Guyana Times Friday June 7, 2019

Guyana on right track in achieving quality health care – Min Allicock P13

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

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 3947

FRIday, june 7, 2019

PRICE

No-confidence motion case

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Govt initiates delaying tactics ahead of CCJ’s ruling See story on page 7

Floods hit Moccasin P14 Creek, main access road impassable

...new evidence against Charrandas desperate – Datadin

Amaila Falls Project could have prevented current blackout woes – Jagdeo

See stories on pages 3, 12 and 14

– Norway releases US$80M towards solar farm project – 2nd GPL submarine cable down; more blackouts expected

Women’s reproductive health in Guyana in crisis – youth P10 leader Teen pleads P12 guilty, sentenced to 8 years for killing “Bakey”

Brazilian P14 wanted for attempted murder of Guyanese cop

From left to right: Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr Karen Cummings and Mrs Wendy Quinn look on as President David Granger and British High Commissioner to Guyana, Greg Quinn cut the symbolic cake in observance of Queen Elizabeth's 93rd birth anniversary

Mid-morning fire ravages upper flat of Diamond business complex

Page 2

Woman missing story after being See on page dragged from 12 neighbour’s house by husband

GRA evacuated after bomb threats P12 surface

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friDAY, JUNE 7, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Mid-morning fire ravages upper flat of Diamond business complex – millions in gym equipment destroyed ...owner blames Diamond Fire Station for lax response of the ceiling … it’s so sad to know a set of staff come out to work and they had to go home back and that’s the sadful part for me. When persons come for their medication and have to turn back from here, you see I’m in the medical field – we got a pharmacy, it’s not just for the business alone, but we provide a service with health care in this area,” he pointed out.

On that note, Etwaroo bashed the Fire Service for not acting swiftly to prevent complete destruction of the gym, since according to him,

Businessman Deonarine Etwaroo

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n entrepreneur whose business was housed at the popular G3 Building at Diamond, East Bank Demerara (EBD) has lost millions of dollar worth in equipment after a fire completely destroyed the gym on Thursday morning.

The blaze, which started about 11:39h, completely gutted the gym. Other businesses in the building were saved by the firefighters.

Up to press time, business owners are assessing the damage caused by the fire.

Among the businesses housed at the location are the gym, a restaurant, a pharmacy, a mini-mart and others.

When Guyana Times arrived at the scene, firefighters were working assiduously to contain the blaze to one location as business

A section of the building that was in flames

Divisional Fire Officer Gregory Wickham

owners watched helplessly.

Deonarine Etwaroo, owner of Essential Care Pharmacy, told this publication that he was informed of the fire and immediately rushed to the scene.

“My staff tell me that the fire started on the top floor… they say that they saw the smoke coming out

the Diamond Fire Station is a few blocks away.

“You can interview anybody out there and they would tell you how long these people take to get water. The truck from Timehri saved this building, till from Timehri and we have Georgetown and we have

right here, we have a canal in front there. It’s just about half an hour they start get this under control,” a dissatisfied Etwaroo said.

On the other hand, Divisional Fire Officer Gregory Wickham contended that the firefighters did a professional job in getting the fire under control, thus disregarding the comments made by the business owner.

“After we would’ve received the call, we had two vehicles dispatched to the scene, after a period of time based on initial assessment we had a third vehicle turning up to the scene and by the use of those three vehicles and appliances, we were able to bring the fire under control, only the top floor of the structure was destroyed by fire, the remaining floors are safe…The Fire Service

is, has been and will remain a professional body and we know the signs of fighting fire and so we would’ve professionally performed our job. Other people would have their comments, but I think we did a professional job,” Wickham noted.

In addition, the Divisional Commander admitted to having difficulties in accessing water to put out the blaze, noting that they made use of the nearby canal and the tank supply on scene to contain the flames.

“The water was receding back into the sea, so we went to the NDC and had them close the koker, so we have copious amount of water now so we can use, it took some time for that to be done … we used water that was available from the tank supply in the inter-

im whilst we went and get that, simultaneously that was done we didn’t wait until the water was exhausted and then go to NDC,” Wickham told the media on Thursday.

In closing, Wickham reassured that an investigation will be launched to determine what caused the blaze. Assistance to extinguish the blaze was also provided by the Central Fire Station and the West Ruimveldt Fire Station in Georgetown.

Owing to the events at the location, there was a massive build-up of traffic entering and exiting the area, while a large number of onlookers were present as firefighters were still dousing parts of the building, where smoke was emanating from.

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friDAY, JUNE 7, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS

Amaila Falls Project could have prevented current blackout woes – Jagdeo

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

Friday, June 7 – 05:00h-06:30h and Saturday, June 8 – 08:30h-10:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Friday, June 7 – 06:45h-08:15h and Saturday, June 8 – 07:40h-09:10h.

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, with sunny intervals scheduled to return in the afternoon. Partly cloudy skies and light rain showers are expected in the evening, with temperatures ranging between 22 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: South Easterly to North-easterly between 2.23 metres and 4.02 metres.

High Tide: 07:11h and 19:50h reaching maximum heights of 2.64 metres and 2.45 metres.

Low Tide: 13:18h reaching a minimum height of 0.58 metre.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2019

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Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

Hydropower facility would be a much more reliable source that the country would immediately benefit from once the project is completed.

The Amaila Falls Hydropower Project, which was initiated under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration, could have been generating about 50 per cent more electricity than the entire GPL supply at the time in 2012. But the project was scrapped by the coalition administration who had controlled the National Assembly by a oneseat majority.

In addition, the former

Amaila Falls

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n light of the regular blackouts and load shedding that are being experienced throughout the country, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo told a media briefing on Thursday that the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project that the present Government scrapped could have been the solution.

The Guyana Power and Light (GPL) on Wednesday announced that it has a shortfall of

In actuality, an “objective and facts-based” assessment done by Norconsult, an engineering and design consultancy firm from Norway, had concluded and recommended that “the only realistic path” for Guyana moving towards an emissionfree electricity sector and achieving its 2025 Green Agenda commitment was to develop its hydropower potential in general, and maintain the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project in particular.

12 megawatts of electricity due to the damaged submarine cable which has resulted in daily power failures. This occurrence, GPL stated, can last for a prolonged period.

Nevertheless, Jagdeo railed against the Government for scrapping the flagship Amaila Falls Project and now pursuing wind power initiatives as an alternative. In his view, the hydropower project if materialised could have prevented the present situation.

“How many times are we going to say this? Buying wind power even if it is feasible and it is not corrupt, even if it was a clean contract, wind power is not buying capacity, it is buying energy. What about the periods when the wind stops blowing and there are several periods during the course of the day and in the night? You still need the fossil fuel to step up at that time, because when the wind stops blowing, it goes down to zero, you go down to zero and so you have to then match that with the comparable capacity to pick up that, you cannot build future or satisfy future demand on buying just energy, you have to also install capacity,” Jagdeo said.

He is convinced that purchasing energy from a tenuous source is not a wise idea and that the Amaila Falls

President posited that the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project was far more stable and reliable than any of the renewable energy projects being pursued by the Government.

In fact, none of the renewable energy projects that are being undertaken by the coalition Government will contribute to the national grid and as such, it will not help solve the blackout woes. The Amaila Falls Hydropower Project was the flagship of Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy.

Amaila was expected to deliver a steady source of clean, renewable energy that would

have been affordable and reliable and was envisioned to meet approximately 90 per cent of Guyana’s domestic energy needs while removing dependency on fossil fuels.

The Electric Plant was proposed to be a 165 MW (installed capacity) hydropower generation facility, located in west-central Guyana, approximately 250 kilometres south-west of Georgetown.

The hydroelectric plant, if completed would have shifted Guyana’s reliance on thermal generation to renewable energy, eliminate over 90 per cent of the country’s energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, providing energy production for approximately 90 per cent of Guyana’s population.

In addition, it would have improved Guyana’s balance of payments by significantly re-

ducing the importation of fuel, significantly reduce end-user costs for electricity and improve reliability of energy supply and generation of clean energy, which would help to encourage economic growth and development by improving regional competitiveness, Private Sector investment and Foreign Direct Investment.

Meanwhile, the Opposition Leader added that while the Government seeks to cast blame on the PPP Administration for failures with GPL, Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson, who has responsibility for GPL, should be held accountable.

“It is the Minister (David Patterson) who is responsible for all of this and this government, the Minister directly, they did not appoint the Board, and this Cabinet, they did not appoint a board for a year and a half. How can you have a Corporation like that and not pay attention to that? How the issues of generation and all of that are dealt with? The Minister is totally inept. He is only looking for other things on the side, not looking for the main issues.”

Over the past days, the electricity company has been advising the general public of possible blackouts or load shedding.

This has had a significant effect on businesses and the general citizenry of Guyana.

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FRIday, June 7, 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

Electricity supply

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reliable and cheap supply of electricity is non-negotiable for the development of any country. Not only does it allow for the manufacturing sector to remain competitive, but it provides the much-needed ease of comfort for the populace, both in terms of consistency and the enabling environment for affordable prices on manufactured goods. The provision of this crucial utility service must not be seen as one of a favour; it’s paid for by consumers.

Currently, the Guyana Power & Light (GPL) is trying to execute emergency plans to reduce prevailing outages, which have increased following damage to a submarine cable connecting West Demerara to the City. Prior to the cable being damaged, supply was erratic, with many areas being severely affected, some more than others for varying reasons. This is important to note, given that many consumers feel that the supply became far more unreliable over the past few years.

The context would be useful. Prior to 1992, electricity supply was scarce and almost non-existent in some communities. Then, consumers may have felt that receiving electricity was a luxury. Its return, following the routine prolonged outages, was greeted with rapturous applause by residents. The sporadic supply may have created the environment for celebrations to welcome its surprising reappearance.

The utterly poor service then resulted from collapsed infrastructure following mainly a lack of maintenance. It should also be noted that some parts of the country, like the Essequibo Islands, were either without power, or had it rationed to a few hours per day. It was totally unacceptable, and disgusted consumers had no recourse for an improved service.

The effects were telling countrywide to both the manufacturing sector and citizens; including students, who were forced to seek alternative sources of illumination for their studies. The “jug-lamp” or “flambeau” and soot in the nostrils became common practices.

Following the 1992 elections, in spite of the inherited state of bankruptcy, innovative ways were found through firm commitment to improve the supply of electricity. Throughout the tenure of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Administration, which ended in 2015, much resources were ploughed into that utility company to ensure acceptable and reliable supply. Existing generating stations were retooled, and new ones were built over that period.

The demand drastically grew with every passing year, as thousands of consumers were constantly added to the grid, as their lives were advanced though the enabling environments created. Televisions, microwaves, refrigerators, air-conditioners and other appliances were no longer luxuries, but were routine fixtures as modernisation took over. That meant the need for reliable supply to satisfy the country’s unprecedented economic growth, as areas previously without power and new ones were powered in the process.

While all of the challenges were not resolved, there was a noticeable and positive evolution in the national supply of electricity. Outages were miniscule as reliability vastly increased.

However, with a constantly growing demand, fluctuating fuel prices and environmental impact, the eventual solution was in having a much cheaper, cleaner and reliable supply of hydroelectricity. The Amaila Fall Hydroelectric Project was birthed.

Sadly, the then APNU/AFC Opposition refused to lend its support, using its one-seat combined Parliamentary majority to scuttle funding for that most transformative project. Despite the provision of all relevant information, and despite the supply would have been much cheaper and reliable, allowing for lower manufacturing costs, the then Opposition did not budge.

That project would have fitted perfectly into the Low Carbon Development Strategy the country was pursuing at the time; which, through its efforts, Guyana was lauded internationally, with related funding assigned, as in the case of Norway. Had it received the support, today Guyanese would have been reaping the benefits. Had it been supported, GPL would not, in 2019, be searching desperately for emergency mechanism to provide electricity, which is now, sadly, on a scheduled basis.

As it is, manufacturing costs have increased, redounding in higher prices for local products. Consumers are not only saddled with that, but also have to pay a higher bill every month in addition to increased transportation costs. This brings into question what the Government has done to ensure a nationwide reliable supply of electricity since 2015.

As emergency plans are scouted for now, the world’s technological advances continue unabated, with Guyanese becoming more abreast as local related companies flourish. The country is on the cusp of breaking through, with the advent of an oil and gas economy and its population’s technological affinity growing seemingly exponentially.

A reliable supply of electricity cannot therefore be compromised; the country’s future advancement is hinged on that.

While the damaged submarine cable may have forced a lengthy response from GPL, outages have been ongoing before, with no holistic solution on the horizon. That therefore makes it extremely worrying for both consumers and the country as a whole.

The burning questions are: what happens after the cable is fixed? Would that end outages? There appears no optimism for the latter, even though an official boasted a year or two ago that blackouts would have ended. Not surprising was the absence of any sense of euphoric celebration to that statement. The current situation may explain why.

People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Presidential Candidate Irfaan Ali greets British High Commissioner to Guyana, Greg Quinn at a reception to celebrate the 93rd birth anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II. Also in photo is Mrs Arya Ali

Putin: Russia has no plans to send troops to Venezuela

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ussian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Moscow has no plans to send troops to shore up Venezuela’s embattled leader Nicolás Maduro.

Speaking in St Petersburg, Putin also warned that a United States military intervention in Venezuela would be a “catastrophe”, claiming even Washington’s allies did not support such a course of action.

“We aren’t building any military bases there [Venezuela], we aren’t sending troops there, we have never done that,” Putin said when asked about a recent tweet by US President Donald Trump, in which he said Moscow had told Washington it had pulled its personnel out of Venezuela.

Putin said Russian experts remained in the Latin American country in order to service Russian military hardware, something he said they were contractually obliged to do.

Russia has staunchly backed Maduro, while the US and dozens of other nations have cast their support behind Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó, who invoked the Constitution in January to declare himself interim president, asserting that Maduro’s re-election last year was illegitimate.

“If we consider the conditions in which millions of people live in Venezuela a question arises whether they are fighting Maduro or the population? We don’t approve but condemn such actions [sanctions], leave alone a military intervention – that would be a catastrophe.

“The crisis in Venezuela should be settled by the Venezuelan people,” said Putin.

He went on to describe Guaidó as a “nice person”, but said his leadership claim has created a precedent that could “lead to chaos across the world”.

Lima Group calls on Russia, China to be part of solution Putin’s comments came as the regional Lima Group issued a statement urging countries that support Maduro’s Government, particularly Russia, China, Cuba and Turkey, to be part of the solution to Venezuela’s crisis.

The 12-nation bloc also called on the international community to take action against what it said was the “growing involvement” of the Maduro Government in corruption, drug trafficking and organised crime.

It also rejected Maduro’s call on May 20 for early elections for Venezuela’s National Assembly, which is run by the Opposition.

On Monday, the Lima Group and the European Union-led contact group on Venezuela issued a joint statement calling on Latin America and the broader international community to play a more active role in restoring democracy to the country.

“While the solution needs to be a Venezuelan one, the regional impact of the crisis requires the region and the international community to play a more active role in supporting a prompt return to democracy,” the two groups said.

The US has not ruled out a military intervention with officials repeatedly saying that “all options” are on the table when it comes to Venezuela.

Millions of people have left the country in recent years, fleeing hyperinflation, unemployment, and food and medicine shortages.

In May, Venezuela’s Government and the Opposition met for talks in the Norwegian capital, Oslo, but the meeting ended without an agreement.

(Al Jazeera) Tightening The US Treasury Department on Thursday tightened its pressure on Venezuela’s State-owned oil company by making clear that exports of diluents by international shippers could be subject to US sanctions.

The change, announced on the Treasury Department’s website, is the latest US measure aimed at pressuring Venezuelan President Maduro by limiting access to oil export revenue from PDVSA. PDVSA had long relied on imports of diluents from the United States to add to its extra-heavy oil to make the crude exportable. But that trade was banned in January, forcing the company to look abroad for other suppliers.

“We are tightening the loop on any potential workarounds on the standing sanctions that allow the Maduro regime to still find ways to exploit PDVSA as a cash cow,” a senior US Administration official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“The changing of the language puts international companies on notice that any continued engagement or transactions they have with PDVSA selling diluents is at risk, or subject to future potential sanctions,” the official told Reuters.

The official declined comment on which foreign companies had continued to supply Venezuela, other than describing them as “larger global corporations”.

(Reuters)

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FRIday, June 7, 2019

Page Foundation TRAIN YOUR E

verybody gets angry sometimes. Being angry doesn’t really solve much – but what people do when they feel angry is important. The goal is to calm yourself down and try to solve whatever problem is bothering you. This is hard for some kids (and adults, too). Instead of calming down, some kids might keep getting more and more upset until they explode like a volcano!

Some kids get angry more often or more easily than some other kids. Their anger might be so strong that the feeling gets out of control and causes them to act in ways that are unacceptable and hurtful. People might say kids like this have a temper, which is a term for acting all angry and out of control. When people say that someone has trouble controlling their temper, they usually mean that a kid misbehaves when feeling angry or frustrated.

Some kids might get so angry that they scream at their mom or dad, punch the wall, slam doors, break something or— worse yet — hit a brother or sister. Kids are allowed to express their feelings, even angry ones, but it’s not OK for a kid to do any of those things.

Kids don’t want to (or mean to) act this way — but sometimes angry feelings can be hard to manage. So what do you do if you’re a volcano kind of a kid and your temper is getting you into trouble?

Arf! Try this!

Well, the good news is that kids don’t just have to keep making the same mistakes over and over again. You can train your temper the same way you might train a puppy. Huh? That’s right, we said a puppy.

If you’ve ever played with puppies, you know they are sweet but a little out of control. Their tails wag furiously and they might tear apart your sneakers or nip at the mailman’s behind. Oh dear, what can you do with your puppy? Training is the answer.

In the same way, you can train your temper. Imagine your temper as a puppy inside you that needs some training. The puppy is not bad – it will probably turn out to be a great dog.

It just needs to learn some rules because, right now, that puppy is causing some problems for you.

You don’t want to keep getting in trouble for the way you act when you’re angry. You probably even feel bad afterward if you’ve hurt someone’s feelings or broken a toy you liked.

So let’s get that puppy trained.

Here are some things to try anytime, even when you’re

not angry: Get lots of physical activity. Play outside. Do sports you like. Karate or wrestling can be good for kids who are trying to get their tempers under control. But any activity that gets your heart pumping can be good because it’s a way of burning off energy and stress. It feels good to boot that football or smack that cricket ball!

Talk to your mom or dad. If you’re having trouble with your temper, the time to talk about it is before you have another angry outburst. Tell your parents that you’re trying to do a better job of controlling yourself. Ask for their help and ideas for how you could do this better. Maybe if you go a whole week without a meltdown, they can take you out for a treat. Let them know that if you do get really angry, you’re going to ask for their help.

Put feelings into words. Get in the habit of saying what you’re feeling and why. Tell your parents, “I feel angry when you tell me it’s time to stop playing and take out the trash. I don’t like taking out the trash.” And your parent will probably say (kindly), “I know – no one likes doing it.

But it’s your job and you need to do it anyway.” So using words won’t get you out of taking out the trash (sorry!), but it might stop you from slamming the garage door, having a fit about the trash, or doing something else that could get you in trouble. Using words helps people manage their strong feelings and behaviours.

Take control. Who’s in charge here — you or that wild little puppy? Decide that you’re going to be in charge. Don’t let those angry feelings make you do stuff you don’t want to do.

knocking over the chair. Maybe she’ll say you aren’t allowed to play your game tomorrow! That would be very bad news — you’d have to wait even longer to get to level 4.

Though it’s one of the toughest things to learn, it might be best just to tell yourself, “OK, stop the game and get to bed.”

Some arguments you’ll be able to win, but this probably isn’t one of them.

That doesn’t mean you’ll never get your way. You will be able to get your way sometimes. Bigger kids, like you, can learn to make their points calmly without losing it. This approach usually works better with everyone, especially parents. When you do this, you’re controlling that wild little puppy inside you. You’re in charge instead of that little rascal with the wagging tail.

Have you been wondering why we asked you to think of your temper as a puppy? A puppy is young and loveable – just like you – and wonderful to be around, especially when it keeps its temper under control! (Excerpt from kidshealth.org)

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Take a break from the situation f you’re in an argument with someone, go to another part of your house. Your room or the backyard are good choices. Just say, “I want to be alone for a while so I can calm down.”

Put yourself in a timeout If you’re feeling angry and think you need a timeout to calm down, don’t wait for a parent to A tough question tell you – go ahead and take a timeout for yourself.

What if it’s a problem that can’t be solved? Like being Let your family know that when you’re taking a angry about your parents’ divorce, or having to go to summer timeout, they need to respect your space and school, or wanting a later bedtime? Or when you just can’t leave you alone to calm yourself down. For kids old get your way about something? Some stuff kids get angry enough to do it for themselves, a timeout isn’t a about can’t be changed. For instance, if your mom says it’s punishment: It’s a cool-down. While you’re sitting time to stop playing your video game and go to bed, what can you do? She’s not changing her mind and you have to in your timeout chair, try this cool-down exercise: get some sleep. Man, that really stinks! You were almost to Put your hands under the seat of the chair and pull up while you count to 5. Then stretch your arms level 4!

But even if you get really angry, she won’t budge. And over your head. Take a nice deep breath and let even if you knock over a chair, you’ll still have to stop playing it out. One kid who tried these steps said he used your game. But now you might have an extra penalty for this time to think about the consequences – like getting in trouble if he let his temper go wild.

Get the anger out We don’t want you punching walls (or even punching pillows), but why not do a bunch of jumping jacks or dance around your room to your favourite music? Turn it up a little. If you go outside, run around or do cartwheels across the lawn. You also could pick up your pen and write it all down. What made you so upset? Keep writing until you’ve covered everything. If you don’t like writing, just draw a picture that helps you express your feelings. Use strong colours and strong lines to show your strong feelings. You also can try the “Be a Volcano” exercise.

Learn to shift You’ll have to work hard to do this. This is where you get that puppy under control. The idea is to shift from a really angry mood to a more in-control mood. After you get some of the angry feelings out, you have to start thinking about other things.

Sometimes, when people are angry, they’re not really thinking clearly. They’re just mad, mad, mad.

Only angry thoughts are flying around their brains.

A person might even say mean things to himself or herself, like “I’m such an idiot. I lost my temper again!” But you can replace those thoughts with better ones. For instance, you can say, “I lost my temper, but I’m going to get myself under control now.” Instead of thinking of the person or situation you’re angry with, think of something else. Think of something that will put you in a better mood.

(Excerpt from kidshealth.org)

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friDAY, JUNE 7, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

No-confidence motion case

Govt initiates delaying tactics ahead of CCJ’s ruling ...new evidence against Charrandas desperate – Datadin

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ttorney-at-law Sanjeev Datadin has accused the APNU+AFC Coalition of misleading the public with the recent application it made to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) regarding the pending appeals on the no-confidence motion.

In an apparent move to further delay the court’s rulings on the appeals, the Government is now seeking to have introduced new evidence relating to former AFC Member of Parliament Charrandas Persaud, he said.

However, in a statement late Friday night, Persaud’s attorney in the proceedings, Datadin, sought to clear the air on the application being sought by the Government.

“The application filed by the Attorney General is desperate. It is another ‘red herring’ designed to mislead the nation. The AG has deliberately and mischievously not disclosed the whole truth of the statement made by our client, Charrandas Persaud. The statement is sadly taken wholly out of context,” the attorney said in the statement.

According to Datadin, he would be filing a response with the CCJ immediately.

In an application filed

by Senior Counsel Eamon Courtenay on behalf of Attorney General Basil Williams on Friday, the Trinidad-based regional court is being asked to, among other things, grant permission for the submission of new evidence that

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

However, acting Chief Justice Roxane George in Attorney Sanjeev Datadin

Attorney General Basil Williams

Former AFC MP Charrandas Persaud

has recently become available to the AG. According to the court application, the evidence “will probably have an important influence on the outcome of this appeal, and… is credible,” and as such, Government is seeking permission to make submissions on whether the new evidence should be admitted; and if admitted, the relevance of the new evidence to the outcome of the appeal.

The “new evidence” has to do with comments made by the former AFC MP Charrandas Persaud, who crossed over to vote in favour of the Opposition’s no confidence motion against the Coalition Government.

The application was filed on the grounds that, among other things, there was no direct evidence of whether Persaud knew that he was unqualified to be candidate and disqualified from sitting in the National Assembly.

Having heard oral submissions from the various parties in the consolidated appeals in two marathon

sessions on May 9 and 10, the CCJ panel of judges is expected to deliver their ruling within the coming days.

However, with this move by the Government, this process can further be delayed.

Much is hinging on whatever decision the court delivers, but the most crucial

decision would be on the calculation of what constitutes a “majority” to give effect to Art 106 (6): “The President and the Cabinet shall resign if the Government is defeated by a vote of majority of all elected members of the National Assembly on a vote of confidence.”

January upheld the passage of the motion, ruling that it was validly passed with the 33 majority. This 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 CCJ is being asked to finally determine these matters.

8 News Labourer arraigned for murder of teenage drinking buddy A friDAY, JUNE 7, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

labourer was on Thursday arraigned for the murder of his drinking buddy which occurred on Sunday evening at a bar in Supenaam, Essequibo Coast.

Richard Harrichand, of Ogle, East Coast Demerara (ECD) and of Supenaam, was not required to plead to the indictable charge which stated that on Sunday, June 2, he murdered Clive Osbourne of Good Hope, Essequibo Coast.

He appeared at the

Dead: Clive Osbourne

Suddie Magistrate’s Court, and was remanded to prison by the presiding Magistrate until July 4, 2019.

On the day in question, it was reported that Osbourne was stabbed several times to his head, chest, and abdomen.

Police investigations revealed that Osbourne and the suspect, 17, were imbibing alcohol when a heated argument erupted and quickly escalated into an altercation. It was at this time that the sus-

pect whipped out a knife and dealt Osbourne several blows to his body.

The injured man reportedly attempted to run out of the bar, but collapsed on the roadway. He was picked up in an unconscious state and rushed to the Suddie Public Hospital by a cousin, but by the time he arrived at the medical facility, he was already dead.

The suspect was arrested and later charged for the heinous crime.

Ex-cop wanted in US for narcotics trafficking refused bail

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he United States Government has made an application for the extradition of Shaun Nebblett, who is wanted in that jurisdiction for charges related to trafficking of cocaine.

Forty-three-year-old Nebblett, who is known as Shaun Wyatt or “Dapper”, was refused bail by Magistrate Faith McGusty when the matter was called on Thursday.

Nebblett was represented by Attorneys-at-Law Darren Wade and Keoma Griffith. Wade, in his bail application, told the court that his client was not a flight risk as he further argued that his client was not a wanted criminal, since the Guyana Defence Force did not issue a wanted bulletin.

State Counsel Stacy Goodings, who represented the US Government, made strong objections to bail being granted; she told

the court that Nebblett attempted to flee the country, even though he knew he was blacklisted from travelling. Goodings further told the court the accused was a flight risk and, therefore, he should not be granted bail.

Magistrate McGusty ruled in Goodings’ favour and remanded Nebblett to prison. He will make his next court appearance on June 19, 2019.

Nebblett is wanted in the US for conspiracy to import cocaine, importation of cocaine, conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.

According to the indictment, between August 2015 and September 2015 in the Eastern District of New York, Nebblett conspired to smuggle cocaine from Guyana to the US. Nebblett is accused of arranging for a courier in

Shaun Nebblett

Guyana to smuggle cocaine into the US for a payment of US$8000.

The indictment stated that Nebblett met with the courier in Guyana and packed the person’s suitcase with the seven pairs of shoes which had the cocaine inside.

He allegedly gave the

courier US$300 to rent a hotel room once the person reached New York; however, on August 28, 2015 the courier flew to New York and was arrested upon his arrival at the John F Kennedy Airport with 1.45 kilograms of cocaine.

The courier, when held by drug enforcement officers in New York, confessed and helped with the investigation.

The courier called Nebblett regarding the pickup of the cocaine and he sent another individual to pick up the cocaine from the courier. That person was arrested with US$8000 in his possession.

A warrant was issued on June 10, 2016, for Nebblett’s arrest.

Last month, Nebblett was nabbed by local officials at Moleson Creek, Corentyne River, while attempting to flee to Suriname.

Teen accused of stealing motorbike walks free

A

teenager who was months ago accused of stealing a woman’s motorcycle walked out of court a free man after he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Wednesday.

Magistrate Faith McGusty told the court that the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence in the matter and as such, 19-year-old Akeem Williams of Rasville Housing Scheme, Georgetown was free to go.

Akeem Williams

It was alleged that on January 19, 2019, at Rasville Housing Scheme, while being armed with a gun, Williams robbed Akisha Moore of one motorcycle valued $285,000, property of Shaheed Mohammed.

The Virtual Complainant (VC) and the defendant are known to each other. On the day in question, the VC reportedly borrowed the motorcycle from Mohammed and while riding along the Rasville road, she was con-

fronted by Williams and others who relieved her of the motorcycle.

They then fled the scene.

On February 5, 2019, Williams was at East La Penitence Police Station for an assault matter involving his girlfriend, and it was while there he was positively identified by Moore as the person who robbed her.

A confrontation was held between them, and he was later charged.

Teen jailed for 6 months for escaping lawful custody

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ighteen-year-old Trevor Gasper was on Wednesday sentenced to six months in prison for escaping from the Ruimveldt Police Station.

Gasper, of Middle Road, East La Penitence, Georgetown, was sentenced

by city Magistrate Rondell Weaver after he was found guilty of the charge that was brought against him.

The charge stated that on December 11, 2018, Gasper, while being in custody at the Ruimveldt Police Station pending an armed robbery

charge, unlawfully escaped Police custody.

According to reports, he was placed on the prisoner’s bench in the enquiries office to be transported to the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts; however, he picked the locks of the handcuffs

and ran out of the police station. He was subsequently recaptured and charged.

He pleaded not guilty and a trial had commenced which saw several witnesses testifying. The trial concluded on Thursday.

Darkness…

I

…as a PNC trademark f there’s one thing that distinguished the first PNC regime under Burnham, it was the darkness they’d plunged Guyana into in so many ways. Koestler’s “Darkness at Noon” could very well be a portrayal of the nightmare politics of those times under a totalitarian megalomaniac.

Yes, it was a “dark time, my dear reader”!

There was the darkness of the rampant, violent, kickdown-the-door robberies, when the homes of Guyanese were violated and their innocent occupants brutally beaten to hand over whatever valuables were left after the Burnhamite state’s depredations.

There was the darkness of the indignity of standing in “Guy-lines” for hours to BUY an ounce of butter, and the humiliation of dreaming about the taste of bread. And not least of all, there was the darkness of having your ballots dumped into canals and replaced by new ones filled in by the “Security Forces”. Whose security??

But what they left for another generation to recover from was the literal “blackouts”, occasioned by them running the power generating and transmission capabilities of the country into the ground -- pretty much as they did with every other facility that had to “run”: sugar factories, bauxite factories, bicycle factories, ceramic factories, glass factories, and even cloth factories. But the ordinary citizens were traumatised most by the literal blackouts.

Guyanese then literally became a dishevelled bunch, with ironing of clothes a hit-or-miss proposition in the best of days. Students couldn’t do their homework, and teachers couldn’t mark them when they were lucky to receive some done by flambeaux. Even the street corner shop couldn’t survive with refrigeration out of the question.

Yes, my friends, life became “nasty, brutish and short”, under the Burnhamite PNC. The PPP performed Herculean labour to clean up their mess, and brought in a world-class Finnish company, Wartsila, to provide generators, spares, and management capabilities to run the electricity company, GPL. Of course not being endowed with omnipotence, the PPP couldn’t just snap their fingers and say, “Let there be light!!” and there was light. But, by 2009, Jagdeo had devised his world famous LCDS - a linchpin being the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project (AFHP), into which the Norwegians had put US$80 million, the operator some US$200 million, and the Chinese contractor the remainder via a Chinese Government loan.

But in came the PNC in 2015, nixed AFHP, and did everything possible to guarantee the return of blackouts, including with power. They immediately removed Wartsila and replaced them with a local bunch, Power Producers and Distributors Inc (PPDI). Of course everything went downhill.

And now blackout has returned because of a damaged underwater cable. It is just a portent of what’s ahead: the darkness of rigged ballots!! …over sugar Folks are fretting about the goings-on in sugar; they just don’t make sense, they complain. Of course they don’t, for the simple reason that the decisions have nothing to do with sugar and everything to do with politics. Take the latest brouhaha about how the $30 billion bond money floated by the PNC/SPU/NICIL - is being spent by GuySuCo. The reason for the borrowing, the SPU said, was to diversify GuySuCo into co-generation; produce and package white sugar; and, of course, to run the “grinding” three estates more efficiently.

So why’s the PNC-appointed SPU complaining about GuySuCo using funds to pay wages?? Don’t GuySuCo have to pay sugar workers? If the estates aren’t kept going as viable sugar cane-producing entities, how the heck can they produce, say, the bagasse for co-generation? The SPU number crunchers, who’ve never stepped into a cane field, fail to appreciate that if there’s no sugar cane industry, there can be no sugar industry.

Sugar comes from sugar cane, which are grown in fields!! Take that, PNC!! …and shade The SPU threw shade at GuySuCo’s management, claiming the latter wanted to buy SUVs! But all GuySuCo had to do was use the bond money for approved expenses, and buy the SUVs from the saved GuySuCo funds!!

No need to get the SPU’s permission!!

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

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friDAY, JUNE 7, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Govt to make reforestation mandatory for mining, logging concessions

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s the country joins in observance of World Environment Day 2019, the Guyana Government is looking to make reforestation a mandatory requirement for loggers and miners applying for concessions, so as to preserve and sustain its forests.

This is according to President David Granger, who emphasised that protecting the environment is an obligation, not an option.

Delivering the feature address at the World Environment Day observance held on Thursday at

lands result in further land degradation of the exposed land. Guyana’s forestry and mining laws will be strengthened to make re-forestation and land reclamations conditional for the approval of mining and logging concessions,” the Head of State posited.

It has been reported that Guyana has been lagging in its reforestation efforts. This assessment was made by former Presidential Advisor Rear Admiral (retired) Gary Best during a lecture series hosted by the University of Guyana back in 2017.

able forest management for low emissions development; leverage GFC’s expertise to guide improved forest monitoring and management within other land ownership categories; strengthen the suite of forest management tools, measures and plans, and involve key stakeholders in joint forest resource management, monitoring and research; strengthen community reporting, monitoring and verification (CMRV) programmes of indigenous communities; implement provisions under the Amerindian Act 2006

and mining sectors.

The recently updated and approved National Forest Plan and Policy Statement will see a shift in emphasis from primary timber products to value-added downstream goods, as well as ecosystem services, while a clearer vision is being articulated for the mining sector this year, with stakeholder input factored into a ten-year Mineral Policy Framework and Plan.

“Our mining and forestry sectors do not exist in isolation. Therefore, a coordinated approach is needed to en-

President David Granger addressing a gathering at the World Environment Day observance at State House on Thursday

Students of Queen’s College perform at the Department of the Environment’s World Environment Day 2019 celebration at State House

State House, the President noted that Guyana is proud to be part of the ‘Guiana Shield,’ which is considered to be the ‘lungs of the world’.

To this end, he underscored the importance of safeguarding the country’s forests from harmful activities, such as mining and logging.

“Mining and logging are two of the principal contributors to deforestation. Smallscale mining alone accounted for about 89 per cent of deforestation over the past three years. So small-scale mining has a large-scale impact on the environment.

“Deforestation by both mining and logging has scarred our rainforests with craters. These waste-

“I would say to you that our reforestation efforts are at a minimal. We are not doing enough to (contribute to reforestation), and that is a big climate negative for Guyana. Limited work is being done, and more should be done,” Best had stated.

However, the Coalition Government is looking to reverse this in its Green State Development Strategy (GSDS) Vision: 2040. A critical element of the strategy is the sustainable management of natural resources, and one of the goals is the mandatory reforestation of mining sites.

To this end, the policy recommendations in the GSDS include: to ensure and strengthen sustain-

that mandate Amerindian Village Councils to manage forest resources; advance certified technical and vocational training for effective forest management and monitoring; when forest rehabilitation is necessary because of degradation, then restoring to as near the original value of the forest area is paramount; and continue the monitoring, control and reporting on wildlife trading.

In the 2019 Budget, Finance Minister Winston Jordan had said this year will see the advancement of work in both the forestry and mining sectors. In 2019, work on this aspect of extractive sector management will advance for the forestry

sure that both foresters and miners are able to benefit from our natural resources in a responsible manner that minimises negative impacts on the environment,” the Minister had stated.

On this note, he posited that by the end of 2019, trained regional coordinators would be placed in all ten administrative regions to facilitate the resolution of conflicts that may arise between and among the mining, forestry and environmental sectors.

A d d i t i o n a l l y , Government has budgeted $279 million to finance the next phase of the forest inventory exercise. The Minister has said that mineral mapping will continue

to facilitate more coordinated and sustainable management and utilisation of the forest and mineral resources.

The National Forest Policy 2018 seeks to, among other things, promote the rehabilitation and restoration of degraded landscapes through forest plantation development, enrichment planting, and community forestry.

The policy strategy looks to develop systems and in-

centive packages to support reforestation and forest plantation development.

According to the document, a public-private sector and community investment collaboration is being looked at, with emphasis on degraded forests, agricultural and mining lands, and mangroves. This will be done through the development and implementation of a National Forest Plantation Strategy.

10 news

friDAY, JUNE 7, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

COHSOD meeting tackles regional creative sector, sustainability …Carifesta to take centre stage in Trinidad

Caricom Secretary General Irwin LaRocque

R

egional officials on Thursday converged at the Caricom Secretariat for the Council for Human and Social Development (COHSOD) meeting, aimed at capitalising on cultural strength to achieve sustainability.

The two-day event will also focus on the Caribbean Festival of Arts (Carifesta)

XIV, the flagship event, which is slated for August in Trinidad and Tobago with a packed agenda.

According to Caricom Secretary General Irwin LaRocque, the culture of the Region is essential in sustainable development, because the creative sector employs hundreds of persons while maintaining regional identity.

“The theme for this meeting: “Leveraging Caricom’s cultural assets for the sustainable development of the community”, reiterates the commitment of the Region to develop our rich and diverse cultural assets. These include natural and build heritage, the intangible such as our cultural expression and our cultural knowledge and skills,” LaRocque explained.

“The global creative economy employed nearly 29.5 million people and generated more than US$2 trillion in revenue or three per cent of the world’s GDP [Gross

Trinidad’s Minister of Culture and Arts, Nyan Gadsby-Dolly

Domestic Product] in 2013.

Significantly, the creative sector employs more persons, aged 15 to 29 than any other sector. In Caricom, studies indicated that the creative industries account for 708 per cent of GDP in St Lucia.”

According to LaRocque, culture also provides a platform to recognise more benefits from the Region, but

Member States must foster a conducive environment for the sector to grow.

“There is a need to create the necessary enabling environment for the creative industries to be more competitive and to increase their contribution to employment and growth,” he noted.

During the discussions, Trinidad’s Minister of Community Development, Culture and Arts, Nyan Gadsby-Dolly was the feature speaker, and she emphasised the need for a paradigm shift on potential cultural assets which can be used to gain economic success.

“The inclusion of high-reaching goals for our cultural sector in our national development plans is critical for guided development of our cultural assets in progressive directions …

Leveraging our cultural assets as a Region means constantly exploring opportunities to export our cultural

A snippet of Carifesta XIV

products and services internationally,” Gadsby-Dolly declared.

She noted that Carifesta has always been an important cultural advantage, but the music industry was also a sector to be looked at, as it was capable of providing employment.

“The continued success of [the music] industry requires our collective intervention in ensuring that these genres remain relevant, both to the Region and to the world.

That persons across all social

tiers can derive employment opportunities and that the Public and Private Sectors can increase gateways for the international proliferation of our music genres.”

From August 16 to August 25, Trinidad and Tobago will come alive with cultural exchanges, film festivals and exhibitions to showcase the diversity of Caribbean countries, including Guyana. In 2021, Antigua and Barbuda will be taking up the mantle as host country.

Women’s reproductive health in Guyana in crisis – youth leader

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uyana has the second highest rate of adolescent pregnancy in the entire Western Hemisphere, and this reality means that women’s health is in a terrible crisis.

This is according to International Planned Parenthood Federation/ Western Hemisphere Region, Youth Director Kobe Smith, who in quoting from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) statistics on Guyana, said that it was estimated that 97 out of every 1000 girls between the ages of 15 and 19 would give birth.

Smith made the comment during a plenary discussion on “The Power of Stories: making sexual and reproductive health and rights come to life” at the Women Deliver 2019 conference in Vancouver, Canada. The youth leader, who is pursuing a degree in law at the University of Guyana, told the gathering of hundreds of women that something must be done to reduce and eventually curb the high rate of adolescent pregnancy.

He noted that teen pregnancy, gender-based vio-

lence and family planning are all seen as women issues “but to think of it, who got the 14-year-old girl pregnant? Who waits at bus terminals to strip women of their dignity and their rights and sexually harass them?

Who forces a young woman to carry through with an unplanned pregnancy against her will? Yes, men; men do,” he said.

Smith noted that he believed that men would play a critical role in achieving gender equality, because in some cases, sadly, they hold the power in homes, in courts, in Parliaments and other dominant decision-making places in society. He added that some of the clearest pieces of evidence which demonstrate the recent attacks on reproductive justice for women and girls are seen in the restrictive ban on abortions in several states in the United States of America.

Meanwhile, coming from a family history of gender-based violence and adolescent pregnancy, the young leader said that he never imagined that he would join the Board of

International Planned Parenthood Federation/Western Hemisphere Region Youth Director Kobe Smith speaking at the Women Deliver 2019 conference

the International Planned Parenthood Federation, as a teenager, adding too that he never imagined that he would be fighting for the rights of women and girls, but that all changed after his mother lost her battle with cancer a few years ago.

Breaking down in tears before a packed conference hall, Smith added that he believed that he has a responsibility and a debt of service to pay not just for his mother but for girls who do

not have the resources, the finances, and the access to the services to help them in this critical area.

“To talk about sexual reproductive health rights and services, I believe that comprehensive sexuality education is an important tool to engage men and boys in gender equality and sexual reproductive rights,” he said.

Speaking about his experience in Guyana, Smith added that while working with young people in Georgetown

on gender-based violence, he experienced a most shocking response from a young teen. Recalling his experience, Smith told the gathering that during one of his workshops, a teen bluntly told him that if women misbehaved, they needed to “get it”, referring to being hit as a means of discipline. Clearly horrified by the teen’s response, Smith said he then asked the young man if he was at home and his mother “misbehaved”, then what should happen? He noted that again his response was that she too should “get it”. “…but at the end of that session change occurred … because one of his colleagues revealed during the session that she was sexually and emotionally abused and when she burst into tears – the same young man stood up and said to her “everything gon be alright” and at that point I felt hopeful and satisfied and optimistic that he would become an ally and also influence other peers to become allies for issues in gender equality,” Smith noted.

Speaking about his personal exposure to comprehensive sexual education,

the youth leader said that most of his knowledge came from the media and, unfortunately, his friends, who just did not know better. ”…and I, like so many others, viewed adolescent pregnancy as the fault of the young girls because they didn’t know better but to be quite honest we were the ones that didn’t know better and the school system in Guyana did not allow us to know better,” he told the gathering.

Smith added that they must challenge the restrictive gender norms that affect women and girls. “We must empower them with the education on sexual and reproductive health information and services to ensure that they lead positive healthy lives,” he said.

He further added that he wanted to use his power to ensure that men and boys in Guyana were allies for gender equality in order for there to be a gender equal world.

Women Deliver is a leading global advocate that champions gender equality and the health and rights of girls and women.

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friDAY, JUNE 7, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

S RAIGHT O

Privatisation of sugar industry a “wholesale rape of resources” – Opposition Leader

Are we one nation after 53 years?

By Sase Singh, MSc - Finance, ACCA

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eorgetown represents an increasing drain on the economy, while key productive sectors, such as the sugar industry, continue to shrink, stagnate and struggle. The first crop production for 2019 illustrates this point clearly. The flagship sugar estate, ALBION, failed to meet its target for the first time in years, which is an unnatural occurrence. GuySuCo had failed to meet its targets many times before, because of the Demerara Estates, but this situation rarely happens at Albion Estate. This is a consequence of the massive amount of policy bankruptcy coming out of the Granger regime.

After three and a half years in office, Mr. David Granger has lost the confidence of the majority of the parliamentarians in his government, which rendered it into a caretaker one. That vote of no- confidence and the ensuing period did nothing to bolster confidence in the economy.

Actually, the empirical evidence reveals that the private sector and a number of other key stakeholders have now lost faith in the management of the public sector, public policy, and public affairs by Mr Granger. The outcome is economic stagnation.

In Guyana today, many business people are switching their local business-to-business transactions to the dollar. The value of the Guyana dollar has fallen by about five per cent (5%) on the official market over the last three years, but the situation is worse on the street market. The parallel foreign exchange market has returned, an occurrence that had left Guyana since the 1990s. This situation would have been much worse if it were not for the skilful management of the monetary policy by the Central Bank, and full credit has to go to that team.

The foreign reserves have declined to US$512.6 million. It is surprising that the Government has not started a programme of rationing the flow of foreign currency out of the country, as the foreign reserves continue to be depleted from a high of US$825 million in 2014.

But it seems that lady luck is on Guyana’s side right now. The price of oil has declined by some eighteen percent (18%) in the last two months, which means that less foreign currency will be consumed to purchase the nation’s main import – petroleum products. This should result in some easing of the pressure on the exchange rate.

Based on the latest estimate I have seen, unemployment has been at its highest levels since the 1980s, when the ERP was launched under the PNC Government with its associated retrenchment in the state sector. On the 2015 campaign trail, Mr. Granger promised some financial reforms to revive the economy, but instead of doing what he promised, what the nation found was reform slothfulness and policy paralysis, which has ground the economy to a halt. If one were to measure the non-oil economic growth (since the oil industry has a negligible impact on the unemployment rate), one would find that Guyana has regressed since 2015. Today, many consumers are struggling to pay for their daily needs, as the cost of living continues to climb while real wages are stagnant as more than 50,000 jobs have evaporated since Mr. Granger took office. That is his record!

An IMF report offered some clarity around the issue of poverty between 2006 and 2013, and that illustrated that the bottom fifty per cent (50%) of the people own a mere twelve per cent (12%) of total income, and consume more than their total income. The difference is supplemented by remittances from the Guyanese diaspora. However, since 2014, remittances -- according to the Bank of Guyana reports -- have declined, and based on the latest data available as at the end of April 2019, they are expected to decline further. This situation is expected to further exacerbate the gap between expenses and income for the poor and the working class.

This Granger Team has rendered more youths into NINJAs (“No Income, No Jobs, No Assets”) than ever before since the dawn of democracy in Guyana in 1992. The combined impact of such a combination of events means that there is an increase in poverty, with a lower chance of social mobility for the youths. For too many youths, the only feasible and sensible choice remains migration. But with the Western and Caribbean Governments tightening up their immigration policies, for too many Guyanese youths, this translates into a life of poverty at home. A direct consequence of such a situation is youth crime. And the circle continues.

The solution remains a youth-focused menu of policies that aim to unleash the potential of the private sector, the entrepreneurial class, and those very same youths by ensuring that all the support services in the financial, health, education, public security, public infrastructure, and justice systems are in place to do exactly this. Today, rather than supporting the investor class, we find the public sector is competing with the private sector, and in the process crowding out the ‘engine of growth’ from playing its rightful role in the economy. Mr. David Granger clearly does not understand the detrimental effect of this antiquated strategy.

It is in this light that Mr. Granger’s recent statement at the 53rd Independence celebrations has to be rejected, and treated as nothing but insincere hogwash is not backed by real action.

Please share yourthat thoughts at sasesin1@yahoo.com.

n Monday last, Price WaterhouseCoopers (PWC) had announced that Government’s privatisation of three sugar estates is progressing at a fast rate with a deal in sight as early as next month but opposition leader Bharat Jagdeo is holding out that the deals lack transparency.

He noted that the opposition has repeatedly called on the government to release vital information about the process of the deals but this has fallen on deaf ears.

PWC also stated that they are in talks with investors from Ghana and India to purchase the Rose Hall Estate- a deal that will not materialize according to Jagdeo.

“Frankly speaking I don’t think it will happen. But it cannot happen transparently because they have refused to make public the report that PriceWaterHouseCooper did, because they are the advisors to the Government on the valuation of assets that are now available for privatization. And we have called on them several times to make public. This is not a State secret.”

He emphasised that the taxpayers’ monies were used to commission a report from the PriceWaterHouseCoopers and as such, taxpayers need to know how their monies were spent. According to Jagdeo, the company did an evaluation at Rose Hall where they listed assets according to those operable and those unserviceable.

The unserviceable were to be disposed but there is a racket occurring at the Rose Hall estate presently, the Opposition Leader alleged.

He posited that the Special Purposes Unit (SPU) has also placed an individual, who has a harvesting contract at the Albion Sugar Estate, in charge of the Rose Hall Estate and that this person is using the govern-

Rose Hall Sugar Estate

ment’s assets to fulfil his contract in addition to running a racket there.

“What they have done is to move assets from the operable list to the unserviceable list and are disposing these assets. So, I have heard that a tractor a TM 740 which costs about $15M sold for less than half a million dollars to friends and families of big APNU officials.

PriceWaterHouseCooper, a big international firm must be seeing this, I am sure if they are not complicit, they should speak out about it. If you privatize there, the real value will be diminished seriously because all the operable assets are gone at a peppercorn valuation and sale with no advertisement whatsoever.”

The opposition leader added that the government needs to be held accountable for its actions and lack of transparency and that it owes the Guyanese populace answers.

“There is a wholesale rape of resources…How many assets were sold, when were they advertised, who were they sold to? Check whether these assets were on the operable list in the Price Waterhouse Cooper valuation study and now being sold to the unser-

viceable level and then who they were sold to and finally whether the person in charge now has a cane harvesting contract? The person in charge of Rose Hall at Albion.”

NICIL has earlier in the week revealed that since July 13, 2018, the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) has disbursed $7.420 billion out of the $30B bond to the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) in nine payments – without receiving evidence of how this money is being used by the entity.

Four disbursements were made in 2018 and five this year. The last disbursement was also the largest, $1.442 billion on April 5, 2019. However, GuySuCo has not been forthcoming with information on how the money is being used, something that is proving problematic for bondholders.

In another section of the media, GuySuCo stated that the money was well spend while failing to give a breakdown. It was reported that maintenance and salaries took a huge junk of it.

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friDAY, JUNE 7, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

GRA evacuated after bomb threats surface

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taffers of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) were evacuated from their Camp Street, Georgetown office on Thursday morning following another bomb scare.

A report of a bomb being placed on the premises was received just after 09:00h and an alarm was immediately raised to clear the building. Shortly after, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) was deployed to assess the situation.

By the end of the day, employees had returned to the building where they resumed operations as per normal. This is the latest of many threats

The Guyana Revenue Authority

made against public and educational institutions over the past month.

The threats started earlier this year when the School of Nations on New Market Street, Georgetown was targeted. The following evening, the school’s Director, Dr Brian O’Toole was shot twice at his home by an unknown person, but he survived the near-death experience.

This act came with what was considered warning signs from a social media account, believed to be created by students of the said institution.

The threatening posts started on WhatsApp and moved to

Facebook, where threats were made on the lives of students.

In one instance, two persons were mentioned in the online posts.

However, Queen’s College, the Bishops’ High School and the University of Guyana received similar messages, causing concern among parents for the safety of their children. The University had postponed all classes after a second bomb threat was directed at the institution. It was the second consecutive day in which threats were issued, resulting in a visit from both the Guyana Fire Service and the GPF to conduct a thorough search of

the premises. Nothing was found. A female student of the Turkeyen campus was charged for allegedly sending threatening messages that a bomb was placed on campus. She has since denied the allegation and was currently on trial.

Just last month, news arose that someone threatened to blow up several sections of the Turkeyen campus by reportedly setting off bombs at various locations at the tertiary institution.

The GPF, Guyana Fire Service and the University’s security were on high alert and locked down the institution but no explosives were unearthed.

Norway releases US$80M towards solar farm project

– money initially intended for Amaila Falls Hydropower Project

T

he Norwegian Government has cleared the transfer of US$80 million, which Guyana has earned for sustaining its rainforests to absorb global carbon emissions, from the Amaila Falls Hydro Project to fund a 100-megawatt solar energy project.

This was revealed by Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson on Thursday. Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony of the

new Board of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL), he noted that Government has secured the funding towards renewable energies.

“Last week, the Minister of Climate (and the Environment) of Norway wrote to confirm that Norway has agreed to transfer the US$80 million, which was earmarked for the Amaila Falls, to do 30 megawatts of solar PV farms with storage, and that I think is a significant boost for the

company,” Patterson told the newly-installed Board and GPL management, urging that they put this on the front burner.

Back in July last year, then Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, had disclosed that Government was able to secure “sort of the green light” to divert the Amaila Falls project funds to the solar energy project.

Harmon had led a Guyanese delegation – comprising Natural Resources

Teen pleads guilty, sentenced to 8 years for killing “Bakey”

Guilty of manslaughter: Simeon Pompey

H

igh Court Judge Navindra Singh last Tuesday deferred the commencement of the trial of Simeon Pompey to Thursday, as the young man

pleaded not guilty to a murder charge which was read to him on his first appearance at the Demerara High Court.

However, in Thursday’s court session, Pompey opted to plead to the lesser count of manslaughter, for unlawfully killing Sydney Campbell, called “Bakey”, on January 1, 2015 in the county of Demerara.

The accused was represented by Attorneys Nigel Hughes, Ronald Daniels and Ashley Henry while the State was represented by Prosecutor Tuanna Hardy in association with Teriq Mohammed and Sarah Martin.

After accepting the guilty plea, Justice Singh sentenced Pompey to eight years in prison.

Court documents stated that the deceased and his sister, Shondell Jones visited a Chinese restaurant at Clonbrook, Ann’s Grove, East Coast Demerara (ECD) to purchase food.

However, as they were making their way back home, they were approached

by Pompey and another male riding a bicycle. During this, Pompey came off the bicycle, and stabbed the now dead man to his chest. Campbell was rushed to a nearby hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.

Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson

Minister Raphael Trotman, Patterson and Amerindian Peoples’ Association executive Laura George – which was able to convince the Norwegian authorities to accept the use of natural gas as a clean and cheap alternative during its transition.

“They were prepared to accept that as a transitory arrangement, whereby because natural gas was a resource that belongs to Guyana, that it was cheap and it was clean that it was a sovereign decision as to what is done … It was felt that if you had natural gas in there, there was no Norwegian money, [but] I believe we had a more practical discussion,” Harmon had told reporters at a post-Cabinet briefing.

He said the Norwegian officials saw a concerted ef-

fort by the visiting delegation to promote the solar project coupled with the support of the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) and Conservation International.

It was noted that Finance Minister Winston Jordan will have to activate the process with the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) and the World Bank to release the monies earned by Guyana for preserving its rainforests – an agreement that was entered into under the Bharrat Jagdeo regime, under the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).

Last year, the coalition Government announced plans to pursue a 100-megawatt solar farm project, which would see several solar farms established to feed energy into Guyana’s power grid.

“From what I’ve seen in the GPL study, we’ll try as far as possible to locate (the solar farms) as close to where you have these sub-stations so it will link very easily into the grid. So you won’t have to have the farms in some far place and then you will now have the issue of having to have transmission lines and all of that,” Harmon had explained.

The coalition Government is anticipating that this solar project will bring about several benefits.

These include a 15 per cent reduction in the country’s reliance on fossil fuels in the first year after the project has taken off. By the second to third year, an estimated 50 per cent displacement is expected in Guyana’s reliance on heavy and fossil fuels.

Government contended that this move to solar power was driven by the fact that it was much cheaper with Germany and China having mastered efficient and low-cost production of solar materials.

While Government was going ahead with the solar farm project, Harmon had clarified that it was still embracing hydro-projects as an alternative energy source but would be doing so with only smaller projects like the Moco Moco Hydro, which was recently approved.

Nevertheless, he posited that Government is open to a private company investing in the Amaila Falls Hydro Project.

The Amaila Falls Hydro Project (AFHP) was the flagship of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C)-crafted Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). The project was expected to deliver electricity to Guyana’s capital, Georgetown, and its second largest town, Linden, via transmission lines.

Woman missing after being dragged from neighbour’s house by husband

Missing Dhanmattie Sumare

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woman is reported missing after she was forcefully dragged from a home to which she had gone to seek refuge from her angry husband.

There are reports that the missing woman’s husband made threats on her life before taking her cap-

tive, causing family members to worry about her safety.

The missing woman has been identified as 29-yearold Dhanmattie Sumare, also called “Jenny” of Number 19 Village, East Coast Berbice.

Reports are that on Sunday the missing woman and her husband were involved in a domestic dispute during which he physically assaulted her.

On Monday, she sought refuge at the home of a family friend, Jaipaul Jaimaul, who lives in the neighbouring village of Warren.

Jaimaul explained that about 01:00h on Tuesday, the woman’s husband, Martin Baker, 50, came to his home, forced his way in and dragged the woman out.

The friend added that the man was armed with a cutlass as he dragged the mother of five down the stairways.

“He start lashing she with the cutlass and say he gon kill she... He drag she and carry she out in the

Martin Baker

street; I don’t know where he carry she,” Jaimaul related.

The matter was reported to the Police. Checks were made at the couple’s home, but there was no sign of the woman or her husband.

The couple have been together for the past two years and have two children. The woman has three other children from a previous marriage.

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friDAY, JUNE 7, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Guyana on right track to achieving quality health care – Min Allicock

Health Expo 2019 officially opens at Sophia

H

ealth Expo 2019 was officially launched on Wednesday at the Sophia Exhibition Complex in the city under the theme “Reaching for Better life with good health”.

Presenting the feature address was Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Minister Sydney Allicock, who iterated that despite the many challenges Guyana faces as a nation, it is on the right track to providing quality accessible health care to all of its people.

He said that Government encourages physical health, and its initiatives are in keeping with fulfilling its mandate of promoting healthy lives for its people.

“We, as a Government, care for you. We care for your health and, as such, we remain committed to ensuring that proper health care is accessible; and this will always be a priority for this Government,” Allicock noted.

He added that the administration’s commitment is evident in the growth of budget allocations in the health sector over the past years, and noted the MoPH’s initiatives in continuous promotion of health services

to the public.

He alluded to his Ministry’s involvement with the MoPH, as this ensures that primary and efficient health care services reach all of the hinterland communities.

that this year’s expo would be much better.

The minister related that the choice of this year’s theme is no coincidence, since it highlights the Ministry’s on-going mandate of delivering quality

A few health workers paying keen attention to a demonstration at the expo

He also spoke of the rehabilitation and enhancement of services of the Amerindian Hostel, and alluded to Government’s efforts to link the hinterland to the coast.

Also giving remarks at the opening ceremony, Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence reflected on the inaugural Health Expo 2018, and expressed hope

health care services to the Guyanese populace.

She alluded to Government’s commitment to “Not just any life, but one characterised by wellness, fitness and well-being.” She urged citizens to take full advantage of the services offered, and indulge in maintaining good health.

This year’s expo has seen a large number of pharma-

ceutical businesses getting on board the event. On such business is the New GPC Inc, which has introduced a new range of products that cater to the needs of diabetic and hypertensive patients.

New GPC Inc’s pharmacist Ravendra Persaud told Guyana Times that these and other products offered by the GPC speak to the health and wellbeing of all Guyanese. He noted that the New GPC has been in business for quite some time, and has tons of experience.

Meanwhile, ANSA McAL’s health and wellness booth displayed a range of over the counter medication. The company’s Brand Coordinator, Sean Abel, told this publication that this is the company’s second year at Health Expo, while adding that 2018 was a huge success and, as such, the company is anticipating the same and more this year.

He said the company is displaying its range of overthe-counter products, particularly the Day Quil and Ny Quil products.

He added that the com-

Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Minister Sydney Allicock in the NEW GPC booth on Wednesday evening

pany aims to highlight its Pharmaceutical Department and what it has to offer; its products and their benefits in promoting health and wellness for the public.

He urged patrons to come out to the expo and take advantage of the services being offered, not only at ANSA McAL’s booth, but at all other booths that are part of the expo.

Other officials in attendance were Minister of

Foreign Affairs, Dr. Karen Cummings, and Georgetown Mayor Ubraj Narine. The Expo opens daily at 15:00h, and members of the public are being urged to take full advantage of the services which are being offered free of cost.

These include free medical and dental checkups, blood pressure testing, blood transfusion, men’s and women’s health checkup, and nutrition counselling.

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friDAY, JUNE 7, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

2nd GPL submarine cable down; more blackouts expected

The barge involved in the incident

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second Guyana Power and Light Inc. submarine cable was disrupted on Thursday due to another maritime accident that occurred four days after the disruption of the 69kV submarine cable.

This 13.8kV submarine cable, which rests along the

upper Demerara River within proximity of Craig, East Bank Demerara, was dislodged by a barge sailing along the Demerara River at around 04:23h on Thursday.

As a result of this incident, West Demerara customers from Vriesland to La Retraite were without electricity until

07:46h, while efforts were underway to alternatively power these customers from the Vreed-en-Hoop Substation.

According to a release from the GPL, the dislodged cable was located on Thursday afternoon by deep-water divers, and efforts are being made to hoist

and examine it for damages.

“Repairs were effected to the onshore transmission and distribution infrastructure that connects to the cable, as this was also damaged during the incident”, the release stated.

This is the second cable to have developed faults, triggering widespread and prolonged blackouts in the country.

However, GPL has concluded its examination of the 69kV submarine cable laid on the river bed along the channel of the Demerara River, and connecting its Vreed-enHoop and Kingston Power Stations. This was the first cable to be damaged.

The examination revealed no further damage on the cable.

As previously reported, investigations conducted on Wednesday, June 5, revealed a compromised section of the cable approximately 0.7 km offshore from its Kingston op-

Compromised section of the 69 kV submarine Cable

erations.

Officials from the China Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC) were a part of the GPL efforts to retrieve and examine the submarine cable, and are at present preparing a curative plan of action.

In the interim, the utility company is continuing to engage MARAD in indentifying an alternative route to lay a 13.8kV submarine

cable along the Demerara River, in an effort to reconnect the Vreed-en-Hoop operations to the eastern sections of the Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System. Both entities are also engaged in discussions regarding establishing improved maritime conduct within proximity of the submarine cables.

Further updates will be provided as efforts progress, the GPL has promised.

Floods hit Moccasin Creek, Govt to explore long-term solution main access road impassable Lethem-Aishalton road breach

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hile steps have already been taken to fix the main access road to Aishalton from Lethem, which was washed away earlier this week, Government is looking for a longer-term solution.

This is according to Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman, whose Ministry is working along with the Public Infrastructure Ministry to address the breach in the road, which he says was not only as a result of rainfall, but is partly due to overloaded vehicles crossing there.

“Minister (David) Patterson and I, and our respective ministries, collaborate to ensure that roads in that area are maintained.

Because the road goes into a mining area – Marudi – it is a matter of concern to us. We leave the engineering to the engineers, and that would be Ministry of Public Infrastructure, but we would provide (logistical) support: trucks, maybe some personnel or otherwise.

“But I’d like to say that, by this weekend, certainly the road would be back up for temporary passage, and certainly within another week or so we’ll have

the pass fully restored,” Trotman said while updating the media on the matter.

On this note, the Minister indicated to this newspaper that while engineers have already been deployed to the area to assess and evaluate the damages, they are looking at the options for a longterm solution. “(Minister Patterson) and I exchanged some information about some possible new culverts. We’ve seen some technology out of Brazil, and we’re exploring the possibility of bring some of that to do a fix, because we don’t want to fix something for a week or a month. We’re looking at a longer-term fix on this project… There are engineering companies in Guyana that have (partnered) with Brazilian companies, and we’re exploring some of (those options with them),” Trotman stated.

Earlier this week, the main access road connecting two major indigenous communities – Lethem and Aishalton – was completely cut off by flash flooding that occurred over the weekend.

On Monday, Aishalton Toshao Michael Thomas informed this newspaper that a particular location, some 12 miles from his village, is in deplorable state and in

dire need of emergency repairs.

The damages, he added, have resulted in all vehicles travelling from Lethem to Aishalton, as well as seven other surrounding villages, being cut off. The alternative route requires an additional 60 miles of driving.

As a result of this destruction, fuel supply to the communities has decreased, the Toshao said.

The situation is expected to worsen, as June month is the peak of the rainy season, which lasts until August in those areas.

The location began eroding two years ago due to the rainy season, but this time around, the damage is greater. According to the Toshao, the hole in the road is two metres deep, and the culverts have broken in half.

Toshao Thomas explained that in 2017 the village had 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.

This time around, the Toshao believes, assistance from Central Government may be required.

Brazilian wanted for attempted murder of Guyanese cop

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54-year-old Brazilian national is wanted by the Guyana Police for questioning in relation to the allegation of attempted murder committed of Police Constable Anthony Weeks.

This Brazilian has been identified as Francisco Lima De Augiar, and his last known address is Lot 45 Light Street, Bourda Georgetown.

Police Constable Anthony Weeks was shot to his right side chest at the Aranka Backdam, Cuyuni River, Essequibo on May 26, 2019. Reports are that Weeks, along with two other Policemen, had been acting on information supplied when he ventured into a mining camp at Aranka in

search of illegal firearm(s) and the shooting incident took place.

The workers at that camp woke up to the sight of the Policemen, and allowed them to carry out their search. The three ranks had then proceeded to the sleeping quarters to conduct further checks.

However, according to “F” Division (Interior locations) Commander Kevin Adonis, that is when they came under fire.

Adonis explained that 36 rounds of .38 ammunition were discovered, and a suspected warhead was also found stashed in an empty fuel barrel that was inside of the mining boss’s sleeping quarters.

Francisco Lima De Augiar

Anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of Francisco Lima De Augiar is asked to contact the Guyana Police Force on telephone numbers 2266978, 226-7065, 911, or at the nearest Police station.

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ntense rainfall over the weekend has left several acres of vegetables under more than three inches of water in the community of Moccasin Creek on the Upper Corentyne River.

This farming area is home to more than 100 residents, half of whom are children. The main road in the village has been rendered impassable, and villagers are forced to wade through more than six inches of mud to get in and out of the community. Many children have not attended school for the term, and the only vehicles that could traverse the road are tractors.

During a visit to the area by this publication, Prenita Budwa, a mother of nine,

A tractor stuck along the main access road to the village of Moccasin Creek

Creek Primary.

Suresh Prasad, another resident, has said the road is the most important infrastructure in the community.

“Every May/June this is the suffering here. One night my wife got sick and I had to get neighbours to

The access road to the village

who has been living in the area for the past 22 years, said it has been very difficult, especially for her children.

“Some of them are small.

For this whole term I did not send them to school, because the dam is bad and the rain falling. If I send them and they fall down half-way, they will have to come back home; so I don’t send them,” she explained.

The Moleson Creek Primary School no longer functions.

The Regional Administration had taken a decision to close the school five years ago because no teacher had wanted to take up the appointment to work there. Children are expected to attend the Crabwood

fetch her out to get her to the hospital. We are having a very hard time in this place. I am glad if the Government could help we.”

He disclosed that his 8-year-old son had not attended school since April.

“We can’t transport any produce from here,” Prasad added.

Still another resident, Jacklyn Thomas, a mother of three, has said that for the 37 years she has been in the village, “every rainy season you’re forced to endure the hardships”.

“I have two kids at school. I don’t let them go to school when the road is like this, because when they go out there they are not good for nothing. They would not be allowed in school. I went

to the teacher and explained to her why they are not coming to school. It is not very easy for me,” she declared.

Rice farmers in the community are also being affected, the flood waters are damaging scores of acres of young rice plants. And cash crop farmers are calling on the Regional Administration to clear a canal which has been blocked, which they claim is the main contributing factor to flooding in the farming community.

Addressing the issue at the Regional Democratic Council’s statutory meeting on Thursday, Regional Vice Chairman Dennis DeRoop said the Regional Executive Officer (REO) has been made aware of the situation and request. He noted that the decision now rests with the REO.

A resident making his way to work

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guyanatimesgy.com

FRIday, June 7, 2019

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

SARA: an agency embroiled in its own imbroglio Dear Editor, From the outset, I want to make it abundantly clear that I support investigations into decisions made and transactions done by public officers -including the Executive President -- in respect to assets of the State; once there is a basis for such investigations. I apprehend this to be one of the cornerstones of accountable, transparent and good governance.

Both the Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, himself a former President, and former President Donald Ramotar have publicly declared that they welcome any investigation into the allocation of oil mining blocks to the recipients under the PPP Administration.

Expectedly, they both demand that the investigations be done by a reputable international agency.

Unsurprisingly, they both opine that the State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA) is not qualified to conduct such investigations.

With these sentiments I fully concur.

It is an uncontroverted fact that SARA is deeply politically-tainted, entrenched and influenced. This disability is aggravated by an aura of unconstitutionality which envelops its governing legislation, and is compounded by a stain of illegality surrounding the appointment of its two most senior functionaries.

From its inception, the State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU), the precursor to SARA, was conceived in, and birthed from, the political womb of the Ministry of the Presidency.

There it spent its weaning months, where it was nourished from money out of the budget of

that political agency. In that political epicenter, its three main officers were handpicked by the political czars; absolutely devoid of transparency or accountability, and without resort to a competitive process.

Professor Clive Thomas is a known politician and a leader of the Working Peoples’ Alliance (WPA), one of the political parties in the Coalition Government. While in SARU, he was quoted almost weekly in the press, expressing very jaundiced and conclusive views on a number of areas of endeavour -- which were to become the subject of investigations by SARA -- long before these investigations commenced.

These premonitions, without more, illustrated an arrival at verdicts long before the probing began. His open hostility to the PPP and its supporters made the matter more toxic.

Aubrey Retemyer was a leading member of the US chapter of the PNC. Now at home, there is no doubt that he would have transformed into a regularised and locallydomiciled patron of Congress Place.

Eric Phillips’s long association with the PNC is well documented, and he is also one of the political advisers to President David Granger.

His ethno-driven ideology will always be perceived to impair his objectivity in a society like ours.

These are the three leading officers of SARA. Their political groundings, party affiliations and ideologies, ipso facto, disqualify them from being independent, professional and apolitical, all of which are requisites for the holders of offices in any investigative arm

of the State.

Irrespective of how professional their intentions and actions may be, the political stench which they emit contaminates anything that they do in the eyes of the public.

More than half of the society perceive them as political apparatchiks with hatchets in hand. That is the cold, hard reality.

Additionally, pending in the High Court is litigation which challenges the constitutionality of almost every provision of the SARA Act. These proceedings will certainly not end in the High Court; they journey all the way to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). This challenge, therefore, will be extant for the next five years, at a minimum.

Moreover, the Director and Deputy Director of SARA simply transitioned themselves from SARU into SARA when the SARA Act came into force.

They were never appointed in accordance with the Act, neither were their terms and conditions determined in accordance with the Act. The schedule of the SARA Act provides that, “the National Assembly shall, by a simple majority and on the recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee on Appointments, appoint the Director and the Deputy Director of SARA.” Professor Thomas and Mr. Retemyer, who purport to be the Director and Deputy Director respectively of SARA, were never appointed by this process.

The schedule of the Act also provides that, “the terms and conditions of the appointment of the Director and Deputy Directors, including their terms of office, shall be determined by the Parliamentary Committee

PM’s letter to GNNL Chairperson worrying Dear Editor, I am shocked, but I cannot say surprised, at the letter written by Prime Minister Nagamootoo to Chairperson of the Chronicle National Newspapers Limited, Ms. Geeta Chandan.

Mr. Nagamootoo accuses the Chairperson of being less than transparent in her handling of Mr. Duncan’s dismissal; and of being party to a process that was arbitrary, capricious, unlawful, and in excess of jurisdiction. Wow! Legal language for a Queen’s Counsel; it’s a pity that Mr. Nagamootoo has not taken Silk as yet.

But back to the matter at hand. It is revolting and unbecoming for a Minister -more so a Prime Minister -to hang out his Chairperson to public ridicule, odium and contempt in the eyes of the public. What right does a Minister have to overturn a decision of the Board and re-

instate someone whose tenure was fraught with problems, to say the least? On what authority can a Minister interject himself in the operation of a company? Is this what people voted for in 2015?

Is this change? Maybe it is, but for the worse.

Those who were wondering why Mr. Nagamootoo was not preferred for higher office with the PPP need not look any further. Blind and unadulterated opportunism appears to be his trademark.

Remember, Dr. Cheddi Jagan had anointed him to be president; it would appear he cannot wait to be president.

President Granger needs to take serious note of what is going on here. He has a Prime Minister who would do anything for power.

Duncan’s reinstatement has all to do with the AFC elections, and nothing to do with good governance at the Chronicle. President Granger

has to remember that he is not well, and his ‘number two’ must be someone he can trust.

The Prime Minister should do what is expected of him and yield the Presidency to an APNU candidate. I am not sure Mr. Nagamootoo can be trusted to do such a thing.

The shenanigans that have played out these past few days have exposed Mr. Nagamootoo for what he really is – someone thirsty for power.

I am told that he reneged on an undertaking to be a one-term Prime Minister.

But even if that is not so, here he is, picking a fight with a co-founder of the AFC; someone who encouraged him to join the AFC, and at whose Chambers, I am told, he learnt his trade as a lawyer. I think there is a word for this: Neemakaran.

Yours respectfully, Lance Veecock

on Appointments.” The National Assembly has had nothing to do with either the appointments or fixing the terms and conditions of employment of either Thomas or Retemyer.

The schedule of the SARA Act further compels the Director to prepare a report at the end of each financial year, detailing how the agency has discharged its functions; its annual plans for the financial year, and costs associated therewith; along with monies credited to the agency. This statement is required to be laid by the subject Minister in

most offensive detail -- the timing of it all. Mr. Mitro’s remarks came just one day before we celebrated fiftythree years of independence from colonial rule. To witlessly propose such an out-of-touch idea on the eve of a sacred holiday is a blatant slap in the face of all those who laboured, rallied and lobbied for our selfgovernment.

Since he seems in need of it, allow me to dispense a history lesson and wisdom for Mr. Mitro, free of charge.

In 1899, there was an arbitral tribunal that clarified the borders between Guyana and Venezuela. Guyanese opinion that the award of Essequibo was full and final has remained steadfast since then; Venezuelan opinion challenging the award has also remained steadfast since then.

With neither side budging, and for Guyana, rightfully so, the

prolonged Guyana-Venezuela border issue has festered.

However, amidst its festering, the issue has remained between Venezuela and Guyana, with occasional ad hoc intervention from the International Court of Justice.

As the University of Houston professor is neither of those parties, he has no business speaking on this issue.

While Mr. Mitro may be a self-ascribed industry consultant, his presumptions fail to consider the historical context, local sentiment, national sovereignty; and, frankly, the appropriateness of inserting himself in this dialogue.

Perhaps he felt emboldened by his close professional relationship with former Petroleum Advisor Jan Mangal. It may not be well known, but Mr. Mitro spent over three decades of his

agency itself contravening its superintendent legislation by not laying its Annual Reports in the National Assembly. An agency so embroiled in its own implosive illegalities must be disqualified, by any standard, from being a professional investigative unit. No educated, civilized society will repose public trust and confidence where so many legal issues abound.

Sincerely, Mohabir Anil Nandlall, MP Attorney-at-Law

Sugar dispute another manifestation of the Administration’s misadventure in sugar Dear Editor, The GAWU has seen, in several sections of the media, reports regarding the status of the $30 billion bond that was secured by the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) to recapitalise the estates under the stewardship of the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc (GuySuCo).

The bond had come into being after the seemingly clandestine transfer of the Corporation’s shares, among other things, to the Government’s holding company.

The March 29, 2018 Stabroek News reported that the Special Purpose Unit (SPU) of NICIL, which apparently was instrumental in the bond’s birthing, said it would “… provide a much-needed capital injection, support infrastructure maintenance… and develop new co-generation capacity to support estate operations and sell to the national power grid”.

Our Union, as a concerned stakeholder, after learning about the bond through media reports, sought an audience with NICIL-SPU and the GuySuCo regarding its plans for the large sum it was intent at that time to borrow. At an April 19, 2018 meeting with officials of the sugar corporation and the SPU, the GAWU learnt that monies were earmarked towards improving cane production and productivity, as well as enhancing factory operations. Sums, we were told too, were identified for ventures into electricity generation and plantation white sugar.

The GAWU, at that time, while welcoming the ideas, did express concern that it appeared there was no firm plan to guide how the monies that would be secured would finally be spent. To that end, we urged NICIL-SPU and the GuySuCo to collaborate on working out the finer details of that plan. We even went as far as offering views to allow for a more rounded and well-

Not a blade of grass or drop of oil Dear Editor, Just one day before our 53rd Independence anniversary, Kaieteur News carried a report that suggested giving up territory to Venezuela is no big deal. Apparently, University of Houston Instructor Tom (not Tim) Mitro felt qualified enough to deem our territorial dispute with Venezuela “not as large as it is being portrayed to be by some.”

Even bolder, Mitro suggested that, in an “extreme case”, Guyana might yield twenty percent of our discovered oil reserves to Venezuela to quell their complaints.

I am unsure which strikes me more: the arrogance to minimise over 100 years of history, or the gall to suggest that Guyana should yield its sovereign territory as an appropriate solution.

Perhaps I’ll start with the

the National Assembly. As far as I am aware, no such report was ever laid in the National Assembly, and SARA has been in existence since 2017.

Additionally, yours truly has filed legal proceedings challenging the legality of the appointments of Professor Thomas and Mr. Retemyer.

Those proceedings are pending in the High Court.

In the end, we have the constitutionality of the SARA Act being the subject of a legal challenge; the two most senior functionaries of SARA holding office illegally; and the

professional career at Chevron, and that time overlapped with Mr. Mangal’s tenure at Chevron.

To me, this is not a coincidence.

Suddenly, a random professor from Texas has an opinion on how we should handle our sovereign land and approach production sharing agreements that are already signed, sealed and delivered. This smacks of Mr. Mangal, and their existing camaraderie makes it all the more obvious.

My advice to Mr. Mitro is for him to leave the matters of national security and sovereignty to the people of Guyana, and mind the business that pays him, because the people of Guyana do not; and we don’t need him butting in with out-of-touch opinions.

Sincerely, Clement Smith

thought-out road map.

Notwithstanding what we felt was a valuable suggestion, the bodies charged with managing the affairs of the sugar industry have apparently not worked out a proper and workable plan. That suggestion, we must add, the GAWU has reiterated on many occasions.

We should not fail to add that Finance Minister Winston Jordan, responding to questions posed to him in Parliament by the Opposition, did say that a plan was worked out. We, sadly, have to say that we take the Minister’s utterances with a pinch of salt; as, if such a plan does really exist, it must be the most closely-guarded secret in the history of Guyana.

Moreover, had such a plan really been a reality, the lamentations by NICIL’s Head (ag), Mr Colvin Heath-London, and the responses by the Corporation’s CEO, Dr Harold Davis Jr, we believe would not have been heard. Undoubtedly, the plan, among other things, would have clearly set out the parameters for disbursements and accountability.

Rather than ironing out these matters very early on, we see the apparent chasms rising to the surface, and complaints and disagreements between NICIL-SPU and GuySuCo appearing ever so often.

Also of concern to us is that, so far, though roughly a quarter of the bond has been disbursed, no tangible progress has been seen. We recall that the Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, had previously expressed concern about the lag between implementation and securing of the funds, and

the heavy interest costs that would have to be borne in the intervening period.

From all appearances, the Opposition Leader was right; as NICIL, according to the media, will channel to the bondholders several hundred million dollars in interest, while the specific capital which was to work to secure the industry’s viability, it seems, appears nowhere on the horizon.

Concerns, we see too, were expressed by NICIL regarding the probability of default. This is something that is not in our interest, especially considering that the bond has essentially mortgaged the assets of the Guyanese people. For current and future generations of Guyanese, this would be an unwelcome disaster.

The entire imbroglio that is unfolding we see as yet another manifestation of the Administration’s misadventure and undoubted poor policy making regarding the sugar industry; which will further negatively impact national interests. As we well know, the Government’s action and/ or inaction regarding the industry has been one of the more difficult times of our nation’s recent history. It is a period which has seen the largest retrenchment exercise in Guyana’s history, and a period that has brought about tremendous hardship and grave difficulty for thousands of Guyanese people of varying walks of life.

Yours faithfully, Seepaul Narine General Secretary GAWU

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FRIday, June 7, 2019

Regional

Lima Group rejects Venezuela Maduro's Mexico offers to send National Guard to southern border to stem migration – sources call for early legislative elections

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he Lima Group regional bloc on Thursday rejected Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s call on May 20 for early elections for the National Assembly, which is run by the opposition.

In a statement, the 12-nation Lima Group emphasized the importance of deepening contacts with countries that support Maduro’s government, particularly Russia, China, Cuba and Turkey, urging them to be part of the solution to Venezuela’s crisis.

Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro greets persons during an event with Venezuelan athletes who have participated in international tournaments, in Caracas, Venezuela, June 4, 2019

(Reuters)

n talks with the United States, Mexico has offered to send up to 6000 members of its National Guard to secure its southern border with Guatemala in order to contain migrant flows, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.

The news was first reported by the Washington Post.

Mexico has sent a delegation of officials to Washington to try to avert US President Donald Trump’s threats to impose import tariffs on Mexican goods if the country does not do more to halt the flow of migrants to the United

States.

During the talks, the United States proposed deporting undocumented Guatemalan migrants to Mexico as part of a deal, but there has been no agreement on this point, according to a Mexican source familiar with the process.

As Mexican and US officials held a second day of talks on trade and migration on Thursday, markets rebounded on optimism a deal could be close, although it was unclear if Mexican pledges to curb migration flows were enough to persuade the Trump Administration to postpone tariffs.

Trump has warned that tariffs of five per cent on all Mexican exports to the United States will go into effect on Monday if Mexico does not step up efforts to stem an increase in mostly Central American migrants heading for the US border.

Bilateral talks in Washington began on Wednesday to attempt to strike a deal, with the Mexican Government, US business groups and even many of Trump’s fellow Republicans keen to avert the tariffs, the prospect of which has rattled global financial markets. (Excerpt from

Bodies of Bahamian men, including a diplomat, pulled from river in Italy T&T: Man jumps into river to escape Police

Investigations are underway into the deaths of Bahamian Alrae Ramsey (left) and Blair Rashad Randy John

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olice in northern Italy are carrying out investigations into the deaths of two Bahamian men whose bodies were pulled from a river within a day of each other this week.

Blair Rashad Randy John, 28, was found in the Po River in Turin Thursday morning, a day after his 29-year-old friend, Bahamian diplomat Alrae Ramsey was found in the same river.

According to reports in the Italian press, an initial forensic medical exam-

ination indicated the bodies would have been in the river for two to three days, but there were no signs of foul play.

“In the current state of affairs we have no reason to believe that it is a crime,” Turin Police Chief Giuseppe De Matteis told Torino Today. “The wounds found on the two bodies would not have caused their death. We await the outcome of the autopsy examination which will take place quickly and, later, if the causes of death are not

clarified, the mobile team will proceed to further investigations.”

Ramsey was employed with his country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs from December 2013, and was formerly posted at the Bahamas Embassy in Portau-Prince, Haiti as third Secretary/Vice Consul in 2016-2017. Last year, he was granted an In-Service Award to pursue a one-year Postgraduate Diploma programme at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna in Austria for the September 2018 to June 2019 period.

But sometime last week, he went to Turin.

John, a St Augustine’s College graduate of Class of 2009 who was near completion of his PhD in Psychology at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, had travelled to Turin to present an academic paper at a psychology conference.

The families of both Ramsey and John had reported them missing. (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

Jamaica Government considering gun amnesty

Prime Minister Andrew Holness

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rime Minister Andrew Holness says the Government is giving

consideration to implementing a gun amnesty as part of measures to curb gun-related crimes in the country.

And he has invited the input of members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) on the proposal.

“We are contemplating a gun amnesty, and I would love to get what your thoughts [are] and how that can be executed, or whether or not we should actually have one,” he said while addressing the recent Jamaica Police Federation’s 76th Annual Joint Central

Conferences. “My personal view is that it could be effective if done in a particular way, but we have to make a stand against guns in our society.”

A gun amnesty refers to the voluntary surrender of illegal firearms and ammunition by citizens.

The Prime Minister said the police must find ways to encourage citizens to disclose the location of illegal weapons, but also noted that people must feel safe when confiding such sensitive information. (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

A

fter six hours of searching the waters of the Caroni River in Trinidad by the Caroni Bridge for a robbery suspect, Police Officers gave up the search just before sunset Thursday.

As the weary team of Police Officers left the scene, one female officer was heard saying "I would wait out here whole night for him if I have too...how long would he be able to hide."

Guardian Media was told by a senior Police Officer on the scene that the suspect managed to escape them during a sting operation at

La Paille Village in Caroni about 10:00h.

The officer said the suspect robbed a female resident from the area of her handbag.

It was said that the woman called the Police after she made a plea to the suspect to give back her belongings in exchange for a TT$500 reward.

When the suspect arrived at the meeting place Wednesday he was confronted by the woman along with Police Officers.

The man ran off with the Police giving chase towards the Caroni Bridge.

Reuters)

Upon reaching the Bridge one of the officers fired two shots, but the suspect escaped by jumping into the river.

Police Officers called for the assistance of local fishermen with their boats to help search the waters for the suspect.

A team of Police Officers from the Canine Unit also reported to the scene with their dogs.

However, after hours of searching, the senior officer gave instructions to end the search. It is unsure as to whether or not the suspect made it out alive. (Excerpt from

Trinidad Guardian)

C'bean records robust tourism growth in 1st quarter of 2019

T

he Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) says the Region recorded a 12 per cent increase in tourist arrivals during the first quarter of this year, spurred by a 24 per cent increase in arrivals from the United States.

In updating the me-

dia on the Region's performance at a news conference on Thursday, CTO Chairman Dominic Fedee revealed that between January and March this year there were 9.1 million international tourist trips to the Region, up by 970,000 over the corre-

sponding period last year.

He said the boom in arrivals also extended to the cruise sector, with a record 10.7 million cruise passengers visits, an increase of 9.9 per cent or 900,000 more cruise arrivals when compared to the same period in 2018. (Excerpt from CMC)

Cuba's support for Maduro “not negotiable” despite US sanctions

C

uba on Thursday rejected the latest US restrictions on travel to the island and stressed that its support for Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro is "not negotiable".

The official statement was published by the Cuban press two days after the US Treasury Department banned group educational travel as well as cruise ship and private yacht visits by

Americans to Cuba, linking the action to Havana's backing of Maduro.

"Cuba's solidarity with the constitutional President Nicolás s Maduro Moros, the Bolivarian and Chavista Revolution and the civil-military union of its people, is not negotiable," it said.

The last US cruise ship sailed out of Havana's harbour on Wednesday as the US ban went into effect, tar-

geting a burgeoning tourism market that had seen visits by more than 250,000 Americans in the first quarter of 2019.

"We will continue to take actions to restrict the Cuban regime's access to US dollars," US National Security Advisor John Bolton said.

The Cuban statement charged that Washington had come up with "new pretexts" for its attacks. (AFP)

Man released from Barbados prison after being “forgotten” on remand for almost a decade

B

arbados’ judicial system forgot Winston Adolphus Agard in prison for almost a decade. But after languishing on remand at Her Majesty’s Prison, Dodds, without trial, he was allowed to go home

Wednesday after pleading guilty to the charge first brought against him in March 2009.

“I feel good! I feel good!

I feel good!” was the declaration from the 50-yearold man as he left the court.

Agard got his day in the Number 2 Supreme Court owing to the actions of prison officer Floyd Downes who informed court officials and Justice Randall Worrell that the now convicted man “fell through the cracks” and

had not been before a judicial officer since 2012.

On Wednesday morning, Agard pleaded guilty to stealing a bag and contents including Bds$1000 cash belonging to Connie Young on March 27, 2009. The total value was

Bds$9230. He had been arrested months later and remanded in January 2010.

“This is madness! That a man is sitting in prison for more than the maximum sentence and but for Mr Downes he would not

get here today. Something is seriously wrong with the system, seriously wrong . . . it is ridiculous,” said Attorney-at-Law Angella Mitchell-Gittens, who took on Agard’s case pro bono as a friend of the court. (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

guyanatimesgy.com

FRIday, June 7, 2019

17

Around the World

African Union suspends Sudan “Iran failing as a nation” after US sanctions over military crackdown I

The raid on Monday marked a pivotal moment in the weeks-long struggle between the powerful TMC and Opposition groups over who should lead Sudan’s transition to democracy.

T

he African Union (AU) has suspended Sudan’s membership days after the military launched a brutal crackdown on protesters that killed dozens of people.

The AU’s Peace and Security Department said in a post on Twitter on Thursday that Sudan’s participation in all AU activities would be suspended with immediate effect – “until the effective establishment of a civilian-led transitional authority”, which it described as the only way to “exit from the current crisis”.

The announcement followed an emergency meeting by the AU in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, after the violent dispersal of a protest camp in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, began on Monday.

At least 108 people have been killed and more than 500 wounded, according to the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors (CCSD) while a Health Ministry official was quoted as saying the death toll stood at 61.

Al Jazeera is unable to independently confirm the differing tolls after its journalists were ordered

not to report from the country.

Sudan’s pro-democracy leaders have vowed to continue their campaign of civil disobedience until the Transitional Military Council (TMC) – which has ruled Sudan since longtime leader Omar alBashir was overthrown in a coup in April – is removed and killers of protesters are brought to justice.

The Sudanese Professionals Association on Thursday asked people to block main roads and bridges to “paralyse public life” across the country in retaliation for the military crackdown.

In response to the killings, AU Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat on Monday called for an “immediate and transparent investigation in order to hold all those responsible accountable”. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Huawei signs deal with Russian telecoms firm to develop 5G

Huawei Deputy Chairman Guo Ping shakes hands with MTS President Alexei Kornya

H

uawei has signed a deal with Russian telecoms firm MTS to develop 5G technology in Russia.

The companies will develop next-generation 5G networks in Russia over the next year, reports said.

The deal was agreed as China’s President Xi

Jinping began a three-day visit to Russia.

It comes as some Western countries, led by the US, have blocked the Chinese firm on concerns it poses a national security risk.

The deal will see “the development of 5G technologies and the pilot launch of fifth genera-

tion networks in 2019 and 2020,” MTS said in a statement, according to AFP. The deal is likely to provide some relief to Huawei which has been under intense international scrutiny in recent months.

Huawei has become a central part of a US-China power struggle which started out in trade, and is now being played out in the technology sector.

The US has encouraged allies to block Huawei – the world’s largest maker of telecoms equipment – from their 5G networks, saying the Chinese Government could use its products for surveillance.

ran is failing as a nation after Washington imposed powerful sanctions last year, US President Donald Trump said on Thursday, adding that things could change rapidly in talks with the leadership in Tehran.

“When I became President, Iran was a true state of terror. They still are and were undisputed champions of terror,” Trump told reporters before holding bilateral talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Caen, western France.

“They are failing as a nation, but I don’t want them to fail as a nation.

We can turn that around very quickly, but the sanctions have been extraordinary [in] how powerful they have been.”

Macron and Trump both stressed they do not want Iran to obtain nuclear weapons. Macron said the sides also want to reduce Iran’s ballistic missile programme, “contain” Tehran’s regional activity in the Middle East and achieve peace in the region.

“I think we do share the

same objectives on Iran. We had an accord until 2025 and we want to go further and have full certainty in the long run,” Macron said.

“To build that we need to start a negotiation. We need to open a new negotiation.”

The two leaders tried to sidestep their feud over the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers which the US exited unilaterally last year, despite efforts in Europe to salvage the agreement. (Excerpt

from Al Jazeera)

D-Day anniversary: Putin says lack of invitation “not a problem”

President Vladimir Putin joined the last major D-Day commemoration in 2014

R

ussian President Vladimir Putin has said it is “not a problem” that he was not invited to join other world leaders marking the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings in northern France.

Putin, who was invit-

ed to the 70th anniversary event in 2014, said he had “enough business” of his own in Russia.

The comments came after his government claimed D-Day was “not a game-changer”.

Russia often accuses the West of failing to properly acknowledge the Soviet Union’s role in World War Two. World leaders, including US President Donald Trump, attended Thursday’s memorial, where they paid tribute to the Allied troops who attacked German forces on the coast of northern France on June 6, 1944 in history’s largest sea and

air invasion.

Putin joined the last major commemoration in 2014, but was not invited this year. Speaking at an economic forum in St Petersburg, he said that the lack of an invitation was not an issue.

“We also don’t invite everyone to every event.

Why should I be invited everywhere? I have enough business of my own here,” he said.

His remarks came a day after Russia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry insisted that the significance of D-Day in the outcome of the war should not be overplayed. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Toddler killed by leopard in Kruger National Park

A

two-year-old boy has been killed by a leopard in South Africa’s Kruger National Park.

The leopard managed to access a fenced-off area of the park and grab the boy, who was the son of an employee.

Family members rushed the boy to hospital,

but he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The park said in a statement that such attacks were “very rare”, but rangers killed the leopard to “remove the danger”.

Ike Phaahla, a spokesman for the park, said the exact circumstances of the toddler’s death remained unclear.

He said that animals were naturally afraid of human beings and did not usually get close to them.

“In parks like the KNP predators do interact with tourists and staff and at times it may result in species like leopard getting habituated to people and losing their fear,” Phaahla said. (Excerpt from BBC News)

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Democratic rivals target German ex-nurse convicted of killing 85 patients Biden on abortion stance

F

ormer US Vice President Joe Biden is under fire from fellow 2020 Democratic presidential candidates for his stance on abortion.

Elizabeth Warren and Beto O’Rourke are the latest contenders to attack Biden for supporting a law that bars federal abortion funding.

Other Democratic hopefuls fired off thinly veiled criticisms of him.

Biden is currently the front-runner in the race for his party’s nomination in next year’s presidential election.

He has long voiced support for the Hyde Amendment – a law passed in 1976, right on the heels of the Roe v Wade Supreme Court ruling that legalised abortion across the US. His campaign told NBC News this week he

was still in favour of the amendment, triggering a backlash from liberal Democrats.

The amendment meant that the vast majority of women receiving federal assistance through the low-income healthcare programme Medicaid would be blocked from using that money for abortion services, which can often cost several hundred dollars. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Niels Högel gave unprescribed medication to patients

A

former nurse has been convicted of murdering 85 patients at two hospitals in northern Germany and handed a life sentence.

Judge Sebastian Buehrmann described Niels Högel’s killing spree as “incomprehensible”.

Högel, who is already serving life for two murders, administered lethal doses of heart medication to people in his care between 1999 and 2005.

He is believed to be the most prolific killer in Germany’s modern history.

Prosecutors said he attacked patients in order to impress colleagues by subsequently trying to revive them.

A former colleague told the German newspaper Bild that Högel was nicknamed “Resuscitation Rambo” because of the way he “pushed everyone else aside” when patients needed to be resuscitated.

On the last day of his trial, Högel, 42, asked the families of his victims for forgiveness for his “horrible acts”.

“I would like to sincerely apologise for everything I did to you over the course of years,” he said. (Excerpt from BBC News)

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friDAY, JUNE 7, 2019

“Dedication to Daddy 3” for June 16 at NCC H

&T Theatre Arts Group, a production company around since 2012, is currently in the midst of preparations for a successful presentation of “Dedication to Daddy 3”, under the theme, Suspicious Minds.

The evening of song, dance and drama is slated for Sunday, June 16, 2019, at 20:00h at the National Cultural Centre (NCC), and promises treats for all dads who will be attending.

Four men will be honoured as exemplary fathers on that evening based on the recommendation of their family and persons of their communities.

This will inject an element of surprise as only

family members of these fathers have been informed and the dads themselves are in the dark.

There will be vocal renditions from Dalisha Wright, Colin Ambrose,

Cleveland Hutson, Barbara Lee, Simone Dowding, Ezzie Crandon, Ronald Green, Allan C Bakker and Donald Wallerson.

Henry Rodney will be performing one of his

own calypso compositions. Dancing her way into the hearts of patrons will be Sandia Ramnarine while there will be ballroom performances by the Millennium Star Dance

Group.

Dramatists Kevin Smith, Melika Edmonds, Keisha Sam, Nelan Benjamin, Shivina Demendonca, La Vonne George, Ryan Headley, Leslyn Johnson,

Kester Whyte, and Nalini Nareswarie are currently going through their paces in preparation for this spectacular evening.

Director/Producer of the event, Sheron CadoganTaylor says she is pleased to be hosting the third edition of this musical drama, as she aims to celebrate exemplary fathers while encouraging others to “Stand Up”.

Tickets cost $2000 and $1500 respectively, and are available at the NCC or from any member of the cast. The production is family oriented. A complimentary glass of wine awaits all fathers. There will also be door prizes and giveaways.

Miss Earth Guyana’s grand coronation for June 15

I

n a matter of days, a new Miss Earth Guyana will be crowned and move on to represent Guyana on the international stage.

Vying for the title are eight beauties who have undergone extensive training leading up to the Pageant.

These are Phelicia Adams, Marcia Meusa, Kataina Phillips, Selena Guyadeen, Annessa VanSluytman, Cintiana Harry, Amelia Baksh, and Faydeha King.

The delegates have competed in several preliminary competitions such as the talent, recycled fashion wear, Beauty with a Cause and intelligence contests. The winners of the respective preliminaries will be announced on the night of the grand coronation.

However, on the evening of Saturday, June 15 at the National Cultural Centre, the eight delegates will compete in the national costume, resort wear, evening wear, and question-and-answer segments. It is expected that only four delegates will move into the question-and-answer segment to answer the final question.

On the night of the event, patrons are expected to be blown away not only by the delegates but the cultural showcase. There will be singing, dancing, tassa drumming and other activities.

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.

4th Annual Timehri Film Festival for June 6-9

G

uyanese and Caribbean films are among the main features at the fourth Annual Timehri Film Festival, which takes place from June 6 to June 9, 2019.

This year’s venues for screening are Moray House and Dutch Bottle Café. As done in previous years, the festival will also showcase mini LGBTQI and environmental films, with community screenings at schools, prisons, the juvenile detention centre and the drop-in centre in Sophia.

There is also a special world premiere in store.

On the opening night, movie enthusiasts will have a chance to view the Walter Rodney film “In the Sky’s Wild Noise,” by the Victor Jara Collective in 1985.

This is to be preceded by the brand-new “The Past Is Not Our Future: The Student Years of Walter Rodney”, done by Matthew J Smith, on Rodney’s time in Jamaica.

Several other pieces by filmmakers of Guyanese heritage will be showcased. These include: “For You” by Alvin Seenauth and

“From Ashes We Rise” by Khadijah Carberry.

Kojo McPherson’s “Adero” is also set to make its Guyana debut, as part of the Festival.

This year, Melissa “Vanilla” Roberts has been appointed Associate Director to the Timehri Film Festival team.

The Caribbean line-up for the Festival includes “Douvan Jou Ka Leve” by Haitian filmmaker Gessica Généus, and “Cargo”

by Bahamian filmmaker Kareem Mortimer, which was recently showcased in theatres.

There will also be a throwback, with “God Loves the Fighter”

by Trinbagonian filmmaker Damian Marcano.

Time has also been allotted for some favourites (shorts blocks) like “Flight” by Jamaican filmmakers Kia Moses and Adrian McDonald; “Cross My Heart” by Sontenish Myers; an animated short, “Abeeku and the Maroons,” by Jamaican animator Kevin Jackson, and “Hairouna: Land of the Blessed”, a work-in-progress,

by Vincy filmmaker Akley Olton.

The second film from the Caribbean Film Project, “Oseyi and the Masqueraders” by Dominican writer/director Alwin Bully, will also be shown.

This year’s Timehri Film Festival will bring new and exciting programming, and along with an expansion of last year’s documentary filmmaking workshop, it will be offering two workshops – “Developing the Short Film”, led by St Lucian

A scene from Kojo McPherson’s “Adero”

filmmaker Michelle Serieux, and “The Nuts and Bolts of Cinematography”, led by Guyanese filmmaker Yaphet Jackman.

In partnership with Bent Street Films, Jackman’s production company, the Festival committee will also host Guyana’s first 48hour Film Challenge.

With these exciting line-ups, organisers are hoping that the public join them in celebrating Guyanese and Caribbean excellence in film.

For further details, please visit timehrifilmfestival.com

friday, june 7, 2019

19

Raptors beat shorthanded Warriors condemn Warriors, take 2-1 finals lead minority owner who T

he Toronto Raptors defeated a shorthanded Golden State Warriors squad 123-109 in Oakland on Wednesday to take a 2-1 lead in the bestof-seven NBA Finals.

The Raptors won behind 30 points from Kawhi Leonard and a balanced attack that saw five other players score in double digits.

The Warriors were able to cut the lead to as little as seven points at some stages but the Raptors always had an answer as sharpshooter Danny Green made six three-pointers and Serge Ibaka blocked six shots.

The Raptors overcame a 47-point performance by Stephen Curry — a playoff career high for the Warriors point guard — but it was not enough for the two-time defending champions.

“They never make anything easy and Steph is a two-time MVP,” said Raptors point guard Kyle

Lowery, who tallied 23 points and nine assists.

“For us, we need to just stay locked into the game plan. We can’t have any mental lapses, that’s what hurts us. We’ve just got to continue to work, play hard and stay level headed.”

The Warriors were forced to play without starting shooting guard Klay Thompson, who was a gametime scratch after he injured his hamstring in Game Two, and two-times Finals MVP Kevin Durant, who has been sidelined with a calf strain since May 8.

The Warriors were also without back up big man Devon Looney, who suffered a fracture in Game Two and has been ruled out for the remainder of the series.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr responded to the absences with his 10th different starting line-up of the playoffs but the team’s defense suffered as the Raptors shot 52 percent from the field and

45 percent from deep.

The Warriors offense also suffered with Curry outscoring the other four starters combined.

The Raptors led by as many as 14 points in the first half before the Warriors stepped up their defense in the last six minutes of the second quarter to go into the break trailing by just eight.

But Green got hot for the Raptors in the third quarter and the visitors were able to extend their lead to 13 heading into the fourth quarter, where a rainbow three-pointer by Fred VanVleet with 1:37 remaining put the game out of reach.

The Raptors are trying to win a first NBA title while the Warriors, winners of three of the last four championships, are attempting to cement their legacy as one of the sport’s greatest dynasties.

Game Four is on Friday in Oakland. (Reuters)

Djokovic crushes Zverev to reach French Open semis

W

orld number one Novak Djokovic reached his first French Open semi-final since 2016 with a clinical win over German fifth seed Alexander Zverev.

The 32-year-old Serb, chasing his fourth straight Grand Slam, won 7-5 6-2 6-2 in their rain-delayed quarter-final.

Zverev, 22, failed to serve out the first set and it proved pivotal as Djokovic dominated from then on.

The 15-time Grand Slam champion will play Dominic Thiem in the last four.

Austrian fourth seed Thiem, last year’s beaten finalist, secured his place in the semi-finals with a 6-2 6-4 6-2 win over Russian 10th seed Karen Khachanov.

Djokovic and Thiem are set to meet on Friday, following the other, highly anticipated semi-final between Spain’s defending champion Rafael Nadal and returning Swiss great Roger Federer.

Remarkably, it is the first time at a Grand Slam since the French Open in 2012 that Djokovic, Federer and Nadal have all made it through to the semi-finals.

“We have still been enjoying some of our best tennis in biggest events. That’s great to see,” Djokovic said.

“Nadal and Federer are arguably the biggest legends of this sport and most successful players ever, so to be in the mix with them and have a successful career myself is quite a great feeling.”

However, Friday’s play is expected to be disrupted by heavy rain in Paris, a forecast which has led to a reshuffle of the

schedule.

shoved Raptors player T

he Golden State Warriors on Thursday apologized to Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry after he was shoved by Warriors minority owner Mark Stevens during Game Three of the NBA Finals in Oakland on Wednesday.

Lowry tumbled into the front row of the crowd while diving for a loose ball and Stevens used one hand to push Lowry as he was getting up.

After the game Lowry said Stevens also “said a couple vulgar words” to him.

Stevens was later escorted out of the game and Lowry called for him to be banned from all future NBA games.

“Mr. Stevens’ behavior last night did not reflect the high standards that we hope to exemplify as an organization,” the Warriors said in a statement.

“We’re extremely disappointed in his actions and, along with Mr. Stevens, offer our sincere apology to Kyle Lowry and the Toronto Raptors organization for this unfortunate misconduct.

“There is no place for such interaction between fans — or anyone — and players at an NBA game.

The 60-year-old Stevens, who joined the Warriors’ ownership team in 2013, is a ven-

ture capitalToronto Raptors guard Kyle ist who was Lowry shoots the ball against a partner Golden State Warriors with Sequoia center Andrew Bogut Capital until 2012 and is now a managing partner of S-Cubed Capital.

The team said Stevens will not be attending any of the remaining games of the NBA Finals and that a review of the matter is ongoing.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James took to Instragram on Thursday to call for the league to take swift action against Stevens.

“There’s absolutely no place in our BEAUTIFUL game for that AT ALL,” he said.

“He himself being a fan but more importantly PART-OWNER of the Warriors knew exactly what he was doing which was so uncalled for,” he said.

James ended his lengthy post with the hashtags #ProtectThePlayers and #PrivilegeAintWelcomeHere.

Game Four will be held in Oakland on Friday, with the Raptors leading the bestof-seven series 2-1. (Reuters)

Manchester City lodge CAS appeal over UEFA’s FFP allegations

Halep beaten by unseeded teen

American teenager Amanda Anisimova reached the semi-finals of the French Open with a straight-set win over defending champion Simona Halep.

Romanian third seed Halep, 27, lost 6-2 6-4 to the unseeded 17-year-old.

Anisimova had never won a match at Roland Garros before this year but is yet to drop a set on the way to her first Grand Slam semi-final.

The world number 51 will face Australian eighth seed Ashleigh Barty, who beat American Madison Keys 6-3 7-5.

Anisimova is the youngest player to reach a major semi-final since Nicole Vaidisova at the 2007 Australian Open.

“This is honestly more than I could ever have asked for,” she said. “If I didn’t look nervous it’s because I wasn’t.

“I don’t think it will sink in, at least not for today. It’s crazy. I really can’t believe the result. Getting the opportunity to play against Simona, that’s amazing, but how it ended is even crazier to me.”

As well as winning her solitary Grand Slam title in Paris, former world number one Halep, 27, was runner-up at this tournament in 2017 and 2014.

But her defeat means there are no Grand Slam champions left in the women’s draw and ensures that Saturday’s winner will be the ninth different Grand Slam champion in the last 10 majors. (BBC Sport)

Manchester City reached the quarter-finals of the 2018-19 Champions League (Getty Images)

M

anchester City have filed an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) after Uefa claimed they breached Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.

City are challenging Uefa’s decision to refer them to its financial watchdog, the Club Financial Control Body (CFCB), which would decide on any punishment.

If found guilty, the Premier League champions could face expulsion from competing in the Champions League.

The club have denied any financial wrongdoing.

Cas said in a statement: “The appeal is filed against decisions taken by the Investigatory Chamber of the Uefa Club Financial Control Body regarding [the club’s] alleged non-compliance

with Uefa’s Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations.

“An arbitration procedure will now be initiated and will involve an exchange of written submissions between the parties while a panel of Cas arbitrators is convened to hear the appeal.”

Uefa launched an investigation after German newspaper Der Spiegel published leaked documents alleging City had inflated the value of a multimillion-pound sponsorship deal, misleading European football’s governing body.

Reports alleged City deliberately misled Uefa so they could meet FFP rules requiring clubs to break even.

The FA Cup winners were fined £49m in 2014 for a previous breach of regulations. (BBC Sport)

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friday, june 7, 2019

England extra-time misery gives Netherlands win I

t was an ignominious way for England to lose and, ultimately, their collapse in extra time was probably best summed up by the image of Ross Barkley with his face down in the turf, not wanting to look up and survey the damage after his mistake for the third Dutch goal.

Barkley was not the only player wandering round the pitch with the look of a zombie. For John Stones, this was a personal ordeal in keeping with a bittersweet season on the fringes of Manchester city’s success. The records will show it was Kyle Walker’s own-goal that gave the Netherlands their second goal. In reality, it was a fairly dreadful error from Stones that put England in danger, dilly-dalling on the ball with Memphis Depay in close proximity.

Depay took the ball off Stones and took aim at Jordan Pickford’s goal. It was a fine save from England’s goalkeeper but the ball was loose and, even with Walker’s renowned pace, the substitute Quincy Promes slid in first to connect with the rebound.

The ball went in off the luckless Walker and, unfortunately for Stones, the centre-half was also partly at fault again when Promes added the third goal with 114 minutes on the clock. It was Stones’s pass that put Barkley under pressure, losing the ball and allowing Depay to set up Promes.

It was difficult to know which was the more calamitous goal and that made it a tremendous disappointment for Gareth Southgate and his players after they had taken the lead via Marcus Rashford’s first-half penalty and, at 1-1, celebrated what they thought was a potential winner from the substitute Jesse Lingard in the 84th minute, only for it to be ruled out by a marginal VAR offside decision.

As has been the case for most of Southgate’s reign, it was a system built on quick, penetrative attackers, overlapping full-backs and an ability to switch seamlessly between different formations rather than relying rigidly on one system. One move, in particular, felt symbolic of the new era: Jadon Sancho dancing through the middle and having the impudence to slip the ball through Matthijs de Ligt’s legs before a beautifully weighted reverse pass to slip Rashford behind the defence. Denzel Dumfries saved the Netherlands with a brilliant tackle but it was still a fine snapshot of how Southgate wants England to attack, with vibrancy, wit and the courage to try new things.

England also had the backing of three-quarters of the stadium and enough support to make it resemble a home game. There were only two corners of Vitória’s ground populated by the garish shirts of Oranje, which was probably an indication about how the Dutch remain aloof to this competition. Otherwise it was an English invasion and when they are not getting some strange kick out of their unpleasantness – exhibit A: whistling and singing through the Dutch national anthem – the people who follow Southgate’s team to these unthreatening destinations are capable of making a heck of a din.

The volume was certainly turned up just after the half-hour mark when Marten de Roon turned the ball back to De Ligt in the Dutch penalty area. De Ligt’s status as one of the outstanding young players in European football is expected to lead to a transfer to Barcelona this summer. On this occasion he was badly at fault, taking his eye off the ball and allowing it to run under his foot.

Rashford was quick to anticipate the danger and De Ligt, in his desperation to save himself, was a split second behind as he lunged in with the attempted tackle. He missed the ball, took out the player and Rashford, an increasingly confident penalty-taker, composed himself to aim the kick beyond Jasper Cillessen.

GBTI Open tournament serves off today

The Netherlands make it 2-1 in extra time after John Stones’ careless back pass ended with Quincy Promes’s shot hitting Kyle Walker for an own goal (Reuters)

Unfortunately for Rashford, he was hurt in the challenge from Dumfries that denied him a second goal. It was no surprise that he did not come back out for the second half, meaning the introduction of Harry Kane sooner than Southgate would have liked.

Southgate did not start with any of his players from Liverpool and Tottenham. That meant Raheem Sterling taking over as captain – for the first half anyway – from Kane on the evening the Manchester City player won his 50th cap.

Fabian Delph, who has not started a Premier League game for City since Boxing Day, was flanked by Declan Rice and Barkley in midfield, with Sterling and Sancho in the attacking wide positions and Rashford operating through the middle. Walker and Ben Chilwell both had the licence to push forward from their full-back positions and, in those moments, Rice tended to drop in between Stones and Harry Maguire, the two centre-halves.

There were still imperfections, such as the moment early in the second half when Walker tried to run the ball out of defence, lost possession to Depay and was grateful Pickford was alert to keep out the shot.

Chilwell was fortunate a few minutes earlier not to give away a penalty for a mistimed challenge on Steven Bergwijn and, late in the first half, De Ligt had a headed opportunity to change the complexion of his evening.

Sancho should probably have done better with an unchallenged header from Delph’s cross but, as the game reached the hour mark, Ronald Koeman’s team were having a lot of the ball in encouraging positions. It paid off when De Ligt equalised with a powerful header. (The Guardian)

Pakistan set sights on Sri Lanka after surprise win against England

Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan celebrates a World Cup wicket

The winners’ row after completion of last year’s GBTI Open

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uyana’s most skilled tennis players will look to add to their accolades when they compete over the next few weeks in the GBTI Open lawn tennis tournament.

The yearly fixture, seen as the most important local fixture on the Guyana Lawn Tennis Association’s (GLTA) Calendar, is expected to attract the country’s top players, and even those who think they have what it takes to challenge the highly experienced. If this year’s tournament goes similarly to that of last year’s, fans, supporters and parents can expect to see a number of thrilling matches and shocking results.

What makes this year’s tournament even more special is that it is the 10th edition of this tournament which is hosted by the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI)Limited.

Play in this tournament is expected to begin from 5pm at the GBTI Tennis Courts at Kaieteur Road, Bel Air Park.

Following this evening’s opener, week-

day matches will begin at 5pm, while weekend fixtures will begin from 9am.

Last year’s Open champion in the male division was Anthony Downes, and it is expected that this decorated and experienced player will return to make his mark once again. In a surprising twist, the female Open champion in 2018 -- Kalyca Fraser, who copped the win after Cristy Campbell -- was forced to forfeit the game due to injury.

The male and female junior champions were Mark Mc Donald and Sarah Klautky.

Heimraj Resaul and Kalyca Fraser had teamed up to take top honours in the mixed doubles category.

Play will be staged today in the following singles categories: Ladies’ Open, Men’s Open, Junior Girls’ Open, Junior Boys’ Open, Novice’s Medley, Men’s Over-35 and Men’s Over-45.

In the doubles category, there will be the Ladies’ Open, Men’s Open, Mixed Open, Men’s Over-35 and Novice’s Medley.

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arrying a win each in their kitty after recovering from thumping losses in their respective opening games, Pakistan and Sri Lanka face each other in the 11th Match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019, on Friday, 7 June.

Despite a stunning batting collapse (from 92-0 to 201 all out), Sri Lanka managed to stave off the Afghanistan challenge in their previous fixture. The win would have served as a confidence booster after a 10-wicket rout to New Zealand in their opening game.

Dimuth Karunaratne’s side will be wary of their batting fragility; against Afghanistan, the middle-order lost four wickets for just five runs, before being bailed out by the bowlers. They run into a resurgent Pakistan side, fresh from a 14-run victory over hosts England, a win that was termed by Player of the Match Mohammad Hafeez as a ‘total team effort’.

After folding for 105 against West Indies, Pakistan’s batting unit came back strong to post 348 against England. Led by Wahab Riaz, the bowlers combined to stifle the hosts, ending a 11-match losing streak.

Pakistan’s resolute No.3 batsman boasts a healthy ODI record against Sri Lanka, averaging 58.33, with two centuries in eight games. A fifty

against England meant that Azam’s last four ODI scores read 115, 80, 22 and 63.

With the Sri Lankan middle-order still experiencing patchy form, the onus will be on Perera to provide another strong start. Against Afghanistan, Perera looked at ease, cutting and pulling in his trademark style, as he shared a 92run opening stand with Dimuth Karunaratne.

The forecast for Bristol is mostly cloudy, with intermittent showers expected throughout Friday. Including West Indies’ 421 in the warmup game, the ground has witnessed three 350+ scores inside the last one month.

Squads Pakistan: Sarfaraz Ahmed (c, wk), Asif Ali, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Imam-ul-Haq, Shadab Khan, Shoaib Malik, Wahab Riaz, Haris Sohail, Imad Wasim, Fakhar Zaman Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Avishka Fernando, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Jeevan Mendis, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kusal Perera (wk), Thisara Perera, Nuwan Pradeep, Dhananjaya de Silva, Milinda Siriwardana, Lahiru Thirimanne, Isuru Udana, Jeffrey Vandersay (ICC)

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friday, june 7, 2019

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Griffith, Barnwell warm up for T10 with good knocks T

he Guyanese duo of Christopher Barnwell and Trevon Griffith had decent outings with the bat in the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board’s T20 Festival earlier this week. Playing for Comets against the Sunil Narine-led Queens Park Cricket Club, the duo led their team to 160-8 in 20 overs.

Playing some enterprising shots during his knock, Griffith hit an attractive 57.

The 28-year-old left-hander who once played for the West

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played earlier this month.

Guyana will open their campaign in the T10 tournament against the Denesh Ramdin-led South/Central team. The Guyana Squad reads: Leon Johnson, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Trevon Griffith, Keemo Paul, Sherfane Rutherford, Christopher Barnwell, Anthony Bramble, Raymon Reifer, Romario Shepherd, Clinton Pestano, Veerasammy Permaul, Devendra Bishoo, Ramaal Lewis and Akysha Persaud.

Trevon Griffith

The drama was far from over for the big left-hander, however. In Starc’s next over he was dismissed lbw.

Replays showed that on this occasion the batsman was indeed out, but further reviews showed the previous delivery from Starc was a huge no ball.

The delivery that eventually dismissed Gayle should have been a free hit.

Palliyaguruge later had two on-field decisions overturned. The first was reviewed by Jason Holder after he was initially sent back to the pavilion lbw, sweeping to Glenn Maxwell, the ball just pitching outside leg. Holder successfully reviewed once more, attempt-

ing to sweep Adam Zampa, with ball-tracker showing the ball would have comfortably missed leg stump.

"The umpiring in this game has been atrocious," Holding said while doing television commentary.

"For one, even when I was playing and you were not as strict as they are now, you were allowed one appeal. You don't appeal two, three, four times to the umpire.

"They are being intimidated which means they are weak.

"This has been an atrocious bit of umpiring by both."

Eve seeks government intervention for T&T’s Olympic hopefuls N

aparima College head coach Angus Eve is not a happy man and intends to take his grouches all the way to the Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs in the hope that he can still get approximately 24 Trinidad and Tobago footballers into the Tokyo 2020 Olympic qualifiers.

The Trinidad and Tobago Football Association, on Tuesday, through its General Secretary, Camara David, confirmed the withdrawal of the national under-23s, scheduled to take part in qualifiers. The withdrawal, David explained, was so that scarce resources could be focused on other competitions this year.

According to David, the unlikelihood of qualification makes the resources not worth spending.

“The Concacaf Men’s U-23 Olympic Qualifiers has proven to be the most difficult competition to qualify for, as only a maximum of two countries from the region will qualify for 2020 Tokyo,” stated David, via a press release. “Additionally, given the lack of resources and preparation of the team, the TTFA felt that it would be unfair to

223-7230-1 (Ext 55)

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cricket in Trinidad during the Regional off-season.

In the match mentioned above, a semi-final, the Comets team lost to the Queen’s Park team by six wickets.

Narine, who should have been in the West Indies World Cup squad, had 2-21; World Cup reserve player Khary Pierre had 2-45; while medium pacer Terrance Hinds had 2-24.

Queen’s Park, Trinidad’s most decorated team, had won the 50 Over tournament

est Indies fast bowling legend Michael Holding added to critical of umpiring decisions during the Windies, Australia match, suggesting the officials allowed themselves to be bullied.

The officials, Chris Gaffaney and Ruchira Palliyagurge, made several questionable decisions during the match, particularly as it related to Windies batting star Chris Gayle.

The 39-year-old was given out twice

by Gaffaney, while facing an over from Mitchell Starc. Both calls were later overturned via the decisions review system.

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Indies Under-19 Team has to his credit experience gained from playing 21 First-class matches.

As for the seasoned 32year- old all-rounder Barnwell, he scored 34 runs in that match.

The Guyana team that will participate in the T10 tournament starting from today, June 7, departed Guyana’s shores on Thursday last; but Griffith and Barnwell, who are in the squad to play the T10, have been playing competitive

Holding slams "weak" umpiring in tough loss for Windies

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the republic to send an unprepared team to a participate in the tournament.”

According to Eve, the sentiments in the announcements are an indictment on the TTFA and reveal their inability to run the affairs of football in the country.

“My feeling after reading that [release] is one of utter dismay, simply because of the message we are sending to young people,” said Eve in an interview with T&T’s Wired868.

“Because something has not been achieved thus far we should give up on it? So Iceland should not have tried to qualify for the World Cup because they never went before? We should not have tried in 2006 because we had never done it?

“Maybe Trinidad and Tobago should not go to the [2019 Concacaf] Gold Cup because we have never won it before. The message that they seem to be sending to our young people is to give up on your dreams.”

Eve, a former national player, who remains the country’s most capped, was a member of the 1991 under 20 team that qualified for the World

Angus Eve

Cup and believes other players should be given the same opportunities to achieve their dreams he did.

“Thanks to football, I’ve seen the world. I’ve travelled to countries like Morocco, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, England, Italy, etc. That’s where my football talent took me and I want these kids to have the same opportunities.

“This is a very talented crop and it is a travesty not to give them a chance.” (Sportsmax)

National Junior Karate Championships conclude

he Guyana Karate Federation (GKF) hosted the 2019 National Junior Karate Championships at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on Sunday June 2, 2019 in celebration of the 53rd Independence Anniversary of the Republic of Guyana.

Competing in the Male 6-8 Years – Kata, Jian Hong Zhang, Nathan Narine and Nick Sookdeo copped 1st, 2nd and 3rd place respectively. In the Male 6-8 Years- Kumite, Mohamed Matthews bagged 1st, while Jason Abraham and Nick Sookdeo settled for 2nd and 3rd places respectively.

In the Female 6-8 Years- Kata, Clair Persaud, Sarah Alli and Jazara Hewett placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively; while in the Kumite, Persaud and Alli took 1st and 2nd places and Amaya Jairam took 3rd.

In the Male 9-11 Years Kata, Jose Rodrigues, Jeremy Hargobin and Uthan Henry placed first to third respectively; while, in the 40kg category, Reshaun Ulla, Nigel Clarke and Chudaman Persaud were able to place first to third respectively.

In the 40+kg category, Diego De Nobrega, Jose Rodrigues and Daniel Elliott placed first to third

respectively.

For the females, in the Kata exercises, the top 3 were Anya Insanally, Amara Nandan and Chelsea Benjamin in that order; while, in the Kumite, Anya Insanally, Anaaya Jain and Oshana Quamina placed first to third in that order.

In the Male 12-14 years Kata, Shamar Francis, Luke Seabra and Rohit Isri placed first to third respectively; while for the 45 kg Kumite, Shamar Francis, Jamar Pile and Nakshatra Persaud placed from first to third in that order. In the 45+kg Kumite exercise, coming out on top were Doodnauth Jairam, Jonathan Ng-A-Fook and Luke Seabra in that order.

In the female category, exceptional performances came from Taissa DeNobrega, Riana Narine and Annalisa Persaud in that order; while the Kumite category saw Riana Narine, Aaliyah Nelson and Jilnell Abraham emerging victors in that order.

In the Female 15-17 years Kata and Kumite events, Gavena Doodnauth was the lone standout performer.

In the final category, notable performances came from Michael Hing, Alanzo Pierre and Kevin Bradford.

The best female contestant was adjudged to be Anya Insanally, while the best male contestant was adjudged Shamar Francis.

Some of the participants pose with their medals

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friday, june 7, 2019

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

Windies Women suffer biggest ODI defeat against England T SCOREBOARD

he West Indies Women were below par in their opening match of the One Day International (ODI) Series against England, and as such have suffered their largest ever defeat in ODI cricket.

England registered a resounding 208-run win over the West Indies Women, whom they bowled out for 110 in 36 overs at Leicester, England.

England Women began by winning the toss and opting to bat first on a fresh wicket. They scored a for-

midable 318-9 in their allotted 50 overs, having opened their innings with a fluent 57-run partnership between Amy Jones and Tammy Beaumont.

The return of Sarah Taylor proved ineffective, with only four runs coming from her innings. Jones was partnered by her captain, Heather Knight, when the score was on 61-2; and the duo took the score to 207 in the 36th over.

After the 146-run partnership, Hayley Matthews struck gold by removing Jones for 91, caught by

Stacy Ann King after facing 99 balls. Jones’s innings was decorated with 10 fours and two sixes.

English captain Heather Knight continued to score at a fluent rate, but she also missed out on a century when she fell to leg-spinner Afy Fletcher for a runa-ball 94, which included 13 boundaries.

Natalie Sciver supported with 32, as England dominated the game in their 3189 scored in 50 overs.

West Indies off-spinner and vice-captain Matthews finished with 4-57 from her

RFA Champions League…

2nd leg of semi-final set for June 8 and 9

England Women’s Innings AE Jones c King b Matthews 91 TT Beaumont c Selman b Matthews 32 SJ Taylor † c Kyshona A Knight b Selman 4 HC Knight (c) c Connell b Fletcher 94 NR Sciver b Fletcher 32 DN Wyatt c Campbelle b Selman 8 KH Brunt b Taylor 16 A Shrubsole c & b Matthews 13 LA Marsh c Henry b Matthews 6 KL Cross not out 2 S Ecclestone not out 6 Extras 14 (lb 4, w 10) TOTAL 318/9 (50 Overs, RR: 6.36) Fall of wickets: 1-57 (TT Beaumont, 7.6 ov), 2-61 (SJ Taylor, 8.5 ov), 3-207 (AE Jones, 35.1 ov), 4-258 (HC Knight, 40.5 ov), 5-263 (NR Sciver, 42.4 ov), 6-281 (DN Wyatt, 45.4 ov), 7-287 (KH Brunt, 46.3 ov), 8-310 (A Shrubsole, 49.2 ov), 9-311 (LA Marsh, 49.4 ov) Bowling SC Selman (10-0-64-2) S Connell (4-0-32-0) S King (2-0-25 -0) H Matthews (10-0-57-4) S Taylor (10-0-50-1) A Fletcher (10-0-59-2) C Henry (4-0-27-0)

10 overs, while Shakera Selman and Afy Fletcher had two wickets each.

In response, Matthews and Kycia Knight had a steady start, scoring 24

West Indies Women’s Innings HK Matthews lbw b Brunt 17 Kycia A Knight † b Ecclestone 16 SA Campbelle b Brunt 0 SR Taylor (c) c Knight b Cr oss 1 CN Nation not out 41 Kyshona A Knight lbw b Ecclestone 3 SACA King lbw b Ecclestone 0 CA Henry c Brunt b Mar sh 10 ASS Fletcher lbw b Marsh

2 SC Selman not out 0 Extras 19 (b 1, lb 4, w 14) TOTAL 109/8 (34.2 Overs, RR: 3.17) Yet to bat: SS Connell Fall of wickets: 1-24 (HK Matthews, 7.4 ov), 2-24 (SA Campbelle, 7.5 ov), 3-27 (SR Taylor, 10.2 ov), 4-56 (Kycia A Knight, 18.4 ov), 5-68 (Kyshona A Knight, 22.4 ov), 6-71 (SACA King, 24.2 ov), 7-89 (CA Henry, 27.4 ov), 8-102 (ASS Fletcher, 31.5 ov) Bowling A Shrubsole (6 -0-27-0) KH Brunt (5-2-6-2) KL Cross (5-2-12-1) Ecclestone (10 -2-30-3) L Marsh (8-0-29-2) NR Sciver (0.2-0-0-0)

runs in 7.4 overs. Matthews was the first dismissed, via the leg-before route for 17 scored in 28 balls.

Two more West Indies wickets fell with the score

Hayley Matthews took four wickets

in the twenties: Shemaine Campbelle fell for a first ball duck to an unplayable Katherine Brunt, who found herself on a hattrick; and Stefanie Taylor was caught by HC Knight for a single off the bowling of KL Cross.

The West Indies Women lacked application, and only one batter surpassed 20, Cheadean Nation being unbeaten on 41 in that ordinary batting display that saw them being bowled out for 110.

Left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone was impressive with her 3-30 harvested in 10 overs, while Brunt and Laura Marsh had two wickets each.

West Indies will play their second match in the ODI Series against England on Sunday June 9, 2019.

YBG supports Linden Regional Schools Basketball Championships

Julio Sipio, Samantha Roberts, Dalia Jacobs will be valuable assets to Paiwomak Warriors

T

he preliminary rounds, knockout stages and semifinal playoffs of the Rupununi Football Association (RFA) Champions League tournament have been completed; and with semifinal 2 having now been completed, the remaining teams in the competition will battle for top honours over the weekend to book their spot in the finals.

In the second leg of the semifinals booked for Saturday in the female category Flash FC will host Guyana Rush Saints at the Yupukari ground at 15:30 hrs. This matchup will be one of excitement as the Saints currently have a one goal aggregate lead over Flash FC, with both teams equally matched and just a one goal difference the game is said to weigh in equal favour of both teams.

While in the male category Guyana Rush Saints will host Kanuku Harpies in St Ignatius. The male Saints side has shown aggression

from the get go and thus hold a 3-0 goal aggregate over their opponents. It is highly unlikely that the Harpies can actually defeat the inform Saints, there the Saints stand a higher chance of advancing to the finals. This matchup will commence at 20:00 hrs.

On Sunday in the female semifinal match 2, Strikers FC will host Paiwomak Warriors in Masssara. The inform Paiwomak Warriors currently hold a 4-1 goal aggregate over the Strikers thus putting them in the driver’s seat to the finals.

The ladies have shown early offensive intent in all their matches scoring more than two goals with in the first 45 minutes of the game. Their opponents however have been more on the defensive side, this match will commence at 15:30 hrs. in the final semifinal match of the second leg the male squad, namely Titans United will host Paiwomak Warriors in Aishalton. Paiwomak currently hold a 5-3 goal aggre-

gate over the Titans, while there may be a 2 goal difference, the Titans are not to be taken lightly as they can spring a surprise on the given day to seal the final spot.

The action will commence at 20:00 hrs.

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 Champions League tournament kicked off in February last with 24 clubs battling for top honours. The teams the winner of the semifinal encounter will then advance to the final, which will be played on June 15.

Chris Bowman handing over the cheque and trophy to LABA’s Joseph Chapman

T

he Youth Basketball Guyana (YBG) organisation has donated the winners’ trophy and $100,000 for staging of the Linden Regional Conference Schools Basketball Championships, which bounce off this afternoon (Friday) at the Mackenzie High School hard court in Retrieve, Linden.

Having secured participation from some six schools across Linden, the championships will see Mackenzie High and Linden Foundation Secondary squaring off in game one, to be played from 14.00hrs.

The other came will see Linden Technical Institute coming up against Wisburg Secondary School from 16.00hrs.

YBG Director Chris Bowman has said the YBG will, at month’s end, be hosting the National Basketball Festival, which involves teams from across Guyana. He made the donation of the cheque and trophy to the Linden Amateur Basketball Association Secretary, Joseph Chapman, on Wednesday in Georgetown.

In handing over the money to assist in running of the tournament, Bowman said: “Looking back at the partnership between YBG and LABA, we are happy once again to have this arrangement with LABA. Ideally, that should be the arrangement, and should be for all the associations.”

He pointed out that Berbice has Regional Coordinators, but, ideally, “we should have this arrangement with the elected officers in the sub associations throughout these processes. I think this is the model for the way forward and how we qualify teams for the national championships.”

The tournament continues tomorrow (Saturday) with three more matches being held at the same venue. In the first game, being played from 13.00hrs, Mackenzie High will again be in action, this time against Wisburg Secondary; while, from 14.30hrs, New Silvercity Secondary will face Linden Technical Institute; and from 16.00hrs, Christianburg Wismar secondary will take on Linden Foundation Secondary.

guyanatimesgy.com

friday, june 7, 2019

Starc, Coulter-Nile help Australia win against WI

Australia make a stunning comeback. They finished with 288 in the end, a score that looked well beyond them for the Jason Holder scored a half-century t majority of the was billed as one of the most innings.h entertaining matchups in this Australia continued that tournament thus far. It certainly momentum with their bowling. lived up to his billing as Australia Evin Lewis and Chris Gayle fell and West Indies partook in a after aggregating just 31 runs match in which fortunes swung between them. But again, just wildly before Aaron Finch’s as Australia looked to taken a men eventually pulled off their firm grip, West Indies pulled second win in as many games back. Nicholas Pooran came out in the ICC Cricket World Cup. blazing and with a mature and Australia won the game by 15 patient Shai Hope for company runs, taking them to four points tried to restore parity. Their in two games. stand of 68 was quite similar to As earlier mentioned, it was the one Australia had enjoyed a game with no definite winner during their innings - between for large parts. West Indies had Smith and Carey.

Australia on the ropes with a Hope held fort for West bouncer barrage early to reduce Indies, eating up many dot them to 38/4 and then 79/5. deliveries but ensuring his wicket Steven Smith then reeled in wasn’t thrown away. At the all his experience and skill to other end, Pooran and Shimron pull Australia out of the hole.

Hetmyer cashed in. Even with He was part of an important that, when Hetmyer departed 67-run stand with Alex Carey after a mix-up West Indies found that helped Australia claw back themselves in trouble at 190/5. into the game. Even at 147/5, Holder’s side still needed 99 off Australia weren’t out of the hole, the last 15 overs. but a blistering 92 off just 60 balls Andre Russell’s impact lasted from Nathan Coulter-Nile saw only 11 balls, which gave the

I

team 15 runs. He was well caught

by Glenn Maxwell off Starc, leaving Holder to take t h e Player of team over the match the line.

Nathan CoulterThe captain Nile scored played very 92 much the c a p t a i n ’s knock.

His fifty came off fifty balls but was characterised by great timing. He knew which bowlers to take on and never let the run rate climb too high. Brathwaite played a handy 16 off 17 balls, but as was the theme of the game, he fell just when his side were starting to look comfortable.

Then the big blow came. Aaron Finch brought back Mitchell Starc for the key over - the 46th, and the left-armer gave him the important wickets of Brathwaite and then Jason Holder. There was to be no further twist in the tale as Australia held on to seal the deal. Starc was the star for the Aussies with superb returns of five for 46.

Earlier, Australia were greeted with a blistering show of short ball barrage. Oshane Thomas, Andre Russell, Sheldon Cottrell and Jason Holder all combined to great effect for the West Indies as they ran through the Australian top order. It took the skill and experience of Steven Smith and an all-out attack from Nathan Coulter-Nile, coupled with a fine cameo from Alex Carey as Australia ended with 288 all out.

West Indies won the toss and surprisingly elected to bowl first.

Not long after, their decision

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3

SCOREBOARD

Australia DA Warner c Hetmyer b Cottrell 3 AJ Finch (c) c †Hope b Thomas 6 UT Khawaja c †Hope b Russell 13 SPD Smith c Cottrell b Thomas 73 GJ Maxwell c †Hope b Cottrell 0 MP Stoinis c Pooran b Holder 19 AT Carey † c †Hope b Russell 45 NM Coulter-Nile c Holder b Brathwaite 92 PJ Cummins c Cottrell b Brathwaite 2 MA Starc c Holder b Brathwaite 8 A Zampa not out 0 Extras 27 (b 1, lb 1, nb 1, w 24) TOTAL 288 all out (49 Overs, RR: 5.87) Fall of wickets: 1-15 (AJ Finch, 2.2 ov), 2-26 (DA Warner, 3.6 ov), 3-36 (UT Khawaja, 6.6 ov), 4-38 (GJ Maxwell, 7.4 ov), 5-79 (MP Stoinis, 16.1 ov), 6-147 (AT Carey, 30.4 ov), 7-249 (SPD Smith, 44.2 ov), 8-268 (PJ Cummins, 46.1 ov), 9-284 (NM Coulter-Nile, 48.2 ov), 10-288 (MA Starc, 48.6 ov) Bowling O Thomas (10-0-63-2) SS Cottrell (9-0-56-2) AD Russell (8-0-41-2) stood vindicated. Holder must have wanted his pacers to make use of whatever the pitch had to offer for his seamers before it dried up. Thomas and Cottrell certainly extracted every little bit that was on offer. They peppered the Aussie batters with short balls, and as a result, it was the normal length balls that did the damage.

Finch, Warner, Khawaja and Maxwell all fell within no time

CR Brathwaite (10-0-67-3) JO Holder (7-2-28-1) AR Nurse (5-0-31-0) West Indies Innings (target: 289 runs from 50 overs) CH Gayle lbw b Starc 21 E Lewis c Smith b Cummins 1 SD Hope † c Khawaja b Cummins 68 N Pooran c Finch b Zampa 40 SO Hetmyer run out (Cummins/Maxwell) 21 JO Holder (c) c Zampa b Starc 51 AD Russell c Maxwell b Starc

15 CR Brathwaite c Finch b Starc 16 AR Nurse not out 19 SS Cottrell b Starc 1 O Thomas not out 0 Extras 20 (lb 9, w 11) TOTAL 273/9 (50 Overs, RR: 5.46) Fall of wickets: 1-7 (E Lewis, 1.4 ov), 2-31 (CH Gayle, 4.5 ov), 3-99 (N Pooran, 19.1 ov), 4-149 (SO Hetmyer, 27.2 ov), 5-190 (SD Hope, 34.6 ov), 6-216 (AD Russell, 38.5 ov), 7-252 (CR Brathwaite, 45.3 ov), 8-252 (JO Holder, 45.6 ov), 9-256 (SS Cottrell, 47.3 ov) Bowling MA Starc (10-1-46-5) PJ Cummins (10-3-41-2) NM Coulter-Nile (10-0-70-0) GJ Maxwell (6-1 -31-0) A Zampa (10-0-58-1) MP Stoinis (4-0-18-0) to leave Australia reeling at 38/4. When Stoinis fell after a brief revival, Australia were still deep in trouble at 79/5.

It took the arrival of Smith to calm Australia’s jittering nerves.

The right-hander proved he was a class above others, swaying out of the way and using soft hands to fend the ball away into gaps. The progress was slow, but Australia’s rot had been stemmed, at least

Shai Hope

f o r the time being.

Smith was joined by Carey, who had a clear plan up his sleeve. The left-hander saw off the initial burst, crawling to 3 off 26 balls before he decided he had seen enough. Off his next nine balls, he cracked five boundaries as Australia’s scoring rate suddenly hit a spike. Smith continued in the same vein, picking up the singles and the odd boundary to help Australia close in on the 150-run mark. Carey fell to Russell on 45, but Australia had momentum on their side now. As Australia started to enjoy a period of dominance, West Indies’ bowling started to come apart. Wides became a regular appearance, as did the boundaries. Coulter-Nile came out swinging, and with luck on his side, saw Australia rake in the runs. Overs 20-40 had seen Australia score at more than six an over. Coulter-Nile brought up his fifty off just 41 balls, swaying the contest more towards his side.

Linden Bauxite Flyers Cycling Club race set for Sunday

T

he cream of the nation’s cyclists will clash this Sunday, June 9, in the

Albert Rose Memorial Race, a 90-mile encounter that is proudly sponsored by the Rose Family from the Linden area in Region 10.

This 2019 contest will see a loop start being used, and the event ending at the Linden/Georgetown Bus Park on Republic Avenue in Linden after the riders would have travelled all the way to 2019 edition of the Linden Bauxite Flyers Cycling Club’s (LBFCC’s) 4th Annual

Silver Hill on the Linden/ Soesdyke Highway.

Some of the most elite riders in the country -- Paul De Nobriega, home boy Michael Anthony, and Romello Crawford - are expected to contest; and the race will be run in the following categories: Seniors; Juniors (3 laps); Veterans Under-45 (2 laps); Veterans Over-45,

as well as the Females and Juveniles, will do one lap each. Cash prizes would be at stake.

The LBFCC has indicat-

ed that this event will serve as a warm-up to the National Cycling Championships scheduled for later this month.

friday, june 7, 2019

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Starc, Coulter-Nile help Australia win against WI RFA Champions League…

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