Guyana Times Friday July 12, 2019

ERC steps up efforts to ensure media houses ‘stay in line’P14 Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 3982

THE BEACON OF TRUTH friday, july 12, 2019

PRICE

GECOM Chair selection

Govt still mum on clarity of Opposition list of nominees

See story on page 7

Judiciary condemns PM’s statement that “Judge’s action smacks of vendetta” Guyana Goldfields produces 37,000 ounces of gold for 2nd quarter

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Teen charged for friend’s P16 murder

Govt puts end to “3-month work before pay” policy

P17

Page 16

– despite 3-day protest by workers

Page 14

Police destroy 25,000 ganja plants in Berbice See story River on page 2

Mocha resident who allegedly provided guns to kill money changer arrested Page 11

Arbitrary firing of PSM staff was P18 based on “evidence” – Minister Man jailed for gun, ammo P8 possession

Anns Grove man wanted for 2016 murder of P2 girl, 14

2 news

friday, JUly 12, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

3 arrested for possession Police destroy 25,000 ganja plants in Berbice River of bulletproof vests

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hree persons have been arrested in relation to the possession of bulletproof vests, the Guyana Police Force (GFC) said.

Ranks in C Division (East Coast Demerara) on Thursday arrested a food

vendor on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD), after a search of his premises unearthed, among other things, two bulletproof vests.

Police said the 41-yearold suspect is wanted for questioning in connection

with two recent crimes.

Meanwhile, several days ago, ranks at the Berbice River Bridge checkpoint intercepted a motor car and arrested two men, who had in their possession, bulletproof vests.

The GPF said a further search of one suspect’s home revealed eight bulletproof vests. The suspect reportedly told the Police that he imported the protective gear.

Police said these two suspects have since been released on bail, pending further investigation into the matter.

proximately 35 kilograms of dried cannabis were unearthed during the raid.

The Police have since destroyed nearly five acres of ganja. No arrests have been made. Earlier in the month, at least 2000 cannabis plants measuring four inches to five feet in height were destroyed at Low Wood, Demerara River on Thursday.

Based on reports received, a team of Police ranks of A Division (GeorgetownEast Bank Demerara) conducted the exercise during

The marijuana farm

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anks of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Wednesday conducted a drug eradication exercise at Kimbia and Kaiuwa, Upper Berbice River, where an estimated 25,000 marijuana plants were destroyed.

According to information received, the Police found three fields of cannabis with thousands of plants, rangThe dried ganja that was found

ing between two and seven feet in height, estimated to weigh about 13,000 kilograms.

In addition, a nursery containing about 3000 seedlings, four camps, and ap-

which a three-acre marijuana farm was discovered and destroyed. In addition, several nurseries and a makeshift camp with a quantity of dried marijuana were also found and burnt.

Anns Grove man wanted for 2016 murder of girl, 14

Wanted: Alvin “Satan” Reid

Dead teen: Malika Hamilton

he Guyana Police Force (GPF) has issued a wanted bulletin for 35-year-old Alvin “Satan” Reid for the 2016 murder of 14-year-old Malika Hamilton.

Reid was last year freed of the charge owing to insufficient evidence when he appeared before Magistrate Peter Hugh at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court.

The body of the young girl was found on August 9, 2016 in the Hope Canal, East Coast Demerara (ECD), and it was initially assumed that the teen had drowned.

However, family members had been adamant that the child’s demise was as a result of foul play.

Government Pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh, had conducted a post-mortem exam-

ination of the teen’s body, and it was revealed that she had died as a result of asphyxiation or suffocation.

She was also said to have suffered from blunt trauma to the head and compression injury to the neck.

Shortly after, Police, following a lead, found Reid hiding in a barrel at the Anns Grove cemetery.

Reports are that although investigators spent several hours grilling the man about the murder, he had continuously denied any involvement in the crime.

Anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of Reid is asked to contact the Police on telephone numbers 229-2289, 2293564, or 911 or at the nearest Police Station.

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news

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friday, JUly 12, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Jagdeo says “categorical no” to extension of Govt’s life

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

Friday, July 12 – 01:30h and 14:30h-16:00h and Saturday, July 13 – 02:30h and 14:30h-16:00h.

… as Guyanese await consequential orders set for today

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

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Friday, July 12 – 12:55h-14:25h and Saturday, July 13 – 14:05h-15:35h.

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

WEATHER TODAY Thundery to light rain showers are expected in the morning with sunny intervals in the afternoon. Thundery showers return in the evening followed by clear to partly cloudy skies. Temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

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

High Tide: 13:08h reaching a maximum height of 2.29 metres.

Low Tide: 06:38h and 18:59h reaching minimum heights of 0.84 metre and 0.93 metre.

WEDNESday, JULY 10, 2019

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s Guyanese are anxiously awaiting today’s consequential orders to be issued by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo said it would be a “categorical no” on the part of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) when it comes to extending the deadline for the hosting of constitutionally-mandated General and Regional Elections.

The Trinidad-based regional court last month upheld the December passage of a No-Confidence Motion against the coalition Government and subsequently ordered the parties to make submissions which the court would consider in determining how the country moves forward.

However, Jagdeo pointed out that those consequential orders would have to uphold the Court’s ruling, which is consistent with the Constitution of Guyana.

By validating the passage of the Oppositionsponsored motion, the CCJ gave effect to Article 106 (6) and (7) which respectively state: “The Cabinet including the President shall resign if the Government is defeated by the vote of a majority of all the elected members of the National Assembly on a vote of confidence”, and “Notwithstanding its defeat, the Government shall remain in office and shall hold an election within three months, or such longer period as the National Assembly shall by resolution supported by not less than two-thirds of the votes of all the elected members of the National Assembly determine, and shall resign after the President takes the oath of office following the election”.

To this end, the Opposition Leader noted that his submissions were to this effect unlike what the Government was asking the Court to do.

“The Government has asked the Court to extend their timeline by reconvening parliament or allowing the reconvening of Parliament to see if they will get the two-thirds majority necessary to extend the life of the Government.

That is, asking us whether we will support them and the answer is a categorical no … We will not support an extension of the life of the Government and only the People’s Progressive Party can do that because the Government does not have two-thirds vote in the National Assembly,” he posited.

In its submissions, the Government once again raised questions about the Court’s jurisdiction by claiming that the CCJ

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

President David Granger

could not set an election date. According to the consequential orders proposals, which were released by the Attorney General’s Chambers, the Government claims that the CCJ “has no jurisdiction to set the date for elections nor to dissolve Parliament”. This is although President David Granger has failed to do either, in keeping with the constitutional provisions.

But the Government contended that “there is no evidence that the President has failed to comply with his duties. Consequentially, there is no basis to order that the President act on his constitutional duty to set a date for elections or to dissolve Parliament”.

Meanwhile, the Opposition has submitted, among other things, that, in accordance with both the CCJ’s ruling and the Constitution, an order be given for President Granger to set a date for elections “no later than September 18, 2019”, which is three months after the Court’s June ruling.

According to the Opposition Leader, the language of the Constitution is clear.

“For me, the consequential orders, whether we get everything the PPP has asked for or not, they don’t change the Constitution of Guyana … So regardless of what happens (today), the Court did not change the Constitution of Guyana and the Court cannot rule in defiance of the Constitution of Guyana and so, the three months deadline for elections is still there in our Constitution…,” he contended.

The coalition has shown consistent defiance of the CCJ ruling and the Constitution, as Government continues to operate with a ‘business as usual’ approach pending the consequential orders. In fact, Government’s Spokesperson, Joseph Harmon, had stated that the Administration needed to stay in office to govern the country.

But Jagdeo says that is not their real intention.

“They want to stay in office to steal in this period, not govern, and that is why they’re clinging on in defiance of the Constitution and in defiance of plain, simple language that a child could understand,” he stated.

In fact, the Opposition Leader pointed to the recent utterance of Finance Minister Winston Jordan promising salary increases to public servants in 2020 highlighted the fact that the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) was unhinged by its downfall.

Insisting that his party would not allow the coalition to illegally stay in office, Jagdeo noted that if it somehow managed to extend its time, however, there would not be any new spending.

“But if they succeed and you go to January, there is no budget. So have to move to the one-twelfth provision on the recurring budget and no new capital project, and so all this Government spending ceases … This is a manifestation of this government not recognising how deep in hot waters it is… Right now, they’re illegal and nothing would change their illegal status except elections,” the Opposition Leader asserted.

Nevertheless, Jagdeo went on to say that the entire country saw the blatant attempt by the coalition to hang onto power and delay the constitutionally-mandated elections using “every single ploy in the book”.

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friday, JUly 12, 2019

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

Helping addicts

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he issue of how best to treat and deal with drug addicts has always been a major challenge for regional governments, especially here in Guyana, where many abusers of illegal drugs have taken up the streets as their permanent homes, thereby creating an additional burden to the health sector and the society as a whole. A walk around Georgetown and other towns and commercial areas in the country will show the extent of the problem we currently face.

While some regional governments have been dealing with the matter from a legal standpoint, which focuses more on using the courts to punish offenders, and so on, some countries are still to holistically address the matter of treatment of drug addicts.

Drug dependence is partly regarded as a disease, and should be treated as such. Treatment of the disease is important, since leaving it untreated almost guarantees that the drug-dependent person will relapse into drug use. Further, not only will it result in the drug-dependent offenders reoffending, it will certainly lead them to commit other crimes in order to feed their drug habits.

In Guyana, there is need for better strategies and programmes to deal with the rising numbers of victims of substance abuse, which includes alcohol addicts. At the moment, opportunities for treatment and counselling and other forms of assistance are very few. Added to this, of the few that are available, their services are costly.

It is important that strategies aimed at reducing the social and health consequences of persons, particularly those living on the streets, who suffer from substance abuse disorder, be put in place.

The cost to our society of drug abuse and related problems is very significant, at a time when many economies in the region are faltering. These costs lie in law enforcement actions taken against drug traffickers and street dealers. While the costs to the health and welfare systems are only now being quantified, various studies on the subject show that drug abuse places significant additional strains on already overburdened health care systems.

Perhaps regional governments which have not yet explored the concept of having drug treatment courts could explore this option. Court-supervised treatment of certain types of drug-dependent offenders as an alternative to incarceration is a concept that has proven its value across different cultures, as a means of reducing crime, reducing repeat offences, reducing relapse into drug use, and reducing the prison population.

Jamaica recognised this in 1999 with the passage of the Drug Court (Treatment and Rehabilitation of Offenders) Act, and the establishment of two drug treatment courts in the country, actions which have proven to be effective. It is encouraging to see that Guyana will now be moving in this direction. Certainly, this new system will provide rehabilitative services to offenders, rather than have them incarcerated.

Many experts have concluded that jailing offenders does not help them in any way, but rather pushes them to graduate into “bigger things”.

In many Caribbean territories, especially Guyana, there is a high proportion of prisoners incarcerated for drug-related crimes. While it is still difficult to quantify the drugs/crime relationship, there is sufficient evidence to connect drug users to crime and lack of citizen security.

It should be mentioned that the heart of success of drug treatment courts is the combination of treatment with judicial supervision and oversight. Without treatment, there is no drug treatment court. And without the power of the bench, the offender’s adherence to an often lengthy course of drug treatment would probably be much harder. Drug treatment and the justice system therefore go hand in hand.

We are not saying that drug treatment courts are the magic bullet that would help all drug-dependent offenders, but certainly they offer a way out of the cycle of drugs and crime, since they are one sure way of addressing drug addiction and crime in our communities. The courts and the law can be more than instruments of deterrence or retribution, they can also help to improve the lives of offenders; since the society, as a whole, is more than likely to reap the benefits. The authorities here must therefore move with haste in setting up the drug treatment court as promised.

England fans rejoice as their team put a thrashing on Australia to earn a place in the final of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup (BBC)

Want to help people in Venezuela?

Your best bet might be bitcoin

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s Moises Rendon, an associate director at the Center for Strategic & International Studies, noted remittance flows have become the second-largest source of income in Venezuela, after oil production, with about US$300 million coming in to the country every month from abroad. That’s made the Government eager to take a cut.

Cryptocurrency-based remittances, though, can circumvent those controls.

Sending bitcoin to family members back home in Venezuela, for instance, takes moments and only incurs a small fee. Since that asset is sent directly to the recipient’s phone – as opposed to being routed through a bank or another financial institution — it is safe from Government interference and can be easily liquidated through local exchanges.

Looking forward, innovation in the crypto space in Venezuela will likely only accelerate as hyperinflation remains on track to surpass 10 million per cent by the end of the year, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). After all, the dramatic collapse of the bolivar means that the logistics of making conventional payments are becoming more and more difficult; cash is scarce and traditional payment networks are overloaded. And it means that saving money is nearly impossible, because its value drops so quickly if left unused. Their own volatility notwithstanding, cryptocurrencies could help on both those fronts, especially as a growing number of merchants in the country start accepting a number of different digital currencies as payment.

As a result of all this, Venezuela already finds it-

Continued from thursday

self ranked as the fourth country in the world in bitcoin trade, with the average daily volume of the cryptocurrency traded on LocalBitcoins — just one of several online marketplaces where people can exchange bitcoin for local currency — reaching 5.2 billion bolivares.

As Joe Waltman, the executive director of GiveCrypto, told CNBC: “Crypto has the highest likelihood of being helpful to people in places where money is broken … and there’s probably no better example of broken money right now than Venezuela.”

When it comes to the potential of blockchain and digital currencies to help revolutionise humanitarian aid systems, excitement abounds.

With international relief organisations losing up to 3.5 per cent of every aid transaction to different costs and fees — and with 30 per cent of all development funds being lost to corruption, according to former United Nations Secretary General Ban Kimoon – advocates say that intermediary-free cryptocurrency transactions are a less expensive way of doing business.

In addition, as direct cash interventions continue to gain traction in development circles, the kind of direct, peer-to-peer giving that blockchain technology makes so easy – and which is evident in Venezuela – can also come off as especially effective.

With nonprofits leveraging digital currency platforms to help vulnerable people in other countries as well, a growing number of donors are sitting up and taking notice.

But just as Venezuela is shining a spotlight on the humanitarian potential of

cryptocurrency, it is also underlining how far away that technology still is from being able to truly revolutionise current aid systems.

For one, cryptocurrency transactions depend on a functioning electricity grid and stable Internet service, both of which have been far from guaranteed in blackout-ravaged Venezuela.

More operational challenges in that country — which are also present in many others in the developing world — include limited smartphone penetration and less-than-widespread computer and financial literacy. That means the humanitarian benefits of crypto are difficult to scale up.

“Basic services are not working. Many cities don’t have electricity for 10 to 12 hours every day,” Rendon says. “So yes, crypto has potential to help, but the situation is so extreme that it’s hard to see the crypto benefits scaling to the level that is needed.”

Another stumbling block is that, when it comes to crypto-giving, concerns around accountability and transparency have yet to be resolved, in part because the parties involved in a transaction can largely remain anonymous.

“Anyone who tells you that they can track inside Venezuela with 100 per cent accuracy and prove that a donation has been spent in two bags of food, that’s not true,” said Randy Brito, the founder of the Bitcoin for Venezuela Initiative, which uses cryptocurrency donations to buy and distribute food inside the country.

EatBCH runs a very similar operation to the Bitcoin for Venezuela Initiative.

Their accountability system is to upload photos on Twitter that show folks eating donated food and a handwritten sign with the

code of the transaction that helped pay for it. As Rendon notes, “That’s good enough for a few thousand dollars [in donations]. But not for like half a million dollars.”

Another obstacle that might stand in the way of cryptocurrencies’ adoption among the donor community is their somewhat dubious reputation and connection to illicit activities like money laundering. That narrative is one that recent developments in Venezuela helped perpetuate: Last year, the Government tried (and failed) to launch a state-sanctioned digital currency — the petro — in large part to circumvent international sanctions.

So cryptocurrency will not be the silver bullet that resolves the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. The dimension of the hardship faced by the population is too big, and the streams of aid crypto makes possible are too new, and too difficult to expand.

That said, crypto’s ability to help put food on the table for some people – and the bigger-picture role it plays helping re-establish free market mechanisms in a damagingly repressive economic context – shows the technology’s philanthropic potential. As Rendon summed up: “It’s taking control away from the regime and empowering the people.”

If Venezuela teaches us anything, it’s that, for those living under authoritarianism or suffering from hyperinflation, bitcoin, Ethereum, and other cryptocurrencies can be useful financial tools. That’s something that the development community should keep in mind, especially when seeking to distribute aid to crisis areas in a more efficient, faster way. (Excerpt from vox.com)

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

The AFC’s fortune-seekers

Dear Editor, Every reasonable-minded Guyanese must now admit that the Alliance for Change’s leadership comprise a band of fortune seekers and desperados, not unlike the buccaneers, pirates, and privateers who once roamed, rampaged, pillaged, and plundered the seas of the Caribbean.

The high echelon of the AFC has lost sight of the founding principles which were enshrined in its Constitution and had been the dominant force which drove many persons to move away from the PPP and the PNC— especially the PPP— in their quest for a third force which has the capability to forever change the political landscape of Guyana.

Unfortunately, this was never to be, and sadly, will never be.

In the second edition of the Alliance for Change’s Action Plan, Mr Khemraj Ramjattan, now leader again, had declared to Guyanese that “The Alliance for Change is the key for Guyana, the key to unlock us from the divisive racial politics of the past, from the corruption that engulfs us, from the oppressive taxes we are forced to pay, from the deadly crime that haunts and traumatises us, from the economic decline, and from the hopelessness that we breathe daily”.

Today, this same man is the sec-

ond Vice President for Guyana and the Minister of Public Security and this declaration should now be read thus, “the AFC is the key which has locked us into divisive racial politics, locked us into unprecedented spiralling corruption, locked us into a multitude of extremely oppressive and retrogressive taxes, locked us into spiralling deadly crimes which are traumatising us daily, and locked us into an airtight compartment of hopelessness”. Things have changed drastically-for the worse!

Similar sentiments were expressed by Mr Raphael Trotman and he added underdevelopment, nepotism, pettiness to the AFC’s arsenal. He had warned that unless there was change, then there will be “five more years of higher taxation, higher unemployment, soaring crimes and widespread hopelessness”.

Anyone reading this today will have to admit that both Trotman and Ramjattan are speaking about what is happening currently under this coalition Government and had resulted in a successful no-confidence against them. The Alliance for Change had made a series of ‘wrong turns’ and closely embraced every single issue that they had vowed to fight against and change.

The Alliance for Change is one of the architects and bears full re-

sponsibility for the dismissal of more than 30,000 persons, including more than 7,000 sugar workers.

Both Ramjattan and Nagamootoo presided, aided and abetted the demise of the sugar workers in Region 6, Wales and Enmore.

It is a crying shame that both Nagamootoo and Ramjattan belonged to rural farming communities. Nagamootoo had once acclaimed himself as the ‘champion of the sugar workers’ who had once ignited candles on their behalf. He would later vulgarly label the sugar workers ‘raiders of the Treasury’, whilst Ramjattan blamed them for ‘eating’ the resources which could have used to make better prisons and pay public servants. Such callousness and insensitivity from two persons, who had once begged the support of the sugar workers and promised them 20% as soon as they were elected to Government. Four years after and NOT even 20 cents increased, in fact, many were dismissed and many hard-fought benefits were snatched away from them.

Not to be outdone, Minister Trotman has made tremendous ‘blunders’ with the EXXON deal which reeked of corruption with this nation losing whatever windfall would have accrued from the massive discovery of oil. His gimmicks and excuses have become not only

unbearable, but unacceptable to the average Guyanese. Even the US$18 million signing bonus only recently surfaced more than three years after! Guyanese will have to continue to live as third class citizens because of his ‘blunders’. This man had spoken about ‘underdevelopment’ but his wilful acts and omissions have done nothing to take Guyanese out of our vicious circle of poverty and underdevelopment.

Moreover, the Public Infrastructure Minister seems to be having a rough time to determine WHO IS NOT CORRUPT within his Ministry. Cronyism and corruption are devouring his Ministry, starting from himself. It is corruption from the ‘base to the pinnacle’ within his Ministry. From the tender process to the certification of substandard work, there is a trail of corruption.

He, himself, cannot rid from the stench of corruption, be it when you landed at CJIA, when you travel along the highway, when you cross the Demerara Harbour Bridge or when you sit at Durban Park to witness a spectacle involving the waste of taxpayers’ dollars!

Then, there is the conflict of interest scenario involving the Minister of Public Communications, Ms Catherine Hughes and her company, Videomega Productions.

Pleading ignorance does nothing

to eradicate the nauseating stench of corruption which emanates from the numerous contracts awarded to her company.

It must be noted that shortly after May 2015, the AFC has become increasingly tone deaf to corruption and gave its approval to all the corruption issues mentioned above, making it abundantly clear that the AFC ministers and those within the coalition Government only intend on securing the ‘good life’ for themselves, cronies and families. Not to be outdone, the junior AFC appointees and within the Government, the National Executive members, and even the little fries, have also displayed a huge appetite for corruption.

Today, the leadership of the Alliance for Change is no longer secretive about the fact that they are only interested in remaining as the ‘scrap dealers’ in the coalition Government and they are even willing to engage in open internal dog fights for the anticipated scraps which they hoped will be flung in their direction should they ever get back in power— an eventuality which will never happen!

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf RDC Councillor, Region 6

The world will be compelled to impose economic sanctions on Guyana

Dear Editor: History will prove that when Justice Owen Roberts delivered his lecture at Oxford University in 1951 on “The Rule of Law in the International Community”, he referred to the idea that following the rule of law is synonymous with being a “highly civilised nations.” In that lecture, he stated that on the test of being classified as a highly civilised nation, in his words, for a nation to qualify, it must meet some tests.

These tests are: “first, a country that has a representative form of Government, second, a country where individual liberty and freedom are protected by law, [and third] where there are bounds and limits to what the Government can do.”

Justice Roberts was able to skilfully encapsulate what is vitally needed in nations like Guyana with weak institutions and egotistic political leaders who think of themselves and their party more than the people they serve.

What is needed in Guyana is more democracy, more respect for the basic rights of man, and more commitment on the part of all politicians to the rule of law and our Constitution.

This is the path that will create a bond and a route that can finally emancipate our people from this economic, subversive system that rewards the 10% closest to the ruling politicians and starve the other 90%. This model failed Guyana since we were given that power to manage our own affairs in 1966 and it continues to fail us today. No side is innocent in this transgression and let me be very clear on that fact.

Thus, we must not be surprised with the economic results because of these weak leaders.

Sixty years ago, Guyana and Singapore had

average wealth-per-person, similarly sized. Today, the average Singaporean is 100 times wealthier than their Guyanese compatriot.

This reality must be contextualised with the fact that Singapore is nothing but a piece of rock, while Guyana is a mecca of all sorts of natural resources that any Singaporean would dream of getting their hand on.

Remember, Singapore has zero crude oil, but one of the largest value-added petrochemical industry in all of Asia. This happened because great minds dream big and small minds dwell in low-class stuff like political bullyism, violation of the Constitution, and ethnic supremacy.

Fast forwarding to the statement from the President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce as sourced from the 2018 Bank of Guyana Annual Report. He highlighted the fact that it was the construction and services sectors that prime the economy in 2018.

If these two sectors were extracted from the economic growth computation, Guyana would have certainly regressed and I am worried by this fact. Why I am worried?

If one is to look at what is driving the construction sector, it is not medium-term private sector-led construction with 5-year projects like a hydro-power plant or a deep-water harbour or a road to Brazil.

It is actually the central Government artificially priming the economy in a kneejerk manner with project of waste and financial squander. Team Granger continues to meet these uncoordinated spending by taxing and borrowing more which directly leads to the crowd-out of the local private sector from the economy. That is certainly not a sustainable model unless, of course, you plan to

borrow more and tax the people more to feed the spending spree in the State Sector? The end game is that since 2017 there has been massive capital flight from Guyana.

As to the services sector, that growth was caused by some six transactions. The empirical evidence revealed that they were mainly for the import of some oil pipelines that never created one medium-term job on the shores of Guyana. These transactions were booked in the accounts of Guyana, but they did not create a sustainable impact in the pockets of the people that matter— the masses.

Once those pipes are installed in the sea far away from Port Georgetown, there will not be an annual repeat on such a grand scale unless more oil is found and that is a probability that depends on divine intervention and a heavy dose of luck. However, a sugar investment in a sugar refinery can create hundreds of new jobs and feed the eco-

nomic numbers annually for decades to come— major difference!

Irrespective of how desperate this need to hold on to power remains in the mind of Mr David Granger, he must understand there is an indissolubly link that binds the principle of following the rule of law and actual economic performance. NASDAQ can preach that Guyana has gold from now until the cows come home, it isn’t gold until it is extracted and the money is in the bank.

As this JUNTA continues to violate the Constitution, there will be a huge push back and the next move is to lobby the international community for social justice. The world will be compelled to impose economic sanctions on Guyana if the CCJ ruling is disregarded, which means that all of the oil revenue can be quarantined in a safe city like Washington DC in an escrow account until Guyana holds free and fair elections. Is this the price Mr

Granger is willing to pay for a few more siren rides?

So, what good will this push by his party (the PNC) do? All the PNC is doing today is migrating Guyana into an uncivilised nation? In the QC school song, there are these words “Strive must we with hand and brain, Ne’er the twain dissever. Wooing wisdom cheerily— QUEEN’S, QUEEN’S, FOREVER! Or as we say “Reginae Collegium”!

Let us trust and hope there are glimmers of QC remaining in the DNA of Mr David Granger

or else for generations to come, everyone who went to Queens will have to carry that collective burden as my predecessors did, when in 1968, one of our boys stole democracy in Guyana. Today, we have that golden opportunity to act civilised, but the light of hope grows weak as yet again, another QC boy appears to be acting with great determination to ruthlessly steal democracy from our nation.

Regards, Sasenarine Singh

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S

o what’s high school really like? Is there more work? More stress? Will it be difficult going from being one of the oldest primary school students to one of the youngest high schoolers?

If you’re having thoughts like these, you’re not alone: Lots of other newbies are feeling the same way you are – you’re all starting out in a new place. With that in mind, here are a few topics that commonly worry incoming schoolers and some things you might want to know about them.

Foundation

Starting high school ics, time management, and social skills while providing you with a little extra support and guidance – kind of like a bicycle with training wheels. High school gives you the chance to take off those training wheels and learn how to be more independent.

It’s perfectly OK if you’re

Starting out at a new school

You may not know a lot of people when you start high school. Maybe your friends are going to a different high school. Even if you know other new students, you might feel nervous that you don’t know any older students. How are you going to make friends among this sea of unknown faces?

Most high schools hold an orientation before school actually starts. These are helpful not only because you learn your way around the building and get to meet some of your teachers, but you also get to meet fellow first years. That way, when you show up on your first day of school, you may already recognise a few familiar faces. If you think it might help, tour your school another time before or after orientation to make sure you have a good sense for where your classes, etc, are.

When you talk to people at orientation, you’ll probably find that a lot of them are feeling just like you are.

They’re all new to the school and don’t know what to expect. Talking about a common concern with your classmates can spark new friendships.

Learning inside the classroom

How about the workload in high school – is it a lot harder? Again, this is something your classmates are probably worried about, too.

The work in high school builds on what you learned in primary school, giving you a more advanced knowledge of many academic subjects.

So you may find you have more work to do or that it’s a bit more challenging. But these challenges can make you feel less bored with the usual routine – it feels great when you’ve mastered something really tough. Maybe you’ll find a new appreciation for biology or discover a passion for literature.

If you ever find your work

too overwhelming, teachers and tutors are available for extra help. While you have more independence as a high school student than you might have had in primary school, there are still many resources to fall back on if you feel the work is too much or if there’s something you don’t understand.

Extracurricular activities

High school also has more extracurriculars than primary school did, such as clubs, music and theatre groups, student government, and sports teams.

This is a fantastic time to explore your interests and try new things. Who said school has to be all work and no play?

These activities may take place before or after school, or during free periods or study halls. Because of this, it helps to sharpen your time management skills in your

first year. Extracurricular activities are great, but remember to leave free time for yourself. Everybody needs some downtime.

nervous at first. Even if you don’t get off to the best start, that’s normal, too – everybody’s a bit wobbly the first time they take off their training wheels. Just be patient and keep trying. Once you’ve adjusted to your new independence, you may find you can go farther than you ever imagined. (kidshealth.org)

Cookie Excavation

Learning outside the classroom

High school is a time of increasing independence and responsibility. As in primary school, you or your friends may have some tough times. But if you ever find that personal issues get really overwhelming, find someone to talk to. Just because you’re becoming more independent, it does not mean you’re alone.

Friends and parents can be great resources, but sometimes that’s not enough.

School counsellors or therapists can be very helpful if you want to talk with someone outside of your friends and family. So many people are available to help you.

Primary school taught you the basics of academ-

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rchaeologists are both scientists and detectives. They use scientific methods like excavation to discover clues that help them solve the mysteries of the past.

Time Required: less than 5 minutes Intended Outcomes: Participants will simulate the process of archaeological excavation as they “excavate” the chocolate chips or raisins in cookies. They will discover how excavation is both destructive and scientific. Older participants can also practice coordinate graphing skills by mapping the results of their excavations.

Materials:

• Chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin cookies • Paper towels • Toothpicks

Instructions:

1. Give each participant a cookie, paper towel, and toothpick.

2. Encourage participants to “excavate” their cookies with the toothpicks. They should be careful not to damage any artefacts. For an added challenge, remind them that they should not pick up their cookies because archaeologists cannot pick up sites!

3. Encourage older participants to map their results. Explain that archaeologists create similar maps to discover patterns that tell about the people who created the site. Ask participants if their maps reveal any patterning in the distribution of chocolate chips. If so, can they propose hypotheses that might explain it?

Tips: • Offer oatmeal raisin cookies as an alternative to chocolate.

• Use only store-bought cookies, and make sure they are relatively soft (eg, Keebler Chips Deluxe Soft ‘n Chewy). (Adapted from “Cookie Excavation” in Beyond Artifacts, Florida Public Archaeology Network)

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friday, JUly 12, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

GECOM Chair selection

Govt still mum on clarity of Opposition list of nominees

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t end of the third day of talks between the Government and Opposition representatives on nominees for the new Chair of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) still could not get clarity on whether its reduced list of five names is acceptable by President David Granger.

PPP Executive Member and former Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira – who is leading the team on behalf of Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo— had written her Government counterpart, Joseph Harmon, the Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, seeking clarity on a number of issues, including what was meant by “shortlisting”, among other terms used.

According to Teixeira, while the Opposition has accepted the rejection of six names from a pool of 11 nominees, they are still not sure whether those five “shortlisted” are acceptable to the President or not.

Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall stated that there was no decision made at that engagement where-

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

by 13 names were agreed upon for consideration by the President and the Leader of the Opposition.

“We attended today’s (Thursday’s) meeting with the hope of securing this crucial clarification and we sought the same at the very commencement of the meeting. Without giving us a clear and definitive assurance that the names “shortlisted” are “not unacceptable” to the President, the President’s delegation proceeded to add another name to those already “shortlisted”.

Notwithstanding, we continued to clamour for that crucial clarification, but in vain.

Instead, the President’s delegation begun to bizarrely demand that we begin to “ham-

President David Granger

mer out” the eight names suggested by the President”, Nandlall later explained.

Nandlall further pointed out that the eight names emanated from the President must be taken to be “not unacceptable” to the President and that Article 161 (2), as interpreted by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), requires the “hammering out” of names submitted by the Opposition Leader in order to identify those which find the “not acceptability” of the President, since the President is not permitted to appoint one of his own choosing.

“It is at this stage that we were met with the shocking disclosure from the President’s delegation that

Former Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira

those 8 names do not enjoy the confidence of the President!!!

Expectedly, this disclosure revealed to us that continuing the engagement would not yield the desired result.

Hence, we decided to abort it and revert to our respective Principals”, he added.

As such, Nandlall highlighted that only five names were “shortlisted” in moving forward and they are none the wiser in relation to the reason for the “shortlisting”.

Meanwhile, earlier on Thursday, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, at his weekly press conference, had said that the engagement between the representatives was time-wasting.

Apart from noting that

Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall

some of the objections raised by the representatives from the Government’s side on his 11 nominees were frivolous, Jagdeo added that it appears as though the members of Government’s delegation seemed to be exercising their own opinions on the Opposition’s nominees and then still have to go to the President for his.

“If this is a time-wasting thing, then let’s go back to the Leader of the Opposition meeting directly with the President on this matter.

So if he says directly, ‘I find this name acceptable or unacceptable’, then we can discuss that; or if he gives a reason (for rejection), then I can say that’s not an objective rea-

son directly to his face, rather than go through these representatives, because right we don’t know on whose behalf they’re speaking,” the Opposition Leader posited, noting that his representatives were constantly in touch with him and seeking his input during the discussions.

Moreover, Jagdeo went on to accuse the coalition of putting up a front to mislead the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) — which will be handing down consequential orders today on the way forward— as part of their tactic to delay the impending elections.

“I had warned right when we came out of the meeting (with the President last week) that we have to watch out during this short period that they may seem like they’re full of cooperation and want to be helpful etc… But once we get past the consequential order of the Court, because the Court would feel ‘Oh, there’s a process ongoing so let us not interfere in this’, that thereafter everything slows down, consistent with their thrust to delay elections,” the Opposition Leader stated.

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friday, JUly 12, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Venezuelan slapped with 2-year suspended sentence, fined $50,000 for having spent gun shells

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Venezuelan national, who claimed that he made jewellery with ammunition, was on Thursday slapped with a twoyear suspended sentence and fined $50,000 by Magistrate Ann McLennan when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Thirty-one-year-old Ivon Marques plead guilty to the charge which alleged that on July 6, 2019 at Black Water Landing, North West District (NWD), he had two spent 9mm shells in his possession.

The defendant, in his ad-

dress to the Court, stated that “I came to look for a better life and I make jewellery with those”.

Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield stated that on the day in question, ranks of the Mabaruma Police Station, acting on information received, went to Black Water Landing, where they made contact with the defendant and identified themselves.

The Police then asked to conduct a search on his person but nothing was found.

However, a further search was carried out on a haver-

sack that the defendant was carrying, when the two spent shells were found.

The defendant was told of the allegations and cautioned by the ranks when he reportedly admitted that the spent shells belonged to him.

The ranks then asked the defendant if he was a licenced firearm holder, in which he denied. He was then arrested and escorted to Georgetown.

The Prosecutor further indicated to the Court that the defendant had no legal status in Guyana when checks were made.

Scandalising…

Ivon Marques

The Magistrate, upon her ruling, also instructed the Police to escort Marques to the nearest port of exit at the nearest possible date.

Man jailed for gun, ammo possession

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construction worker was on Thursday sentenced to two years imprisonment for gun possession and another year for possession of ammunition when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Charles Stoby appeared before Magistrate Dillon

Bess who handed down the sentence, since the prosecution presented sufficient evidence to warrant a conviction.

The Police stated that on November 5, 2018, at Alexander Street, Kitty, Stoby had one 9mm pistol in his possession without being the holder of a fire-

arm licence. It was also alleged that on the same date at the same place, he had in his possession two live rounds of 9mm ammunition.

Stoby, at his first appearance, denied the charges when it was read to him by Magistrate Ann McLennan.

However, during his ap-

pearance, the Police stated that Stoby had signed to a caution statement as “Anthony Nedd”.

However, during the trial, the Police produced witnesses and the evidence was overwhelming.

As such, he was slapped with the sentences which are to run concurrently.

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…the Court oses Nagamootoo, the man who’d be PM again over the body of his erstwhile buddy Ramjattan, is a lawyer; but he’s ignoring what the same Ramjattan taught him when he, Nagamootoo, entered the bar in his dotage and Ramjattan had to hold his hands.

And your Eyewitness isn’t talking about gratitude, since morality and ethics are foreign to Nagamootoo; he’s referring to the law of contempt and Nagamootoo being an officer of the court.

Now, we all know Jordan’s being held in contempt of court for blatantly ignoring its orders on more than one occasion. But Jordan just wants to ingratiate himself with the REAL PNCites – meaning, the thug elements – to show he’s also “big and bad”. But he’s blown it, hasn’t he?? The moment he heard he had to don that orange jump suit and spend 21 days with the hard-core fellas at 12 Camp St, he ran sobbing and quivering to Granger to (literally!) save his a55 with a “respite”!!

Now, Jordan at least was always a closet PNC, but with ex-PPP Nagamootoo, he’s gotta try waaaay harder to ingratiate himself with the PNC big-wigs to walk all over Ramjattan and become Granger’s footstool. So when Jordan yelled “War break!” in Bartica and vowed “H2H or death!”, Nagamootoo immediately announced he’d donned olive fatigues to take on the PPP!!

And, in like fashion, he’s now decided he’s gotta go one-up on Jordan’s “contempt of court” outrage. So he went ahead to commit CRIMINAL contempt of the court, which is defined as: “the publication (whether by words spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise) of any matter or the doing of any other act whatsoever which scandalises or tends to scandalise, or lowers or tends to lower, the authority of any court.”

Referring to Jordan’s contempt, imagine, Nagamootoo declared that the Judge’s action “smacks of vendetta”.

“For me, it is a kind of judicial wrath for us to talk about imprisoning a minister of the Government who was exercising his function officially.”

Vendetta? This, according to the dictionary, is “a prolonged bitter quarrel with or campaign against someone”!! Wrath??

This is extreme anger, rage, or fury of biblical proportions!!

Now, there’s no question that the opinions of Judges are subject to comment or critique…, but as the Indian Supreme Court ruled, “any insinuation to undermine the dignity of the Court under the garb of mere criticism is liable to be punished.” And Nagamootoo wasn’t just “insinuating” …be was explicitly SCANDALISING the Court.

Seems he’s just dying to join Jordan in Camp Street!! He knows that “When wickedness comes, so does contempt, and with shame comes reproach.”

Jail him!! …the foundation of business It’s clear the PNC will never understand why our democratic state is founded on our inalienable right to “life, liberty and property”. Property! Without property, we’re reduced to beggars who’d cower in front of those whom WE put into office, begging for crumbs from their tables. And this is what the PNC’s doing, isn’t it??

Siphoning the state’s patrimony to its insiders, while keeping us impoverished.

But with the Dipcon outrage, Jordan’s revealed that the PNC’s prepared to go even further against: to actually expropriate the property of those who have earned their “property” legally through contract but aren’t seen as PNC: The foundation of our economic system depends on the judiciary enforcing the duty of parties to enforce the sanctity of contracts. As Lord Keynes said, “injustice is a matter of uncertainty, justice a matter of contractual predictability”.

But removing the certainty of contractual obligations being fulfilled, Jordan and the PNC are undermining our entire edifice of justice and, more mundanely, any hope of attracting real investors.

If the PNC won’t hear, then they must feel. Jail Jordan!! …Granger’s submission of names What excuse can Granger have for submitting James Patterson’s name to the Leader of the Opposition, when he’d affirmed this man was history??

Does his “word” have no value??

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

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

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friday, JUly 12, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

UN Electoral Mission advised against new list of electors – Jagdeo …says Patterson refused assistance after findings

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United Nations (UN) Needs Assessment Mission (NAM) had found last year that there was no need for a new voter’s list. This comes at a time when the APNU/AFC coalition continues to push for the conduct of House-toHouse registration, which could delay the hosting of possible early elections until next year.

Based on a request from the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) last year for technical assistance in preparation for the 2018 Local Government Elections and the 2020 General Elections in Guyana, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) deployed a team back in May 2018 to assess Guyana’s electoral needs.

On page two of its report, the Electoral Needs Assessment Mission stated, “It is the view of the Mission that there is no certainty that a new voters’ list will have more credibility than the current list and that stakeholders will trust it more. Furthermore, any list created close to the elections will likely be criticised as politically motivated”.

The visiting team, various Government officials and stakeholder bodies, consisted of Senior Electoral/Political Affairs Officer Hassan Sesay, Election/Governance Expert Fernanda Lopes, and Senior Political Affairs Officer Guillermo Kendall. Their aim was to evaluate the current and electoral environment in Guyana and assess the form of future UN electoral assistance; while also recommending the type of assistance that should be provided and the parameters, including the length of assistance and modalities that will govern such assistance.

However, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo believes that GECOM never pursued this because of their findings.

“I suspect because of this, (then GECOM Chairman retired Justice James) Patterson then refused the consultant that was ready to come and work in GECOM… because of this assessment.

So even the United Nations Electoral Mission that came to Guyana recognised that the list that you have to use is the one developed through continuous registration and that is the list that was valid up to April 30 (this year).

So we are not in bad company when asking the Court to use that very same list that they didn’t have a problem with for four elections…”

Jagdeo asserted.

The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Opposition re-

Representatives from the UN Assessment Mission with Attorney General Basil Williams and other officials from his chambers during their visit in May 2018

cently made public its submission to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) on the consequential orders to be handed down today, asking that the existing voters’ list be used for the upcoming polls. The Court had ordered parties to make submissions that will be taken into consideration in determining how the country moves forward having previously ruled that the No-Confidence Motion against the coalition was validly passed.

The Opposition submitted to the Court that had there been elections back in March after the December passage of the Motion, then the current list would have been used and detailed in length why the October 31, 2018 list can still be used.

Furthermore, the party also pointed out that there are no provisions in the law to postpone the hosting of polls to conduct House-to-House registration.

The APNU/AFC has been pushing for fresh registration. In fact, Chair of the People’s National Congress/ Reform (PNC/R) — which the largest party in the APNU fraction – Volda Lawrence had stated last week that with a clean list, the coalition is confident of not only returning to office but also garnering better results at the upcoming polls.

“We believe as a party that once this list is cleaned that we have a very good chance of having not just one seat over the Opposition but that the number of our seats will increase. So we are calling for the removal of these names that are there on the list and you cannot find the persons; we are calling for the removal of the persons who are now deceased – those who would have died at home and those who would’ve died abroad.

We’re calling for the removal of those persons from the list,” Lawrence posited.

In a subsequent statement, however, the PPP noted that a new voters list will not give the Granger-led administration any advantage of returning to office. The

Opposition went on to accused the coalition of trying to mislead the Guyanese public, contending that any concerns about removing dead people on the list and adding young people can be addressed through a claims

and objections process.

This, the PPP said, was confirmed by Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield earlier this year. Back in February, Lowenfield had said, “We can move toward

the conduct… of a claims and objections exercise of a duration to be specified by the Commission so that we can arrive at a list…

Claims allow for the youthful to be added and objections for the deceased to be removed based on the submission made by the GRO (Guyana Register Office).

Other deaths not reported to GRO, when we are in the field, people will come to us and say Jagmohan next door died and we want his name to be removed”.

To this end, the Opposition noted that the falsehood being touted by the PNC/R as “facts” on the voters’ list is appalling. The party further outlined that new House-to-House registration would disenfranchise Guyanese students studying abroad, Guyanese working overseas and other

Guyanese who may be holidaying.

“The Constitution details exactly what the requirements are for Guyanese to be included on the voters list. The current proposal for new national House-toHouse registration would de-register hundreds of Guyanese who are currently included on the voters’ list,” the party stressed.

According to the PPP, this push for new registration is a ploy by the coalition to delay constitutionally due elections.

“A claims and objections exercise can address all of the issues that are being raised as ‘justifications’ for new national Houseto-House registration…

The APNU/AFC coalition Government must stop engaging in delay tactics and call elections now”.

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friday, JUly 12, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com10

Caretaker Govt forging ahead with passage of ganja bill in Parliament

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lthough the Government should be in “caretaker” mode in keeping with the Constitution, the Alliance For Change (AFC) faction of the coalition has announced plans to go to Parliament to approve changes to several pieces of legislation before the end of the year.

AFC Chairman and former Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman has declared that the Government would be going to Parliament soon to approve changes to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Act, to ensure persons caught with small amounts of mar-

ijuana in their possession would not be jailed.

This is the latest in a series of defiant moves by the coalition Administration against a Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) ruling.

“We expect that we will have sittings of the National Assembly before it is dissolved and it is our intention to have this Bill passed into law. That is, that you are entitled to have up to 30 grams which is equivalent to roughly one ounce without being penalised with an incarceration or a custodial sentence as it is normally termed. Possession will remain an offence; however,

AFC Chairman Raphael Trotman

it will not lead to you going to jail and we have looked at just a mere fine and perhaps

community service or something of that nature,” he told the media during an AFC press briefing on Thursday.

The CCJ ruling gives effect to Article 161 of the Constitution of Guyana which stipulates that Cabinet should have already resigned, Parliament been dissolved and elections forthcoming.

Cabinet recently approved a proposal to change the law to allow persons with small amounts of marijuana to be given alternative sentencing, instead of going to jail.

Meanwhile, even as the AFC wants to go to Parliament soon, Trotman

said his party expected that elections will and should be held before the end of 2019.

“The Constitution is preserved despite the ruling of the Court, that it is only the President of Guyana that can issue a proclamation announcing an election and naming a date for those elections. There are certain consequential things that would be done. Parliament would have to be dissolved…”

Meanwhile, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has released its proposal for consequential orders in which it submitted that the CCJ order elections to be held by September 18, 2019 and urged the regional court to protect Guyana from constitutional abuse.

The regional court is expected to hand down its consequential orders today. On Wednesday, the Opposition released to the media its full submissions on how it believes the country should proceed now that it is confirmed that the Government was defeated by a NoConfidence Motion (NCM) last year.

In the submission, the Opposition noted that the Court should order that the Cabinet, including the President, should have resigned but remain in office to hold elections within three months of June 18, 2019 when the CCJ had ruled that the December 21, 2018 passage of the NCM was valid.

Mocha resident who allegedly provided Man gets 20 years guns to kill money changer arrested for raping ‘granny’

Dead: Arianna Latchman

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embers of the Major Crime Unit within the Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Thursday arrested a Mocha Arcadia, East Bank Demerara (EBD) resident, who allegedly provided the weapons to the gunmen who killed an East Coast Demerara money changer and his daughter.

The man, who was nabbed in North Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was described by two of the three men detained for the murders as “second in charge”.

The alleged shooters told detectives that on the day Aaron Latchman and his daughter, Arianna, were killed, their second “boss” was at the scene in a car. Further, the men allegedly told Police that after the shooting, they

were taken to a house in Sophia, Greater Georgetown, where they split the money paid for the hit.

The detectives, Guyana Times understands, went to the house in Sophia and interrogated the owner, who admitted that his friend (“second boss”) brought a group of men to his house where they were seen counting money. He was reportedly given $10,000 before the men left.

The owner of the house was arrested and was being further questioned. It is believed that the “second boss” might be behind the killings of the America Street money changers who were all gunned down during robberies.

The alleged mastermind is no stranger to the Police and the courts. He was charged for gun and ammunition possession. In addition, he is on trial for several armed robberies committed in 2018.

Meanwhile, the suspect “Rasta Man” of East La Penitence; “Marco” of Parika, East Bank Essequibo (EBE); “Red Man” of Sophia and “Julian” of East Ruimveldt, Georgetown remain in custody.

“Rasta Man” was reportedly arrested at Front Road, La Penitence, Georgetown, after Police swooped down on a house there. After his arrest, he took the Police to Dennis Street, Sophia and Parika,

Dead: Aaron Latchman

where the others were arrested.

Additionally, a motor car used by the bandits that belonged to the dead businessman was found at Front Road, La Penitence. During a search of the vehicle, an illegal firearm and several rounds of ammunition were found.

It was reported that on June 4, the now dead businessman had dropped off his younger daughter at her lessons and upon his return at home, he was confronted by the two gunmen.

He was held at gunpoint and escorted to the upper flat of his home with his 18-yearold daughter.

Reports are that the teen was attacked and shot to her chest when the bandits entered the house through the

back door and began demanding cash.

They then escorted Latchman into the yard where they shot him multiple times before escaping with a bag of cash.

However, a source said that the elder Latchman fought with the bandits and managed to disarm one of them before he was shot.

The bandits quickly made good their escape in a white Toyota Carina 212 motor car, leaving a trail of money behind.

The man and his daughter were picked up and rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where they were pronounced dead on arrival. They were laid to rest on Wednesday.

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39-year-old resident of Kumuni Creek, Demerara River, West Bank Demerara, was on Thursday sentenced to 20 years imprisonment after he admitted to raping a 76-year-old woman.

Delon Blake appeared before Justice Simone Morris-Ramlall on Tuesday and admitted that in July 2017, he engaged in sexual penetration with a 76-yearold woman.

However, in Court on Thursday, Justice MorrisRamlall handed down the sentence after listening to a probation report.

The convicted rapist was represented by Defence Attorney Robindra Mohabir,

Delon Blake

while the State’s case was led by Prosecutor Sarah Martin.

In October 2017, Blake had managed to escape from prison but was later recaptured.

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ERC steps up efforts to ensure Guyana Goldfields produces 37,000 ounces of gold for 2nd quarter media houses ‘stay in line’ – despite 3-day protest by workers

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President David Granger (centre) flanked by the 10 ERC members

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ith General and Regional Elections expected to be held soon, and considering the current political climate, the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) has already intensified its monitoring mechanisms to ensure that the various media entities across Guyana – television, radio, newspaper, and online news entities— behave in a responsible and ethical manner.

In a press release last evening, the ERC said that its monitoring mechanisms over the past few months have captured various instances, through publishing— facilitated and self-perpetuated— that are deemed “counterproductive to the process of promoting harmony and good relations across Guyana”.

The ERC said it will therefore step up its efforts to “discourage persons and institutions from heightening tensions through incitement and from indulging

in, advocating, or promoting discrimination or discriminatory practices on the ground of ethnicity”.

The ERC also commended those entities that demonstrate “a profound sense of responsibility in their reporting and the many Guyanese who, through social media outlets, bring attention and call upon their fellow countrymen and women to desist from posting inciting and disparaging comments”.

To this end, the Commission also wished to remind that under 139 D (1) of the Representation of the People’s Act, any person who makes or publishes or causes to be made or published any statement, or takes any action which results, or can result, in racial or ethnic violence or hatred among the people, shall be liable on conviction on indictment to a fine of one hundred thousand dollars together with imprisonment for two years.

139 D (2) states that ev-

ery person convicted of an offence under subsection (1) shall, in addition to any punishment under the said subsection, be incapable, during the period of five years from the date of the conviction, of being a member of the National Assembly or being a member of any local democratic organ or the holder of any constitutional or statutory office.

“The Commission urges familiarity which it believes would lead to restraint within the context noted and shortly, related public service announcements will be placed in the media as pertinent reminders”, the statement added.

Meanwhile, the ERC said it is in the process of engaging the media and political parties— both parliamentary and non-parliamentary— with the intention of working for national consensus to educate and discourage acts that are not in keeping with the fostering of national harmony.

uyana Goldfields Inc. announced that for the second quarter of 2019, its operations at Aurora Gold Mine have recorded a 45 per cent increase in gold production.

Though a full operational and financial result will be released after-market on July 30, the mining company has reported that it has produced 37,000 ounces of gold for the second quarter of 2019 and a total of 74,000 ounces for the first half of the year.

On this note, the company says that it is on track to achieve its 2019 production, which ranges from 145,000 to 160,000 ounces of gold.

In addition, Guyana Goldfields has recorded a quarterly mill performance of 7,815 tonnes per day, which is actually a 10 per cent increase from the previous year.

Vice President of the Canadian company Suresh Kalathil said that since the Aurora Mill resumed operations following a brief standoff by employees, the company is working towards achieving enhanced economies of scale on a cost per unit basis within defined operating metrics.

“Cost reduction plans initiated this quarter focused on diesel and reagent consumption reduction as part of our operational optimisation efforts to further reduce costs and improve operating efficiencies. We look forward to continuing a mutually beneficial working relationship

with all contractors and employees at Aurora… The Aurora mill is back up to full capacity, following the work stoppage from last week, and we continue to demonstrate best practices in health and safety with over 2 million person hours without a lost time injury,” Kalathil said.

Operations at Aurora were shut down on July 3, 2019 because of reported industrial unrest. As a result, three operational days were lost, during which the company had stated that approximately 22,500 mining materials were not processed.

It was reported that a portion of the workforce had blocked a delivery of ore to the mill and so the decision was made to temporarily suspend operations until a resolution was reached with the striking workers. The workers, on the other hand, claimed that they were deprived of getting access to a Wi-Fi connection so that they could be in contact with their families on the coast.

After the three-day standoff and several meetings with the labour department, the

workers returned to work and the company said that it is committed to the labour laws.

However, a release issued by the company stated that it will continue with its mine exploration efforts.

“The company allocated US$6.8 million in 2019 for additional surface brownfield drilling, initial underground exploration drilling and the resumption of greenfield exploration for a combined total of approximately 30,000 metres”, the release added.

It further stated that the two diamond drills were in operation during the second quarter completing 18 holes totalling 5,059 metres, bringing the total for the year to 52 holes and 13,001 metres drilled.

Drilling was completed at Mad Kiss, North Aleck Hill and commenced at East Walcott.

Meanwhile, the company’s balance sheet remains strong with an unaudited cash balance of approximately US$38.9 million up to June 30, 2019 with no outstanding debt.

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FRIday, JUly 12, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Judiciary condemns PM’s statement that “Judge’s action smacks of vendetta” gised and changed the article in its online version to say that the Prime Minister described the Court action against Jordan, not the decision of the judge, as “vendetta”.

This is not the first time the Supreme Court of Judicature has flogged the coalition Government for attempting to undermine its independence and integrity.

Only recently, the Judiciary issued a stinging rebuke rejecting the Government’s attempts to tarnish and discredit its reputation by using the photo-

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo

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he Supreme Court of Judicature has condemned statements published in the Stateowned Guyana Chronicle attributed to Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, who was quoted as saying that “…the judge’s action smacks of vendetta”.

The Prime Minister, according to the article, was referring to Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry’s or-

graphs of two judges in a political campaign.

The two judges in question are Puisne Judges Justices Gino Persaud and Simone Morris-Ramlall.

Their pictures were incorporated on a poster of 20 “young” public officials put together by A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) under the headline “Confidence in Youth Leadership” as part of their political campaign.

The advertisement bearing the two judges’ images was published, despite the fact that the Judiciary is au-

tonomous in principle and keeps far away from politics to ensure judgements, when handed down, can be accepted as free from bias.

“The Supreme Court of Judicature is calling on members of the public to refrain from associating Judges and Judicial Officers with any political party or activity. The Judiciary reaffirms its independence and integrity and rejects any attempt to tarnish and discredit its reputation,” the statement less than two weeks ago added.

Teen charged for friend’s murder der that Finance Minister Winston Jordan pays DIPCON by July 8, 2019 or be jailed for 21 days.

The Judiciary said it is seriously concerned about the report in a press release on Thursday.

“The independence of the Judiciary and the rule of law must be maintained at all times. The Judiciary would

like to emphasize that anyone who is dissatisfied with a judgement or a decision of a Court has a right of appeal, and this is the avenue by which a lawful challenge to any judgement or decision can be made. The Judiciary once again reaffirms its independence and integrity”.

However, Guyana Chronicle has since apolo-

A

teenager was on Thursday charge for the murder of his friend whom he had stabbed to death during a gambling game on Sunday last.

The teen appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court and was not required to plead to the indictable charge which stated that on July 7, 2019, at Grove, East Bank Demerara (EBD), he murdered Mervin Squires.

As such, he was remanded to prison and will make his next court appearance on July 19, 2019.

It was reported that on the day in question, a group of men were gambling at 3rd Street Grove, EBD during which and ar-

Mervin Squires

gument broke out between Squires and the other young men over money.

The argument quickly turned into an alternation and it was this time, the teenager whipped out a known and stabbed Squires twice to his chest.

Squires reportedly died on his way to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre. At the Hospital, his inconsolable family members gathered to get a glimpse of his body that was laying on a stretcher.

His mother told this publication that she was at church when she received the tragic news. She explained that her son and the suspect are friends and would usually lime together.

However, a post mortem performed on the remains of the 21-year-old of Kaneville EBD proved that he died of a single stab wound to the heart.

Squires leaves to mourn his parents and two sisters.

news

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FRIday, JUly 12, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Govt puts end to “3-month work before pay” policy

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ersons who join the public service will no longer have to wait three months before receiving a monthly salary since the Government has thrown out the policy.

This is according to Public Service Minister Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, who noted during a press conference on Thursday that this requirement would end on the last

day of July as many persons have raised concerns about the long waiting period to receive their salaries.

It was customary that a new public servant would be required to work for three consecutive months before receiving their first salary.

“Many public servants have reiterated the issue of having to work for three months before being paid. I

have thus far found no rule or policy that substantiates this. I find this practice unconscionable and thus, [it] should no longer be a practice in any government agency after the month of July. I am working with my staff to remove this bugbear from those who are desirous of joining the public service.

So, going forward, no one should have to wait beyond

GCCI calls Govt out on inadequate preparation for first oil

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cknowledging that the passage of the NoConfidence Motion would delay the full implementation of the necessary frameworks ahead of first oil slated for early 2020, President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce (GCCI) Nicholas Boyer posited, however, that the governing coalition had sufficient time to put systems in place, especially since oil in commercial quantities was discovered simultaneously when it entered office over four years ago.

“I don’t think we have the time but I think we should have been doing this from a while now because these things have been talked about for a year or two now.

We can look at the date that the Petroleum Bill was laid over, we can look at the date the first consultant Anthony Paul was hired for the draft Local Content Policy. These didn’t start yesterday. So if I had to say if are we doing a good job in terms of implementing, (I’d say) no because we spent money, we’ve taken action and we failed (to put in place key regulatory infrastructures in place already),” Boyer told reporters on Wednesday.

According to the GCCI President – who has always been critical of the pace at which preparation is being made for oil production— this failure is a result of the absence of pressure or push to get these things done.

Another hindrance, Boyer contended, was the partisan approach that has been taken, such as in the Petroleum Commission Bill, which he said needed to be done in a national consensus way.

“One of the big risks we have as Guyanese in our political climate is that the fight that’s going on is very acrimonious – the winner takes all. These things that we are discussing here has to be a national consensus… we can’t talk about development plans and they are going to be thrown out or not bought into. If we keep doing this in line with political cycles, we, the Guyanese, will be in trouble because we are losing out,” he stressed.

The GCCI President noted that unless there is national consensus on important issues like the establishment of key legislative framework for the oil and gas sector, then matters such as a NoConfidence Motion will definitely have an impact on rolling out preparatory works. “(The Petroleum Commission) could’ve been implemented long before the No-Confidence Motion, and if it was bought to the Opposition by the Government – if they could have done it in a way to say “whatever fights we’re gonna have at elections time, let put that aside and let’s look at it as a national issue and come together”. They’d done it with Venezuela, to be fair, so there is example of that type of consensus before,” Boyer contended.

Moreover, he went on to underscore the importance of having the necessary regulatory body, such as a Petroleum Commission, in place before first oil but noted that these bodies must be as independent as possible.

The GCCI President pointed to the previous model of the Petroleum Commission Bill, which he said, gave too much

GCCI President Nicholas Boyer

ministerial control over the sector. To this end, he posited that management of this new resource needs to have very minimal political influence.

“If anything, the headlines of the previous weeks have taught us is that this industry should be inoculated from political control as much as can be. You will always have some amount of political influence if you’re going to have an appointee to head the body. But if you take a model where that appointee is there for a period, outside of basic elections timeline, he can be relatively insulated and be comfortable that he can carry out his functions without fair of reprisal. Because at the end of the day, this is a national resource. This is not one political party’s or another political party’s resource,” the GCCI President stated.

The Petroleum Commission of Guyana Bill was tabled in the National Assembly back in 2017 but had to be revised. Last year, Director of the Department of Energy within the Ministry of the Presidency had said that they were hoping to have the bill passed this year and establish the Commission.

one month of being hired to receive their first salary,” the Minister stated.

Over the years, public servants have initiated strike actions to voice their opinions over salary increases among other issues.

Last year, more than 4000 public servants took to the streets against the Government demanding better wages and salaries. Days of negotiation and arbitration resulted in the meeting of some demands.

It was later presented in the National Assembly that persons earning less than $100,000 a month would get a seven per cent increase.

Those earning between $100,000 and $299,999 would receive an increase of 6.5 per cent, while those

in the $300,000 to $499,999 range got a five per cent increase.

Persons with a pay cheque of between $500,000 and $699,999 a month had their salaries increased by three per cent.

Those in the $700,000 to $799,999 range were eligible for an increase of two per cent while those earning $800,000 to $999,999 got one per cent in increases and those with a $1 million salary and above received a 0.5 per cent increase.

According to the unions, the increases were “a violation of good labour relations practices”.

Only last week, the Public Service Commission had announced that more than 500 jobs were up for grabs.

Public Service Minister Tabitha Sarabo-Halley

Meanwhile, the Minister noted that new employees would not be told that they have to wait until they worked three months before they could receive a salary.

18 news Arbitrary firing of PSM staff was based on “evidence” – Minister P FRIday, JUly 12, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

ublic Service Minister Tabitha Sarabo-Halley on Thursday defended the firing of staff members from her department shortly after she would have assumed office, saying that there was evidence at her disposal to warrant dismissal.

“I think that the evidence that was before me suggested that something needed to be done and the investigation would bear whether or not that was rational,” the minister stated at a press conference.

She, nevertheless, revealed any bit of evidence that she referred to but noted that the investigation will soon wrap up with the findings.

However, following the dismissals, a special Board of Inquiry (BoI) was commissioned by President David Granger to probe the arbitrary firing of the three workers at the Public Service Ministry by Minister Sarabo-Halley.

On May 31, 2019, the personnel staff and chief accountant at the Public Service Ministry were sent packing

by Minister Tabitha SaraboHalley shortly after she was appointed to that post.

When the news broke about the arbitrary firing of personnel staff and the chief accountant, the Government

Public Service Minister Tabitha Sarabo-Halley

initially denied firing them but one week after, Director General Joseph Harmon confirmed that indeed, the workers were sent home.

But he said higher authorities had since intervened and the dismissed staff were eventually sent on administrative leave, pending the outcome of the investigation. He had maintained that the staff in question are still employees of the Government as the decision by Minister SaraboHalley to terminate their services has been halted.

Scholarships

However, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo had alluded to the fact that the fired

workers were initially targeted and arbitrarily dismissed after they revealed that the children of a Government minister received payments amounting to over $20 million in the last two years.

One of those revelations is that the children of Minister Simona Broomes had allegedly received over US$86,000 in 2018, monies that were transferred from the Department of Public Service. Then again, this year, another transfer of millions reportedly took place.

Given the controversy around that situation, the Public Service Department has made a decision to publicise all scholarships to ensure “transparency”. It was confirmed that both children of the Minister in question received grants to study overseas, but Sarabo-Halley could not state if the monies were transferred to their personal accounts.

“I decided that transparency is key for me and in terms of scholarships, its public money and public funding. There is no need to keep it a secret…In terms of transparency and accountability, I have no issue in releasing the names of persons I would have granted scholarships to,” the Public Service Minister posited.

Currently, over 100 scholarships are open for undergraduate studies in the fields of Accounting, Agriculture, Management, Civil Engineering, Computer Science, Food Science, Geography, Information Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Medicine, Petroleum Engineering, Public Management, Sociology, Supply Chain Management and Youth & Community Development.

Postgraduate opportunities are available in Environmental Management – specialisation in climate change and disaster management, and specialisation in natural resources management— Petroleum Engineering, and Social Work.

However, to study in another country, persons are required to pledge an asset to ensure their return to Guyana. Upon returning, they are required to serve for a number of years to repay the State.

The eligibility to grant these studies are dependent on a number of factors and a panel will deliberate on the relevance of the chosen field.

The Department may choose to provide only tuition, if there are insufficient funds from the budgetary allocation.

“War Break” between AFC & PNC on PM Candidate

– AFC says Ramjattan non-negotiable

AFC General Secretary David Patterson

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eneral Secretary of the Alliance for Change (AFC) David Patterson on Thursday stated that neither the People’s National Congress/Reform (PNCR) nor any other member of the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) can dictate or direct the selection of AFC for that party’s Prime Ministerial post.

Patterson made these comments during his party’s press briefing and stated that the Cummingsburg Accord, which the AFC signed on to with the APNU, is still in existence, and as such, it is solely the responsibility of the AFC to choose its Prime Ministerial candidate for the upcoming elections in Guyana.

This Accord has expired but according to Patterson, “It is very clear that the AFC shall nominate the PM candidate and it is very clear that the APNU shall nominate the Presidential candidate.

I don’t see anything, I don’t

know anything, there has not been any discussion and we would not entertain any discussion that changes that.

And that is just the way it is”.

His remarks come in response to questions by the media about the recent statement made by Chairperson of the PNCR Volda Lawrence, who recently noted that although the AFC has elected Khemraj Ramjattan to be its next Prime Ministerial candidate— replacing Moses Nagamootoo in June— the APNU and the AFC are yet to meet on this new development.

“The party welcomes the fact that the AFC party was able to have their conference and elect their new candidate for the Prime Ministerial position. The coalition and the AFC have not reached that stage in terms of discussion on the Prime Ministerial candidate,” she noted.

In accordance with the Cummingsburg Accord between the two parties, AFC will have the Prime Ministerial position, while the Presidential post goes to APNU. However, some believe that APNU would sidestep AFC and go the route of choosing a Prime Ministerial candidate from within its own grouping. The APNU alliance consists of five parties with the PNCR leading. The others are The Working People’s Alliance (WPA), Justice for All Party (JFAP), National Front Alliance (NFA) and the Guyana Action Party (GAP).

Nevertheless, following the AFC’s National Executive Conference on June 15, the party’s newly elected General

PNCR Chairperson Volda Lawrence

Secretary David Patterson had told reporters that Ramjattan’s nomination will have to be accepted by the majority APNU. “The Alliance for Change is a political party in its own right. The AFC has MADE a recommendation it will stick by. So just like we did in 2015, we will do in 2019 or 2020, if we stay in a coalition… If we’re in a coalition and we’re governed by an agreement and that agreement is currently in effect, it says the AFC shall nominate a Prime Ministerial candidate. There’s nowhere in that agreement that says we’ll nominate a Prime Ministerial candidate who the coalition accepts or not,” Patterson had stated.

While the APNU fraction of the coalition earlier this year had already signalled support for its leader David Granger to return as Presidential Candidate, it was reported that sections of the AFC’s dele-

gations felt that incumbent Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo’s performance over the years has not been up to par.

However, prior to last month’s conference, AFC’s then leader and current Chairman Raphael Trotman had warned against replacing Nagamootoo, saying that it would undermine the coalition Government in the eyes of the people, by seeming to validate the Government’s failings and the passage of the No-Confidence Motion (NCM).

“The No-Confidence Motion was a direct challenge on the Granger-Nagamootoo leadership. In my view, if we were to jump to replace either gentlemen in an emotive way, we would be openly conceding that the motion and vote were justified and valid,” Trotman had stated in sections of the media back in February.

With the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) having already ruled that the NoConfidence Motion was validly passed against the coalition back in December, there is a possibility that early elections could be called this year.

In fact, the Court is expected to hand down consequential orders on the way forward based on its June 18 rulings today.

At the last hearing on June 24, the Court had given parties up to July 1 to make written submissions on the consequential orders not exceeding 20 pages, which would be considered before those orders are handed down next Friday.

S RAIGHT Can the Voters’ List be updated to international standard in 6 weeks?

By Sase Singh, MSc – Finance, ACCA

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his is a question that the People’s National Congress (PNC) and the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) cannot agree on.

The PNC is saying that the Claims and Objections (C&O) process cannot update the list to their satisfaction, while the PPP is saying from past experience, the C&O has done the job and there is no evidence of voter fraud after using the C&O process four times since 2008.

The National Register of Registrants (NRR) was developed in 2008 by a House-to-House Registration Process (H-2-H). In that process, all persons who were found at home and over the age of 14 years and to be Guyanese citizens by birth, descent or naturalisation or citizens from a Commonwealth country living in Guyana for one year or more were registered. That H-2-H process that was conducted in 2008 took 18 months long.

Therefore, this translates to the fact that if a new H-2-H process is started in August 2019, it will be completed around December 2020, which definitely means elections in 2021. Yet GECOM has the pluck to mislead this nation that it will provide a valid list by Christmas 2019 which is a total fabrication of the truth and at great variance from reality.

Fortunately for Guyana, since 2008, we have had a collection of best practices that facilitated several waves of Continuous Registration (CR). This CR was able to effectively and comprehensively update the list to the point where it is recognised as one of the cleanest in the entire Caricom family.

The table below sourced from an international NGO called IDEA put currency to this fact.

But GECOM has more than CR to update the list. To supplement CR, at an appropriate time in the run-up to elections, the Preliminary List of Electors (PLE) is extracted from the NRR with the names of all persons who have attained the age of 18 years and not tagged as deceased. The C&O then kicks in to offer a secondary opportunity to update the list making it even more credible. In the C&O process, persons are provided with an alternative opportunity to object to names on the list by providing relevant evidence such as death certificates to support the removal of names. During that process too, persons who have attained the age of 18 years of age and think that they are Guyanese citizens by birth, descent or naturalisation or is citizens from a Commonwealth country living in Guyana for more than a year can put forward a claim to be added to the list. These claims and objections are allowed to occur usually over a six to eight-week period.

Subsequent to these claims and objections and after a GECOM investigation, the verified data is applied to the PLE which then transforms that list to the Revised List of Electors (RLE). The political parties still have a third opportunity to further clean the list, making it even more credible before the Official List of Electors (the Voters’ List) is extracted and published.

The facts will show that Guyana has gone through four comprehensive cycles similar to what I have outlined above since the 2008 H-2-H process. The facts remain there has not been one case of fraudulent voting, duplicate voting or denial of a legitimate voter who has put themselves forward for registration. Not one! So it is baffling to understand why there is this push for H-2-H when C&O has served this nation so successfully for the last 10 years? What is the agenda? Are there groups of people who are pushing this nation to 2021 elections in clear violation of the Constitution and in total disrespect for the Legislature and the Judiciary who have not ruled that Article 106 should be honoured?

The empirical evidence is there to prove that H-2-H will deregister people who are temporarily out of the country or out of their home village. What will this do to the gold miner who had to leave his home village for temporary work in the hinterlands for example? Isn’t it better to err on the side of a list that is not freezing out thousands of persons from the process?

This happened in the USA when in the Georgia senatorial race, a black woman was denied more votes because unofficial barriers were placed on black voters in her stronghold – urban Atlanta. Is there an agenda in Guyana today to push people off the Voters’ List, who are not the supporters of the PNC? Please thoughtsatatsasesin1@yahoo.com sasesin1@yahoo.com.

Pleaseshare share your your feedback

guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, JULY 12, 2019

2nd Annual Platinum Auto Expo for this Saturday at National Stadium Side Car; One Side SUV; Trunk or Rear Doors Car; Back Dash; Back Wall Face-in (quarterglass); Back Wall Face-In Mini Extreme Car; Back Wall

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h e Guyana National Stadium, Providence, East Bank Demerara (EBD) is the place to be this Saturday as the second edition of Platinum Auto Expo is being held.

The first edition was a huge success and this year, the promoters are hoping for it to be a grand event. This year, there will be 32 various categories.

These include Best Rims; Best Antique Bike; Cleanest Car; Cleanest SUV; Cleanest Working Bus; Cleanest Bike; Cleanest Engine Bay; Best Customised Vehicle Interior; Best Graphics Car; Best Graphics Working Bus; Best Four-Wheel Bike; Best Antique Car; Door Speakers; Full One

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wenty-two-yearold Denica Henry of Bloomfield Village, Corentyne will be competing in the Miss Exquisitely Conscious 2019 slated for Saturday, July 13 at the New Amsterdam Multilateral School.

This Berbecian is a second year Social Work Student at the University of Guyana, Tain Campus. She was employed for the past 14 years at Little Rock Television Station (LRTV) and would have joined the 88.5 Rock.

She is a former student of New Amsterdam Multilateral Secondary School where she graduated with nine subjects at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC). She did not stop there, but went ahead and completed his CAPE Exams.

She is a Mental Health

Advocate who detests littering, improper usage of the road and bad minded people.

The eldest of three girls, she has been encouraged to always be honest, bold, compassionate and assertive hence my professional and extra circular achievements are credited to my parents; my mother in particular, for allowing me to pursue many wonderful opportunities in various areas from debates to theatre arts productions to travelling and even pageantry.

Currently, she is the president of the Central Corentyne Chamber of Commerce Youth Arm, Youth Ambassador of the RHTY&SC, Business Advisor and Promoter, Public Speaker and former UGBC Student Society Representative and Miss Berbice “I’m a Big Deal” Pageant 2017 delegate.

In her spare time, she seeks solace from the stresses of the

mini-van; Trunk or rear doors bus; Mini Extreme Car; Mini Extreme SUV; Mini Extreme Mini-Van; Mini Extreme Bus; Unlimited Open Class and Best Technician.

Apart from the vehicle and sound-off competitions, there will be live entertainment by Guyana’s Chutney Monarch Steven Ramphal. Music will, however, be provided by Travellers Sound along with Lexus Blingerz. Tickets for the event cost $1000 and will only be available on the night of the event.

Gates to the venue will be opened at 16:00h.

The event is sponsored by Banks DIH Limited under its Bank Beer Brand, BM Soat Auto Sales, GT Motorsports, Secure Innovations and Concepts, and others. Promoters promise tight security at the event.

Face-In Mini Extreme SUV; Hardest Hitting Working Bus; Mini Extreme Face-Out; One-side Back-half Car; One-side Back-half SUV; Trunk or rear doors SUV; Trunk or rear doors

world by volunteering, collecting and posting memes, dancing, modeling, attending workshops, travelling, sleeping, eating, exercising and spending time with family and friends.

She hopes to earn a Degree in Social Work and also pursuing additional studies in areas of Youth Development, Industrial/ Organizational Psychology, Human Resource and Project Management, Foreign Languages and Agricultural Science.

However, Henry will be competing with six other delegates for the coveted title. The delegates would have been part of the preliminary competitions over the past weeks. These include, swim wear, costume, talent and intelligence.

The pageant is being promoted by Miss J Productions and is expected to commence at 20:00h sharp. Tickets cost $1,500 and can be purchased from any of the contestants or promoters.

Lake Mainstay 19th annual regatta set for August 11

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ake Mainstay 19th annual regatta set for August 11 Plans are moving apace for the hosting of the 19th Annual Lake Mainstay Regatta billed for Sunday, August 11, 2019. The event is being hosted by Lake Mainstay in collaboration with the Business Ministry’s Department of Tourism.

This year, more action has been added to the day’s activities to cater for the motor-racing lovers. Over $3 million are up for grabs in several categories.

These include the 15-, 40-, 90-, and 200-horsepower (HP) races and the Open race.

All the categories will be opened to both males and females.

In addition, there will be the 200-metre male and female canoe races, but be sure to walk with that hot

swimwear if you want to participate in the 200m Open swimming race. There will also be a fun park for the children comprising a merry-go-around, bouncy castle and other rides.

There will also be food and drink bars.

However, as the sun sets, the entertainment will kick start. This year, the local artistes will take centre stage.

Performing live will be reigning Carib Soca Monarch Brandon Harding, Chutney Monarch finalist Vicardi, AW Lyrical and singing sensation Josie. In addition, DJ Avalanche and DJ Andrew Yee will be in the house to set the tone for a fantastic event. The emcee for the event will be Lyndon “Jumbie” Jones.

Admission to the event cost $1000 in advance for adults and $1200 at the gates while advance admission for children cost $500 and $700 at the gate.

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GUYANATIMESgy.COM

friday, JUly 12, 2019

Georgetown’s Guinness “Greatest of the Streets” commences tonight – teams advised to be punctual

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he final leg of the Georgetown Sub Meet of the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Street’ futsal tournament will commence today at the National Cultural Centre Tarmac at 19:00 hrs. All teams are advised to be at the venue on time, and to adhere to the rules of the tournament.

Troy Peters, Communications Manager of Banks DIH, has said he is extremely proud that the tournament has reached its 10th year.

He also noted that this tournament has touched almost every part of the nation, and is expected to bring the heat at its various venues across Georgetown.

In an invited comment, Referee Coordinator Wayne Griffith said, “So far, we have done five tournaments for the year; and, thus far, we have not issued a single red card to any of the players in the other five sub meets.

“We have a few notable teams in the competition, such as LA Ballers, who is a very young squad; John Street, which is a very excellent squad that consists of Brazilians; Sophia United, which has two Nigerians; and many other teams consisting of other nationalities.

“I want to say to the teams that these games are scheduled to commence at 19:00hrs, and will be starting on time. I am asking the teams, coaches and management to please be at the venue 15 minutes before the start of the game. I’m asking the Georgetown players to come out, play hard, and reach for greatness!”

The games are of 20 minutes’ duration, divided into halves of 10 minutes. Each team is entitled to make two fouls; if a third is made, it will result in a penalty. If the ball goes out of play, it is required to be brought back into play within 4 seconds.

If a player deliberately kicks away the ball, that player will have to sit out the game for three minutes. Also, if a penalty occurs during the game, it will be taken from the halfway mark of the court.

The resulting 16 teams will advance to the group stage, which will be held over the period of three days. The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinal round, and subsequently to the semi-final round, which is pencilled for the penultimate match-day date.

The eight teams which fail to progress to the knockout round will contest the Guinness

Guinness Brand Manager Lee Baptiste, Coordinator Rawle Welch, Colours Boutique Representative Trianna Damon, RefereeCoordinator Wayne Griffith, and Banks DIH Communications Manager Troy Peters

Plate Championships.

With prize money topping the million-dollar mark, fans can expect to see teams battling hard for survival during the opening two nights of play, wherein the knockout phase obtains.

Losers over the two nights will have to wait until next year to have a crack at the whopping first prize of $500,000, which has accompanying bragging rights and an automatic berth in the national playoffs, slated to start one week after this zone’s completion.

The second place team will receive $300,000 and a trophy, while third- and fourthplaced finishers will take home $200,000 and $100,000

respectively.

Also up for grabs again will be $100,000 for winner of the Plate section, which will be competed for by the losing quarter-finalists.

Presently, the 16 automatic qualifiers are: defending champions Gold is Money, GTI Ballers, Queen Street Tiger Bay, 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.

To date, Beacons [Bartica Champions], ‘Melanie B’ [East Coast Demerara winners], Brothers United [West Bank Demerara/East Bank Demerara

winners], Trafalgar [Berbice champions] and High Rollers [Linden champions] are the teams to have secured automatic berths to the national championships.

The other dates on which matches would be played are July 13th, 19th, 20th, 26th and 27th, with the grand final scheduled for August 3rd.

During the first two nights of the event, when 32 teams are featured, an elimination format will be utilised.

The fixtures for the two nights are listed below: National Cultural Centre Tarmac- July 12 Trap Squad versus LA Ballers Upsetters vs. ‘Albouystown A’

North Ruimveldt vs. John Street California Square vs. Alexander Village North East La Penitence vs.

Stabroek Ballers Norton Street vs. Back Circle Sparta Boss vs. Judgement Yard Gold is Money vs. Globe Yard Burnham Court- July 13 Rising Stars vs. Good over Evil Ol-Skool Ballers vs. Sophia ‘Albouystown B’ vs. Berlin Kingston vs. Broad Street Bent Street vs. Charlotte Street Future Stars vs. Sophia United Leopold Street vs. Pike Street Queen Street (Tiger Bay) vs.

Smyth Street

Hamilton Green Cup 9-a-side inter-ward football concludes on Sunday – teams urged to arrive by 3pm

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rganisers of the Hamilton Green Cup, the 9-a-side interward/ village knockout football tournament, have scheduled this Sunday as the new date to conclude this annual event, which previously had been postponed because of inclement weather. The finals will be played at the Den Amstel ground on the West Coast of Demerara.

According to Coordinator Lennox Arthur, preparation of the venue is currently ongoing for what is anticipated to be an exciting battle for the coveted first prize and trophy.

In the day’s opener, Mahaicony will attempt to overthrow Vreed-en-Hoop, then Soesdyke will clash with Liliendaal. In the third matchup, Mocha will engage Charlestown in their bid to enter the finals. Pouderoyen will then tackle Timehri, before Goed Fortuin squares off against De Kinderen. Bourda Blues will then duke it out with Sophia, before hosts Den Amstel Back Street take the field against Zeelugt. And Uitvlugt will see off Bagotville

in the final game.

The quarter-final matchups will see the winner of game one battling the winner of game 5; the winner of game 2 taking on the winner of game 6; the winner of game 3 taking on the winner of 7, and the winner of game 4 locking horns with the winner of game 8.

The four survivors will then meet in the semi-finals to determine the two finalists.

The victorious team will take home $300,000 and the winning trophy, while the second placed finisher will collect $100,000 and a trophy.

Some of the entities on board this event are: John Fernandes Ltd, A.H&L Kissoon, Techno Mills, Ready Mix, Sattaur Gafoor, E.C Vieira, BEV Enterprises, BK International, IPA, New Thriving, Ricks and Sari, E-Networks, Starr Computers, NAMILCO, Cummings Electrical, National Sports Commission, Star Entertainment, Alfro

Delon Lanferman

Jermain Junior

Alphonso, the Guyana Police Force, GuyOil, Minister of State, Prime Minister, and the Ministry of Legal Affairs.

guyanatimesgy.com

friday, JUly 12, 2019

21

Leo Romalho wins latest GuyanaNRA Record Shoot

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etting the bar and the standard, Leo Romalho, with an aggregate of 118 points and 6 V-bulls, won the latest round of the Guyana National Rifle Association’s (GNRA’s) Record Shoot held on Sunday last at the Timehri Rifle Ranges at Yarrowkabra, LindenSoesdyke Highway.

In the last record shoot, in April 2019, Romalho had to settle for bronze as he ended on a total aggregate of 95.6 Vs, being ousted by veteran marksman Ransford Goodluck; who had tallied scores of 97.8 out of 100, with scores of 49.4Vs at the 300 yards, and 48 with similar Vs at the 600 yards.

Romalho had rivalled Goodluck, but had lost 4 points in the 300yard range to end with 46.2

V, as compared to Goodluck’s 49.2.

This time the script w a s flipped, as Romalho became one of two shooters who recorded possible on the day, both at the 600 yards range. He shot 35.3 with Peter Persaud, who has been turning in good scores consistently, topping Romalho by a single Vbull after he had shot a possible. At 300 yards, Romalho had a score of 49.1, with his 34.2 at the 500 yards’ range propelling him to an Aggregate score for the day of 118.6, just two off a perfect score.

Persaud (2nd overall) won the 300 range with a score of 49.3, while Lennox Braithwaite (3rd

Leo Romalho

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The scores for the day were as follows: Name 300 500 6 0 0 Aggregate Leo Romalho 49.1 34.2 35.3 118.6 Peter Persaud 49.3 32.3 35.4 116.10 Lennox Braithwaite 48.2 34.3 33.4 115.9 Dylan Fields 45.3 32.3 32.3 109.9 Ransford Goodluck 46.2 30.1 32.2 108.5 Roberto Tewari 44.1 34.2 30 108.3 O Class- Dane Blair 41.2 31 29 101.2

Michael Parris to visit 19th edition of P&P Orealla for sports COPIES Insurance 11-Stage Cycle OF THE outreach of punching GUYANA Race set for Saturday –presentation bag in the works TIMES G in your area?

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overall) topped the 500 yards’ range with 34.3, one Vbull better than Roberto Tiwari.

Dane Blair, lone ‘O Class’ shooter on the day, recorded an aggregate score of 101.2.

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aving been involved in a thriller of a cycling contest last weekend at the National Park at Thomas Lands, Georgetown, cyclists will be involved in another thriller at the same venue on Saturday July 13 (tomorrow), when the 19th edition of the P&P Insurance 11-Stage cycling programme pedals off from 9:30h.

This activity is likewise organised by National Cycling Coach and Race Organiser Hassan Mohammed.

Fresh from victory in last weekend’s encounter, Linden’s Michael Anthony will be aiming to continue his superb form in this 11-stage programme, but as champion of last year’s P&P Insurance Cycling programme, Jamaul John will be bringing his ‘A’ game to the tournament. Also the 2019 National Road Race champion, John completed last year’s 35-lap event in one hour, 16 minutes and 51 seconds.

Other top cyclists from across the country would be planning to overthrow this king, but they well know it would take a monumental effort to succeed in this enterprise.

Among the contenders is Romello Crawford, who has been in supreme touch since his return from overseas duties. Unfortunately, he has not had the results to show for his competence, but the Berbician will certainly be searching for a win.

Crawford failed to complete last weekend’s race at the National Park after being attacked by bees.

Briton John, the 2019 Time Trials champion in the Elite category, rode in second position at the National Park at last weekend’s encounter, and will be aiming to move up the rankings in this event.

The Team Evolution duo of Christopher Griffith and Paul De Nobrega will also have designs on the 35-lap main event.

BMX riders, Masters/Veterans and Juvenile/Junior events will also be featured; and 2019 Junior Road Race champion Ajay Gopilall and 12-14 champion cyclist Steve Bhimsen would want to dominate the proceedings in their class. (Brandon Corlette)

uyana’s lone Olympic medallist, the boxing star Michael Parris, will this weekend accompany Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr George Norton, to an outreach in Orealla, Region Six, where Dr Norton will engage residents on various issues relative to their development.

Holding responsibility for Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Norton would also be meeting with sports officials and agencies as the Social Cohesion Ministry tries to fulfil its mandate by implementing a number of sports programmes in the community.

This outreach comes just as the boxing and football coaches attached to the National Sports Commission (NSC) begin conducting sessions in the village.

Football coach Gordon Braithwaite will be hosting football camps, while boxing coach Orlando ‘Pocket Rocket’ Rogers will be training prospective boxers.

Minister Norton will also be presenting the community with A punching bag as a way of promoting boxing, not only as a hobby, but as a serious Olympic sport. He is hoping that Parris will be on hand to motivate and inspire young boxers to keep training.

“We want them to see Mr. Parris as a living example of a boxing champion, an Olympian; Guyana’s lone Olympic medallist, above all,” Minister Norton noted.

“We want them to be inspired to even challenge Mr. Parris’s record,” he added.

In August 1980, Michael Anthony Parris created history at the Moscow Olympics when he became the first Guyanese to ever win a medal at the world’s largest sporting event. He copped a bronze medal after being defeated by Cuba’s Juan Hernández in the semifinals.

Minister George Norton and Michael Parris pose with the punching bag, which was slated to be presented to the community of Orealla over the weekend

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friday, JUly 12, 2019

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

20-member Under-20 Squad ready for CONCACAF Championships …Sueria Manufacturing gets on board A

s Guyana prepares to host the CONCACAF U20 Women’s Championships this Saturday, at the National Track and Field Centre at Leonora, WCD, Head Coach of Guyana’s U20 Women’s Team, Dr. Ivan Joseph, has said the team is well prepared, and is “not just looking to be competitive, but it is our hope and expectation that we will qualify amongst the top two teams, and be ready to move on to the next round.”

Guyana has named a 20-person player squad to compete in the Championships. This squad includes both local and internationallybased players who have been part of the 2018 CFU Women’s Challenge Series. It comprises two Goalkeepers, six Defenders, eight Midfielders and four Forwards.

In an invited comment following the team’s arrival last evening, Dr. Joseph said among the players are “Brianne Desa and Jade Vyfhuis, (who) are some solid players and contributors to our programme here at the U20 level, as well as some upand -coming newcomers that you’ll see.”

Tournament Fixtures: The other players, he added, will also Members of the Under- 20 Women’s team pose with Sueria Manufacturing representatives be looking to make a contribution. He said the coaching staff is happy to be back in 13th July – Suriname vs St. met with the ‘Lady Jags’ players and Guyana, and for Guyana to be host to this Lucia @ 19:00hrs; management team to formalise Sueria’s tournament against the backdrop of the Guyana vs Bermuda @ 21:30hrs commitment. An avid supporter of sports, “excitement of the Gold Cup.” Among the Sanichara expressed delight at being visited 15th July – St. Lucia vs nine (9) members of the coaching staff by the team, while stating that his company, Bermuda @ 18:00hrs; are two current players from the senior which has always been supportive of sports Antigua and Barbuda vs Guyana @ 20:30hrs women’s national team, commonly known in Guyana, especially involving youths, will 17th July – Antigua and Barbuda as the “Lady Jaguars”; they are Kayla De continue in this vein. vs St. Lucia @ 18:00hrs; Souza and Brittany Persaud.

“I am very excited to see so many young Burmuda vs Suriname @ 20:30hrs While encampment officially begins people (being) involved in sports. We are 19th July – Suriname vs Antigua today, Dr. Joseph is hopeful that team very proud, we are very happy, to support camaraderie would be established, and and Barbuda @ 18:00hrs; youths; and I hope ventures like this would “the team will be ready to compete.”

St. Lucia vs Guyana @ 20:30hrs encourage not only other private sector The CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 21st July – Guyana vs companies, but also the Government, to Qualifiers will be held from the 13th-21st keep youths active and away from drugs Suriname @ 16:00hrs; July. Guyana has been placed in ‘Group A’, and crime,” he declared.

Antigua and Barbuda vs along with Bermuda, Antigua and Barbuda, Sanichara reminisced on his boyhood Bermuda @ 18:30hrs.

Suriname and St. Lucia. The participating days growing up in Albion as he recalled teams began arriving last evening, St. Lucia that youths then were very active in sports, and Antigua and Barbuda are expected including cricket. He noted that he would company gets from customers, the more would the company be able today. Admission to all matches is free of charge. love to see a return to those days. “We always were busy. from the to give back in return. age of 9, until 17, you are always busy with sports; and over the Ms. Shirlean Alexander, Brand Manager of Sueria, also expressed Sueria Manufacturing hops on board past years we’ve not seen that happening. I would love to see other delight at being able to support the ‘Lady Jags’ in their quest to keep Sueria Manufacturing Inc., through their Aqua Pur (water) and private sector companies supporting teams like yours; it would make Sleepy Sanitary Napkins brands, have thrown their support behind a huge difference for your health: mentally, you’ll be better, and the Golden Arrowhead flying high.

Head Coach of the team, Dr. Ivan Joseph, responding on behalf of the ‘Lady Jaguars’ in that team’s quest to win ‘Group A’ of the physically, you’ll be better. I am very proud to see a young team like the team, said they were truly grateful to Sanichara and his company CONCACAF Women’s Under-20 Championships. you representing my country. Best wishes to you all, to succeed and for the support given. He also cited the importance of sports in the On Thursday, at the Sueria headquarters at 70 Industrial Site, advance to the next stage,” he declared. lives of young people, especially women.

Eccles, East Bank Demerara, Managing Director Frank Sanichara He concluded his remarks by saying that the more support his

GFF withdraws U-23 team days before Olympic qualifiers begin …cites Nations League as priority

A

fter much deliberation, Guyana has withdrawn from the CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifiers scheduled for July 17–21, 2019 in Jamaica.

According to GFF President, Wayne Forde, this decision was necessitated as “the GFF has taken a decision to direct its resources to the preparation of our players for the CONCACAF Nations League, which kicks off in September.” He noted, however, that the players will continue their weekly training programme.

Many member countries of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) have been forced to evaluate their international

participation, given the demanding CONCACAF annual tournament calendar. Other CFU countries, including Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname, have also opted out of the Olympic Qualifiers.

“The GFF has participated in every international tournament since my administration has taken office,” Forde said.

“However, with six Nations League qualification games ahead of us, we are forced to make difficult but necessary financial decisions.”

According to CONCACAF, the preliminary round of the tournament would have seen 16 participating teams placed in four

groups. “After round robin play, the group winners will advance to a final play-in match (1A v 1D and 1B v 1C). The winner in each play-in match will qualify for the CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship.”

The 15 remaining teams in the Caribbean are: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, St Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and U.S. Virgin Islands.

This tournament would enable representation at the 2020 Summer Olympics, slated for Japan.

The team were in training for the past two months

guyanatimesgy.com

friday, JUly 12, 2019

23

England swat Australia aside to enter final

B

y the 20th over of the chase, England had creamed out more than half of the 224run target, with only one wicket down.

And then a delivery down the leg-side was missed by Jason Roy, who was batting on 85, and Australia went up in appeal.

After a brief hesitation, Kumar Dharmasena raised his finger. It was a horror decision that Roy wasn’t willing to accept. He brandished his bat and hand seeking a referral, forgetting comfortably that his opening partner Jonny Bairstow had spent that luxury only a couple of overs ago.

Roy mouthed a few words, stayed put on the ground till the time the replays showed up on the Chris Woakes’ performance earned him the Player-of-the-Match award (The Guardian) big screen, expressed his frustration before Jason Roy on edging the cuts. three overs. Peter Handscomb, Woakes and Rashid finished stepping out. At no his way to 85 Roy, however, playing his maiden world cup with three wickets each as point, were Australia exhibited his game, followed soon after Australia were bundled out for in a mood to call him and Australia was left with a 223 - a total that was chased batting prowess with some back, not even when the big free-flowing cumbersome rebuilding task down in 32.1 overs. screen had showcased the attractive, With the 8-wicket win, umpire’s goof-up. The stakes strokeplay: the flicks, the quite early.

Promoted to No. 5, Alex England handed their archwere too high, even for a team swings and the drives were at Carey, walked out in the rivals and reigning champions desperate to eradicate its their glorious best. their maiden And when Australia did seventh over and soon received Australia brand of cricket that centers a blow on his chin courtesy an semifinal defeat in a World try to experiment by bringing around ‘elite honesty’. But that was to have little impact Steve Smith into the attack, Roy Archer bouncer that left him Cup. On Sunday, Lord’s awaits on a day when England countered the legbreaks with a bleeding. He got his jaw taped had comfortably outplayed hat-trick of sixes, including one and steadied Australia’s innings with a fine century stand in the Australia, with both bat and over the roof at Edgbaston.

Australia first success with company of Smith. Just when ball.

Pat Cummins and Mitchell the ball, the only genuine one, Australia seemed to have a Starc bowled a few tight came in the 18th over when decent platform to transfer the overs thereafter but couldn’t Bairstow was struck in front of pressure onto the opposition, separate Joe Root and Eoin the stumps by Mitchell Starc. Carey fell holing out to the Morgan, who took the hosts However, by then England deep midwicket fielder.

Adil Rashid was hitting the over the line without any had already blazed away to lengths well and troubled the 124, toppling over more than further damage, picking the remaining 77 runs off only 75 half of the target. Morgan and Australians in the middle overs Root swatted away whatever with his variations, especially balls.

The base for the successful remained of the challenge his googly. After Carey’s fall, Smith didn’t get much support run-chase, however, was set by thereafter.

That only the top four were from the other end as Australia Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow yet again. There were some needed to chase down the were soon reduced to 116 for creative, attacking fields set by target was largely due to the 7. However, Mitchell Starc, Aaron Finch but the bowlers effort of the English bowlers, despite being scratchy, held didn’t do enough to create especially the new-ball pair of one end safe and added fifty wicket-taking opportunities. Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer. with Smith to further elongate With Roy taking the lead, the Australia’s decision to bat first Australia’s innings.

Smith’s solo act came to an duo, for the fourth time in this and put the pressure of the world cup, powered their way total on the hosts backfired end on 85 when Jos Buttler’s to a century-stand. Bairstow quite early as they found their direct hit from behind the largely struggled through the in-form openers - Aaron Finch stumps caught the batsman course of his innings, surviving and David Warner - back in short at the non-striker’s end a few times despite inside the pavilion within the first in pursuit of a quick single.

Windies A suffer heavy defeat against India A

A

disappointing effort by the ‘Windies A’ Team saw them losing a low-scoring opening match against ‘India A’ by a whopping 66 runs as play in the five-match One-Day Series began in Antigua & Barbuda. the encounter, played on a slow pitch at the Coolidge Cricket Ground, saw ‘India A’ scoring 190 all out in 48.5 overs, after winning the toss and batting first.

Romario Shepherd was the lone Guyanese in the starting XI. Keemo Paul suffered a niggle and Sherfane Rutherford sat out the match. West Indies coach was Esuan Crandon.

Akeem Jordan and Romario Shepherd began proceedings for the Caribbean team, and they reduced the ‘India A’ team to 22-3 in the first power play.

Shepherd removed Shubman Gill, former India U-19 batsman and Kolkata Knight Riders’ player, for only ten runs; but Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari, the India Test batsman who toured Australia, joined forces and rebuilt the innings.

The right-handed pair added

95 valuable runs, with Vihari doing all the hard work before he fell for 34 from 63 balls.

After that 95-run partnership India were pegged back by offspinner Roston Chase, who opened the floodgates with some quick wickets in the latter part of the innings.

After Iyer fell for 77 from 107 balls, no other Indian batsman made any significant score. Captain Manesh Pandey managed only four, while wicket-keeper/batsman Ishan Kishan scored only 16.

Chase finished with 4-19 in 6.5 overs, while right-arm seamer Akeem Jordan claimed 3-43 in 10 overs. Shepherd finished with 1-13 in seven overs, while Rahkeem Cornwall had 1-41 in 10 overs of accurate off-spin, as ‘India A’ ended their innings on 190 all out in 48.5 overs.

The disciplined West Indies bowlers gave away only two extra runs.

In response, ‘West Indies A’ lost Sunil Ambris for a golden duck in only the second ball of the innings. Looking to play

one into the leg-side, Ambris was trapped in front by Chennai Super Kings swing bowler Deepak Chahar.

Some poor shot selections led to some quick wickets falling as follows: Shane Dowrich (09), Roston Chase (07), and John Campbelle (04), all without registering significant scores.

Rovman Powell, who smashed some big sixes, fell for 41 as he tried to hit one too many and found the lone slip fielder. Powell’s innings ended a half-century run stand with Carter.

The experienced lefthanded Carter then watched his partners bite the dust as wickets continued to fall quickly.

Cornwall and Shepherd went without reaching double figures.

Carter remained unbeaten on 41, as ‘Windies A’ were bowled out for 125 inside 37 overs.

The Indian spinners shared the wickets collectively in an allround bowling effort.

‘India A’ will meet West Indies on Sunday July 14 in the second match at Antigua.

(Brandon Corlette)

3

SCOREBOARD

Australia Innings (50 overs maximum) DA Warner c Bairstow b Woakes 9 AJ Finch (c) lbw b Archer 0 SPD Smith run out (†Buttler)

85 PSP Handscomb b Woakes 4 AT Carey † c sub (JM Vince) b Rashid 46 MP Stoinis lbw b Rashid 0 GJ Maxwell c Morgan b Archer 22 PJ Cummins c Root b Rashid 6 MA Starc c †Buttler b Woakes 29 JP Behrendorff b Wood 1 NM Lyon not out 5 Extras (lb 6, w 10) 16 TOTAL (49 Overs, RR: 4.55) 223 all out Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Aaron Finch, 1.1 ov), 2-10 (David Warner, 2.4 ov), 3-14 (Peter Handscomb, 6.1 ov), 4-117 (Alex Carey, 27.2 ov), 5-118 (Marcus Stoinis, 27.6 ov), 6-157 (Glenn Maxwell, 34.5 ov), 7-166 (Pat Cummins, 37.4 ov), 8-217 (Steven Smith, 47.1 ov), 9-217 (Mitchell Starc, 47.2 ov), 10-223 (Jason England and New Zealand, and

Behrendorff, 48.6 ov) BOWLING CR Woakes (8-0-20-3) JC Archer (10-0-32-2) BA Stokes (4-0-22-0) MA Wood (9-0-45-1) LE Plunkett (8-0-44-0) AU Rashid (10-0-54-3) England Innings (target: 224 rns from 50 overs) JJ Roy c †Carey b Cummins 85 JM Bairstow lbw b Starc 34 JE Root not out 49 EJG Morgan (c) not out 45 Extras (lb 1, w 12) 13 TOTAL (32.1 Overs, RR: 7.02) 226-2 Yet to bat: BA Stokes, JC Buttler †, CR Woakes, LE Plunkett, AU Rashid, JC Archer, MA Wood Fall of wickets: 1-124 (Jonny Bairstow, 17.2 ov), 2-147 (Jason Roy, 19.4 ov) BOWLING JP Behrendorff (8.1-2-380) MA Starc (9-0-70-1) PJ Cummins (7-0-34-1) NM Lyon (5-0-49-0) SPD Smith (1-0-21-0) MP Stoinis (2-0-13-0) cricket, a new champion. (Cricbuzz)

friday, JUly 12, 2019

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

guyanatimesgy.com

Page 23

England swat Australia aside to enter final

GFF withdraws U-23 team days before Olympic qualifier 19th edition of P&P begins Insurance 11-Stage Cycle Page 21

Page 22

…cites Nations League as priority

Race set for Saturday

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