Guyana Times -- Friday June 14, 2019

Annandale fatal accident P14

Oncebedridden teen given 2nd chance at life

Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 3954

THE BEACON OF TRUTH friday, june 14, 2019

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Jagdeo rubbishes "fake poll"

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

See story on page 3

House-to-House Registration exercise

Persons who refuse to register will be charged, P9 fined

...says President should call elections if confident of ratings

No evidence found to extradite Charrandas – Ramjattan

Page 9

IDB Executive Directors now official connoisseurs of El Dorado Rums

UG unions welcome P15 former Vice Chancellor’s contract withdrawal

Page 11

CANU records whopping increase in cannabis P15 seizures in 2018 Hotelier P8 allegedly contracts hitman to kill Lethem businessman Six key members of the Board of Directors of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) were conferred as official connoisseurs of the internationally-acclaimed award-winning El Dorado Rum of Guyana. They were presented with official certificates last Thursday at a simple ceremony in the Bank’s boardroom in Washington, DC by Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) Chairman Komal Samaroo

GPHC staff put on high alert, following increased robberies Page at institution 16

Child battles for life after fall at school Page 2

Page 2

15-year-old found dead on Charity Public Road

NBTS anticipates 12,000 units on International Blood Donation P12 Day

2 news

FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Child battles for life after fall at school 15-year-old found dead – relative claims she was pushed down stairs by teacher, conflicting reports surface

The injured child in the ICU at the GPHC

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ten-year-old pupil of Regma Primary School of Linden is battling for life at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) after relatives claimed she was pushed down the stairs by a teacher.

While this is the accusation made by the relative, other reports suggested that she slipped and fell while running and that she was skipping when she fell.

As a result of the conflicting reports, an investigation has been launched to determine what actually transpired on Monday.

Due to the severity of the injuries she sustained as a result of the incident, June Alexander is presently in a coma. Angela Hamilton, mother of

the child, told Guyana Times that her daughter is “brain dead”.

The mother of eight said she was told by doctors at the medical institution that the injuries her daughter sustained are too severe to have been caused by a simple fall.

The visibly upset woman told this publication that her daughter is constantly being bullied at school by teachers because she is “not bright”.

She recalled seeing her daughter around lunchtime on Monday and said that she was not in good spirits since she was instructed to remain in class by a teacher.

“I don’t know what really transpired but all I know they saying a teacher push her down the railing.

Right now, my daughter in a coma and she is not even responding. She just laying down there. This is like a disaster. I tripping out right now. I got to find money to go to town every day”, Hamilton, who is a security guard, told this publication.

The mother alleged that the teachers at the school are not forthcoming with any information as to what really transpired but have offered their apologies.

“They now saying sorry but my child still lie down there”, she cried.

The mother, who has two other children attending the same school, is now reluctant to send them to school as they too can be bullied and pushed down a flight of stairs.

An aunt of the injured child has refuted the theory that her niece fell after running and tripping on her shoelace while noting that the child does not wear laced shoes to school.

Following the incident, the injured child was taken to the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) and later transferred to the GPHC, where she has since been admitted in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Meanwhile, the Police have been called in to investigate the incident.

E Division (Linden-Kwakwani) Police Commander Linden Lord, when contacted, confirmed that an investigation was launched and that over 10 statements were taken from students and education officials.

The statements all indicated that the young girl fell while running. As a result of the fall, the statements related that Alexander hit her head.

According to the police report, the child was then picked up by a teacher and taken to the Linden Hospital Complex after she started to bleed from her nostrils. The Region 10 Education Department has not issued a statement on the issue.

on Charity Public Road

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The site where the body was found

15-year-old boy was found dead in a pool of blood along the Charity Public Road, Essequibo on Wednesday evening.

Dead is Ryan Glasgow of Charity New Housing Scheme, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam).

While information about what transpired is limited, his uncle believes that he was murdered and his body dumped at the location.

Other relatives suspected he was the victim of a hit-andrun accident.

Based on reports, the body was found on the roadway about 22:30h. At the time of the discovery, there were several marks of violence about the body.

The teenager’s uncle, Vincent Glasgow told Guyana Times on Thursday that his nephew attended the Charity Secondary School, but was sent to the New Opportunity Corps (NOC) for a misdemeanour.

After leaving the correctional facility, Ryan took up odd jobs to provide for himself

and grandmother. His parents and brother would usually work in the interior and are rarely seen.

“He used to go to school, at the Charity Secondary School. He working for the past two years since he come out from NOC. He does normally go about and you know, help people with the daily chores and he does get a lil’ money.”

On Wednesday night, the elder Glasgow recalled that his nephew ventured out about 21:30h to meet a friend and complete a small job that was pending. He then boarded a taxi with three other persons.

The man stated that it was customary for the teenager to work late in the night.

However, he does not believe his death was an accident.

The body was taken to the Suddie Funeral Parlour, where a post-mortem examination was conducted. Police have since launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the young man’s demise.

3 Jagdeo rubbishes “fake poll” news

FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

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

Friday, June 14 – 03:00h and 14:30h-16:00h and Saturday, June 15 – 03:30h and 14:30h-16:00h.

– says President should call elections if confident of ratings

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Friday, June 14 –14:15h-15:45h and Saturday, June 15 –15:05h-16:35h.

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

WEATHER TODAY Thundery to light rain showers are expected to prevail throughout the day with sunny intervals in the late afternoon and light rain showers in the evening. Temperatures should range between 22 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

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

High Tide: 14:31h reaching a maximum height of 2.47 metres.

Low Tide: 08:03h and 20:20h reaching minimum heights of 0.66 metre and 0.74 metre respectively.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12, 2019

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Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

pposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has challenged the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition to call elections if it is so confident about the findings of a recent opinion poll, which shows that President David Granger has a high 94 per cent approval rating among supporters.

Speaking at his weekly press conference on Thursday, Jagdeo called the coalition-sponsored poll fake and desperate.

“This is a fake poll designed to help APNU, they’re desperate. If they were so confident that Granger has such a high rating and they’re doing so well, why not call elections. When you have those sorts of approval ratings, you just call elections. They been hiding, running, coming up with 34 is the majority of 65 just to avoid going to elections …

If you believe you’re so popular, you’re getting 94 per cent (of supporters’ votes) then call elections,” Jagdeo posited.

According to Jagdeo, it is customary for political parties to conduct such polls so that they know their standing with the public and can see the areas they need to work on. However, he pointed out that when a party releases the findings of its poll, it only highlights its desperation.

“This is serious desperation on the part of Government. They poll on the benign issues (such as) do you like President Granger… is he pleasant – and President Granger scores 13 per cent and Irfaan Ali (the People’s Progressive Party/Civic Presidential Candidate) three per cent – is the President genuine and trustworthy, etc. So I went through all of these issues and I see that the President scored higher than our candidate from an APNU poll, which is expected,” he stated.

On this note, the Opposition Leader called the poll “pure nonsense”, pointing out that it failed to take opinions on serious “bread and butter” issues in the country such as healthcare, education, jobs, crime, and not about who smiles

better or is more pleasant.

“If President Granger is polled on keeping promises, he gets zero; if he’s polled on condoning corruption, he will get the highest points for condoning corruption. That’s where he will out-score Irfaan Ali by a margin of 100 to 1. If he is polled on management of Guyana, he will get zero. If he’s polled on job creation, he will get zero. He is the President who has lost the most jobs in four years than any other presidents. In the history of Guyana, not other presidents had lost more jobs than President Granger in office. And in terms of creating new jobs, making cook-up and selling people sauce can’t cut it in today’s world. If President Granger is polled on being the most ceremonial president ever, he will score high there,” the Opposition Leader posited.

According to reports, the poll was conducted by the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Research Services Inc (CADRES), and was done in February, taking opinions from some 1000 Guyanese from all 10 ad-

ministrative regions.

Among the findings were that President Granger enjoys a 94 per cent approval rating among coalition supporters for his leadership, and a 50 per cent overall approval rating when supporters of the PPP/C Opposition and ‘uncertain voters’ are included.

Furthermore, it was revealed too that some 40 per cent of uncertain voters said they approved of the President’s performance as Head of State.

However, Jagdeo, who is also the General Secretary of the PPP, noted that polls conducted by his party show that it is “massively” ahead in the electoral race. But despite this, the Opposition Leader noted that the PPP was not being arrogant or complacent and was continuing to work hard to show Guyanese it was different and had plans for the betterment of everyone.

He said, “In politics, you have to work hard every single day. It’s not just about sitting back and say this is a God-given right because we have the support now. Every single day our activists are on the ground … We didn’t go after APNU too much, because people know what has happened, we don’t need to tell them about the inept management of the Government,” he noted.

Instead, Jagdeo noted that they were talking about their plans for the country and how all Guyanese were included.

“We use this time to continue working on that so every Guyanese, regardless of how you vote, (know that) a PPP victory doesn’t mean

President David Granger

that you will lose out in any way … We’re gonna work on the things that matter to you: jobs, housing, etc, and on the corruption and other issues, how we will tackle those … We’re not leaving anything to chances,” the Opposition Leader stressed.

Following the December 21, 2018 passage of the no-confidence motion against the Government, the coalition challenged the validity of the motion and after failing to get the Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland, to reverse it, the Administration approached the High Court.

However, acting Chief Justice Roxane George in January upheld the passage of the motion, ruling that it was validly passed with the 33 majority and as such, Government must resign and call elections. But that decision was then appealed by Government at the Appeal Court, which in March, ruled via a 2-1 majority that an absolute majority of 34 votes is needed to successfully pass the motion.

As a last resort, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) is being asked, in a consolidated appeal, to finally determine these matters.

The Trinidad-based regional court has set June 18 for ruling on the cases.

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guyanatimesgy.com

friDAY, JUNE 14, 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

History-based tourism

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ver time, there has been much talk about Guyana’s tourism potential, with seeming emphasis on ecotourism, given the country’s geographical makeup. While work is ongoing to build the country’s tourism profile internationally, local tourism may need a bit more focus. This does not suggest there are no related efforts in that regard; however, consistency with added innovativeness may be deemed as challenges.

There is no disputing the beauty of this country, especially in the hinterland areas. The iconic Kaieteur Falls speaks volumes in attesting to its own grandeur and that of tropical Guyana. The Orinduik Falls reminds of the many other cascades nestled in various parts, which demonstrate the magnetism of such wonders of nature within the confines of the country.

Rolling savannahs with mountains as backdrops, dark-water creeks and evergreen jungles, add to the irresistible package the country offers. Those are complemented by the plethora of historical sites scattered from the capital city and outwards throughout the country. Space constrains details of all the relevant places with potential for tourism development.

That said, and given what is currently being offered in the context of local tourism, innovativeness comes in useful to help conjure up a more holistic approach. Guyana is the only English-speaking country in South America, and its history is littered with influences from other colonial masters, including the Spanish, Dutch and French.

There are reminders even today through the names of some villages from the latter two.

Remnants of once seemingly impregnable forts are reservoirs of untold stories, while the fabled El Dorado still excites.

Herein lies vast potential to revolutionise the local tourism drive by encapsulating history. While there are efforts in the form of tours to Fort Island and a few other historical places, consistency appears to be absent. National focus comes during November: Tourism Awareness Month.

That is very useful, and is a good boost, but efforts must be channelled for a more structured approach for increased frequency, allowing ideally for weekend tours year-round by the Government’s tourism arm. There are private tour operators that offer packages throughout the year, and more than likely, a major percentage of the tourists would be overseas-based Guyanese and other tourists.

That said, the reality is that the cost factor for local tourism is prohibitive to ordinary Guyanese here. It is no secret that some have stated their preference to visiting a Caribbean Island like Trinidad & Tobago over Kaieteur Falls, given there appears not much difference in costs. Resorts are also costly; however, operators cannot work at a loss. While some local Guyanese are able to afford tourism packages here, a large percentage cannot.

There are instances when special packages were offered to attract more locals. If that can be sustained, then the potential to attract more increases. That, of course, is subject to market forces for local operators in the context of their current clientele. But, can the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) explore the possibility of working with the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) for sustained weekend tours to the Essequibo Islands as a starter?

Aside from the current usual destinations, others can be added, like the historic St. Peter’s Anglican Church in Leguan. That structure is over 150 years old. Working in collaboration with the custodians, weekend trips are possible. The approach has to be holistic and national in promoting that and other historical sites. The intention must be to educate and build interest, which can be converted into desire to visit. The state media apparatus can play a crucial role in that regard.

The tours do not have to be confined to the Essequibo Islands, but can include other relevant areas which are accessible, if not to ferries, then to other safe vessels. Partnership can also be built for the creation of trinkets and souvenirs for the various destinations.

Many visitors to major cities overseas purchase souvenirs, which can include a replica of the Statue of Liberty or the Eiffel Tower, just to cite a few. What stops locals here from creating souvenirs such as replicas of the St. Peter’s Anglican Church, City Hall, or even Parliament Buildings?

Each town has a rich and intriguing history. A trip to Bartica in the future can possibly see a museum of its history, while trinkets and souvenirs, including related T-Shirts etc, can be sold. This can be replicated in other parts of the country.

With a comprehensive strategic plan and commitment to bolster and revolutionise local tourism, encompassing all the necessary stakeholders, both private and state; and with consideration for justified concessions, it can be done.

There is the strong belief that if necessary services are provided, and within reasonably cost, they will be accessed. Each region and town can initiate its own plan, with support from the Government. In the end, not only would there be a boost in the potential growth of local economies, but Guyanese would be edified by the opportunity for extensive visits to various parts of their homeland.

When referring to history-based tourism here, Jonestown in Region 1 cannot be avoided. Despite its macabre ending, it holds tremendous potential for tourism. A re-establishment of the site for that purpose would attract curious tourists. The spinoffs of airtravel, accommodation, food, local transportation and souvenirs remain untapped. Skeptics just need to look at the 911 Memorial and Museum in New York.

Staff members of the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) on Thursday took time out to donate blood in the financial institution’s seventh Annual Blood Drive held at its Water Street branch. The drive was held one day prior to World Blood Donor Day 2019, which is being celebrated today

Instagram priest takes to Venezuela's streets "with the people"

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enezuelan priest Luis Antonio Salazar has built a solid social media following over the past two years preaching the Bible over Instagram, breaking the mould of the country’s conservative Catholic Church.

to film a video series called “Living the Gospels”, a modern take on theology broadcast on Saturdays to 30,000 Instagram followers.

The one-minute videos discuss concepts such as inner peace through references to animated film “Kung Fu

“People tell me ‘if someone can explain it to me, I’ll understand it, use it in my life’.”

Salazar said he got involved in the protests against President Nicolás Maduro because being political is part of being Venezuelan: “From the peasant who harvests po-

Venezuelan priest Luis Antonio Salazar raises his arms while leading a Sunday Mass at Chiquinquira Catholic Church in Caracas, Venezuela, June 2, 2019

Now he has raised his profile further by showing his support for Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó and joining massive anti-government protests dressed in his cassock, offering blessings one moment and running from tear gas the next.

“If the people are on the street, you have to be with the people,” the former male beauty pageant contestant said in his office in eastern Caracas, decorated with a cross and pictures of the Virgin Mary. “Since January 23, I started going into the streets to accompany the people.”

Salazar, a friar of the Capuchin order who was once a contestant in a Venezuelan survival reality show, uses his iPhone

Panda” and the 2000 action comedy “Miss Congeniality”.

“For me, he’s like the rock-star priest, the millennial priest,” said student Carol Alvarez, 23, who hopes Salazar will lead her confirmation ceremony.

Salazar also holds traditional Sunday mass that combines the youthful demeanour of his social media videos with Catholic prayers and traditions.

One such mass in May brought about 400 attendees – most significantly older than his typical Instagram audience – who stood in line to greet him and take selfies.

His sermons often elaborate on the Instagram posts.

“I explain quickly and (explain) how people can use it in their lives,” he said.

tatoes to Juan Guaidó, the president in charge ... we all talk about politics. I cannot exempt myself.”

Guaidó assumed a rival interim presidency in January after calling Maduro’s 2018 re-election a fraud and has since won diplomatic recognition from dozens of countries, including the United States.

Maduro calls him a puppet of Washington.

Venezuela’s Episcopal Conference declined to comment. (Reuters)

Diplomats meet in Sweden to discuss Venezuela

Officials say that Sweden is hosting talks between major powers with interests in Venezuela amid stalled mediation efforts in neighbour-

ing Norway.

A European diplomat said that representatives of the United Nations, the Vatican, Cuba and the European Union are among the parties attending the talks. He identified the EU representative as Enrique Iglesias.

He also said that Washington was joining the Stockholm meeting together with Moscow.

But an American official with knowledge of the discussions told The Associated Press that the US was not taking part.

Both requested anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the issue.

A Venezuelan Government source with knowledge of the talks considered them a waste of time because only low-level diplomats were in attendance.

Meanwhile, some Venezuelans are expressing scepticism about new banknotes that the Government says will ease challenges posed by the country's soaring inflation.

Bolívar bills with larger denominations are supposed to start circulating Thursday, though there was no sign of them at some banks in the Venezuelan capital in Caracas.

The Central Bank says the bills of 10,000; 20,000 and 50,000 bolívares will help make payments and transactions "more efficient".

The biggest new bill is worth about US$8.

But Caracas resident Rafael Gerardi says the measure will make it hard to get change.

"It's not logical," he said.

Venezuela's currency has such little value that people commonly use debit cards to avoid hauling large piles of already scarce cash to pay for basic goods. (Fox News)

guyanatimesgy.com

FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 2019

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

The better version New special bank account for City Council Dear Editor, In a shocking move, the APNU/AFC majority on the Georgetown City Council voted at the statutory meeting held on May 28, 2019, to immediately open a special bank account for the Social Development Committee, which is headed by former Mayor Patricia Chase-Green. The PPP/C Councillors voted against the opening of this special bank account for important reasons which will be explained.

It should be noted that Councillor Chase-Green is not only the current Chairman of the Social Development Committee but she has also been the Chairman of that Committee during the previous two Councils, meaning that she has been at the helm of this Committee for more than a decade. This Committee is comprised of seven Councillors as members with two of them serving as Chairman and ViceChairman.

It was Mayor Ubraj Narine himself who introduced the subject of a special bank account for the Social Development Committee at the statutory meeting. He actually pushed for such an account to be opened which seems to indicate that he was probably ill-informed and did not make any inquiries or do any research on the issue.

The question of a special bank account for the Social Development Committee has always been a problematic issue since there are no provisions in the laws or bylaws sanctioning a special independent bank account for the Social Development Committee to be managed by certain Councillors. I argued against the opening of this bank account and referred to the Keith Burrowes Report which had recommended the closing of this account since 2012.

I had also objected to a special bank account for the Social Development Committee at the previous Council where former Town Clerk Royston King seemed to have misinterpreted Section 148 (3) of the Municipal and District Councils Act Cap 28:01 which referred to maintaining separate (ledger) accounts for revenue and expenditures for money deposited into or spent from the authorised bank account for such purposes which was the general rate fund.

The Municipal and District Councils Act (M&DC Act) also makes provision for loans taken out by the Council which are not considered as revenue and must be deposited into a separate loan fund.

To understand the structure of the Georgetown City Council, one must refer to the Municipal and District Councils Act 28:01 where the City Council consists of the elected Mayor and Councillors as the policy-making and oversight body while the administration of the Council is headed by the Town Clerk where decisions of the Council are executed and Standard Operating Procedures are followed.

The Municipal and District Councils (Amendment) Act of 2013 outlines the duties of Councillors in Section 8A and it does not include any power to undertake administrative duties which are under the control of the Town Clerk or the City Treasurer. So the activities of the Social Development Committee relating to the selling of Mashramani and Carnival spots, issuing loans and bursaries and maintaining a separate bank account appear to be outside of what is permissible by law and also beyond the scope of Councillors’ responsibilities. The responsibility for executing all revenue-garnering activities or executing payment decisions of Council falls under the offices of the Town Clerk and the City Treasurer and not the Social Development Committee, which appears to be usurping the responsibilities of the Town Clerk’s office.

Further, Sections 60-69 of the M&DC Act refers to the formation of Committees and rules governing such committees. No committee has the power to enter into contracts unless such authority is given by the Council. Selling of spots for Carnival and Mashramani can be considered as simple contracts which the Social Development Committee does not have the authority to undertake and this is an administrative task which should be performed by the Town Clerk’s office.

If there was ever a decision made by the Council to assign such responsibilities to a Committee or to certain Councillors, no evidence was produced to substantiate such a claim such as the minutes of a meeting where such a decision was made. In addition, no such responsibility is assigned in the Terms of Reference for the Social Development Committee either.

A Commission of inquiry was authorised in 2012 to investigate the operations of City Hall due to accusations of corruption and mismanagement.

The Commission was headed by Keith Burrowes and it made forty-five (45) recommendations which were to be implemented by the Georgetown City Council.

It was reported that one of those recommendations included the closing of a number of bank accounts, including the Social Development Committee’s bank account which also existed at that time.

The Social Development Committee has never produced any audited financial statements for any monies which were collected, spent, disbursed or loaned over the years even though the Committee had been involved in numerous activities and events.

Everyone is aware that the Georgetown City Council has been experiencing financial difficulties for many years and so it would have been expected that all activities would be geared towards garnering more revenue or reducing expenses for the Council. But according to reports, the Social

Development Committee was giving away free spots for Mashramani, offering discounts and also paying certain Councillors, including Councillor Chase-Green, for working Mashramani and Carnival while Council workers also received extra pay in addition to their regular salaries.

It should be noted that the Social Development Committee handles all Mashramani, Carnival and Independence activities for the Georgetown City Council in addition to other social events. Councillor Chase-Green had openly said at a statutory meeting that all monies from the Carnival celebrations must be deposited in the Social Development Committee account even before Council approved this new request.

The stated purpose for this new special bank account for the Social Development Committee, which will be opened with immediate effect, was to allow staff and other community members to have access to small loans outside the “bureaucracy of the Treasurer’s department”. In other words, the APNU/AFC Mayor and Councillors are stating that they intend to bypass the City Treasurer’s office and also violate the laws and existing procedures.

At a statutory meeting in September 2011, former Councillor Junior Garrett (deceased) “lamented the fact that the cash-strapped Council had apparently become a loan agency to certain senior members” (Guyana Chronicle 1/7/14).

Citizens and former workers have alleged that the Social Development Committee bank account was used as a slush fund with no accountability and that monies were spent at the whims and fancies of those who controlled it.

Employees of the Georgetown City Council make contributions to their credit union which allowed them in the past to take out small loans from time to time from that institution.

But the Town Clerk and City Treasurer have been illegally using those contributions for other purposes instead of remitting to the Credit Union and this has been go-

Dear Editor, As I reflect on David Hinds’ letter to the press dated June 11, 2019, captioned “There is a difference between whistle-blowers and political spies”, it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the political opportunism of David Hinds.

But reading his piece confirmed in my mind with much clarity that Dr David Hinds is not the sort of public commentator who can bring reason to the “political and intellectual chaos” in Guyana.

I say this because what is in the Guyana Standard News (Gov’t needs to flush out PPP moles from public service - David Hinds) clearly attributed first to Dr Hinds that he said: “the Government needs to flush out PPP moles from Public Service”.

This is not reconciling to what Dr Hinds is saying in this letter.

Rather, what Dr Hinds sought to do with his letter was cast aspersion on the Leader of the Opposition and former President of Guyana, Bharat Jagdeo. But he failed to deal with the comments attributed to him just over a week ago in the Guyana Standard News.

My fore parents taught me that we must beware of such persons who seek to distort the issue by distracting and sidestepping the source of the debate as they attempt to change the narrative and tag the issue on someone else. Aren’t people who embody such characteristics liars, cheats and intellectual

slime?

This is what the Guyana Standard News quoted Dr Hinds as saying: “he shares this concern of the PPP’s access to citizens’ personal information while noting that the Government needs to act quickly and flush the public service of PPP moles”.

As an academic, what evidence does Dr Hinds have that the whistleblowers are PPP moles or work for the PPP? Or is this his attempt to deceive the nation with his brand of subterfuge and trickery?

Dr Hinds is further quoted by the Guyana Standard News as saying that “the PPP is using the public service to undermine the Government and “it is just plain wrong”.

Again, where is his evidence that the PPP is doing this?

Why can’t public servants who genuinely care about the levels of the financial waste in this Granger regime not leak information to the public as a means of bringing this financial plunder to an end?

Reading Dr Hinds’ letter leaves the impression that he has suddenly woken up from a deep slumber.

Hello, is anyone at home upstairs Dr Hinds? From day one, team Granger attacked many professionals in the public service and only this month we were reminded that two endangered species – one Valmiki Singh in the Telecoms Sector and one James Singh in the Forestry Sector are soon to be axed.

So, is Dr Hinds encouraging the construction of public service with no indepen-

dence of mind and no persons with adequate professional competence to ensure that checks and balances are adhered to at all times? Is Dr Hinds advocating for a public service that is totally populated by political minnows and bootlickers?

We had such a situation in 1976 when Burnham made the Sophia declaration when he said that the “State is but an arm of the party”.

And guess where that took the nation? Within a decade of such a sycophantic PNC attitude of mind, Guyana was totally bankrupt, uncreditworthy in the books of the international donor community and was experiencing the highest rate of malnutrition and ailments ever seen in all of the histories of independent Guyana.

Is this what Dr Hinds is condoning? Is he “ok” with putting into the grave, all of the political principles his former leader, Dr Walter Rodney, preached? Some honesty for once, Dr David Hinds, would be a welcomed ingredient to the public political discourse. Especially in these challenging times, it is mandatory especially from people like Dr Hinds, who tries so hard to claim the title that he is an independent thinker. Or is it all a political sham and what we are seeing here is more hot air from another first-class political BS artist who claims that they are for the empowerment of the people?

ing on for many years. As a result, the Council workers cannot obtain any loans from the Credit Union. The City Council has not yet brought the credit union accounts up to date so workers continue to be deprived of the benefits to which they are entitled from the Credit Union.

But the deliberate failure of the Council to remit employees’ contributions to the Credit Union is simply not enough reason to disregard or violate the laws and also the recommendations of that Commission of Inquiry, to open a special bank account which will be controlled by the Social Development Committee which is chaired by Councillor Patricia Chase-Green.

So even with new Mayor Ubraj Narine and many

new Councillors on board, the dysfunctional state of the City Council continues to prevail with yet another unsound and detrimental decision to open a special bank account for the Social Development Committee to “bypass the bureaucracy of the Treasurer’s department”.

I call on all citizens to

contact Mayor Ubraj Narine and also the Councillors to reverse this decision in the interest of accountability and good governance.

Regards, Sasenarine Singh

Sincerely, Bishram Kuppen Councillor – Georgetown City Council

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FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 2019

Page

Foundation A new couple might have fun together and enjoy the process of getting to know each other better. Some relationships don’t last beyond that phase, but other relationships deepen into love.

After a while, many people want to feel more connected to the person they’re with. Like Lexie, who said, “When you have a crush you are afraid to talk to them and you have butterflies, and when you are in love you can talk about anything with them and feel comfortable.”

Closeness Closeness is the bond that a couple develops when they feel comfortable enough to share thoughts and feelings that they don’t share with anyone else. The connection between them deepens to include qualities like trust, respect, and honesty. (Excerpt from kidshealth.org)

M

ore than 5700 of you took our survey on falling in love. Lots of you know what it feels like to be in love: 46 per cent of our survey takers said they’re in love now or have been in the past. But an almost equal number (43 per cent) said that, although they like someone, they’re just not sure it’s really love. And 11 per cent said they’d never been in love (mostly because they haven’t met the right person yet).

So what makes it love?

Three main qualities go with being in love: attraction, closeness, and commitment. Relationships can be about any or all of these.

Attraction is the “chemistry” part of love. It’s all about the physical interest that two people have in each other.

Relationships that are based on attraction alone are usually more about fun and infatuation than real love.

Guys: Stereotypes aren’t always true Conventional wisdom says that, for guys in their early teens, relationships are mainly about physical attraction. That explains why some guys responded like Trent, who told us the things he likes about his girlfriend are “her hair and body”. Experts say that it’s not until guys reach their later teens that they rate a person’s inner qualities as most important.

Our survey showed that this “conventional wisdom” doesn’t mean all guys fall into this mould. First, we saw that it’s not just younger guys who go mainly for the way someone looks or their physical attributes: We had a few older guys say they were most interested in looks. And most of the younger guys in our survey say they appreciate a person’s inner qualities, like kindness and intelligence.

For example, Marley said the reason he loves his GF

is a combination of her inner and outer qualities: “She’s deep and has real emotions, she acts herself and doesn’t act fake,” he told us. “I also love her eyes. I get lost in them.”

Josh told us the things he loves about his girlfriend are, “Her attitude, her eyes, her smile and the way it lights up the world. Regardless of what people say about her, she’s beautiful in my eyes.”

Girls: Personality, please!

As with guys, looks can also catch a girl’s attention.

But when it comes to being attracted to someone, girls typically emphasise the importance of character.

Many girls in our survey felt like Jovin, 17, who told us, “The first impression is his look.” But after that, she says other things become more important, like “his personality and style, kindness and intelligence”.

Chey said, “I look mainly for personality. If he’s really nice then I might end up having a crush on him. But if he’s a jerk then I probably won’t like him.”

Kelsey, 16, said she’s attracted to a guy who is “cute, smart, honest, funny, and treats me great”.

Priscilla said, “They have to be honest, respectful, down-to-earth, won’t judge me, and love me for who I am.

I hate the guys that just want to ‘hit it and quit it’ or want a girl with all the looks and clothes even though she might not be the nicest person.”

The thrills of a new relationship Both guys and girls noticed that the excitement and newness of the infatuation stage is fun and thrilling.

Robbie confessed, “I blushed when I saw her. I didn’t know what to say.”

Sometimes a new relationship starts with attraction.

A

girl in my class is overweight and other kids constantly make fun of her and try to push her lunch tray out her hands. Is there anything I can to do help her?

– Diana* To the girl being bullied, just knowing that someone else is on her side can make a big difference. It can also help if you and your friends hang out with her, especially during times that she has problems – like lunch or free time. Bullies often bother people when they’re alone. And having people to hang out with can help your classmate feel confident and accepted.

Talk to an adult at school about what’s going on. The adult can help stop the bullying by dealing with the bullies directly.

If it hasn’t completely stopped, get advice from the adult on the best ways you and the girl who is being bullied can react.

For example, things like calmly telling bullies to stop, walking away, ignoring them, or using humour often discourage bullies because no one seems upset or intimidated by their actions.

Speak up if you hear others bullying your classmate. Stand up for her by telling them that the way they’re treating her is wrong and what they’re doing is not funny. But do it in a way that’s calm and firm, rather than dramatic, sarcastic, or emotional.

Don’t let things escalate into arguing, planning revenge, being mean, or resorting to violence. These things usually don’t help, and can make a bad situation even worse. Bullies often are encouraged if they see people are upset and if they sense their intimidation is working. You can help prepare by talking to adults or friends and rehearsing how you’ll act and what you’ll say.

If the bullying involves violence or threats, or if you think your classmate is in danger of getting hurt or harming herself, talk to an adult about it right away. *Names have been changed to protect user privacy. (kidshealth. org)

news

7

FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Jagdeo calls on Govt to fix “damning” issues between GuySuCo, SPU ― says PPP will review all deals

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

O

pposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo is calling on Government to pay close attention to the ongoing feud between the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and NICIL’s Special Purpose Unit (SPU), noting that the two state agencies have “damning” issues that need to be fixed.

Jagdeo’s comment comes on the heels of a recent visit to the Albion Estate in Berbice by President David Granger, who told residents and workers that he was there to fix things. “…I am not here to bury the sugar industry. I am here to find out what your problems are. I have come to fix things…,” the President was quoted saying in a lengthy statement from the Ministry of the

Presidency last week.

However, Jagdeo posited that the Head of State first needs to fix the issues between GuySuCo and the NICIL-owned SPU, which are being played out in the public.

“He went there to fix things… [But] he can’t fix the relationship between GuySuCo and NICIL – two state entities – and all it takes for him to do is to call them in his office and say cut out this nonsense, I want to see where the money is being spent.

That’s all it requires [but] he has to go to Albion to tell people that he’s fixing things,” Jagdeo contended.

In a statement on Wednesday, the sugar corporation accused the SPU, which was set up by NICIL to oversee the divestment of GuySuCo’s assets, of unprofessionalism and

criticised its approach to divestment.

According to the Opposition Leader, the strongly worded missive from GuySuCo is damning.

“A state agency accusing the SPU of undermining privatisation, of engaging in illegal acts, of recruiting the consultant to do the valuation [of GuySuCo’s assets] on the basis of a personal relation. That is the valuation that Guyana now must accept in the privatisation process [when] GuySuCo itself has grave concerns on how the consultant [PricewaterhouseCoopers] was recruited,” he noted.

Moreover, it was noted that the sugar corporation is yet to be given a copy of the valuation report prepared by the United Kingdom-

based consultant. “This is the most damning thing. If this doesn’t require a Commission of Inquiry, nothing does,” the Opposition Leader contended.

Nevertheless, Jagdeo went on to talk about the fact that GuySuCo is being kept in the dark when it comes to the transactions on its immovable and moveable assets.

“So clearly, GuySuCo doesn’t know what is being sold out and what they’re keeping, and they don’t get any information. They are just like us in the public domain,” the Opposition Leader stressed.

In fact, he reiterated claims of SPU removing assets from GuySuCo’s serviceable register to the unserviceable in order to sell them out.

Furthermore, he went on to outline that the sugar corporation, which has been downsized by the co-

alition Government to just three estates – Albion, Blairmont and Uitvulgt, is questioning the scrap metal dealings involving the Wales, West Bank Demerara, estate.

Back in April, reports had emerged that scrap metal from GuySuCo, worth some $3 billion, was sold to a mysterious buyer, but the proceeds from the sale were not received by the corporation.

The Government has been silent on this transaction and despite the Business Ministry having overall responsibility for the scrap metal trade, former Business Minister Dominic Gaskin had distanced the Ministry from the sale when questioned

by Guyana Times in April.

Against this backdrop, the Opposition Leader told reporters on Thursday that NICIL has been bypassing the structure put in place for the privatisa-

tion of state assets. In fact, he noted that the agency is selling out “blocks of land” at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, including lands that were earmarked for the scrapped Specialty Hospital project.

He added too that lands, at Liliendaal and Wales, are also being leased by NICIL and/or the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission. To this end, Jagdeo noted that if the PPP returns to power then all of these deals will come under scrutiny.

“I want to warn the businessmen and those who are engaged in this, that if they believe this will fly in the long run and that we are not going to come back and look at all these transactions, they have it wrong because we’re going to do that. We’re not gonna tolerate this wanton giveaway of the resources,” the Opposition Leader posted.

In the meantime, this fallout between GuySuCo and NICIL comes just days after the Guyana Agriculture and General Workers Union (GAWU) met with officials from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), airing their concerns about the divestment process and the lack of transparency.

8 News

friDAY, JUNE 14, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

IN THE COURTS Brazilian national charged for Silencing…

shooting cop

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54-year-old Brazilian national appeared before the Georgetown Magistrates' Courts on Thursday slapped with an attempted murder charge.

Francisco D'Aguiar of Lot 75 Church Street, Bourda, Georgetown, was not required to plead to the indictable charge which stated that on May 26, 2019, at Aranka Backdam, Region 7 (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), with intent to commit murder, he discharged a loaded firearm at Police Constable Anthony Weekes.

D'Aguiar was represented by Attorney-at-Law Trenton Lake, who told the court in his bail application that his client was not arrested at the scene. In fact, he added that his client was not present at the location when the incident occurred.

He went on to say that the man turned himself in at the CID headquarters on Monday last on his free will.

Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield, who presented the facts of the matter, stat-

ed that on the day in question, police ranks received information that the accused was in possession of a gun when they visited the location to conduct an investigation.

The police rank, along with others, arrived at the mining camp and identified themselves to the accused, who was at the time carrying a handgun.

The accused, the prosecutor noted, pointed the gun at the ranks and discharged four rounds with one hitting Weekes to the chest.

The injured man was rushed away from the scene by his colleagues and taken to the Bartica Hospital but was transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where he was admitted and later discharged.

Prosecutor Mansfield further stated that the accused turned himself over to Police at the CID headquarters on June 10, 2019.

However, Anthony Weekes told the court that the bul-

let struck him in the chest but exited and lodged in his hand.

Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan refused bail on the grounds that the accused might be a flight risk since he has no fixed place of

residence. She further stated that there is no evidence of the accused being a naturalised Guyanese citizen.

The man's next court appearance is slated for June 19, 2019, at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court.

The facts of the matter stated that on the day in question, at about 22:30h, the victim went to her friend’s wake, which was being held at a club, located about 10 feet away from her reputed husband’s house.

She was reportedly imbibing alcohol at the wake when she decided to look for her reputed husband.

The woman inquired about the man and it was

then that the accused told her to check at the man’s house.

Upon her arrival at the house, the victim noticed the door half-opened and walked straight to the bedroom. She reportedly heard a sound coming from the front door and upon checking, she came face to face with her attacker.

At that time, she instructed him to leave but he reportedly remained silent.

Soon after, the accused ran towards the woman, threw her onto the bed and committed the act.

The woman raised an alarm, thus resulting in her reputed husband running to her rescue. A report was made at the police station and the accused was arrested.

He will make his second court appearance on June 25, 2019, at the Kamarang Magistrate’s Court.

Francisco D'Aguiar

Miner granted $250,000 bail on sexual assault charge

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46-year-old miner was on Thursday granted bail in the sum of 250,000 by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on a sexual assault charge Odingo Emanuel also known as “Dingo” of Imbaimadai Landing was accused of having sexual intercourse with a woman without her consent on August 10, 2018. He was required to plea to the charge when it was read to him.

Hotelier allegedly contracts hitman to kill Lethem businessman

A

Chatterpaul

Singh

and

Mark

57-year-old hotelier is accused of contracting a hitman to kill a businessman from Lethem, Region Nine.

Mark Grimmond, the owner of Rocky’s Hotel, Light Street, Georgetown, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan after his alleged hitman spilt the details about a murder contract.

Grimmond, of Grove Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara (EBD), and the alleged hitman, Chatterpaul Singh, of Cummingsburg Georgetown, were not required to plea to the charge which alleged that on April 1, 2019, they conspired to kill Dwayne Grant.

Reports are that Grant received information that Grimmond and Singh were plotting to kill him. Police re-

portedly arrested Singh, who was found with a firearm in his possession.

Reports are that Singh confessed to the police that he was contracted by the hotelier to carry out the execution.

Grimmond was subsequently apprehended.

Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield told the court that the police have obtained telephone conversations between both accused.

He further informed that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) advised that the charge be instituted against the duo.

Singh and Grimmond were represented by Attorney-at-Law Bernard DaSilva. They were remanded to prison and their next court appearance is slated for June 18, 2019.

…Enmore Last month, when David Granger didn’t even mention the name of Cheddi Jagan when he listed the names of Indian Guyanese who’d contributed to Guyana, your Eyewitness noted Granger was deploying a most potent political weapon: silencing of the historical record.

Granger’s a historian, and knows more than most about historiography that goes beyond the cliché about “history being written by the victors”.

He’d know about the ground-breaking work by the Haitian anthropologist Michel-Rolph Trouillet, whose book, “Silencing the Past: Power and the Production of History”, opened up the wider public’s eye to the phenomenon of “silencing” and its use in creating narratives by silencing other stories.

“Silencing”, as used by Trouillet, isn’t merely inadvertently leaving out facts, or because one doesn’t consider them “important”; it’s a conscious, deliberate act intended to deny the “silenced” any agency in history. Who is Jagan, if no one knows of his contributions? From that standpoint, silencing is an act of violence – an epistemic one, as pointed out by Gaytri Spivak, since the public is being denied knowledge of the complete truth.

Well, June 6th came and went, and there wasn’t a single mention of the “Enmore Massacre” that was committed by the colonial government 71 years ago!! If this wasn’t “silencing”, what is? The Enmore massacre was an inflection point in our history of independence, when the ordinary people of British Guiana rallied to the banner of the young Cheddi Jagan to protest the shooting and killing of five sugar workers who’d merely insisted they wouldn’t have their workload doubled for the same pay. Jagan took at the gravesides an oath which led to the formation of the PPP – the first national political party in the country.

But Granger knows why he’s silencing the history of Enmore. How could he extol the sacrifice of those sugar workers for the independence he loves celebrating when he callously threw 7000 sugar workers into the streets by shuttering four estates – including Enmore?? But yet he and his government did!! Enmore was only the last in a line of bloodied resistance by sugar workers against the sugar oligarchy that was coterminous with the colonial state: every decade since 1872, sugar workers’ blood was spilled by the colonial police as they confronted the oppressors of Guiana. Even Forbes Burnham didn’t go so far as Granger, since he actually commissioned the Monument to the Enmore Martyrs.

Yes…Granger is fulfilling Burnham’s legacy all right. By the time he’s finished, he clearly intends to literally and figuratively wipe out any political opposition. With elections imminent after the CCJ decision due next Tuesday, the GDF has already practised quelling internal protests.

Remember “Exercise Rattrap” from last week? …Rodney Your Eyewitness is writing this piece on the anniversary of the assassination of Walter Rodney by the agent of the PNC under Burnham. He’s not surprised the PNC hasn’t commemorated the event; after all, they were all complicit in his assassination, weren’t they? Look at what a rear-guard battle they waged to degut the Commission of Inquiry’s Report!! It’s the WPA’s betrayal that stinks to high heaven. Their Chairperson feeds on the great man’s legacy to secure “Minister wuk”, but utters not a word about the man’s assassination!

But while Rodney’s legacy is secure, the Nigerian novelist Wole Soyinka explained why it’s touchy: “Walter Rodney was no captive intellectual playing to the gallery of local or international radicalism. He was clearly one of the most solidly ideologically situated intellectuals ever to look colonialism and exploitation in the eye and, where necessary, spit in it.”

And Rodney himself explained today’s betrayal: “Most African leaders of the intelligentsia…were frankly capitalist, and shared fully the ideology of their bourgeois masters….

As far as the mass of peasants and workers were concerned, the removal of overt foreign rule actually cleared the way towards a more fundamental appreciation of exploitation and imperialism.” …Rodney’s praxis Which of the “Rodneyites” around today practise selfemancipation; self-mobilisation and self-organisation to transition beyond capitalism?

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

9 No evidence found to extradite Charrandas – Ramjattan news

friDAY, JUNE 14, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Former AFC Member of Parliament Charrandas

T

he probe into the bribery allegations and movement of gold against former Alliance For Change Member of Parliament Charrandas Persaud is at a standstill as investigators have not obtained substantial evidence in the matter.

This disclosure was made

by Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan on Wednesday when he told reporters that the police have failed to obtain a statement

from Persaud and there is not enough evidence for him to be extradited to Guyana.

“Charrandas left and the investigators were supposed to, I think, ask him some questions and they’re not getting him. Whatever was the status for the past couple of months, it is just stuck there,” Ramjattan said.

Persaud is being investigated for reportedly taking a bribe to vote in favour of the No-Confidence Motion brought against the APNU/AFC Government on December 21, 2018.

Ramjattan, in responding to questions posed by media operatives on the status of the investigations, stated that police were acting on suspicion. “Police were acting on information and suspicions whether someone else paid him to do what he did. All of that will be technical legal issues,” he said.

Ramjattan, however, maintained that the matter remains of national importance while noting that some investigations are stalled for years and reopens when new evidence emerges.

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan

Questioned further on whether the police will consider using a diplomatic channel to get in contact with the former MP, Ramjattan said he doubts that will be the case “For Canada, you have to have evidence of a crime being committed before you can bring back somebody. Solid evidence of a crime especially against a citizen of Canada.

I don’t know if we have managed to accumulate that,” the Security Minister said.

The investigation was

launched in January after a report was made of a plan

by Charrandas Persaud to purchase gold. A number of gold miners have since been questioned by police as part of an ongoing probe into the bribery allegations.

Police say Persaud was in talks with players of the gold industry to purchase a large quality of gold…almost US$1 million.

At least one gold dealer was reportedly asked to provide a statement. Despite speculations by the PPP and some members of the public that the investigation was “politically motivated” and launched as a result of directions by the Public Security Minister, Police Commissioner Leslie James has maintained that he was not instructed to do so.

“Something was brought to my attention by the Minister and based on that, an investigation ensued. I don’t receive instructions… political instructions.

I must make that very clear,” James stated.

Persaud, who is also a Canadian citizen, sided with the Opposition and

Police Commissioner Leslie James

voted for the motion which was declared passed by House Speaker Dr Barton Scotland, resulting in the toppling of the Government on December 21, 2018. He flew to Canada hours after, where he remains to date.

The legality of his vote was challenged by the APNU/AFC Government taking into consideration his dual citizenship. In addition, the Government also challenged the number of votes needed for a No-Confidence Motion to be validly passed.

They are contending that 34 is needed for an absolute majority to pass such a motion but the Opposition held out that the Constitution of Guyana referred to 33 as majority and that no part of the law mentioned “absolute majority”.

The matter was heard

by Chief Justice, Roxanne George, who ruled that the vote was validly passed and that 33 was deemed a majority. The Chief Justice’s ruling was challenged once again by the Government in the Appeal Court. After deliberations and submissions, two of the Judges in the Appeal Court ruled that the vote was not valid while one ruled in favour of the passage.

As such, the Opposition approached the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) to determine the validity of the vote.

The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) is expected to give the final ruling on Tuesday as to whether or not the motion of no-confidence against the APNU/ AFC Government was validly passed.

House-to-House Registration exercise

Persons who refuse to register will be charged, fined

P

ersons who refuse to participate in the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) House-to-House Registration exercise will be charged and fined.

The National Registration Act – Sections 6.5, 6.6 and 6.7 – stipulates that every eligible person who refuses to make an application for registration shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine of $16,250 or imprisonment for six months.

This was according to an advertisement placed in the daily newspapers by the

The Guyana Elections Commission

elections body.

GECOM had planned on starting House-to-House Registration by June 1, 2019; however, it is yet to commence.

Public Relations Officer

Yolanda Warde could not give a reason for the setback, but assured that the exercise would still be conducted, as the expired voters’ list needed to be updated.

However, the advert stat-

ed that eligible persons were asked to have on standby, their birth certificate, valid passport, naturalisation certificate, and/or adoption certificate.

Married women on the

other hand would be asked to present their marriage certificate, and persons with a name charge which is not stated on the birth certificate must present a deed poll along with the original birth certificate.

In addition, persons who were previously registered would be required to register again. Furthermore, during the House-to-House Registration period, no one will be allowed to register at GECOM’s offices.

It was reported that eligible persons are Guyanese citizens by birth, descent, naturalisation of registra-

tion 14 years and older by October 31, 2019, or a citizen of a Commonwealth country living in Guyana for a period of no less than one year preceding the qualifying date.

GECOM will establish teams of enumerators who will visit houses and other places of residence, including homes for the youth and elderly to register persons in Guyana.

“Eligible persons will be registered on the spot using the required registration form and relevant source documents,” GECOM stated.

Turn to page 10

10 news

friDAY, JUNE 14, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Bandits with cops, telephone numbers

Cops complicit with bandits everywhere – but not in Black Bush Polder case – Ramjattan

P

ublic Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan said that the discovery of several police officers’ numbers stored in a cellphone that was found on the slain bandit, Kelvin Shivgobin, does not prove that there was any collusion between the lawmen and criminals.

Shivgobin was one of three bandits shot and killed during a standoff with the police in Johanna, Black Bush Polder, Region Six

(East Berbice-Corentyne).

Among the items found at the scene on the dead man was a mobile phone and according to a recent article published in a local newspaper, the phone numbers of four police ranks were found stored in the handset.

“I understand that there might be some whistleblower who set it up and indicated that indeed this is true…

I hope [the police] gonna get the witness giving a statement rather than just wildly

making the accusation. But that accusation also could be corroborated with the phone numbers,” Ramjattan told reporters when prompted.

In the same breath, however, the Public Security Minister posited that the numbers found in the phone do not mean there was any collusion. But in the article, the whistleblower revealed that the numbers were also in the call log, providing that there was contact between the ranks and the

Dead bandit: Kelvin “Kelly” Shivgobin

now dead bandit.

Nevertheless, the Minister noted that the matter is being investigated.

“Phone numbers of policemen could very well be in criminals’ phone; it doesn’t mean that the policeman is complicit with the criminal… So, we have to be cautious about what is being said in this whistleblowing episode and so although indeed a certain policeman’s phone number was found in the criminal’s [phone], the connection now that they were complicit is what the police will have to investigate. That, as you know, can be very difficult but whatever it is, I am absolutely

certain that that set of difficulties could be surmounted by good detective work,” Ramjattan contended.

The report which was published earlier the week referenced unanimous “ranks”, who called for an independent probe into the corrupt practices by those four officers, which is reportedly being aided by a senior cop. It was alleged that one of the implicated ranks was a mole for the criminals, collecting large sums of money to tip them off whenever the police are on their tail.

According to Minister Ramjattan, there is always some sort of complicity between criminals and rogue elements of law enforcement. While noting that this phenomenon is not limited to Guyana, there is a no-tolerance for such behaviour.

“Once these things happen, the police is investigating them thoroughly and if anybody – whether a popular policeman, high ranking policeman; if he has to be charged, charge him. It’s a zero tolerance and no-nonsense approach; that’s the only clear way we can get rid of the rogue elements in our Police Force and get a better, safe security system,” the Public Security Minister stressed.

The now dead Shivgobin,

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan

called “Kelly”, was believed to be the ringleader of a notorious gang that has been terrorising residents in Berbice for months. However, on May 19, he along with Ramnarine Jagmohan and Sewchand Sewlall were shot dead after opening fire on the police.

The trio is believed to be behind the 2018 Old Year’s Night attack in Bush Lot, Corentyne, during which brothers, Harricharran and Premcharran Samaroo, were shot and killed.

Shivgobin was on the police wanted list for several other armed robberies, but, more particularly, for the murder of the two brothers.

Persons who refuse to...

In giving clear guidelines, GECOM stated that enumerators will visit the applicant’s home, accompanied by party scrutineers.

The enumerator introduces the team and explains the purpose of the visit. The applicants in that household are interviewed. The enumerator will be required to advise the applicant of the need for fingerprints, photograph and signature, before proceeding to fill out the application form.

The applicant and scrutineers must sign the completed form and a triplicate copy of the form must be left with the applicant.

Every person who know-

ingly makes a false statement for the purpose of being registered, or of remaining registered, shall be liable on a summary conviction to a fine of $5000 and to imprisonment for six months.

GECOM is forging ahead with House-to-House Registration as the country awaits a ruling from the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) on the December 2018 no-confidence motion against the Government and the appointment of the GECOM Chair. The rulings on these matters are tentatively set for June 18, 2019.

Furthermore, the registration exercise is being held amid contention be-

From page 9

tween the two factions of political party-nominated Commissioners at GECOM. The Opposition-nominated Commissioners are holding out that there was no need for House-to-House Registration when the old voters’ list could be vetted and updated through a ‘claims and objections’ period.

GECOM’s Legal Officer, Excellence Dazzle has also submitted a legal opinion to the Commission, stating that there was no need for the House-to-House Registration – which can last as long as nine months.

But the opinion was rejected by the Government-aligned Commissioners.

news

S RAIGHT S

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FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

IDB Executive Directors now official connoisseurs of El Dorado Rums

The PNC has looted the nation’s net foreign assets again?

By: SASE Singh; M.Sc. - Finance, ACCA.

G

iven the structural character of the economy (a small and open one), it is expected that the nation should have had a growing base of Net Foreign Assets to meet its needs. This Granger regime, keeps telling the nation that there is economic growth but yet when one looks at the Net Foreign Assets in the financial system, one wonders, how are they paying for these imports as the economy supposedly grows?

For open economies like Guyana, there must be a high reliance on imports for consumption and capital development.

These imports are financed by the Net Foreign Assets controlled by the State. In such a situation, the proper administration of the stock of Net Foreign Assets is of paramount importance in order to enable the economy to be able to meet the demands of the business community in order to conduct their trade.

Therefore, there has to be a high level of discipline in how the Net Foreign Assets are managed.

The Bank of Guyana has just released its April 2019 Statistical Bulletin and its May 2019 Balance Sheet and what I found from those documents did not provide any good news on the state of our Net Foreign Assets. For the readers, the Bank of Guyana and the private Commercial Banks are expected to keep a stock of Net Foreign Assets to settle all foreign payments. But from the graph below, that was constructed from evidence from these Bank of Guyana documents, it tells a story that is not what the Granger regime is telling us. Some people are strangers to the truth.

Between 2012 and 2018, the Total Net Foreign Assets of Guyana declined by 22% and this was driven by a decline in the Net Foreign Assets at the Central Bank by some 32% over that same time period. If it was not for their plundering of the foreign currency in the private commercial banks which cause the Central Bank to buy some US$179 million from the private banking system in 2018, the Central Bank would have seen its Net Foreign Assets depleted by over 50% over the during the period 2012 to 2018.

But the mere act of using Guyana dollars to buy foreign currency from the commercial banks is inflationary and if it was not for the Treasury Bills operations by the Central Bank to mop up these same Guyana dollars at a cost to the Treasury, we would have been experiencing hyperinflation in Guyana by now. But these Treasury Bills operations come at a cost – new debt that is a strategy to kick the problem “down the road into the future” for the next generation to clean up. Such a policy action I find wholly irresponsible and reckless on the part of Mr. David Granger and his team. As the saying goes, the buck stops at Mr. Granger’s desk.

Even with the oil inflows, this is sort of massive borrowing is unsustainable and bad news for any future government.

Even the best experts arrive in Guyana after the next elections, what Mr. Granger and his team has done to this economy in the last four (4) years will create long term damage to the economy.

I am therefore encouraging the authorities to cease and desist from this reckless economic and political strategy and think country first rather than cabal. It is time to evaluate the income generative projects and industries and stop selling the people this snake oil that the oil revenues will solve all.

The financial models reveals that it will not. The first stop for the oil revenue is to pay off the G$55 billion that the Central Government has borrowed from the Bank of Guyana. Then there is a G$30 billion debt borrowed on behalf of Guysuco

by Team Granger.

The foremost consequence from continuing along this path of not creating more export oriented business is the reawakening of a parallel foreign exchange market, which will lead to a situation of the State losing control of the foreign currency flows. It is in this light that this column stands with all right-thinking Guyana in exposing, opposing and rejecting these thoughtless economic plans of Team Granger. All will suffer if it is allowed to continue.

Guyana can do better than this!

Please share your thoughts at sasesin1@yahoo.com.

ix key members of the Board of Directors of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) are now official connoisseurs of the internationally acclaimed award-winning El Dorado Rum of Guyana.

They were presented with official certificates last Thursday at a simple ceremony in the bank’s boardroom by Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) Chairman, Komal Samaroo.

The Executive Directors earned their certificates as a result of their visit to the operations of DDL at Diamond, on Guyana’s East Bank of the Demerara River, during an official visit to Guyana, which is a borrowing member of the bank. While at DDL, the Directors - Eliot Pedrosa, the USA’s Director; Bosco Marti Ascencio, Director for Mexico and the Dominican Republic; Eric Madueno, Director for Canada; Malcolm Geere, Director for the United Kingdom, Japan, Korea, Portugal, Croatia and Slovenia; Jose Guilherme Reis, Director for Brazil and Suriname and Ambassador Selwin Hart, Director for the Caribbean - participated in an organoleptic testing exercise of a range of the

DDL Chairman Komal Samaroo and Government Affairs Advisor Wesley Kirton posed with executive members of IDB in Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.

El Dorado and other brands of Demerara rums distilled, blended and bottled by DDL. Prior to the organoleptic testing exercise, the Directors, accompanied

by IDB representative in Guyana Sophie Makonnen and DDL officials, toured the distillery, warehouses and bottling plant and were particularly impressed with the centuries-old wooden still which is among the stills currently in use at the distillery.

The visitors were also

brought up to date on the expansion and diversification plans currently underway at DDL including the proposed solar farm to supply energy to the Diamond Complex which is to benefit from funding from the IDB. Last week, DDL Chairman Komal Samaroo and Government Affairs Advisor Wesley Kirton were in Washington DC for the Caribbean Legislative Forum on Capitol Hill and an energy meeting at the Bank

and were received by five of the six Directors in the office of the US Executive Director.

The Caribbean Director, Selwin Hart, was not present since he was in Trinidad and Tobago for meetings of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

While visiting with the Bank’s directorate, Samaroo took the opportunity to further discuss DDL’s diversification and expansion programmes.

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friDAY, JUNE 14, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

NBTS anticipates 12,000 units on International Blood Donation Day

Director of National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS), Dr Pedro Lewis

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irector of the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS), Dr Pedro Lewis expects to receive some 12,000 units of blood from volunteers across the country today as Guyana observes International Blood Donation Day. Dr Lewis said that 80 per cent or 9600 units of blood will be given by volunteers residing in Demerara-Mahaica (Region Four).

International Blood

Donation Day is being observed under the theme “Safe Blood For All” this year in a global bid to raise awareness of the universal need for safe blood in the delivery of healthcare and the essential role of voluntary donations in achieving the goal of universal health coverage.

The theme was also chosen to “encourage more people around the world to become donors and to make regular donations, actions that are the cornerstone to create a solid base on which to establish a sustainable blood supply at the national level that will allow the transfusion needs of all patients”.

Lewis explained that the NBTS is in a very privileged position, especially in the Caribbean, because the country maintains “an excellent 100 per cent record of voluntary donation”.

The NBTS Director at-

tributed this to the strong sense of empathy among Guyanese.

“It’s a cultural thing,” Dr Lewis said, explaining the longevity of volunteerism among the thousands of annual voluntary donors who back the country’s ongoing blood donation drives.

Lewis called for “more community involvement” in the process since the country is moving towards establishing a trauma centre at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

“We will need more blood to sustain a trauma unit,” Lewis said, making his pitch for a spike in grassroots support for the NBTS. He lauded the 450 collaborators who helped organise the year-round, nationwide blood donation drive necessary to maintain a sufficient blood supply and achieve uni-

versal and timely access to safe blood transfusions in the nation’s health system.

According to the WHO, “An adequate and reliable supply of safe blood can be assured by a stable base of regular, voluntary, unpaid blood donors. These donors are also the safest group of donors as the prevalence of blood-borne infections is lowest among

this group.”

World Health Assembly (WHA), an arm of the WHO, also “urges all member states to develop national blood systems based on voluntary unpaid donations and to work towards the goal of self-sufficiency,” the global body’s website explained.

It said that the risk of transmission of serious

infections, including HIV and hepatitis, through unsafe blood and chronic blood shortages brought global attention to the importance of blood safety and availability.

“With the goal of ensuring universal access to safe blood and blood products, WHO has been at the forefront to improve blood safety and availability, the WHO website said.

GBTI hosts 7th Annual Blood Drive

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he Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI), Water Street Branch on Thursday conducted its seventh annual blood drive, where employees and customers were given an opportunity to save lives.

World Blood Donor Day 2019 is marked for celebration on Friday, honouring persons who have made blood contributions in the past.

As such, GBTI partnered with the National Blood Transfusion Service and took the responsibility of facilitating the exercise as part of their corporate responsibility.

Acting Branch Manager, Raymond Ford explained that employees were willingly taking up the mantle of assisting in whatever way they could.

“This activity, while it is initiated by the staff at

One of the staff members of the National Blood Transfusion Service, Staunza Bamfield, expressed that they have been partnering with small and large companies to acquire the much-needed units of blood.

She added that the response at GBTI was overwhelming.

“GBTI is one of our collaborators. We’re proud to be here and this initia-

GBTI staff partaking in the blood drive exercise

Water Street, we are positive that we have the full support of staff across the entire network and even customers come in and give us the support. We can say with all certainty that we will continue to host this activity on a yearly basis. Employees are donating blood.”

He emphasised that donating blood is very important, hence the decision to continue this venture.

“We’re very pleased to know that at GBTI Water Street, we are in support of this very worthy cause whereby we can actually marshal people together in aid of people who might be in need of blood.

It’s a very worthwhile venture because it can be your daughter, child or friend who might be in need of blood.

tive is wonderful. The staff is great and the response is tremendous. Once you call us, we’re happy to respond,” she explained.

Throughout the day, many persons would have contributed to the cause and they were able to raise a significant amount of units. While this is a usual activity at the bank, they are also planning a health fair, which will be executed during the latter part of this year.

In January, a total of 30 units were raised through a similar exercise at the Water Street Branch. The Blood Bank is always in need of blood, given the constant demand from patients across the country.

In some occasions, the organisation also face shortages.

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FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Employers warned about hiring children under 15 “Child labour is not restricted to you going out and earning money doing some job for a couple of hours.

Things that happened in the home can contribute to child labour as well,” she noted.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) launched the World Day Against Child Labour in 2002 to focus attention on the global extent of child labour and the action and efforts needed to eliminate such.

Each year on June 12, the World Day brings together governments, employers and workers’ organisations, civil society, as well as millions of people from around the

Students participating in a walk in Berbice on Wednesday

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s Guyana joined the rest of the world in observing World Day Against Child Labour on Wednesday, employers were warned against hiring children under the age of 15 since it is illegal and they can face the full brunt of the law if found doing so.

This was according to Superintendent of Police Budnarine Persaud, who was at the time addressing scores of young people and adults who participated in a walk in Region Six. “When we look at the root causes of crime we think of poverty as being the root cause. when you go into employment at the age of 15 years, it is robbing your childhood. It deprives you of your education if you go into employment at the age of 15. [It is] what is referred to as a labour”, Persaud added.

The senior police rank explained that for persons to have good paying jobs, they will first have to educate themselves and as such, urged the youths to stay in school.

Also addressing the students was New Amsterdam’s Mayor, Winifred Yearwood, who related that child labour could have mental, physical and psychological effects on the young souls.

“Why do people involve in child labour? They do this because they don’t want to pay the amount of money, they will have to give more money to the older persons to do the same job”.

She said child labour can be in different forms while noting that young girls are asked to stay home from school to take care of their younger or older relatives.

Children who are being asked to assist in family business during school hours are also victims of child labour, the Mayor noted.

Regional Education Officer Bhajmattie LaCruz noted that a UNICEF 2016 report on Guyana revealed that 18.3 per cent of 5-7-year-olds were involved in some form of child labour.

1400 ducklings imported from US for breeding – GLDA

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he Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) has imported 1400 white Muscovy ducklings from the United States of America (USA) to augment its current production levels.

This is according to Chief Executive Officer Nigel Cumberbatch, who said the ducklings would serve as breeding material for the authority.

“These ducklings were imported from the USA and they were declared free of any infectious or contagious disease such as Duck Virus Hepatitis, Duck Virus Enteritis, Cholera, Salmonella and other such diseases by the United States Department of Agriculture. The hatchlings from this importation would be sold to the farming community for rearing for meat production,” Cumberbatch noted.

The Muscovy ducks are used primarily for meat production as the meat is less greasy and contains less fat than the other breeds of ducks. Additionally, male Muscovy ducks can attain as much as 5.5 kg within 12 weeks once proper animal husbandry is practised.

GLDA said in a statement on Thursday that it has the responsibility to ensure its continuous support to a vibrant TURN TO PAGE 14

world to highlight the plight of child labourers and what can be done to help them.

Today, 152 million children are still being forced into child labour. Although child labour occurs in almost every sector, seven out of every ten is in agriculture.

The walk was organised by the Department of Social Cohesion under the theme “Children shouldn’t work in fields but on dreams”.

In Berbice, students from several secondary schools in New Amsterdam marched through New Amsterdam carrying anti-child labour placards.

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FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Annandale fatal accident

Once-bedridden teen given 2nd chance at life – says he misses his friend tremendously

Reaz Shaw engrossed in his favourite pastime

By Davina Ramdass

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here was once a time when relatives of Reaz Shaw were not sure whether he would ever speak, walk or even survive following a tragic accident at Annandale on the East Coast of Demerara that claimed the life of his friend.

Today, however, Reaz not only speaks and walks but also rides his bicycle, like he was doing back in December, when he and his friend, 15-year-old Karamchand Khemraj, were struck by a speeding Toyota minibus, reportedly driven

by Chinese nationals who did not stop to render assistance.

On Wednesday, Guyana Times visited the Lot 35 Annandale Public Road home of Reaz, who was out taking a midday ride.

Although he almost lost his life riding, he said he is not

afraid and it is, in fact, one of his hobbies.

His father, however, is very concerned and worried about him riding his bicycle but told Guyana Times that his son has been riding since he was a young child.

When it comes to his health, 16-year-old Reaz seemed to be back to normal, except for his left hand which was severely injured.

He explained how it was broken after the bus slammed into him and his friend but rectified after surgeries.

The teen had not only broken his arm but had sustained severe brain damage which left him paralysed and unable to function as a normal teenager.

Today he is able to move his arm, but not stretch it completely due to surgical procedures which saw steel being placed in his hand.

Shaw had spent well over two months at the

Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was unconscious and unable to do basic things for himself.

He said, “I’m feeling good for now, like one and two things like what I do I does forget it, not all time”.

On the emotional side of things, the teen said although he feels much better, he misses his friend tremendously. He recalled how the two of them were like brothers and always shared everything as they grew up together.

He also said that Khemraj’s parents, who lived nearby, had moved out as they were missing their son as well.

“I thought I wudda die.

Some days I sit down and realise what happened and I say watch how things happen. I study him but you know I can’t take on cause he done die. I miss him, I miss him bad cause you know like anywhere he ah go he does carry me, anyway me ah go me say come boy and we gone,” he shared.

Although he would have loved to, the teen shared that he was unable to finish school due to his brain injuries and damaged hand which did not permit him to write at the required pace, among other things.

His father, Yacoob Shaw, on the other hand, is more than happy to see him alive and at home as he too was scared that he would have lost his youngest child. He recalled, “The day when the accident happened, my wife called me and tell me Reaz get knock down…when we go in the hospital, them start pump air into he and the next boy, lil after we come out the next boy die”.

Although he is disappointed that a driver sped off and almost killed his child, the elder Shaw is confident that he cannot run from God. When it comes to his son riding again, the father of the young man said although he is fearful at times he is overwhelmed with joy to see his son active again, given that he was unable to do anything for himself at one point.

“He eye de close, he couldn’t do nothing for himself. We used to feed him

from tubes through he nose.

Sometimes he sit down on the chair there and he fall back so, he can’t balance he own self, [he was] like a piece stick stand up.”

The teen’s father said he and other close relatives were worried about him a lot, but never lost hope and believed that he could be normal again.

He was almost moved to tears as he thanked the public for praying for his son and assisting them in every way possible. The teen said he was extremely grateful for the man who took him to the hospital in his van and wishes if he could see him again.

Based on reports received, the teens were heading home from a nearby shop on a pedal cycle when a speeding white Toyota Hiace ‘Pitbull’ minibus struck them down from behind and continued on its

The thankful father, Yacoob Shaw

journey without stopping.

Both boys were picked up and rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where Khemraj died about an hour later while receiving medical attention. Shaw was

admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the medical facility. Nevertheless, the teen is optimistic that he is alive and looks forward to the future no matter what is in store.

Dr Roger Luncheon hospitalised

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ormer Head of the Presidential Secretariat under the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) regime, Dr Roger Luncheon, is hospitalised at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation after being rushed there on Thursday morning.

PPP General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo confirmed this but did not release any details.

“Roger has gone to the hospital a few times before so we’re hoping that everything goes well and he goes back

home safely,” Jagdeo stated.

In 2014, Dr Luncheon had revealed that he is suffering from gastrointestinal cancer. In fact, the PPP stalwart has been in and out of the hospital for the last couple of weeks.

He was last seen publicly at the party’s annual commemoration rally in honour of the late PPP founder and former President, Dr Cheddi Jagan, at Babu Jaan, Port Mourant.

Luncheon had served as Cabinet Secretary and HPS for over 21 years.

1400 ducklings imported... livestock industry which provides safe food for the population and generates income for rural and urban households, all while making optimal use of available resources and competing with producers beyond its borders.

It reminded the general public and all livestock farmers in particular that the illegal importation of livestock and livestock products into Guyana poses serious risks to the health of humans and animals as it prohibits GLDA’s ability to ensure that whatever is imported is free from exotic diseases. The GLDA, when contacted by Guyana Times, on Thursday said this importation has no connection with the recent ban by Trinidad and Tobago on poultry from Guyana and noted that it was imported primarily for breeding purposes.

Persons are being encouraged to give their full corporation to the Ministry in order to safeguard the health of the nation by reporting any and all instances of illegal animals and livestock product imports (smuggling) to the authority on telephone numbers 220-6556, 220-6557 or via email at glda1910@gmail.

com or the nearest police station.

Only recently, the twin-island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago announced a ban on all poultry, raw and cooked, from entering from Guyana.

Guyana’s Agriculture Ministry said it was not previously advised on the ban and described the move as “ill-advised” and “premature,” as the consumption of poultry meat posed no health risks.

The GLDA in a statement had said that “the GLDA wishes to assure the general public that the issue with the duck disease, which has been suspected to be, but has not been confirmed as Duck Hepatitis Virus, has been contained and restricted to six duck farms on the coast of Guyana. Measures implemented, including the closure of our hatchery, the only one in Guyana that hatches duck eggs commercially, have assisted in containing the disease. The disease has not manifested itself in the other poultry sectors [of] chicken, turkey and Guinea bird, and has only been observed in ducklings between the ages of 3 to 15 days old”. The Agriculture Ministry also

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advised the public that it is safe to consume all poultry products despite the actions of the Trinidadian Government.

Trinidad and Tobago’s (T&T) Agriculture, Land and Fisheries Ministry, on May 31 issued a complete ban on all poultry emanating from Guyana after expressing concerns over duck viral hepatitis.

The memo stated “As instructed by the Chief Veterinary Officer Animal Health Sub-Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries in accordance with the Animals (Diseases and Importation) Act Chap 67:02 please be informed that with immediate effect all and any raw and cooked poultry meat from Guyana is banned from entry into Trinidad and Tobago until further notice.

Upon arrival at ports of entry, such items are, therefore, to be seized for destruction”.

T&T’s Agriculture Minister, Clarence Rambharat, confirmed the ban and revealed that Guyana advised them of the presence of duck virus hepatitis in a part of the country while noting that the virus is not present in the twin-island Republic.

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FRIDAY, JUNE 14, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

CANU records whopping increase in cannabis seizures in 2018

– 61 persons charged, 14 convictions in 2018

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he Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU) on Thursday revealed that it has recorded a significant increase in the amount of cannabis seized in 2018 when compared to the previous year.

According to statistics provided by the drug enforcement body, the unit seized 171.58 kgs cocaine, 543.256 kgs cannabis, 532.8 grams ecstasy, 304 grams of heroin, 100 grams of crystal methamphetamine and 39 grams of cannabis in 2018 against the 291.089 kgs cocaine, 123.799 kgs cannabis and 1.602 kgs of heroin seized in 2017.

The unit stated that there was a vast increase in cannabis seized by CANU

during 2018, with the spike seen mostly during the June to August period which coincides with the summer vacation.

Convictions

CANU’s Deputy Head, Lesley Ramlall, speaking with the media, related that 61 persons were charged for narcotics-related cases in 2018 with only 14 convictions. Nevertheless, he reported that many other cases are pending while adding that the body will continue to put a dent in the drug trade.

Meanwhile, in relation to cases that CANU recorded last year, Ramlall explained that the Special

Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) is looking at some since they revolved around money laundering.

“Currently there are eight…matters that were handed over to SOCU from 2017 to date for money laundering…. As it relates to Shervington Lovell, I know that currently SOCU was tasked to look at that with the seizure of his assets, we have managed to identify most of his assets and those were handed over to SOCU and Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU). So I know they were tasked to deal with that”, Lovell added.

Meanwhile, with regard to CANU’s seizure of vehicles that belong to drug traffickers, Ramlall add-

ed that this remains part of CANU’s job among other things.

“A lot of vehicles on the road belong to drug traffickers that we have arrested and were prosecuted, those vehicles are currently in the court system and we are going after the forfeiture. I know thus far, in 2019, after we started, that is, we have so far got two vehicles out of the court system that were forfeited to the Government of Guyana and so we continue to aggressively go down that road so it is not only about seizing of narcotics and prosecuting traffickers but also going after their assets”, he stated.

Ramlall admitted that most of the cases are inter-

linked to money laundering and as such, it is necessary for CANU to work with various agencies.

Foreign mules

Ramlall believes that based on their intelligence gathering, no longer are foreign nationals prepared to hand over narcotics to their Guyanese counterparts as was traditionally done.

He explained that the foreign nationals are now bringing the narcotics and working alongside their local counterparts to smuggle same out of the country.

This development, he noted, certainly poses a higher degree of risks for drug enforcement officers

Deputy Head of CANU, Lesley Ramlall

and other law enforcement agencies. He noted that with this new development, they anticipate foreigners importing arms and ammunition and may very well start retaliating once intercepted.

Overcrowding still plagues prisons

…Phase One of Mazaruni Prison expansion will accommodate 200 inmates

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ith a prison population of 2069 inmates, Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels has signalled that there continues to be overcrowding at the various penitentiaries.

He made these remarks on Wednesday, noting that this overall figure comprises of 724 male convicted inmates between the ages of 18 and 35.

The Guyana Prison Service operates five prisons namely: Georgetown, Timehri, New Amsterdam, Mazaruni and Lusignan.

“When you are in prison, especially now because of our state of overcrowding, you do not have that personal space. From the time you wake up in the morning, you have someone who is basically in your face that does not belong there. That can breathe conflict,” Samuels expressed.

The Camp Street Prison in Georgetown was gutted in a fire in 2017, whereby a few inmates escaped, some were recaptured and others suffered injuries. At the time, the prison was the largest

Artist’s impression of the Mazaruni Prison expansion

lockups with 963 inmates, 521 of whom were on remand.

In 2016, the Prison also suffered a fire, which claimed the lives of 17 prisoners.

Afterwards, a Commission of Inquiry (CoI), which cost the treasury some $13 million was ordered by President David Granger.

According to the report compiled by the Commissioners, the combination of overcrowded, uncomfortable and unhygien-

ic confinement are all ideal conditions for epidemics, for gangs to prosper and to propagate discontent.

Back in January, an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) report had found that the overcrowding at Guyana’s prisons put inmates at risk of contracting contagious diseases.

It is a situation that the Citizen Security and Strengthening Programme (CSSP) Prison Survey report zeroed in on. Completed and handed over to the

Government, the report found that 44.1 per cent of inmates had been stricken with the flu and other chest infections.

The report states that 8.9 per cent of prisoners had gastrointestinal problems; 4.5 per cent were affected by tuberculosis; 2.4 per cent suffered from depression and anxiety, 0.8 per cent were infected with HIV/ AIDS and the remainder had other conditions such as malaria and chicken pox.

“During their stay in prison, 67.4 per cent of inmates got sick. Besides, 45.9 per cent of the inmates said that HIV/AIDS tests were performed on them to verify whether they were infected or not,” the report states, adding that 53 per cent were not tested.

According to the report, 80.6 per cent of the inmates, after being diagnosed with an illness, continued to share a cell with other inmates. Approximately 18.1 per cent responded in the negative, while the question was not applicable to the remainder.

Mazaruni Prison

Meanwhile, the Director of Prisons noted that the Mazaruni Prison in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) is on schedule with the expansion works, with the first phase slated for completion by the end of the year.

When completed, an additional 400 prisoners will be facilitated. Trinidadian firm, Kee-Chanona has joint responsibility for the project alongside the Guyanese company, Nabi Construction Incorporated.

Samuels told Guyana Times that upon the completion of Phase One, 200 inmates can be accommodated.

“I wish to state that the project is moving apace as is required. At the end of the project, we are expected to accommodate an additional 400 prisoners at Mazaruni. What we are currently working on is Phase One, which we expect to be completed between October and November of this year, which will see us being able to accommodate an additional 200 prisoners at that

location.

While Phase Two has commenced, it will roll over to next year.

“The other phase will go into next year. We do not have a specific date of completion as yet but in keeping with our progress meetings and so on that we have every Thursday, things are at the level that they should be at this time.”

Following the July 2017 jailbreak and fire which destroyed the Camp Street Prison, Government revealed plans to expand the Mazaruni Prison – a project which was expected to cost some $2 billion but aims to streamline the local prison system and most importantly, reduce overcrowding.

Apart from a new wing to accommodate new prisoners, these works were fixed for the expansion of offices, inmate living facilities, staff and family living facilities, training facilities, as well as the construction of a school, daycare centre and places of worship at the Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) prison.

UG unions welcome former Vice Chancellor’s contract withdrawal …press for management and financial audits

Former Vice Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith

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he University of Guyana Senior Staff Association (UGSSA) and the University of Guyana Workers’ Union (UGWU) welcomed the decision made by former Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith to withdraw his request to renew his contract. His contract officially ended on June 13, 2019.

The Unions, in a joint release to the media, stated that Professor Griffith’s decision will spare the educational facility “from enduring further months of instability and turmoil”.

This, the Union noted, will enable the institution to embark on a period of healing and rebuilding which will be for the benefit of all, especially for the staff and students.

However, while applauding the decision, the representing bodies pressed for not only a management audit, which is expected to be carried out for on the University of Guyana, but also called for a financial audit.

“While the UG Unions support the Council’s decision to have a management audit, we also insist on a financial audit. There are extremely important questions that need to be answered as

the University moves to do essential institutional strengthening. We believe that both audits are the best ways to answer these questions” the Unions wrote.

Further, the Unions are making calls for the staff of the facility to be regularly evaluated in order to upkeep the standard of the institution while also insisting on the reapplication of transparent hiring procedures that were reportedly violated over the past three years and the reapplication of salary and remuneration in conformity with UG’s Act and Statutes.

“All staff except those appointed by the University Council must fall within UG’s salary bands. The practice of selected and favoured individuals being offered super salaried packages must cease” the Union heads demanded.

On Friday last, Professor

Griffith withdrew his request for the renewal of his contract following pressure from the Unions. It was reported that the University of Guyana Council convened to make a determination on the matter of the renewal or non-renewal of Griffith’s contract but during the correspondence, it was indicated that he no longer wanted his contract to be renewed.

As such, a Transitional Management Team was installed by the University’s Council, to take control of the management of the University with effect from June 14, 2019, until such time that a new ViceChancellor is appointed.

In early May, Presidents of the University’s Unions, Bruce Haynes and Dr Jewel Thomas, had not only called for Professor Griffith’s removal but also for the resignation of the

institution’s Pro-Chancellor, Joe Singh, contending that both had produced dismal performances.

Both Griffith and Singh were being accused of major malpractices which have reportedly severely affected the University.

The Unions’ Presidents had noted that the University of Guyana cannot afford the Vice-Chancellor, who had been demanding hefty sums to finance his “expensive habits”.

He reportedly had the backing

of the Pro-Chancellor.

According to UGWU, under the leadership of the VC and Pro-Chancellor, the University of Guyana has deteriorated significantly.

However, the Unions are now hopeful for betterment in the coming new semester.

“We look forward to fruitful and rewarding engagement and partnership with the Transitional Management Team to improve the conditions across the University in time for the new academic year”.

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FRIday, june 14, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

CANU commissions $42M investigative unit – agency working to remove stigma attached to Guyana as “transshipment” country

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he Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU) commissioned a spanking new building to house its investigative unit to the tune of $42 million.

This is according to CANU’s Deputy Head, Lesley Ramlall, who said the investment was expected to assist the agency in achieving its goal of removing the stigma attached to Guyana as a transshipment country for narcotics by 2022.

He added that the building would be equipped with all of the necessary equipment and infrastructure to ensure that the fight against the narcotics trade was effectively and efficiently executed.

“Over the years, CANU has continued to be the primary agency in the fight against narcotics trade in Guyana. So it is timely that, as we continue to ex-

pand that we have adequate accommodation and office spaces to accommodate all of our staff… In the last two years, our position and our aggressiveness is testimony and based on the outcome of what we are seeing, it is testimony that we are in the right direction.”

Ramlall explained that in previous years, CANU has been faced with tremendous challenges in executing its mandate, but most of these revolved around human resources and infrastructural provisions.

However, with this investment, it is expected that more will be done in the near future to boost the agency’s manpower and facilities. “… especially in the form of kits, equipment and a vast increase of the authorised strength has impacted immeasurably on the Unit’s intelligence and operational capabilities. Additionally,

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan cutting the ribbon during the commissioning ceremony of the new $42 million building at CANU’s headquarters

this level of support has resulted in the seizure of narcotics, arrest, and prosecution of traffickers in some of

our rural and remote areas.

More so, it has afforded the Unit the establishment and commencement of op-

erations at other locations as mandated by Cabinet,” Ramlall said.

Meanwhile, Public

Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan, who was at the commissioning ceremony, noted the importance of pumping finances into an agency such as CANU and as such, he remained committed.

He added that the challenges CANU has encountered over the years were testimony to the fact that more resources were needed to ensure they were overcome.

“Funding to increase the workforce, funding to increase the infrastructure, funding to increase the assets. And then, of course, the maintenance of the assets, the increasing of the training of personnel, and all of those things require loads of money,” Ramjattan noted.

On this note, he stated that the drug enforcement body has managed to impress the Finance Ministry, hence the construction of the new facility.

Rehabilitation works on Aishalton GPHC staff put on main access road 90% complete high alert, following increased robberies A at institution lmost a week after the main access road from Lethem to Aishalton, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), was cut off, rehabilitation works have commenced and is reportedly 90 per cent completed.

Public Relations Officer of the Public Infrastructure Ministry, Krest Cummings told Guyana Times on Thursday that the rehabilitation works are being done

by JR Ranch Construction Company and the Ministry’s engineer is on site monitor-

Aishalton, Michael Thomas had told this publication that a particular location some 12 miles from his village is also in a deplorable state and in dire need of emergency repairs.

Toshao Thomas had stated that the said location had been washing away over the last two years during the rainy season, but this time around, the damage was greater. According to the Toshao, the hole in the road is two metres deep and is now wider. Additionally, the culverts have broken in

Works on the Aishalton road moving apace

Lethem to Aishalton main access road.

The Ministry, in a statement last week, asked residents of Aishalton to remain patient as its regional engineers are on the ground and are currently in consultations with the Regional Executive Officer on the way forward for a timely resolution to the unforeseen event that occurred on Aishalton’s main access road.

“The Ministry of Public Infrastructure along with the Ministry of Natural Resources understand the importance of this access road to the livelihood of the residents in and around Aishalton and jointly, the Ministries will ensure that the road will become passable in a short while. We deeply regret any inconveniences caused by this unforeseen event,” the statement added.

The Aishalton road

ing same.

The road is now accessible, taking the burden off road users who were severely affected.

That access road was broken last week as a result of the continuous heavy rains resulting in the cut off of all vehicles travelling from Lethem to Aishalton, as well as seven other surrounding villages.

The alternative route requires an additional 60 miles of driving. As a result of this destruction, fuel supply to the communities had decreased. Toshao of

half.

He explained that in 2017, the village received assistance from the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) to fix the road, and last year, help was provided by the Brazilian Army which was in Guyana to drill wells in the Rupununi.

Meanwhile, the Ministries of Public Infrastructure and Natural Resources said they were working assiduously to assess and evaluate the damage caused by the flash flood in the area. This includes the recent cut off of the

Rehabilitation works in progress on the Aishalton to Lethem road after it was cut off last week

Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation

S

taff members attached to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) were on Thursday put on high alert in light of an increase in criminal activities, particularly robbers posing as patients.

The security advisory was reportedly sent out following unconfirmed reports of a string of robberies carried out on on-duty staff.

During one such reported incident, which allegedly occurred on May 23, 2019, a female doctor was robbed between the X-ray area and the laboratory.

The doctor was reportedly robbed by a man dressed as a security guard, who proceeded to drag her into a washroom after she fainted from fright. She was reportedly sent home on oneweek sick leave according to sources.

The advisory is caution-

ing the staff to: “Be on the alert at nights when moving around the hospital complex for persons posing as patients in an attempt to rob them of their property”.

“Members of staff should avoid wearing excessive jewellery especially at nights when on duty… Members of staff, especially females, should ensure their cell phones are properly secured in their possession when moving around the hospital complex … staff when moving around the hospital complex at night should do so in company of two or more … staff should avoid walking in the dark and desolate areas when moving in the hospital complex … members should seek assistance of security when in doubt or afraid.”

GPHC’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is expected to update the media on the issue shortly.

guyanatimesgy.com

O

n Saturday evening, the National Cultural Centre will be a haven of pure elegance, sophistication, grace, poise, and beauty as eight delegates clash head-on for the title of Miss Earth Guyana 2019.

Taking the stage on Saturday evening are the cream of the crop and without a doubt, whoever is crowned Miss Earth will be deserving of the coveted crown. Over the past months since the delegates were unveiled to the public, they have been making public appearances, attending events and more so, taking the opportunity to promote themselves to the world.

While a few of the delegates are fresh on the block, some are seasoned campaigners who will definitely take experience on stage on Saturday evening.

The judges have already been impressed by the delegates during the preliminary competitions, but it now comes down to one night when a new queen will be crowned to replace reigning Miss Earth Xamiera Kippins.

The new queen will definitely have big shoes to fill since Kippins has represented Guyana well on the international stage in

G

uyanese who are fans of African comedians, especially Emmanualla and Mark Angel, will now have a chance to see them live in action in Guyana.

Yes, the team is heading to Guyana for an event titled “Emmanualla for Emancipation”, which will be held at the National Cultural Centre on Wednesday, August 7, 2019.

The African team also include Kingsley, Amanda, Denilson, Uzoma and little Success. They are collectively known as the best African comedy group. Guyanese are bound to enjoy every act. The night will be filled with laughter.

In addition to the group, there will be performances by the

friDAY, June 14, 2019

the national costume and talent competitions.

On pageant night, the eight beauties – Phelicia Adams, Marcia Meusa, Kataina Phillips, Selena Guyadeen, Annessa VanSluytman, Cintiana Harry, Amelia Baksh, and Faydeha King – will be judged on their national costume, resort wear, evening gown and most importantly, their answer to the final question which will be asked of four of the eight delegates.

The winners of the preliminary competitions such as talent, recycled fashion wear, beauty with a cause and intelligence will be announced. On Saturday evening, a panel of experienced judges will make the final decision on who gets to represent Guyana on the international stage.

Meanwhile, apart from the beauties leaving the audience mesmerised, there will be singing, dances, tassa drumming, and more.

Tickets for the grand coronation cost $3000 (auditorium front) and $2000 (auditorium rear) and can be uplifted at the National Cultural Centre, from the delegates or any of the organisers.

Signature Entertainers. The host for the show will be Guyana’s own Lyndon “Jumbie” Jones.

Tickets for the event are $2500 for adults, $1500 for kids and $4000 for stage front. Tickets are expected to be released shortly with a list of locations where they can be picked up.

The event is promoted by Tango’s Entertainment. Tickets will be limited and as such, those who wish to witness the show are urged to get their tickets as soon as they are released.

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friDAY, JUNE 14, 2019

Aspiring Berbice photographer hopes to see world through his lens

A

I

t has been intense competition from the preliminaries to quarter-finals, which were held last Sunday at MovieTowne, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, where 25 persons performed for a spot in the semi-finals. After their performances, the judges gave their comments, but it is now up to the public to decide who moves into the next round.

The semi-finalists would be determined by a voting system where the public can vote for their favourite contestants via a GTT app. The list of semi-finalists will be announced later today. Once selected they will move full steam ahead into the semi-finals.

Again,

fter leaving school early, Noel Khan tried his hands at many things, but nothing was permanent and there was no passion, drive, or satisfaction from what he was doing.

After he was out of a job for almost two years, his sister saw the frustration in his eyes. The frustrations that come with unemployment started to get him down and he became depressed.

His sister, who has a media background, decided it was time for him to create his own opportunities and chart a different course. So, she encouraged him to learn videography and photography; fortunately, he found much happiness from capturing and preserving the precious moments of others and so he decided to make it his profession which has given him much independence and an unlimited amount of c r e a t i v e freedom.

Noel, who hails from Rose Hall Town, Corentyne, Berbice, has seen how many young men his age and younger have caved in to the pressure to live a

there will be an elimination and only the contestants with the most votes will head into the finals set for July 1.

From feedback gathered, it has been stiff competition thus far with some excellent vocals worthy of Guyana’s next singing sensation.

However, in the finals, patrons will be entertained to the fullest as former International Chutney Monarch Ravi B and his band, Karma, are set to perform live. In addition, Trinidad’s Soca sensation, Shal Marshal is on the list to perform during the final.

The cast for the final will also include past winners of the GTT Jingle Competition and several local artistes. The final will also be held at MovieTowne, and it is an affair that you don’t want to miss.

T

free movie

L

ooking for something to show dad how super amazing he is?

MovieTowne has the perfect package!

Dress dad like a super-agent, in all black, and enjoy free access to any movie this Father’s Day – June 16, 2019.

The rules are simple, fathers must be dressed in black and they will be allowed entry into any movie for free. Non-fathers and children will be required to purchase their movie tickets. This offer only applies to one showing on Father’s Day. MovieTowne – which aims to brand itself as the number one stop for entertainment in Guyana – says this initiative is a great way to encourage family activities, especially in celebration of fathers.

he Albion Community Centre Ground will definitely come alive on Saturday, June 22 when Little Angels Feeding Programme hosts its fundraiser in the form of a chutney concert. The event titled “Chutney Blast” will feature some of the best local artistes around.

The line-up includes Mona Singh, Vicadi Singh, Nishal B, AW Lyrical, HD Singh, Mr V, Michael, Ganesh, and others to be added.

Also performing at the event will be Jenny Dance Troup and

dishonest life and vowed to never take that path. He has instead created his own destiny as a young and humble photographer.

Now he is the owner of a small business that caters for any event that would need a videographer or photographer and through his profession, he has been able to find fulfilment and happiness.

When he first started, he would sometimes borrow the camera of Andy Henry, another photographer who he describes as his mentor.

After about a month, he started purchasing his own equipment and with help of his family he is on the rise in the Ancient County. He also works as a cameraman/videographer for News-in-Depth/Royston Drakes Production in Berbice and is loving the field of news which has helped him to meet countless people from all walks of life.

“The thing that I love about photography is that you get to travel and meet new and awesome people and if it wasn’t for this, I’m not sure what I would be doing because I love what I do … photography has given me a lot of independence,” Khan explained.

He is also now in charge of photography at News-in-Depth, which has its office in Rose Hall Town, and he is able to conduct in-studio shoots as well. Khan is looking to expand his business and continues to learn and evolve in his field of work.

His advice to youths is to stay focused and true to themselves and understand that hard times don’t last and better is on the horizon, once they are willing to work hard and make the sacrifices necessary to get to their goal.

Now Khan and one of his older brothers, Samuel, have teamed and are working to make a major impact in their field in not just Berbice but Guyana in general, as well as expand their operations.

You can follow him on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube @capturedmomentsgy or call 696-3750/337-4422 to book him for any event.

the B3 Dance Group.

Apart from the live musical performances, there will be lots of other entertainment since Leza Singh, also called Radika, will be in the house as well as Chris Gopaul and Sean Thompson. Tickets for the event cost $500 and will be available at the gate on the night of the show.

All proceeds will go towards the feeding programme. The show will commence at 20:00h. Music, stage and lighting will be provided by Crown Vibes. The event is made possible by Office Express, Crown Vibes, Little Angels, Poonai Pharmacy and Balram Shan General Store.

friday, june 14, 2019

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Windies Women suffer series whitewash to England E

ngland Women have won the third and final One Day International match against the West Indies Women by a whopping 135 runs on the Duckworth Lewis Method (DLS), whitewashing the Windies Women in the process.

Playing at Chelmsford on Thursday last, West Indies Women struggled their way to 131-9 in pursuit of 267 scored

by England in 39 overs, with Stafanie Taylor suffering a hand injury and being unable to bat.

After the West Indies Women had won the toss and opted to field -- with the rain in sight across England -England Women got off to the perfect start, reaching 42 without loss in the first ‘power play’ before the rain intervened with the match at 10.2 overs old and the Sarah Taylor played score on 43-0. some top shots during her innings T a m m y Beaumont and Amy Jones each h a d a solid start, and after the rain interval, the match was reduced to 39 overs. Jones and Beaumont featured in an 84run opening partnership, with Beaumont scoring 46, and Jones leading the charge with a brilliant 80 from 83 balls, which included six boundaries and one six in an innings that lasted for 110 minutes.

After Beaumont was dismissed by Hayley Matthews, thanks to a brilliant catch taken by Britney Cooper at mid-wicket, Jones was partnered by Sarah Taylor, who smashed her way to a classy 70 from 61 balls, in the process surpassing 4000 ODI runs and showcasing great technique in playing the reverse sweep with ease and grace.

The reverse sweep eventually led to the loss of Taylor’s wicket, as she was removed by Matthews after a brilliant innings.

Apart from Jones and Taylor, who missed out on centu-

3

SCOREBOARD

Kycia Knight, who top-scored for Windies Women, watches as Amy Jones bats on

ries for England, captain Heather Knight added the finishing touches with an unbeaten 40 from 19 balls, including five fours and two sixes. She ensured her team finished with a healthy total: 258-4 when the 39 overs had come to an end.

Matthews finished with 2-52 in eight overs, while Afy Fletcher and Ramharack, who got her first ODI wicket, were the other wicket-takers.

In response, West Indies Women, tasked with chasing a revised target of 267 from 39 overs, began with some attractive shots, especially from Matthews, who smoked a six into the stands. Her innings was, however, cut short by some acrobatics in the field from Fray Wilson, who took a brilliant horizontal catch off the ground. Cooper followed soon after.

While Kycia Knight and McLean consolidated the innings with a 40-run partnership, McLean was dismissed for 18, while Knight fell for a compact 38 from 59 balls.

Stafanie Taylor was not seen at the batting crease early,

England Women Innings (match reduced to 39 overs due to rain) AE Jones c Cooper b Matthews 80 TT Beaumont lbw b Fletcher 46 SJ Taylor † c Connell b Matthews 70 DN Wyatt c Connell b Ramharack 12 HC Knight (c) not out 40 FC Wilson not out 4 Extras 6 (lb 1, w 5) TOTAL 258/4 (39 Overs, RR: 6.61) Fall of wickets: 1-84 (TT Beaumont, 15.1 ov), 2-171 (AE Jones, 29.2 ov), 3-196 (DN Wyatt, 33.4 ov), 4-220 (SJ Taylor, 36.2 ov) Bowling S Connell (8-0-49-0) H Matthews (8-0-52-2) S King (3 -0-26-0) A Fletcher (7-0-40-1) S Taylor (7-0-51-0) K Ramharack (6-0 -39-1) West Indies Women HK Matthews c Wilson Cross B Cooper c Cross Ecclestone

b 6 b 4

Kycia A Knight † c †Taylor b Cross 38 NY McLean c Gunn b Smith

18 CN Nation lbw b Ecclestone

15 SACA King c Wyatt b Gunn 26 SA Campbelle run out (Smith) 3 ASS Fletcher not out 5 K Ramharack run out (Jones)

2 SS Connell b Knight 1 Extras 13 (lb 6, w 7) TOTAL 131/9 (37.4 Overs, RR: 3.47) Fall of wickets: 1-12 (HK Matthews, 1.6 ov), 2-27 (B Cooper, 5.4 ov), 3-67 (NY McLean, 16.2 ov), 4-80 (Kycia A Knight, 21.2 ov), 5-104 (CN Nation, 27.3 ov), 6-116 (SA Campbelle, 31.2 ov), 7-127 (SACA King, 34.2 ov), 8-130 (K Ramharack, 36.4 ov), 9-131 (SS Connell, 37.4 ov) Bowling A Shrubsole (4-0-16-0) KL Cross (6-2-16-2) S Ecclestone (8-0-27-2) BF Smith (8-0-20-1) JL Gunn (7-0-34-1) HC Knight (4.4-0-12-1)

as she was taken to the hospital for a precautionary X-ray on her hand.

England bowlers stuck to their plans and got wickets when needed. Lone Guyanese Shemaine Campbelle was involved in a run-out with Stacy Ann King; and the Windies’ innings, lacking intent, folded at 131-9 in 37.4 overs.

The West Indies Women had made two changes to the starting XI, Shakera Selman and Chinelle Henry making way for Karishma Ramharack and Natasha McLean.

Skipper backs Windies brand of Chris Froome conscious after surgery, cricket to outlast England threat but remains in intensive care

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W

est Indies skipper Jason Holder believes the brand of cricket the team is playing will help them do well against an England side, they’ve surprised just recently.

The West Indies tied a five-match series against the rampant English side a matter of weeks before the start of the World Cup and Holder believes those games give the Caribbean a psychological advantage.

West Indies enter the match with a 1-1-1 record: they had a huge win by seven wickets against Pakistan; lost a close contest to Australia by 15 runs; and had the third match against South Africa rained off.

Holder said despite the rain and inclement weather in the build-up to the contest, his players remained fully focused on what is required. He said the West Indies will take confidence from the outstanding display against England in the Caribbean earlier this year, as well as the aggressive and attractive brand of play in the opening three matches here in English conditions.

“We have gone really well with the ball so far, in taking new ball wickets and bowling two teams out in the games we have played.

In terms of our fielding, we could definitely touch up there, but I think generally over the last couple of months, if you look at our fielding overall, we have improved a lot in this World Cup so far. As a batting unit, we just had a plan against Australia so if we get ourselves back into that situation, we just need to take a little bit more responsibility and take the game home,” Holder said.

Jason Holder

“I think the brand of cricket we have been playing so far in this World Cup, you know what to expect of West Indies now … we are not going to back down from the challenge. Most of our guys are always up for the challenge and it is just a matter for us to be smart. And I don’t think there is anything else to be said, just be smart and play the brand of cricket we want to play. (Sportsmax)

hris Froome has successfully come through surgery following his high?speed crash but the four-time Tour de France champion is expected to remain in intensive care for the next two or three days and no timeframe has been put on his rehabilitation.

Froome came off his bike and hit a wall at 37mph on Wednesday while examining a time trial stage route in the Critérium de Dauphiné. The Team Ineos rider sustained multiple fractures, including a broken femur, elbow and several ribs. He required extensive surgery overnight in a hospital in St Etienne.

“First things first, the surgery was a success,” the Team Ineos doctor, Richard Usher, said on Thursday afternoon. “The operation, which lasted for six hours, went very well.

“Chris woke up this morning and was reviewed by the intensive care consultants and the orthopaedic specialist who operated on him and they’re both very happy with his progress to date. Chris will remain in hospital for the next few days for observation, but he is already actively engaging in discussing his rehabilitation options, which is very encouraging.”

The Team Ineos manager, Dave Brailsford, also spoke to reporters before the fifth stage of the Dauphiné on Thursday.

“He had surgery to repair his femur, his hip, his elbow,” he said. “He’s got broken ribs, a little bit of internal damage as well, so he’s staying in intensive care for the next couple

of days and then we’ll go from there.

“He’s being very well looked after. Our doctor is with him now and [Froome’s wife] Michelle is with him. We’ll keep monitoring the situation and see how it develops.”

Brailsford added that it was too soon to talk about rehabilitation or a timescale for Froome’s return to the sport. “First things first,” he said. “For now, let’s just concentrate on today and getting him through today, and then tomorrow etc and see how this situation develops from there. The first thing in all these situations is to get that first stabilisation, that first phase of medical surgery done really and then go into the recovery process.”

As Froome continued to receive messages of support from the cycling fraternity, he also received some unexpected good news with the announcement that he may be retrospectively awarded first place in the 2011 Vuelta a España, making him Britain’s first Grand Tour winner.

Froome had originally finished second in the Vuelta, ahead of Bradley Wiggins who went on to win the Tour de France the following year in an apparent first for British cycling. But the International Cycling Union announced on Thursday that the winner at the time, Juan José Cobo, has been found guilty of a doping violation. The Spaniard has a month to appeal against the verdict. If it is upheld by the court of arbitration for sport, however, he will be stripped of his title and it will be handed to Froome. (The Guardian)

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GUYANATIMESgy.COM

friday, june 14, 2019

Shepherd, Paul, Rutherford selected for Windies A

Romario Shepherd

he

I n t e r i m Selection Panel of Cricket West Indies has named West Indies “A” One-Day

International and Test (four-day) squads for the India “A” Tour of the West Indies which starts next month.

The “A” squads comprise a combination of players with international match experience: as in Kraigg Brathwaite and Roston Chase, and excellent performances in regional competitions over the last few years: as in the irrepressible Leeward Islands Hurricanes spin-bowling allrounder Rahkeem Cornwall.

These squads, which will represent the West Indies against India “A” in five OneDay International matches and three four-day Test matches, were chosen by the Interim Selection Panel chaired by Robert Haynes

with assistance of former West Indies opener Stuart Williams and former Barbados Pride Chairman of Selectors, Hendy Wallace. Additional input was provided by interim West Indies Head Coach Floyd Reifer and captain Jason Holder.

With the series acting as a trial for a number of “hopefuls” for both teams, and overlapping with the series duel between the senior teams of the two sides, West Indies “A” will make five changes to the squad for the final “Test.”

Nine of the 15 players in the One-Day squad have played One-Day Internationals for the Senior West Indies Team; ten of the players in the squad for the first and second “Tests” have played full international Tests for the senior side; and six Test players will appear in the third match.

The selection panel has named Chase as captain to lead the One-Day side in the series of five One-Day matches, all set to be played in Antigua at the Coolidge and Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Grounds.

Captaincy of the “Test” squad will be split between

Test opener Brathwaite for the first two of the three “Tests”, and fellow Barbados Pride batsman Shamarh Brooks for the last match of the series, which will be played at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad.

Brathwaite, opener John Campbell, Chase, Cornwall and wicketkeeper/batsman Shane Dowrich will join the senior team’s preparation camp for the Test series between West Indies and India, which starts on August 22 in Antigua.

On the appointment of Chase as One-Day captain, Haynes said: “The discussion was based on our desire to expose leadership in order to be able to have a wider pool of players with such experience.

In our estimation, Roston is the right person to lead the team during this series, as one of the players with significant international experience; and we believe that the experience can be personally beneficial as well for his game.”

On the appointment of Brathwaite and Brooks as Four-Day captains, Haynes said: “As the incumbent vicecaptain of the senior West Indies Test team, this will allow Kraigg to continue to get the opportunity to develop his leadership skills, and he is

best placed to galvanise the team during these vital games for our preparation.

“Shamarh has been captaining the ‘A’ team for some time now, and as such, it would be best for continuity that he gains more exposure in this role.”

On the “A” Team players for the “Test” series, Haynes said: “It was felt that the regular Test players who are available should play the first and second Four-Day matches

Test players to gain recovery time before they enter the preparation camp for the Tests against the Indian senior team.

Squads: One Day Squad: Roston Chase (captain) Sunil Ambris, John Campbell, Jonathan Carter, Rahkeem Cornwall, Shane Dowrich, Akeem Jordan, Kjorn Ottley, Keemo Paul, Khary Pierre, Rovman Powell, Raymon Reifer,

Raymon Reifer

Coolidge Cricket Ground 9:30 am Schedule of matches Sun, Jul 21 5th One-Day Match DATE MATCH VENUE Coolidge Cricket Ground 9:30 am START Wed, Jul 24 to Sat, Jul 27 1st “Test” Thu, Jul 11 1st One-Day Match Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua 9:30 am daily 9:30 am 2nd “Test” Sun, Jul 14 2nd One-Day Match Sir Wed, Jul 31 to Sat, Aug 3 Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad 9:30 am Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Antigua daily 9:30 am Tue, Jul 16 3rd One-Day Matcah Sir Tue, Aug 6 to Fri, Aug 9 3 r d “ T e s t ” Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad Vivian Richards Cricket Ground 9:30 am 9:30 am daily Fri, Jul 19 4th One-Day Match

of this series. This would be part of their preparation for the upcoming senior team Tests against the Indian senior team, as they would have had limited red-ball match practice in recent times.

“As such, the squad for the third Four-Day match will have five replacement players.

This will allow the regular

Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, and Devon Thomas.

First and second Test (4-Day matches): Kraigg Brathwaite (captain), Sunil Ambris, Jermaine Blackwood, Shamarh Brooks, John Campbell, Roston Chase, Rahkeem Cornwall, Miguel Cummins, Shane Dowrich, Chemar Holder, Shermon

Lewis, Raymon Reifer, and Jomel Warrican.

Third Test (4-Day match): Shamarh Brooks, Sunil Ambris, Jermaine Blackwood, Miguel Cummins, Akim Frazer, Jahmar Hamilton, Montincin Hodge, Chemar Holder, Brandon King, Shermon Lewis, Raymon Reifer, Jeremy Solozano and Jomel Warrican.

(CWI)

CWI to further invest in women’s cricket – wider pool of players will be given opportunity

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t may not be ‘the end of the road’ for women cricketers who have not made the squad to the current tours to Ireland and England; because, during Cricket West Indies (CWI) Annual General Meeting (AGM), held last Saturday and Sunday in Antigua, CWI directors revealed there is need to source

funding for further investment in women’s cricket development, so as to uncover and prepare a wider pool of competitive female talent.

This strategy had previously been used with male players in the Caribbean. The team that participated in the Tri-Nation

Team Guyana, during the Regional female tournaments that were held in Guyana

Series in Ireland in May 2019 had seen some players making their debut and some players making a lengthy return to the ODI set-up.

Shane Dowrich and Raymon Reifer were among the notable debutants on that tour, while Jonathan Carter who had a lengthy break from a Windies set-up returned and played matches on that tour.

The strategy that informed selection of the male team was exposure of a wider pool of players, and that is the same initiative planned for the female cricketers.

In the CWI ‘emerging players camp’ that was held in Antigua, the group of players chosen had been given exposure to intense training by the CWI, and were also caught up in the process that informed preparation of a wider pool of competitive talent to play white-ball cricket in the Caribbean.

With directors making the right call for CWI to invest in women’s cricket, new players will step up to the forefront, while players who have had a lengthy break may see themselves returning to squads or training set-ups.

The rising female talents from Guyana in Shabika Gajnabi, Cherry Ann Fraser and Mandy Mangru may have to look sharp for a

possible selection.

Further, the likes of Erva Giddings, Sheneta Grimmond and Tremayne Smartt, who have done exceptionally well in past Regional tournaments at the senior level and have not earned Windies selections, may also get another opening when women’s cricket gets its deserved investment.

During the AGM, CWI Director of Cricket, Jimmy Adams, currently on tour in England, presented a report disclosing that the West Indies Women’s team that toured Ireland was impressive, but has been challenged

by England. Apart from the current players on that tour to England, a wider pool of female talents across the Caribbean, including Guyana, will be on the radar for selection.

West Indies Women are currently ranked sixth in One Day Internationals (ODIs) and fourth in T20 Internationals.

Recently, West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor lashed out at the CWI, asking for more to be done for women’s cricket.

She said that since the victory of the T20 World Cup in 2016, things have not improved for women, and CWI could do a bit more. The CWI have seemingly answered Taylor’s call for improving the lot of women’s cricket.

(Brandon Corlette)

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friday, june 14, 2019

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21

Badminton legend Chong Wei calls it quits on career M

alaysian great Lee Chong Wei has called time on a glorious 19-year sporting career, as he announced his retirement from international badminton on Thursday.

An emotional Lee, 36, said his dream of playing in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 would remain unrealised because he has been advised by his doctor to avoid high-intensity training. Diagnosed with nose cancer last year, Lee has since been undergoing treatment.

“It is a very tough decision. I took the decision after my last medical check-up. I talked it over with my wife and with my doctors, and decided to announce it after Hari Raya (festival).

Badminton is my life, now my health is the priority,” he declared.

“The doctor asked me to reduce my intensity of training. After my treatment last year, he told me there is a lot of pressure on my shoulders, and asked me to rest. I knew what he meant. I was back on court for six months, but my doctor called my trainer and (asked him to encourage) me to take rest,” Lee continued.

Frequently stopping to dab his teary eyes, Lee thanked his coaches: Misbun Sidek, Hendrawan and Tey Seu Bock; his physios and support staff,

and the Badminton Association of Malaysia and other national institutions that played a role in his career.

Lee will be remembered as one of the most accomplished players of all time. His glittering record includes three Olympic silver medals, three World Championships silver medals, 47 World Superseries/World Tour titles, two Asian Championships golds and four All England titles, besides an array of major tournament titles. He was also Malaysia’s spearhead in team competitions, inspiring them to the Thomas Cup final in 2014 and two Commonwealth Games team championships.

Lee Chong Wei thanked the press for their coverage of his career, and obliged them with a selfie.

Asked if he had any regrets, Lee said: “I cannot say I regret this decision, because my health is important. I took a month to decide. My target was to play (in) Tokyo 2020.

“I do regret 100 percent that I could not win a gold (at the Olympics and World Championships).

Now I cannot get to 2020, but I hope another Malaysian can, and I will help towards that,” he said.

Lee made his debut in 2000, winning a bronze at the World Junior Championships alongside another future great, Lin Dan. By the end of that decade, he was one of the eminent stars of his generation, along with players like Lin, Indonesia’s Taufik Hidayat and Denmark’s Peter Gade. For sheer consistency, he had no equal in the sport, having spent 200 consecutive weeks as No.1 between 2008 and 2012.

Lee received glowing tributes from Malaysia’s sporting establishment.

BAM President Mohamad Norza Zakaria said Lee had inspired Malaysians, and the country would miss its hero and icon.

Malaysia’s Sports Minister Syed Saddiq hailed Lee as “a hero to all Malaysians of all ethnicities and religions” and announced that he would be Chef-de-Mission for the Malaysian contingent at Tokyo 2020.

As such, The Guyana Badminton Association (GBA) bids Farewell to the badminton legend Lee Chong Wei as he retires from the beloved sport.

The likes of Guyanese Gokarn and Narayan Ramdhani have had the pleasure to compete and interact with this living legend.

Bartica’s Guinness "Greatest of the Street" starts tonight T

he 3rd edition of the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Street’ football tournament officially gets underway in the Region 7 township of Bartica tonight from 7:00pm (19:00hrs); and games will be held at the Bartica Community Centre Basketball Court each night until conclusion of this tournament on Sunday, June 16.

The zone will feature 16 teams battling for the coveted title and a place in the grand finale on June 16th.

In playoff action that took place on Wednesday evening last, the following teams made it through to the Round of 16, and will tonight confront each other as follows.

Mighty Ruler will do battle with Itaballi, while Falmouth will attempt to confine the Prison Officers.

Potaro Strikers will do battle with Potaro United, while Disconnection Crew will seek to blackout the Walking Boyz. Almanac Kings will attempt to overthrow Beacons, while Goal Raiders will duke it out with Ballers. To culminate the

evening, Jones Avenue will take on Police and Rivers View will battle Man City.

Nine teams which had contested last year’s ‘Greatest of the Street’ tournament are again participating in this year’s tournament. They are defending champions Disconnection Crew, Goal Raiders, Almanac Kings, former champions Rivers View, Jones Avenue, Falmouth, Potaro Strikers and Mighty Ruler.

Tonight’s matches are elimination affairs in which the respective winners will advance to the group stage, pegged for June 15th. The subsequent winners will then play in the semi-final matches from which the winners will progress to the finals, with the losers facing off in the third place playoff.

Similarly, the four teams that fail to make the semi-final stage will battle in the Guinness Plate Championship slated for the final night.

The winners of the championships will pocket $400,000 and the win-

Disconnection Crew are 2018 champions

ner’s trophy, as well as earn the right to represent the zone at the National Championships. The runners-up will collect $150,000 and a trophy, while the third and fourth place fin-

ishers will walk away with $100,000 and $75,000 respectively, together with trophies.

The winner of the Guinness Plate Championship will receive

$60,000.

The major sponsors of this event are Banks DIH Limited under their Guinness Brand, and Colours Boutique.

Deonarine, Kippins guide Regal Masters to Independence Cup win

R

amesh Deonarine and Throy Kippins scripted an almost perfect day at the Everest Cricket Club last Sunday, when the in-form Regal “Masters” won the Independence Softball tournament playing against the Mike’s Wellman team.

Set 165 runs to win from 20 overs, the pair got together in the second over when the score was 7 for 1, after Eion Abel had been caught off the bowling of Greg DeFranca, and ended the match with Kippins left not out on 60 scored off 43 balls(5x4,4x6), and Deonarine left unbeaten on 95 scored from 54 balls (1x4,10x6).

Kippins played his innings aggressively, while the left-handed Essequibian Deonarine mixed defence with attack, bringing the crowd to life with some

late hitting that hastened the run chase. He ended the match by stroking Latchman Kallicharran to short cover for the winning run when he was just six runs short of a century.

Mike’s Wellman had earlier reached a respectable 164-7 from their 20 overs after opting to bat. Wellman’s total was built around openers Mahesh Chunilall (35) and Greg DeFranca (25), who put on 56 runs for the first wicket. However, not much could be added to the foundation once Regal Masters got the breakthrough, in the seventh over when DeFranca was bowled

by Kippins.

Wellman lost their scoring momentum and were suddenly 91 for 4 in the 12th over, before a late push by Nandram Samlall with 30, Eon Lovell with 23 and Wayne Jones with 18

Regal Masters’ are the Independence Cup 2019 champions

bumped the score to 164.

Fazleem Mohamed (2/30) and David Harper (2/37) were the leading Regal Masters bowlers, while Roy “Boy-Ju” Persaud, Parmanand “Pacer” Persaud and Kippins picked up one

scalp each.

This annual tournament was organised by the Georgetown Softball Cricket League Inc (GSCL), and play was used as preparation for the New York Softball Cricket League's Independence Cup tourna-

ment, which will be played from June 28 to 30 in the 'Big Apple.' Regal Masters are defending champions of the Masters title, and will be confident of repeating as champions when the tournament gets underway on June 28.

22

friday, june 14, 2019

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

Golden Jaguars arrive in Minneapolis ahead of CGC

– Creavalle to miss tournament with broken bone

W

arren Creavalle, an important part of the Golden Jaguars team, who shoulders the midfield responsibility, has been officially ruled out of Guyana’s historic Gold Cup sojourn after picking up an injury in training with the Golden Jaguars during their first stage of the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup Camp in Bermuda.

The Philadelphia Union midfielder was excited to play his part in this history-making journey for Guyana, which for the first time ever qualified to participate in the Gold Cup. Unfortunately, he broke a bone in his foot during training, and has since been replaced by fellow midfielder Brandon Beresford, who joined the team for the second leg of the camp, which took place in Costa Rica.

Guyana’s Head Coach, Michael Johnson, has said the entire team is gutted by Creavalle’s injury, as he is a key part of the team. Johnson recalled the role Creavalle had played in Guyana’s 2-1 win against Belize to qualify for the Gold Cup. “When he came on, we got back the control of the game. He is a clever player, and uses the ball very,

Brandon Beresford

very well. (He) puts his body into some terrific positions; we’ll miss that sort of experience with somebody who understands the MLS. Playing in America as well, and going up against the Americans could have given us so much insight; so it’s a big, big loss for us and him, because these tournaments do not come around very often for Guyana,” Johnson said.

He continued: “Our thoughts and prayers are with him. The most important thing is that he recov-

ers well enough and maintains his club career with the Philadelphia Union.”

While he’ll miss the Gold Cup, a medical assessment has indicated that Creavalle would need between four and six weeks to recover properly, so he should be ready for the 2019/2020 edition of the CONCACAF Nations League which kicks off in September.

Guyana will contest League ‘B’, with its first match being on September 6 against Aruba.

Creavalle’s injury, Coach Johnson has said, opened the door for someone else, and Beresford’s name popped up.

Meanwhile, Beresford, who is well known to the Technical Staff and was included in the 40-man provisional squad submitted to CONCACAF, was called up to the team, and joined on the second stage of the Camp which took place in Costa Rica.

“Brandon is someone we know very well, particularly from early on in my tenure, when he came and played very well against Barbados; and he’s been in other camps as well.

So we knew what he is capable of. So

there was an obvious standout candidate when we knew that Warren would be struggling to come back to the camp, and it was Brandon,” Johnson declared.

According to tournament rules, “injury-related changes will be allowed to the final 23-player rosters for the Group Stage until 24 hours before each team’s first match. Any injury replacements must come from the announced preliminary 40-player rosters, and must be approved by CONCACAF.” Beresford, commenting on his call up to the 23-man team, said: “It’s a surreal experience still. Being involved with Guyana for the past nine years has had its ups and downs, and I’ve seen what it’s like from the youth level, U-20, 23; and I’m glad to experience all of that.”

He noted that being at the point where the game’s at now in Guyana is a testament to what has been taking place over the past nine years in the evolution of the game, and he is very appreciative of playing whenever he gets the opportunity to do so.

“I’m so extremely blessed to be a part of this, and have been able to be a part of it for the past nine years.

Warren Creavalle

It’s a blessing. It’s still pretty unbelievable, and I will be giving 100% plus.”

Beresford is currently playing in the USL League 2 (USA 4th Division) competition with Peachtree City Moba.

Meanwhile, the Golden Jaguars’ first training session in Minneapolis is scheduled for today, after the team had taken a rest day on Thursday following their arrival from Costa Rica on Wednesday.

Dental Imports Guyana Inc RFA Champions League… continues support for GSSF Finals and third-place playoffs set for June 15

Paiwomak Warriors will be a force to be reckoned with in the finals Dr Pravesh Harry of Dental Imports Guyana Inc handing over sponsorship funds to Andrew Phang, Director/Asst Secretary/Treasurer of GSSF. Also present are Dr Kevin Jodah (far left) and Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon (far right)

L

ocal practical shooters will, for the second year, be given opportunity to participate in a sport shooting competition again exclusively sponsored by Dental Imports Guyana Inc. (DIG Inc.), and hosted by the Guyana Sport Shooting Foundation (GSSF).

GSSF Asst Secretary/Treasurer Andrew Phang, in accepting this kind sponsorship, conveyed GSSF’s gratitude to the Board of Directors of DIG Inc for making this an official event on the shooting Calendar, and expressed appreciation to DIG Inc. for their continued support of the GSSF. Phang announced that the match will be open to all experienced Practical Pistol Shooters of Guyana, but advised competitors to preregister. He noted that with sponsorship from DIG Inc., prizes for the top three overall shooters in each division will be up for grabs.

Also present at the ceremony was company

secretary of Dental Imports Inc., Dr. Kevin Jodah, and Secretary of the GSSF, Vidushi PersaudMcKinnon. Dr. Pravesh Harry commented that Dental Imports Guyana (DIG) is pleased to continue sponsoring the Guyana Sport Shooting Foundation’s Practical Shooting match and pledged DIG’s commitment to the Foundation and its safe sport shooting activities.

DIG Inc., established by Drs Pravesh Harry and Kevin Jodah, is a local, efficient and reliable dental supplies company, whose main focus continues to be to supply dentists in and around Guyana with a wide range of dental materials at competitive prices.

Interested sanctioned practical shooters wanting to come out to have some safe shooting fun can contact any committee member of the GSSF, visit www.guyanasportshooting. com for further details, or email info@ guyanasportshooting.com to indicate their interest in participating.

A

fter four months of gruelling action in the Rupununi Football Association’s (RFA’s) Champions League, the final four squads, representing both male and female teams, have booked their spots in the grand finale.

The male teams to do battle for supremacy are Guyana Rush Saints and Paiwomak Warriors, while the female teams on the same quest are Flash FC and Paiwomak Warriors.

In the second leg of semifinal one in the female category, the Guyana Rush Saints went down to Flash FC 5-2; while in the first leg of semifinal play in the male category, the Saints defeated Flash FC 1-0, thus giving them a one goal lead heading into the second round.

Flash FC, however, flipped the script by giving the Saints a 5-2 thrashing as they booked their spot in the finals 5-3 on aggregate.

Also in the male category, Guyana Rush Saints advanced to the finals by defeating Kanuku Harpies 6-2, actually winning 9-2 on aggregate. Heading into the semifinal with a two-goal lead, the Saints were able to maintain a substantial lead, as they clipped the wings of the Harpies.

In the second semifinal, Paiwomak Warriors were able to maintain their four-goal lead over the Strikers, whom they defeated 2-1, thus extending their victory to a 6-1 aggregate.

In the final female matchup, Paiwomak Warriors, going into their final match with a 5-3 lead over Titans United, whipped the Titans 6-3, thus taking their lead to an 11-3 aggregate.

The female teams competing in this tournament are Sun Parakeets, Guyana Rush Saints, Strikers FC, Titans United, Kanuku Harpies, Flash FC, Paiwomak Warriors and Gladiators FC (defending champions); while the male teams competing are Sun Parakeets, Paiwomak Warriors, Titans United, Kanuku Harpies, Jaguars FC, Guyana Rush Saints, Strikers FC and Tabatinga FC (defending champions).

The Rupununi Football Association’s Champions League tournament kicked off in February last with 24 clubs battling for top honours. The final and third place playoffs are set to be held on June 15. The action will commence at 14:00 hrs.

guyanatimesgy.com

friday, june 14, 2019

23

CPL 2019: Hemraj eager to represent Amazon Warriors

By Timothy Jaikarran

season.

ixtures for the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2019 season have been announced, and the best cricketing talents from across the Caribbean and around the world are set to participate in “the Biggest Party in Sport”.

The 34-match season starts on September 4 with last year’s winners, Trinbago Knight Riders, taking on St Kitts & Nevis Patriots while the Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) do battle against St Lucia Stars.

The GAW have selected a well-balanced side, ranging from some of the top international players to the best players in the Caribbean. Expected to highlight this year’s CPL is Guyanese Chandrapaul Hemraj, who has had a stint for St Lucia Stars last

Hemraj played two matches for the Stars in 2018, and had a high score of 37 and a strike rate of 142.30 from his only innings.

He also highlighted 2019 with a brilliant 144 against the Barbados Pride in the recently concluded Regional Four Day Tournament, and made a top score of 32 against India in 2018.

In an exclusive interview with Guyana Times Sport, Hemraj was asked what he brings to table in joining the GAW. He replied, “It’s a great feeling to be part of the Warriors this year. I didn’t play much T20 cricket recently, but I enjoy playing the format because I’m naturally aggressive. I bring that aggressiveness at the top of the order. I would look to give the team a good start, and capitalise on the ‘power play’.

F

“ I a l s o want to help the team win the most games as possible, and bring home the trophy this year,” he said.

Hemraj described the Warriors as a balanced team consisting of youth and a lot of experience. He said he is familiar with most of the players on the team, which makes adapting quite easy.

The young, aggressive lefthanded batsman has promised to improve his 2019 performance above his 2018 performance, even as he disclosed that his fitness has been vastly improved since he last played cricket, and he said it is going to get better leading up to the tournament, the final match of which will be played on October

Skerritt and company to work directly with GCB if required

12.

The GAW squad reads: Shadab Khan, Nicholas Pooran, Shoaib Malik, Shimron Hetmyer, Ben Lauglin, Chris Green, Keemo Paul, Sherfane Rutherford, Brandon King, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Keagan Simmons, Chanderpaul Hemraj, Veerasammy, Permaul, Anthony Bramble, Clinton Pestano and Saurab Netravalkar.

Chandrapaul Hemraj

MoPH joins forces with ExxonMobil Under-14 tournament to push mantra

– CWI contingency plan in place for India tour

CWI President Ricky Skerritt

C

Grave disclosed.

This year’s tournament has greater significance as it will be used to select the squad for the ICC Under-19 World Cup, to be played in South Africa in January 2020.

The tournament will feature only the 50-over format, and in addition to the six matches to be played between the Regional teams, the top 24 “future stars” will play an additional three 50-over games, “The best vs the best”, which would assist the selectors to name the World Cup squad.

Commercial Director Dominic Warne updated the Board on efforts to implement the new policy of rebranding and uplifting public awareness of the youth tournaments, and to seek major sponsorship in order to achieve greater investment and sustainability.

On April 3, 2019 the GCB was declared illegal by the High Court, and the executives of the GCB have been debarred from holding themselves out to be office bearers or to do anything in relation to the operations of cricket in Guyana. This decision was made after the last elections held by the GCB were declared unlawful, illegal, null, void and to no legal effect.

The GCB have since been performing under the Cricket Guyana Inc. (CGI), where they have hosted the Regional fe-

ricket West Indies (CWI) President, Ricky Skerritt, who recently visited Guyana on a fact-finding mission, has said that depending on the outcome of the Guyana Cricket Board’s (GCB’s) court hearing on June 19, 2019, CWI has a contingency plan to work directly with the Government and staff of the GCB. In an official release sent

by CWI earlier this week, it was revealed that the contingency plan will be in place to work directly with GCB, if required, to host the India games in Guyana.

“Unfortunately, due to (time constraints), we needed to start to organise the Under-19s Tournament immediately, and we couldn’t CWI CEO Johnny Grave wait until after the court hearing on the 19th June”, Cricket West Indies Chief Executing male tournaments, both Super 50 and T20 Officer (CEO) Johnny Grave explained.

Blaze. Additionally, the CGI has also run Grave further explained that it was various inter-county tournaments and very difficult to put a contingency plan in conducted the regional player drafts. place due to the number of teams, matchThe construction of the La Bonne es, venues and length of the tournament.

Intention’s (LBI) facility has also been “We have therefore decided to move the progressing under CGI, and the Guyana tournament to last year’s hosts, St Vincent Jaguars players have continued their and the Grenadines, and hope that we can training under the same CGI led by Chief have the Under-19s in Guyana in 2020”, Executive Officer (CEO) Anand Sanasie.

From right: Petra’s Co-Director Troy Mendonca, Dr Kavita Singh, Glendon Fogenay, Petra’s Mark Alleyne and a Ministry of Public Health Representative

T

he Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), under their “Fight against Chronic Diseases” mantra, on Thursday teamed up with the Petra Organisation to get onboard the ExxonMobil Under 14 Boys’ and Girls’ tournament in order to push their mantra.

The ExxonMobil Under-14 tournament will begin on the morning of Saturday, June 15 with an official march past; and has had obtained in the Milo Under 18 tournament, which had carried a stand against gender-based violence campaign, the U-14 players will have a mantra to uphold.

Joining ExxonMobil and Pepsi for the first time in the two-year history of the tournament, the MoPH will use this platform to make youths aware of the dangers of chronic diseases and how they are affecting Guyanese society.

Head of the MoPH’s Chronic Diseases Unit, Dr. Kavita Singh, explained how Guyanese are being affected by the disease.

“As the person who is responsible for chronic, non-communicable diseases in Guyana, we do know that it is responsible for approximately 70 per cent of all premature deaths every year in our country. And more and more each year, we’re noticing that a lot of our youths are becoming diagnosed with cancer, hypertension, Types One and Two diabetes. So, for us, physical activity is very instrumental in reducing mortality in our youths,” Dr. Singh explained.

The tournament will see participation from 24 boys’ teams and 12 girls’ teams. The boys will begin their round-robin stage on Saturday, June 15, and the girls will start playing next Saturday, June 22.

Also shedding light on the issue of chronic diseases was Health Official Glendon Fogenay, who shared how sport can play an integral role in maintaining a healthy body and mind.

“It is not just your body that benefits from sports and physical activities, but also it contributes to mental health and the prevention of depression. Also, it increases

Head of the Chronic Disease Unit, Dr Kavita Singh

self-esteem and your body image.

“Sports can also develop positive mental health skills such as accountability, leadership and dedication,” Fogenay revealed.

While ExxonMobil and Pepsi are the sponsors, the tournament is being coordinated by the Petra Organisation. Co-Director Troy Mendonca spoke on the benefits of conducting such tournaments for youths.

“The Petra Organisation, over the years, is pleased to mention that we’ve been building relationships with different stakeholders; and, more so, our involvement saw us organising tournaments at the school level.

But we keep saying, time and time again, that what we do not only improves on the skill sets of the youngsters in terms of the game, but we build future leaders through their involvement in sport,” Mendonca stated.

Winners of the ExxonMobil Under-14 tournament will have opportunity to select a school project that would be completed by the oil and gas company.

friday, june 14, 2019

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

guyanatimesgy.com

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MoPH joins forces with ExxonMobil Under-14 tournament Golden Jaguars arrive in Minneapolis ahead of CGC

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Shepherd, Paul, Rutherford selected for Windies A

– Creavalle to miss tournament with broken bone

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