contest the Guinness Plate Championship.

Presently, the 16 automatic qualifiers are defending champion Gold is Money, GTI Ballers, Queen Street Tigerbay, Upsetters, Rising Stars, North Ruimveldt, Future Stars, Kingston, California Square, Trap Squad, Leopold Street, Ol-Skool Ballers, Bent Street, North East La Penitence, Sparta Boss and Norton Street.

According to an official release from tournament coordinator Three Peat Promotions, “The registration forms will be available shortly at the Caesar’s Palace Banks DIH location on Durban Street for the teams that will need to enter the Playoff Round.”

The correspondence further disclosed, “The an-

ticipation and expectation for the event is at an alltime high. The teams have already commenced their respective preparation for the event, while many newcomers have inquired about the registration process as they aim to be a part of the phenomenon.

We envision a wonderful and exciting tournament as many teams vie for the coveted title.”

Winner of the zone will automatically seal their place in the National Championship, which is slated to commence in August.

To date Beacons [Bartica Champion], Melanie-B [East Coast Demerara winner], Brothers United [West Demerara/East Bank Demerara winner], Trafalgar [Berbice champion] and High Rollers [Linden champion] are the teams to have secured automatic berths to the national championship.

WEDNesDAY, JUNE 19, 2019

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Team South Africa registered only one win

outh Africa, who registered their first win of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup by defeating Afghanistan by nine wickets, will face a much stiffer challenge when they take on New Zealand at Edgbaston today Wednesday, June 19.

It was Grant Elliot's famous "hit into the grandstand" in an enthralling climax which ended South Africa's World Cup campaign in 2015 and powered New Zealand to their first ever appearance at the finals.

While stakes might not be as high for New Zealand when they take the field on Wednesday, for South Africa, the result would determine their contention for the race to the semi-finals.

New Zealand started their World Cup campaign with three consecutive wins before their fixture against India ended in a wash-out at Trent Bridge. The bowlers have been in

prime form, having restricted the opposition to a below-par total on each occasion, making things easier for the batsmen. The middle-order, which failed considerably against Bangladesh before Mitchell Santner finished the job, will be put to a stiff test against South Africa.

South Africa, destabilized after three consecutive defeats, put on a complete performance to register a nine-wicket win over Afghanistan in their last game. While Imran Tahir produced another match-winning spell as he picked up four wickets, the century-stand put on by the openers was probably the greatest positive for the Proteas. The top-order will have to shoulder responsibility yet again, as they will be up against an in-form New Zealand bowling unit. Lungi Ngidi, who has been declared match fit after he missed last

three games due to hamstring injury, is likely to replace Beuran Hendricks in the playing XI. The skipper, Kane Williamson, has been in prime form, scoring 40 and 79* in his last two innings after aggregating 152 runs in the two warm-up games. Williamson, who scored a century in his last outing at Edgbaston, will once again look to play a long innings.

Kagiso Rabada has been a strike bowler for South Africa for the last few years, leading the pace battery in the absence of Dale Steyn.

Rabada, who averages 19.82 with the ball against New Zealand, will look to produce a match-winning spell in this all-important game.

It will be a cloudy start to the day with chances of some light rain showers. However, it should become in-

creasingly dry and bright as the day wears on. Teams batting first have won three of the last four completed games at Edgbaston.

Squads New Zealand: Kane Williamson (capt), Tom Blundell (wk), Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor South Africa: Faf du Plessis (c), Aiden Markram, Quinton de Kock (wk), Hashim Amla, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, JP Duminy, Dwaine Pretorius, Beuran Hendricks, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Imran Tahir, Tabraiz Shamsi.

(ICC)

Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor

BCB continues to invest in youth players with Tulsi Dyal Singh Coaching Programme – Tyrone Pottaya named 2019 Father of the Year

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he Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) is continuing its continuing its policy of investing heavily into the development of youth players across the Ancient County. The BCB would be using the current rainy season to visit every corner of Berbice with the Dr. Tulsi Dyal Singh Coaching programmeme. This programme started early this year with the preparation of the Berbice Under-15, Under-17, Under-19 Male, Under-19 Female, Senior Female teams along with several coaching clinics.

Last weekend, the BCB launched another aspect of the comprehensive programmeme with new members of the Berbice Under-15 and Under-17 teams involved in an intense four hours coaching clinic. Under the guidance of Coach Balram Samaroo, Special Emphasis was placed on fielding, physical fitness, batting techniques and game situation. Samaroo, a former national junior player and Berbice Senior Player is currently heading the programmeme in the absence of Winston Smith, who is on vacation overseas.

ery weekend with the hosting of specialized sessions for fast bowlers, batsmen, wicket keepers, spinners.

The panel of coaches would also be visiting every club in Berbice which has a junior cricket team for two days’ clinics.

Over the next few weeks, the coaches including Samaroo and Delbert Hicks would be visiting Clubs like East Bank Blazer, Edinburgh Warriors, Mt. Sinai, Rose Hall Canje, Albion Community Centre, Port Mourant, Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, No. 73 and Scottsburg United among others. The Coaches would also visit Clubs in the West Coast Berbice area. At the completion of the visits, the coaches would select a squad of seventy (70) youths for the second edition of the Dr. Tulsi Dyal Singh Coaching Academy that would be held in August, 2019.

Meanwhile the BCB on Saturday last honoured Tyrone Pottaya of Belvedere Village as its Dr. Tulsi Dyal Singh Father of the Year Awardee for 2019.

Pottaya, sugar harvester who is attached to the

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Tyrone Pottaya receives his Dr Tusi Dyal Singh Father of the Year Award from BCB President Hilbert Foster

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21

The players at the camp posed with Coach Balram Samaroo

A total of twenty-five Under-15 and Under-17 players were involved in the session at the Albion Community Centre Ground. BCB President Hilbert Foster disclosed that the sessions would continue ev-

Albion Estate is the proud father of three children.

His only son and youngest child, Matthew represented Guyana at the Under-15 level in 2019 at just thirteen years.

A devoted father, Pottaya is Matthew’s personal coach and accompanies him daily to practice at the Area ‘H’ Ground, where he is a member of the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS. A humbled Pottaya expressed gratitude to the BCB for honouring him with the Dr. Tulsi Dyal Singh Award and urged other parents to play an active role in their children careers. The mother of West Indies Under-15 selectee, Rampertab Ramnauth in May was named the Brian Ramphal Mother of the Year.

BCB Public Relations Officer Simon Naidu expressed gratitude to Dr. Tulsi Dyal Singh for his massive investment into Berbice Cricket which in 2019 would amount to almost $2M of his personal funds. The Berbice Cricket Board on the 27th July, 2019 would conferred its highest Award to Dr. Tulsi Dyal Singh for his support of Berbice Cricket.

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WEDNesDAY, JUNE 19, 2019

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

RHTY&SC hosts 3rd Walter Nero Memorial Father’s Day programme

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he best gift a man can ever get is fatherhood. There is an old saying that God could not be everywhere, and as such, he created fathers to look after His children. Every man can become a father, but it takes a special man to be a dad.

“On behalf of the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club (RHTY&SC), Medal of Service (MS), I would like to congratulate each one of you on being a role model parent, and for being a positive role model to your children”.

Father of the Year 2019 Eon Wiggins, received his award from the great-grandchildren of the late Walter Nero

Those were the words of long serving Secretary/CEO of the RHTY&SC, MS, Hilbert Foster, MS, as he spoke at the third staging of the RHTY&SC’s Walter Nero Memorial Father’s Day programme.

With sponsorship from the Nero family and from its 10 cricket teams, more than 70 fathers from the Lower Corentyne catchment area were each honoured by the RHTY&SC with the gift of a food hamper.

Forty-year-old Eon Wiggins of Rose Hall Town was named the Walter Nero Memorial 2019 Father of the Year.

A member of the RHTY&SC, Wiggins was selected to receive this honour because the RHTY&SC’s Management Committee for Cricket regards him as an outstanding father to his five children, including his eldest son Kevon, who is a player in the Senior Guyana Basketball Team.

The elder Wiggins has been the inspiration behind Kevon’s rise to becoming one of Guyana’s best basketballers, and has served as Kevin’s first coach.

The Management Committee for Cricket oversees the following teams: The Poonai Pharmacy Under-12 and Under-13, Farfan & Mendes Under-15, Bakewell Under-17 and Second Division, Pepsi Under-19 and Intermediate, Metro Female, and Gismos & Gadgets Under-21 and First Division.

Foster hailed Wiggins as a role model to all fathers, and one who has worked beyond the call of duty to make sure that all the needs of his children are met. Wiggins has been given a trophy, medal, framed certificate, a special gift, and a food hamper.

Foster has urged the elder fathers present to share their vast experience with those of the younger generation, who night be struggling to raise their children in the modern world.

Noting that raising children in 2019 is far different from what had obtained 30 years ago, Foster spoke of the many social ills that youths face today, including drug abuse, pre-marital sex, abuse of alcohol and tobacco, high youth unemployment, dropping out of school, extreme poverty,

The fathers posing with cricketers of the RHTY&SC

heading single-parent households, and lack of positive role models to emulate.

The Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, he promised, would continue to invest heavily in programmes that focus on creating healthy family unity, and in assisting every youth to fulfil his/her full potential in sports, culture and education.

Foster also announced that with staging of the Father’s Day programme, the RHTY&SC, MS, has, in just six months, successfully completed 500 of the 700 activities it has set for completion in 2019. Among its upcoming programmes are: staging of the Annual Cricket Academy, Republic Bank Grade 6 Summer Camp, Youth Information Booklet, Annual Review Magazine, ANSA McAL Award of Excellence, Gregory Gaskin Memorial Berbice Sports Awards, and poster campaign for the Say No/Say Yes Initiative.

The Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club, MS, has expressed gratitude to the overseas-based daughters of the late Walter Nero: Karen, Jackie, Sandra, Nancy and Theresa, for sponsoring the programme in memory of their dad. The combined cost of the hampers shared out has been put at more than $300,000.

Roberts says disappointed at Government’s efforts in cycling – 3 Berbice cyclists to represent Region 6 at National Cycling Championships

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Flying Ace Cycle Club’s Coach and cycling organiser, Randolph Roberts

alph Seenarine, Jeremiah Joseph and Mario Washington are the three cyclists from the Flying Ace Cycling Club (FACC) in East Berbice who will represent Region Six at this weekend’s National Cycling Championships.

This event is intended to prepare Guyana’s best cyclists to participate in the Caribbean Junior Cycling Championships which will be hosted in Guyana’s Region Seven township of Bartica over the weekend of August 10th and 11th 2019. Nationals from approximately 26 countries will visit Guyana to participate in those Junior Championships.

Guyana won the bid to host these championships in 2020, but the 2019 host country has pulled out, hence Guyana hosting this cycling event this year.

This is the first time ever that three cyclists from the same club would represent a region at the National Cycling Championships; and this number is also the most persons in any contingent ever sent by a club from anywhere in Guyana to participate in these championships.

This weekend’s action will pedal off with

Flying Ace trio of Jeremiah Joseph, Ralph Seenarine and Mario Washington

time trials’ activities on Saturday, followed by the actual race along the Soesdyke/Linden highway on Sunday.

The most recent cycling activity held in Berbice, the Father’s Day race around the town of New Amsterdam, had been organised by the Flying Ace Cycling Club’s coach and race organiser Randolph Roberts to prepare these three riders to represent Berbice at the National Cycling Championships being held this weekend.

In a recent interview with the FACC’s Randolph Roberts, he lamented that the present Government has not been making great effort to promote cycling in the country.

“I would like to thank the business people who continue to support cycling in the country, because this Government has not been doing (anything) for cycling. I want to make it known!”

Roberts revealed.

He further disclosed: “There is a threestage and a five-stage race yearly. Since this Government has taken over, it (those races are) dead! And it (Govt) is killing sport!”

Windies Women opening T20 against England abandoned Annual "Learn to Swim" Programme paddles off July 8

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ngland were frustrated by the weather as the opening women's Twenty20 International with the West Indies was abandoned without a ball bowled at Northampton.

Having beaten the Windies 3-0 in the one-day series last week, England were seeking to extend their run of consecutive wins in all formats to 14.

But after rain during the afternoon, the covers remained on and the match was abandoned at 15:07 local time. The second game in the three-

match series is at the same venue on Friday.

For the T20 series England have called spinner Linsey Smith into their squad for three T20 internationals against West Indies.

She replaces Bryony Smith, who made her ODI debut last week, in the 15-woman group.

Linsey Smith has taken 11 wickets at 15.09 in her eight T20I appearances, having made her debut at last year's Women's WT20 in the Caribbean, where Mark Robinson's side were beaten

in the final.

After blanking West Indies 3-0 in the ODIs, England have now won 13 games in a row they whitewashed Sri Lanka in ODI and T20Is on tour earlier this year, as well as beating India 3-0 in a T20I series.

Next month they will attempt to reclaim the Ashes from Australia.

West Indies squad: Stafanie Taylor (capt), Shemaine Campbelle, Britney Cooper, Afy Fletcher, Chinelle Henry, Stacy-Ann King, Kycia Knight (wk), Kyshona Knight, Natasha McLean, Hayley Matthews, Chedean Nation, Karishma Ramharack, Shakera Selman.

England squad to play West Indies: Heather Knight (capt), Tammy Beaumont, Katherine Brunt, Kate Cross, Sophie Ecclestone, Jenny Gunn, Amy Jones, Laura Marsh, Nat Sciver, Anya Shrubsole, Linsey Smith, Sarah Taylor (wk), Fran Wilson, Lauren Winfield, Danni Wyatt

O

ver the years of its existence, the Annual ‘Learn to swim program’ has afforded thousands of Guyana’s children the opportunity to master a basic life skill.

Once again, the nation’s children will have this opportunity when school closes its doors, as the National Sports Commission (NSC) has recently announced the

dates for the program.

This year’s July- August program will run from July 8, 2019 to August 16, 2019 at two venues in Georgetown and the East Coast of Demerara.

The program which is hosted twice a year (JulyAugust and Easter), will not only assist students in learning to swim but perfecting their craft and in

some instances helping them to get over their fear of bodies of water.

Participants from ages 6 years – 10 years will have their swim lessons at the Colgrain Pool, Camp Street, Georgetown while participants from ages 11 years to 16 years will have their lessons at the National, Aquatic Center, Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara. The sessions are expected to commence at 09:00am on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Registration for the ‘Learn to Swim’ program will open next week and interested parents and guardians can uplift forms from the National Sports Commission (NSC) Head Office on Homestretch Avenue, Georgetown.

Registration is priced at $1000 and will open from Monday June 24, 2019 until closure on July 03, 2019.

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guyanatimesgy.com

WEDNesDAY, JUNE 19, 2019

Eoin Morgan’s brutal 148 demolishes Afghanistan

T

hat England decimated another attack, posted a massive total and batted their opponents out of the game is only surprising to someone w h o hasn’t f o l lowed E o i n Morgan’s side over the past four years.

But even for avid

Eoin Morgan on the attack against Afghanistan

enthusiasts of the 50-over game, the brutality of Tuesday’s assault, led by the England captain himself, was so gruesome one might have been forgiven for wanting to look away by the end of the first innings.

England blitzed their way to 397, 198 scored in the final 15, 148 smashed by Morgan in 16 overs he was at the crease.

Afghanistan were reduced to batting out the overs, which, admirably though they did so, still meant they came up short by 150 runs in the end.

The records tumbled off the page far easier than they rolled off the tongue: most sixes by an ODI player for Morgan (17) - most sixes by an ODI t e a m (25),

ing figures at a World Cup for Rashid Khan (9-0-110-0) and the most sixes conceded by an individual bowler (Rashid Khan with 11).

Morgan took the attack to Afghanistan almost as soon as he walked t o

in bat; the platform had been set in the first 30 overs by Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root, and the only thing they lacked was the impetus required to push a 300-score into something far more daunting.

Fair to say that was achieved, then.

With Morgan hitting just about every fourth ball of his innings for six - 17 were deposited over the rope in 71 balls - Afghanistan were up against a man who had prepared for an innings like this by nursing for four years. Rashid Khan, who Gulbadin Naib had held back for this stage of the innings, had the heaviest punishment inflicted upon him, seeing the ball fly to the fence no fewer than 11 times. He conceded 74 in his last four overs, and 110 overall, with Afghanistan paying the price of failing to take early wickets.

With the Morgan given the freedom of Old Trafford in the final 20, carnage was always possible.

Prior to the bloodbath, however, England had been curiously sedate, as if Joe Root eased wary of finding thempast the 50-run selves turned over highmark (Getty Images) on a day they couldn’t est score for quite field their best elevEngland at en. Jason Roy had been a World Cup (397), most expensive bowl- ruled out with a hamstring

injury, and (ridiculous as it sounds now) Morgan’s availability wasn’t quite a guarantee, still not fully recovered from the back injury that had kept him from batt i n g

the no-consequences cricket England have championed in the past four years.

They were holding something back, you sensed, but when M o r g a n walked in after Bairstow fell 10 runs

3

SCOREBOARD England Innings (50 overs maximum) JM Vince c Rahman b Zadran 26 JM Bairstow c & b Naib 90 JE Root c Shah b Naib 88 EJG Morgan (c) c Shah b Naib 148 JC Buttler † c Nabi b Zadran 2 BA Stokes b Zadran 2 MM Ali not out 31 CR Woakes not out 1 Extras (lb 1, nb 1, w 7) 9 TOTAL (50 Overs, RR: 7.94)

397-6 Did not bat: JC Archer, AU Rashid, MA Wood Fall of wickets: 1-44 (JM Vince, 9.3 ov), 2-164 (JM Bairstow, 29.5 ov), 3-353 (JE Root, 46.4 ov), 4-359 (EJG Morgan, 46.6 ov), 5-362 (JC Buttler, 47.4 ov), 6-378 (BA Stokes, 49.1 ov) BOWLING M Rahman (10-0-44-0) D Zadran (10-0-85-3) M Nabi (9-0-70-0) G Naib (10-0-68-3) R Shah (2-0-19-0) R Khan (9-0-110-0) Afghanistan Innings (target: 398 runs from 50 overs)

against West Indies.

The first Powerplay saw England score 46 runs the lowest since the 2015 World Cup - with Mujeeb ur Rehman keeping things tight at one end and Dawlat Zadran removing James Vince after the batsman had played a characteristically charming cameo.

Bairstow and Root, who ended up with an anonymous 88 in the larger context, began to push through the gears, but it still wasn’t

N Zadran b Archer 0 G Naib (c) c †Buttler b Wood

37 R Shah c Bairstow b Rashid 46 H Shahidi b Archer 76 A Afghan c Root b Rashid 44 M Nabi c Stokes b Rashid 9 N Zadran b Wood 15 R Khan c Bairstow b Archer 8 I Alikhil † not out 3 D Zadran not out 0 Extras (lb 1, w 8) 9 TOTAL (50 Overs, RR: 4.94)

247-8 Yet to bat: Mujeeb Ur Rahman Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Noor Ali Zadran, 1.2 ov), 2-52 (Gulbadin Naib, 11.5 ov), 3-104 (Rahmat Shah, 24.5 ov), 4-198 (Asghar Afghan, 40.5 ov), 5-210 (Mohammad Nabi, 42.4 ov), 6-234 (Hashmatullah Shahidi, 45.5 ov), 7-234 (Najibullah Zadran, 46.2 ov), 8-247 (Rashid Khan, 49.4 ov) BOWLING CR Woakes (9-0-41-0) JC Archer (10-1-52-3) MM Ali (7-0-35-0) MA Wood (10-1-40-2) BA Stokes (4-0-12-0) AU Rashid (10-0-66-3)

short of his hundred, the hosts were finally free.

What could Gulbadin Naib know of the beast he unleashed when he overstepped second ball of the 32nd over. It seemed like just another sloppy error it wasn’t like Afghanistan hadn’t made plenty of those in the field anyway. Catches had been put down, ones had been allowed to turn into twos and balls had been dived over. But that no-ball meant Morgan would have

a free-hit off the eighth ball he faced - he had scored just one off seven till then. He clubbed it over cow corner for six, and then treated every ball that followed as if it were a free-hit.

This may be Afghanistan’s heaviest defeat in the tournament, but there was much to admire about how they went about their innings. Fully aware they wouldn’t chase it down, they opted not to address the target at all, instead putting together a fine ODI in-

Jonny Bairstow brought up his half century with this shot (Getty Images)

nings in its own right, the type they’ve lacked in the tournament thus far. It’s been a competition marked by unrest, infighting, accusations and recriminations, but this is the Afghanistan fans were hoping would turn up all tournament. It was more representative of the Afghanistan of 2019; what we’ve seen much too often at this World Cup thus far is the lazy, uninformed caricature.

Naib, surprisingly opening the batting alongside Noor Ali Zadran, strung together a breezy little innings of 37 that meant, somewhat amusingly, that Afghanistan had outscored England in the first Powerplay. While these were small victories, they’d

be the

big-

Afghanistan

g e s t

were likely to enjoy;

England’s bowlers are much too good to allow the type of carnage that was required for Afghanistan to get anywhere near what England had posted.

Hashmatullah Shahidi, as is his wont, took charge of the middle overs, preventing things from falling apart while building partnerships with Rahmat Shah and Asghar Afghan, the occasional acceleration giving off the impression they would tee off from time to time, but never quite managing to do so. Jofra Archer and Mark Wood kept Afghanistan on their toes with express pace, and a couple of damaged helmets had the scars to prove it. Ultimately, however, the scarring belonged to the bowlers who had fronted up to an England captain in the sort of form most cricketers are happy to find themselves in once in a lifetime.

That they ended up with 247, the highest score by an Afghanistan side at a World Cup, will be scant consolation as their tournament begins to draw to a close.

England’s, on the other hand, may only just have begun. (ESPNcricinfo)

England Captain Eion Morgan leads his team off following their victory (Getty Images)

Dynamic FC optimistic after defeating Potaro Strikers

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ing whether or not they would perform well.

However, this fresh-faced team shocked many in the East Coast area when they finished as runners-up in the East Demerara FA intra- association phase of the KFC tournament.

Not exactly getting the results they were hoping for, Dynamic FC went down 3-0 to Buxton United FC team in the final, after goals were scored by Troni Semple (19), Omari Glasgow (72) and Jamar Harrigon (80).

Despite the loss, the team was granted passage into the National playoffs, and have so far made the best of the opportunity. In their Round of 16 encounter on Saturday, Dynamic FC mowed down Potaro Strikers with a 5-0 win.

During the team’s outstanding performance, John Gonsalves led the way with a brace; and Julius Hamilton, Dequan Douglas and Dynamic FC put the brakes on Potaro Strikers last Saturday Linden Bowman each

or the Dynamic Football Club, which hails from the Demerara East Coast, the KFC Under 20 ‘Independence Cup’ tournament has been a great avenue to not only give their players positive exposure, but also to provide a way to test their skills against other clubs from their immediate surroundings, and now clubs from around the country.

Fairly new to this tournament, Dynamic FC had been beset by uncertainty regard-

netted one for the win.

Guyana Times Sport caught up with Coach Dwayne Jacobs, who said he was pleased with the squad’s performance, but noted it was not perfect.

“I think width was lacking a little bit today, and for the new week, we have to work on that and proper crossing,” Jacobs said in assessing their few errors.

Touching on what worked for the boys from the East Coast, Jacobs, disclosed that he has been placing emphasis on their defense, which turned out to be a strong point for them.

“First of all, we try to work specifically on defending and team organisation. I find a lot came out in this game: the defense was solid, and their organisation was great,” he explained.

The synthetic surface of the National Training Center is not one that the team is accustomed to (after just a handful of games being played there), but the team’s coach is positive that the team is going to adjust itself with time.

“It was real challenging today because of the weather, and we aren’t accustomed to playing on a surface like this. You could see the players running and tripping up and all these things.” He said.

Looking forward to Saturday’s quarterfinal encounter, Jacobs told this publication

Dynamic FC’s Coach Dwayne Jacobs

he is confident in his team members’ abilities, and is positive they would “put their best foot forward”.

“We’re going to take some time, but gradually, coming out here, we will get into it,” Jacobs said.

Dynamic FC will be joined by Fruta Conquerors, Botofago FC, Santos FC, New Amsterdam United, Buxton United, Timehri Panthers and Rupununi FC in the quarterfinal round this weekend.

WEDNesDAY, JUNE 19, 2019

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

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Eoin Morgan’s brutal 148 demolishes Afghanistan Page 22

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Roberts says disappointed New Zealand aiming to at Govt’s efforts in cycling extend unbeaten run Page 20

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