Guyana Times - Friday May 17, 2019

$60M P15 Water Quality Laboratory to be commissioned Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 3926

Friday, may 17, 2019

Govt has been directionless last 4 years – Jagdeo See story on page 3

...says 30,000 jobs lost, local and foreign investments dried up

Cabinet to deliberate on allegations of misconduct against AG

PRICE

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

29 more touts arrested P10 during Police operation

Timehri P8 logger acquitted for 2014 murder

Page 7

9 hours of ‘service P15 interruption’ on May 19 – GPL

300 educators to receive P7 duty-free concessions Minister of State Dawn Hastings-Williams on Thursday received a courtesy call from a group of students from the Clayton State University, Georgia, United States of America, who are currently on a tour to Guyana. Also in photo are founder of Caribbean People International Collective, Incorporated (CPIC), Dr Dawn Stewart (second from right) and Professor of the Clayton University, Dr Eric Bridges

UNAIDS calls for removal of discriminatory laws against LGBTI community Page 17

Commemorative stamps released Page in honour of 17 Guyanese composer

2 under close Page arrest after 10 prisoner escapes from Police Station

Dipcon v Finance Minister

P16

High Court grants State 2 weeks to file defence

2

friday, may 17, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

news

3

friday, may 17, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS

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

Friday, May 17 – a night time retraction at 04:00h and a daytime retraction at 14:30h-16:00h and Saturday, May 18 – a night time retraction at 04:30h and a daytime retraction at 14:30h-16:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Friday, May 17 – 15:25h-16:55h and Saturday, May 18 – 16:10h-17:40h.

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

WEATHER TODAY Light cloudy skies with sunny intervals can be expected throughout the day, followed by partly cloudy skies in the evening, with temperatures ranging between 22 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-easterly to North Easterly between 2.23 metres and 4.91 metres.

High Tide: 03:16h and 15:42h reaching maximum heights of 2.72 metres and 2.67 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 09:15h and 21:30h reaching minimum heights of 0.47 metre and 0.55 metre respectively.

Govt has been directionless last 4 years – Jagdeo ...says 30,000 jobs lost, local and foreign investments dried up

O

n May 11, the A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/ AFC) coalition has celebrated four years in governance, and while it boasted of major significant feats, it has been a period of failure and deterioration for Guyanese.

This was according to Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo who on Thursday stated that recent declarations made by the coalition administration of its successes during its tenure in office is far from the truth. “(These) are multiple lies to Guyanese about its long list or achievements. When the average Guyanese tries matching those with the reality of life on the ground, they find a huge gap.”

Jagdeo stated that while some may argue, including Government officials, that this Administration has only had four years so far to run Guyana, the country’s progress in many sectors has been stalled or diminished.

“But what’s the truth, what is the reality of life in Guyana today? We know for a fact that over 30,000 persons who were working at the time this Government

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

took office have lost their jobs. That is 30,000 Guyanese who were working and feeding their families and earning an income and having the dignity of work now no longer have a job because of the policies of this Government.”

Investments “drying up”

According to Jagdeo, the Government has failed in attracting major new investments in Guyana and even local investments, if any, are limited and flailing in the country.

“Outside of the oil and gas sector which started un-

Crime-fighting officers undergo crime mapping training a person to look at historic and recent information so that they can do strategic analysis.

wednesday, may 15, 2019

LOTTERY NUMBERS J

05

11 17

18

19 24

FREE TICKET Thursday, may 16, 2019

turn to page 9

15 Bonus Ball

DAILY MILLIONS

02 10

15 19 25

Valerie Grant, GIS consultant for the CSSP project

LUCKY 3

0

0

4

2

Afternoon Draw

8

0

Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

03

04

07

10

PAY DAY

04 07 08 14 15

12

17

20 SUPER PAY DAY

05 09 16 17 19

DISCLAIMER: WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ERRORS IN PUBLICATION. PLEASE CALL THE HOTLINE FOR CONFIRMATION - TEL: 225-8902

T

he Citizen Security Strengthening Programme (CSSP) in collaboration with the Inter American Development Bank on Thursday opened a two-day training session in the use of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology for crime mapping.

The training is being done at the Guyana Police Forces Training Centre, Camp Street, Georgetown, and will deal specifically with the Geographic Information System which is a useful technology and science which allows persons to understand where criminal activities are being perpetuated and conduct predictable analysis to understand the strengths and hotspots.

Valerie Grant, GIS consultant for the CSSP project, related that GIS also allows

der the [People’s Progressive Party] PPP, the investments have dried up totally, foreign investments, and local investment is almost non-existent now. The only thing that a few people are benefiting from are the high prices for land in prime locations where the oil companies want to locate one or two of their facilities. That is the only thing that is happening, foreign investment as well as local investment have dried up…”

The Opposition Leader pointed out that while much focus is being placed on the oil and gas sector in relation to job opportunities for citizens, the employment opportunities will be limited, and cannot substitute for the jobs that were lost due to Government over the past

four years.

“The prospect of creating new jobs is diminished because oil and gas as I said before will give us 2000 new jobs and we lost 30,000 jobs and we are not going to create many new jobs in the other sectors so it is going to get progressively worse… four years of deterioration... only four years in office is not an excuse. How much longer does it take to recognised that this Government does not have a vision?”

He added that the current Administration has an “absence of direction” and that contrary to the declarations of achievements by the APNU/AFC from 2015 to date, the past four years have been nothing short of failures and deterioration of progress in Guyana.

4

guyanatimesgy.com

friday, may 17, 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

Rising levels of domestic abuse

T

he nation was shocked again on Tuesday, when another brutal case of domestic violence surfaced. Again, another woman and another mother has been snatched from her family and her children at the hands of her partner. In this most recent case, 37-year-old Zaila Sugrim, whose body was discovered on Tuesday in a shallow grave at Crane, West Coast Demerara (WCD), was shot to her head and her body was set on fire before being buried. The brutal attack was one of many for her in her 15-year-old marriage.

It was one such vicious attacked last December that had led her to finally make a decision to leave the marriage.

Sugrim’s unfortunate demise is one of numerous cases of domestic violence that have been reported in the Guyanese media.

Many other women were also brutally killed, but, unfortunately, domestic violence continues despite awareness efforts and the much touted training of law enforcement officers who are expected to be the first step of recourse in regard to the lodging of complaints.

There is more than a subtle irony in the continuance of this societal scourge in spite of the relentless efforts and the plethora of available mechanisms to inform and educate. The problem is much larger than what appears in the news, including the social media outlets, as many cases goes unreported. This therefore gives much credence to the appearance of an underestimated reality.

In this most recent case, like hundreds of other cases, Mrs Sugrim had reported the matter to the Police, her husband was charged, but she had decided to not offer evidence in the criminal case against him.

Many reasons have been made known for what can deter an abused victim from proceeding with criminal charges laid against an abuser. Among those reasons are aspects of culture, the presence of children, shame, dependency and its redounding lack of empowerment for some; and the lack of confidence in law enforcement itself, precipitated from the reported trivialising of the issue in some instances.

In Guyana, women needed to express outrage against the rising levels of domestic abuse and violence directed against them, and be resolute in allowing the law to take its course. Guyanese women needed to send a stronger message that women deserve better than to accept abuse, instead of facing the reality and standing on their own. With respect to this most recent case, there are five children left without a mother and a father, as their father may very well be in jail for years to come.

From reports in the media, the children stood at the crime scene as the Police dug up the remains of their mother from the shallow grave. The magnitude of such an occurrence on children cannot be underestimated. It is obvious from the reports that the children must have seen their father beating their mother during the tormenting 15 years of marriage. Like these children, many others have cruelly been made witnesses to the horrific assaults on their mothers, and to a lesser extent their fathers. Those ghastly images, especially for some who watched as life was snuffed out, are not only lasting, but profoundly traumatising.

When young minds are so broadsided, the impact, if not managed, lingers for life. Not that they are erasable, but with meaningful and sustained interventions, the trauma can potentially be mitigated, thereby aiding in better shaping of lives.

The entire spectrum of what therefore constitutes counselling then becomes vital. This naturally raises the question of the availability of adequate intervening mechanisms.

While it is always heartening to hear that surviving victims and witnesses to such horrific incidents would be counselled, it would be very informative, for the benefit of all, to know the extent of what is available and offered. Realistically, expectations cannot be for what obtains in the developed nations; however, there must be something tangible in keeping with available resources, with upgrades foremost in planning.

However, counselling can be an extensive process for some, depending upon the circumstances.

Given the plethora of incidents that unfortunately continue, and which would make added demands on the system, the question of adequacy of trained staff, needed facilities and support systems becomes more pertinent.

While there is a disadvantage in being unable to accurately quote figures based on extensive research, if available, on the amount of people lost, injured and disfigured, and those scarred for life as a result of domestic violence, it must be extremely high in proportion to our population. Clearly, the highest number would be those who are left traumatised.

As this newspaper has said before, this therefore must be seen as a serious cause for concern, and a compelling reason for consideration to be declared a national priority. This is an apolitical issue, and is not confined to any one group, thereby making it less difficult to garner national support. In such small societies, the impact permeates throughout and away from just the families.

The six delegates competing for the Miss India Guyana Worldwide title were over the weekend pampered by Shoe Haeven the official sponsor of footwear for the pageant. The pageant is slated for May 26 at the Princess Ramada Hotel, Providence, East Bank Demerara

Venezuela Govt, Opposition in Norway for crucial talks – Opposition Leader Guaidó confirms senior members of both sides to hold exploratory discussions amid power struggle

E

nvoys from the V e n e z u e l a n Government and the Opposition will hold talks in Norway on resolving the political impasse in the South American country.

Members of the Opposition-controlled National Assembly said senior representatives from both sides will be involved in the discussions in Oslo.

The representatives include Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez on the Government side and Stalin Gonzalez, a leading member of the National Assembly, on the other, officials said.

Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó confirmed on Thursday he sent delegates to Norway but denied talks were under way with President Nicolás Maduro’s Government.

“There are some envoys in Norway,” Guaidó told a political rally in the capital Caracas. He said Oslo “is trying to mediate” in the crisis, however, the Opposition won’t enter into any “false negotiation”.

The Venezuelan Opposition said Maduro used past negotiations to buy time and was not sincere about making concessions. Maduro said he is open to dialogue and the Opposition has been trying to seize power by force.

Guaidó said any diplomatic process aimed at resolving the Venezuelan crisis must lead to the end of Maduro’s government, and its replacement by a transitional administration and free-and-fair elections.

Jorge Valero, Venezuela’s Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, confirmed that the talks had taken place

Maduro did not directly comment on the talks in televised remarks on Wednesday, but said Rodriguez was on a “very important” mission outside Venezuela.

“Very much supportive”

Norway’s NRK radio and television network, quoting anonymous sources, earlier reported talks had taken place at a secret location in the Norwegian capital for “several days” and the delegations were due to return to Caracas on Thursday.

The UN said Secretary General Antonio Guterres is “very much supportive” of the talks in Norway.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric was asked on Thursday at UN headquarters in New York about possible UN participation in the process. He responded he didn’t “want to predict what can happen in what we know is a complicated situation, but what is clear is that the secretary-general’s good offices, the United Nations’ good

offices, remain very much available”.

It comes amid reports that the International Contact Group and Lima Group, which both support Opposition Leader Guaidó, may meet. Dujarric said the UN is “very supportive” of such initiatives.

Venezuela has been rocked by protests since January, when Maduro was sworn in for a second term following a vote boycotted by the Opposition. Tensions escalated when Guaidó declared himself acting president days later – a move supported by the United States and many European and Latin American countries.

The Opposition has insisted Maduro was illegitimately elected last year and he must step aside to make way for elections. Maduro, in turn, accused the Opposition of being “US stooges” intent on illegally seizing power.

Power struggle

The Norway dialogue comes as a mostly European

group of nations prepares to send a high-level delegation to Venezuela to propose solutions to the country’s protracted crisis.

The International Contact Group consists of eight European countries, the European Union, and four Latin American countries. The Opposition said Venezuela’s dire economic situation is the result of years of corruption and mismanagement. Maduro blames the country’s problems on US sanctions.

The planned talks seemed likely to dampen speculation that the US, the main backer of the Venezuelan opposition, might be considering military action as a way to end the crisis.

US officials have previously said they are focusing on diplomatic and economic measures to force Maduro out, though Guaidó said his Washington envoy will meet the head of the US military’s Southern Command on Monday.

On April 30, Guaidó issued a video message in which he appeared alongside a small contingent of uniformed military personnel and armoured vehicles. He called for an uprising to end the “usurpation” of Maduro and has continued to call for mass demonstrations against the Venezuelan President.

The bitter power struggle has left Venezuela in a state of paralysis after years of hyperinflation and shortages of food and medicine, forcing millions of Venezuelans to flee. (Al Jazeera)

guyanatimesgy.com

FRIday, may 17, 2019

5

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

Enforcement of law being ignored Dear Editor, It has been revealed that a very large number of some very senior people holding very important public positions, including Ministers and Parliamentarians, have been allowed by our government to continue to serve while ignoring and disobeying the law which requires them to submit declarations of their assets and liabilities to the Integrity Commission.

The enforcement of this law is being ignored in exactly the same manner and with precisely the same contempt for the law, as shown by our politi-

cal leaders to that of holding dual citizenship while serving in the National Assembly.

The Chairman of the Integrity Commission has resorted to publicizing the names of these offenders on seven separate occasions but has not moved to enforce the law and prosecute the offenders. I ask why?

The list of offenders includes heads and others in senior positions in government agencies such as the GRA, the Procurement Board, the Elections Commission, the Prison Services, the Guyana Energy Authority, the

Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Finance, and that is to name just a few.

All of these offenders continue to act in authority, every day, make decisions every day on our behalf, spend our money and cause us, the ordinary citizens, to conform to the law which they enforce or be prosecuted. We also pay their salaries.

I ask, therefore, why should we respect or obey or conform to any decision that these persons who presume to govern our lives make or seek to impose on us, the ordinary citizens, who pay our tax-

The PNC are back to their old ways Dear Editor, The PNC are in real fear at the present moment; reasons being they will have to face the electorate sooner than later. To face an electorate whom they have lied to and mislead these four years is very unnerving, to say the least, hence the shenanigans of having a delayed election.

Unlike the 2015 saga, when they were ever so anxious to go to the polls, this time around, they are negotiating that route at a snail’s pace; or if they would have their way, not at all.

General elections are an ultimatum, if not “the ultimatum” for that party, because all the signs and symptoms are there indicating they would have a great loss at the polls. This is not something the PNC are prepared to accept, and so they are going about this by fiddling around with the Constitution, among other oddities, which at the end of the day still cannot give them the relief they are looking for.

The soon-to-be-published verdict of The CCJ would validate my claims. So they are at the end of their tether, with no solace to which they can turn, so they are once again down the path of rigging the next election.

The rigging they would like to embark upon comes under the guise of an updated electoral list, which, according to them, can only be effected by a long and laborious house-to-house registration.

Mind you, the Constitution of Guyana expressly proposes that an updated list can be done via the continuous registration mechanism, but they are unmoved by this constitutional requirement; they want their own PNC house-to-house formula.

Now, this is their crying problem: most of their supporters have cogently expressed their views-- that they will not vote for the PNC. You go down to the chic-chic boards, or talk to the man in the street, the decision is “we ain’t voting for them.”

Georgetown is their rigging bowl; their stomping ground, if you please, and to get such terse replies from their very own is nerve-wracking. So they would rather give it one lastditch effort by going out to the people and meeting them at their homes to get them to change their minds.

They try to bribe the people with promises of house lots; jobs, oil is coming on stream next year and jobs

will be available; trying to fool them one last time into voting for “your people.”

That is the desperation and fear that has gripped the PNC full on, and they are determined to fix it in that house-to-house registration.

The desperation in that house-to-house registration is also linked to matching of the numbers at headquarters. Sure as day, the numbers that have already been fed into the system must match the rigged numbers from the field.

The evidence of this assertion is seen in the firing of Vishnu Persaud last year.

The PNC envisage a clean job in the rigging exercise, so present an “all’s clear” path, with no scrutinising eyes around.

The PNC are back to their old, disgraceful rigging ways if the playing field should only afford them the leverage. We must thwart every device they will come up with. Down with rigging! We want free and fair elections!

Respectfully, Neil Adams

es and obey the law. I ask, have they no sense of civic duty, no conscience?

Perhaps our President, whom I have always held in great regard, would do

us all the favour of explaining why this illegal practice and behaviour is allowed to continue in his government without restraint or restriction or

punishment, that is, when next he asks us to elect him to be our President.

Yours sincerely, Kit Nascimento

No matter what they do, Guyana will be free Dear Editor, Common sense would inform any rational mind that these are times of emergency in Guyana. In such times, senior officials must act with a sense of urgency, but this seems not to be the case with GECOM in terms of fulfilling their responsibility in regard to the holding of General Elections.

It would be negligent of me, however, to not respond to the lethargic actions of people like GECOM Chairman James Patterson and his colleague Commissioner Desmond Trotman as they seek to glaringly misrepresent the logic and common sense behind this official voters’ list.

I listened carefully to Mr. Robert Corbin in the CCJ Court Room when he spoke about the National Registration Act Chap 19:08 and the Representation of the People’s Act Chap 1:03, and I must say he got it. So why do not Mr. Patterson and Mr. Trotman get it?

Maybe if Mr. Corbin was potentially not the most attractive option to now lead the PNC out of its current electoral ravine, he might have made an excellent GECOM Commissioner.

People move, People change their names, People die, and People come of age. However, none of these events needs a house-tohouse registration to be captured in times of a national emergency.

Even more importantly, none of these events poses an insurmountable challenge that cannot be fixed within six weeks. So I clear-

ly cannot understand why Mr. Patterson is so doggedly attached to this concept that only a process of house-tohouse registration can clean the list.

Let me, please, explain further, Mr. Editor. Young people come of age, meaning that they grow up to be old enough to become first-time voters. However, you do not need house-to-house registration to accurately and completely capture these first-time voters on the official voters’ list.

According to the National Registration Act Chap 19:08, (which Mr. Corbin referred to in his presentation), all Guyanese who are 14 years of age are eligible to be registered and be placed on a Central Register, which is then used to extract the Official Voters’ List which has the names of all the over-18-year-olds.

But those who are hell bent on delaying the elections will then say this list will still not be clean enough, because people moved, people changed their names, people died, and they are still on the list.

Nonetheless, if you put on your solutions cap and you focus on the fact that people moved and changed their names, then the solution is “no big thing”. Two weeks of an intense claims-and-objections period, with late opening up to 8 pm at nights in all the geographic districts, would easily solve that.

Then the negaholics

might come up with another excuse, and ask, ‘What about those who died?’

Again, my response is “no big deal”. A formal request to the Head of the General Registrar’s Office (GRO) for a list of all the names for which death certificates were issued would quickly solve that problem.

That list can be used to remove the names of the dead from the Official Voters List.

That, again, would take no longer than two weeks to be accomplished, and can be done simultaneously during the claims and objections period; and boom, the complexity is sorted.

So why do we have all this hullaballoo being pushed by the Chairman and his ‘clique of merry men’ that Guyana must have house-to-house registration immediately in this period of abnormality and uncertainty? Is this a ruse to cover up their grand scheme to delay and deny the people of Guyana free and fair elections, and elections free from fair?

Paraphrasing the national poet Martin Carter, “this is the dark time, my love”. As Mr. Carter said in that poem, “it is the season of oppression…….” Mr. Patterson and Mr. Trotman must understand that “time and history are not on their side”; so no matter what they do, Guyana will be free.

Regards, Sasenarine Singh

6

friday, may 17, 2019

Page

Foundation

Staying motivated

N

Check in with your goal ow that you’ve broken your goal down into a series of mini-goals and daily tasks, check in every day.

It helps to write down your small goals in the same way you wrote down your big goal. That way you can track what you need to do, check off tasks as you complete them, and enjoy knowing that you’re moving toward your big goal.

As you accomplish a task, check it off on your list. Tell yourself, “Hey, I’ve run 10 miles, I’m nearly halfway to my goal!” Reward yourself with something you promised yourself when you set your goal. Feel successful – you are! Now think ahead to accomplishing the rest of your goal: “What do I have to do to reach 26 miles? How am I going to make the

time to train?”

Writing down specific steps has another advantage: If you’re feeling weak on willpower you can look at your list to help you refocus!

Recommit to your goal if you slip up If you slip up, don’t give up. Forgive yourself and make a plan for getting back on track.

Pat yourself on the back for everything you did right. Don’t beat yourself up, no matter how far off track you get. Most people slip up when trying to make a change – it’s a natural part of the process.

Writing down daily tasks and mini-goals helps here too. By keeping track of things, you’ll quickly recognise when you’ve slipped up, making it easier to refocus and recommit to your goal. So

instead of feeling discouraged, you can know exactly where you got off track and why.

What if you keep slipping up? Ask yourself if you’re really committed to your goal. If you are, recommit — and put it in writing. The process of writing everything down may also help you discover when you’re not really committed to a goal. For example, perhaps you’re more in love with the fantasy of being a star athlete than the reality, and there’s something else that you’d rather be or do.

View slip-ups as lessons and reminders of why you’re trying to make a change. When you mess up, it’s not a fault – it’s an opportunity to learn something new about yourself. Say your goal is to fight less with your brother or sister. You may learn that it’s better

to say, “I can’t talk about this right now” and take time to calm down when you feel your temper growing out of control.

Keep a stick-to-it attitude Visualise yourself achieving your goal: a toned you in your prom dress or a successful you scoring the winning soccer goal. Selfvisualisation helps you keep what you’re trying

to accomplish in mind. It helps you believe it’s possible. You can also call up your mental picture when willpower and motivation are low.

Positive self-talk also boosts your attitude and motivation. Tell yourself, “I deserve to make the honour roll because I’ve really been working hard” or “I feel great when I swim – I’m doing well on my exercise plan!”

Share with a friend Another boost is having supportive people around you. Find a running buddy, a quit smoking buddy, or someone else with a similar goal so you can support each other. Having a goal buddy can make all the difference in times when you don’t feel motivated – like getting up for that early-morning run. (Excerpt from kidshealth.org)

PART 2

S

The importance of positive emotions

cience is helping us find out how valuable positive emotions can be. Experts have learnt a lot from recent brain studies. Here are two findings that can help us use positive emotions to our advantage:

Let positive emotions outnumber negative ones

When we feel more positive emotions than negative ones, difficult situations are easier to handle.

Positive emotions build our resilience (the emotional re-

sources needed for coping).

They broaden our awareness, letting us see more options for problem solving.

Studies show that people feel and do their best when they have at least three times as many positive emo-

tions as negative emotions.

That’s because of something called the negativity bias.

The negativity bias is a natural human tendency to pay more attention to negative emotions than to positive ones. It makes sense

when you think about it: Negative emotions call our attention to problems – problems we might need to deal with quickly. Tuning in to negative emotions can be a survival mechanism.

The negativity bias has a downside, though: It can make us think a day went badly, not well, even if we experienced equal amounts of positive and emotions that day. It takes at least three times as many positive emotions to tip the scales and make a day seem like a great one.

Practise positivity every day

Building habits that encourage us to feel more positive emotions can help us be happier, do better, and reduce our negative emotions.

Building positive emotions is especially important if we’re already dealing with a lot of negative feelings such as fear, sadness, anger, frustration, or stress.

Building a daily positivity habit is pretty simple.

It comes down to two basic steps: Notice and name your positive emotions. Start by simply focusing on your feelings. You can tune in to your emotions in real time, as they happen. Or take stock at the end of the day,

noting how you felt in different situations. For example, you might feel proud when you answer a question right, joyful when your puppy chases you around the yard, or loved when your mom shows up at your game.

When you first start doing this, you’ll probably need to remind yourself to focus on your emotions. But – like any habit— it gets easier the more you do it.

Pick an emotion and act to increase it

Let’s say you choose confidence: What helps you feel confident? How can you get more of that feeling?

You might give yourself a “Yes, I can!” pep talk before a test. Or maybe you stand up straighter and practise walking through the halls in a confident way, feeling strong and powerful.

Positive emotions feel good, and they’re good for you. Pay attention to these powerful tools and find ways to make time for them in your everyday life.

Create room in your day for joy, fun, friendship, relaxation, gratitude, and kindness. Make these things a habit and you positively will be a happier you! (Excerpt from kidshealth.org)

news

7

friday, may 17, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

300 educators to receive duty-free concessions

Educators can now benefit from duty-free concessions

S

ome 300 educators from across the country will be granted duty-free concessions as part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which was signed between the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) and the Education Ministry.

Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon, made this disclosure during a post-Cabinet briefing on Thursday. He announced that the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) had requested Government’s consent for approval to the du-

ty-free waivers for educators.

As such, it was deliberated and the decision was taken for concessions to be granted on vehicles up to 1800cc, boats with outboard engines up to 75 horsepower and all-terrain vehicles (ATV) for the hinterland communities.

Harmon stated, “The Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority had requested Cabinet’s consent for the approval of the concessions. The approval caters for the granting of duty-free concessions on motor vehicles up to 1800cc engine capacity, outboard engines up

to 75 horsepower for persons in the riverine areas and ATVs for persons in the hinterland.”

The education officials who stand to benefit are principals and deputy principals of Grades A and B schools; and headteachers of Grades C, D and E schools after three consecutive years of their appointment and within three years before retirement.

All senior educators, lecturers and heads of department of the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) and technical institutions are also eligible, having served six consecutive years in the same position after their appointment.

However, the Director General sought to point out that one of the eligibility requirement mandates that a person must be a member of the GTU for no less than three years.

“All of these persons must be members of the Guyana Teachers Union for no less than three years and have at least three years remaining before retirement.”

The regional make-up

GTU President Mark Lyte and General Secretary Coretta Mc Donald

of the 300 persons include one person from Region One (Barima-Waini), 24 from Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), 58 from Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara), 41 from Region Four (DemeraraMahaica), 18 from Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), 48 from Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), seven from Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni), two from Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), three from Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo)

and 11 from Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

For Georgetown, 78 persons are said to benefit from the concessions and nine from the CPCE and the Guyana Technical Institute.

Initially, the Memorandum of Understanding covered the years 2016 to 2018. The GTU’s initial request was 200 concessions annually but this was reduced by 50 per cent after Cabinet deliberations.

In the recent time, Government’s relationship with the Union took a turn

after teachers staged a countrywide protest for salary increases and their debunching monies.

After days of protesting on the streets and even calling for the removal of the Education Minister, Government bowed to the pressure of having classrooms without teachers.

It was only on October 24, 2018, that the GTU signed an agreement with the Education Ministry to accept a 12 per cent increase in salaries for 2016 and an eight per cent increase for 2018.

According to the agreement, for the year 2016, teachers who earn below $100,000 per month will benefit from a 12 per cent increase while teachers who earn $100,000 and over monthly will gain an eight per cent increase.

For the year 2017, teachers who earn below $100,000 per month will get an eight per cent increase and those who earn above this amount will receive a six per cent increase.

Meanwhile, for 2018, there will be an across the board eight per cent increase for all teachers.

Cabinet to deliberate on allegations of misconduct against AG

D

irector General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon, has indicated that Cabinet will be looking into allegations of misconduct against Attorney General Basil Williams, which has reportedly resulted in at least 19 lawyers resigning during the course of four years.

The allegations were compiled in a letter and were addressed to members of the Government. The letter revealed that 19 lawyers have resigned from the Legal Affairs Ministry since 2015.

In the document, the employees called for a thorough probe into the operations of the Ministry. On Thursday, the Director General told the media that the issue is yet to be addressed at the level of Cabinet.

“This is something that just recently came out and so Cabinet would not have had an opportunity to deliberate on that. I’m not prepared to make any further statement

Attorney General Basil Williams

on it until such time that Cabinet would have actually deliberated on the matter,” he stated.

According to staff who reached out to Guyana Times, lawyers in the Attorney General’s Chambers have to contend with a difficult and even toxic and abusive working environment.

Pointing to the large pro-

portion of cases being lost by the Chambers in the courts, the employees recommended an investigation into claims of mismanagement and bad legal advice being followed.

Some of those lawyers who departed the Chambers include former Registrar and Solicitor General, Sita Ramlall, who was forced to move to the High Court last year over her pension and gratuity being withheld; and former Deputy Solicitor General, Prithima Kissoon, who sued for wrongful dismissal.

The Attorney General had come in for harsh criticism previously for his comments about Kissoon, with commentators bashing the manner in which he dealt with the matter.

In a letter to the Editor published in local newspapers in 2017, the former Deputy Solicitor General’s father, prominent Attorney Jailall Kissoon, pointed out that this is the first time in legal history that an Attorney

General has levelled such a blast of terror and fear upon the Judiciary or his own legal officer.

“The fallout from this scurrilous blast has radiated its tremulous fear through the spinal cord of the entire body of the Judiciary in Guyana and elsewhere,” he pointed out.

According to the senior Kissoon, there are recorded documents in court to support that the ruling against the State-sponsored appeal was a pure stream of justice flowing uninterruptedly; that is, until it was polluted by the Attorney General in an article published in the State-owned Guyana Chronicle newspaper.

“Your prejudiced percep-

Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon

tion is that the Chancellor, together with applicant Bharrat Jagdeo, his Attorney-at-Law, Mr (Mursaline) Bacchus and

the Deputy Solicitor General Prithima Kissoon, all of common ethnicity, caused the Attorney General and the Editor to fall in the dark mud of malice and partiality that Jagdeo must receive the benefit from the court unjustly.

But the law does not recognise skin colour, the law is the law,” the Attorney penned.

He went on to say that, “the Attorney General, who has such legal wisdom and foresight, ought to have seen the unholy conspiracy of the bench and Bar and should have appeared in person, as leader of the Bar, filed his Affidavit in Answer, argued his case as a legal luminary and eminent counsel and crushed the Applicant’s case to smithereens.”

8 News

friday, may 17, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Timehri logger acquitted for 2014 murder

F

amily members of 50-year-old Rajesh Roopnarine, called “Popo”, erupted in tears of joy on Thursday as a 12-member jury was directed by Justice Navindra Singh to return a formal not guilty verdict, thus acquitting the accused of a murder charge. He was accused of setting David Campbell alight back in 2014.

The trial had commenced and concluded on Thursday after a number of witnesses testified during the first session.

Roopnarine earlier this week had pleaded not guilty to the murder charge.

He was represented by Attorneys Nigel Hughes and Ronald Daniels, while the State was represented by Prosecutors Teriq Mohammed, in association with Tuanna Hardy and Abigail Gibbs.

On conclusion of the series of testimonies on Thursday, Justice Singh had ruled that the poor Police investigations had produced insufficient evidence in order to convict Roopnarine on the charge,

Rajesh Roopnarine exiting the courtroom a free man

thus he instructed the empanelled jurors to return the not guilty verdict.

On informing Roopnarine that he is now a free man, Justice Singh told him

that he hopes he had learnt his lesson, while advising him to stay clear of future incidents of this nature.

“I hope you learnt your lesson, I can only hope that you live a proper law-abiding life,” Justice Singh stated.

According to reports, at about 17:30h, Roopnarine along with other employees, including Campbell, were imbibing at their work site, when shortly after it is alleged that he set alight a mining camp with four occupants.

While three persons managed to escape, Campbell was trapped in his hammock and sustained third-degree burns.

A badly burnt Campbell died seven days after he was reportedly set alight in the mining camp.

The now dead man was employed as a chainsaw operator at the said logging concession. Steve Campbell, brother of the deceased, is said to have witnessed the scene of his brother being burnt but did not make attempts to put the flame out.

Man accused of raping minor to stand trial in High Court

T

hirty-year-old Mario Heywood, of East Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was committed to stand trial in the High Court for raping a minor.

The Preliminary Inquiry (PI) completed at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Thursday before Magistrate Leron Daly ruled that the prosecution was able to present sufficient evidence against Heywood, and as such, he will face trial.

Police stated that between October 1, 2018, and November 20, 2018, at East

Alleged child rapist, Mario Heywood

Ruimveldt, Georgetown, he engaged in sexual penetration with a child under the age of 16.

According to information, the child is known to the defendant. During the period, the child was reportedly left in his care.

It is alleged that Haywood committed the act during that period. Upon the child’s parent’s return, the child confided in her mother and the matter was reported to the Police.

An investigation was conducted and Heywood was arrested and charged.

The Magistrate after listening to the prosecution’s facts earlier in the year, released the man on $250,000 bail.

Security guard slapped with fraud charge

A

28-year-old security guard who was recently slapped with robbery and assault charges is back at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, this time slapped with a fraud charge.

Akeem Bacon appeared before Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus where he was arraigned for fraudulent conversion.

Bacon, of Grove Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara (EBD) plead not guilty to the charge which stated that between February 15 and 17, 2019, at Mandela Avenue, while being solely entrusted by Oscar Stull with the sum of $120,000, he fraudulently converted same to his own use and benefit.

Prosecutor Bhisnu Hunte did not object to bail.

Magistrate IsaacsMarcus granted bail in the sum of $50,000 and set June 3 for this next court appearance.

Bacon was recently charged for assaulting Patreema Isaacs on October 13, 2018, at West Ruimveldt, Georgetown, and on the same date and location, he also stole one Android phone from her. Bacon was also granted bail on those charges.

The elections hustle…

O

…continues ne of the ‘letter writers in residence’ for the Government -- he’s also part of the AG’s “advisory team”-- practically filled a whole page in the Chronic protesting that the Head of the Dept of Political Science at UWI, St Augustine, “got it all wrong” when he said the PNCled Government seems to be deathly scared of facing the electorate!

“Not so!” said the ex-magistrate is his usual otiose and prolix fashion, quoting the Bard about “judgement fleeing to beastly breasts”, and all that!

Well, methinks the fella doth protest too much!! But, then, he has to sing for his supper!!

Why else would the PNC/AFC combine subject themselves to the ridicule of the rest of the legal fraternity -not only in the Caribbean, but in the entire Commonwealth, who follow common law precedents -- by arguing that 33 isn’t the majority of 65?? They have enough lawyers in their ranks -- and your Eyewitness isn’t even THINKING about Basil Williams! -- to know they had more chances of a snowball surviving in hell that having the CCJ rule in their favour!

The two local Justices who fell on their legal swords for the PNC might be willing to sacrifice their reputations “for the cause”, but don’t expect the CCJ lords to follow suit. They have their legacies to think of as they pine to be the Denning from the sticks! But from the demeanour and tone of the CCJ’s questions, the PNC already know what lies ahead from that quarter -- the NCM’s gonna be affirmed, and elections will be ordered.

And that’s why they’ve kicked in Plan B: To wit, let Patterson, GECOM and the PNC Commissioners, as handmaidens, delay the elections as long as possible. And that’s what’s playing out with the hoopla about “funding the elections” through a supplementary paper.

As the PPP’s masterful lawyers have demonstrated, GECOM already had enough money assigned to them to run the elections, but it’s the Granger posse who’d arbitrarily decided on ordering a new “house-to-house” registration.

And now that the legal advisor to GECOM -- no PPP flunkey -- had the guts to agree that the voters’ list just had to be “revised”, the PNC have been caught with their pants down. And THAT ain’t pretty; it was as ugly as the reaction of Desmond Trotman to the professionalism of the legal adviser!!

But trust the PNC to come up with some other barefaced ploy to drag out elections. After all, these people have postgraduate degrees in rigging elections with the experience culled between 1968 and 1992!! We mightn’t know PRECISELY what they’ll attempt, but it’s clear they have a card up their sleeves, and they need some more time to play it.

That’s what it’s all about, Alfie!! …at UG too!!

The VC of UG wasn’t only a card-carrying member of PNC back in the day, like Granger. He’d passed through the youth arm - the YSM - and was even its head. And back in those days, the 1970s, the YSM was an integral cog in the PNC’s rigging machinery. Remember how many underage youths voted for the cause?? So it’s not surprising that the bowtied gentleman has been putting his thumb on the scale in his bid to be returned as VC for another term.

The accusation came from no other quarter than the OFFICAL UG Alumni Association (UGAA), which pointed out that the “UG Association of Alumni and Friends” (UGAFOUG) is in no way, shape or form affiliated with the UGAA. The latter has been approved by the UG Council, and has a representative in that body.

They pointed out that “AFOUG is a private entity set up in NY by the VC’s allies for the purpose of his projects.”

This explains those glowing testimonials to the VC in the press!! Cronyism?? …and servicing ‘redeployed” Ministers?

Did you see the ad from the Ministry of the Presidency for 5 new SUVs?? But weren’t there only FOUR Ministers “redeployed”?

Who’s the extra vehicle for?? And do they all get outriders??

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

news

9

friday, may 17, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Jobs for duel citizen ex-Ministers

Jagdeo says creation of new jobs “incestuous, corrupt”

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

A

s Guyana faces economic instability, taxpayers’ monies continue to be wasted by the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change coalition Administration with the creation of new jobs that warrant the payout of

exorbitant salaries.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday told media operatives that the Government is only interested in providing for itself and supporters while noting this their actions are supported by the creation of highly paid jobs for former Government Ministers who have dual citizenship.

He stated that Guyana is already carrying a “top heavy corrupt Government” and now citizens will have to bear the unnecessary burdens of carrying yet another layer with the former Ministers being paid exorbitant sums even after they refused to relinquish citizenships in other countries.

“So we had new Members of Parliament appointed to replace those who were dual citizens. We have a new set of Ministers, and

Former Business Minister Dominic Gaskin

Former Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine

Former Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge

what happened to the four Ministers? Now they have cushy high-paying jobs in the Government again, if this is not an incestuous, corrupt cabal nothing is, no one is.”

According to Jagdeo, he initially supported the retention of former Foreign Affairs

Minister Carl Greenidge, in that Ministry for the purpose of ensuring continuity on the border matter that involves Guyana and Venezuela.

However, his role exceeds what was expected. “(The border issue) is a matter that we do not

treat in a political fashion, that it is not partisan, we have a national position on but he has become the Foreign Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign with responsibility for the Department of Frontiers and Territorial Integrity and the Department of Trade and Economic Cooperation.

So what is the portfolio of the Minister? And even the choice of the word Foreign Secretary, in the United Kingdom, the Foreign Secretary is the Ministry, that is the choice of the word,” he explained.

The Opposition Leader pointed out that in the case of former Business Minister Dominic Gaskin, his appointment to Director of Manufacturing and Marketing within that Ministry is not warranted as his skills are lacking for such

Crime-fighting officers...

She stated that within the next three months, ranks will be using these new skills along with the necessary infrastructure in terms of hardware and software in their crime-fighting strategies.

Grant posited that this will ensure that data is moved within departments swiftly and alluded to the capacity building which ensures the right people are in the right places.

This programme serves as a pilot and will be rolled out in other regions later in the year.

Dr Clement Henry, Project Manager of the CSSP, highlighted that all CSSP’s activities’ basic goal is to reduce

crime and violence across the country and this initiative will take them a step further in achieving this.

Dr Henry iterated that it was always the intention of CSSP to maximise the use of technology in their crime-fighting mechanism.

He added that this initiative will play a key role in the use of technology in improving the type of analysis in the development of strategies and policies in crime prevention.

Further, IDB’s Representative, Dr Jason Wilks said his institution is commitment to State enhancement and lauded the Government’s effort in introducing the use of technol-

From page 3

ogy in its Citizen Security Strengthening Programme.

He said the IDB and other stakeholders including the United Nations Development Programme are committed to supporting what is already being done in Guyana in this regard.

He pointed out that the IDB even as they provide the technical assistance and resource funding for the development of institutions and the acquisition of software and hardware; training and capacity building is vital in ensuring the resources obtained will be put to full use in crime-fighting.

He urged the officers to make full use of the train-

ing as the knowledge gained will not become outdated but will remain with them in years to come.

M e a n w h i l e , S u p e r i n t e n d e n t Shivpersaud Bacchus expressed gratitude for the much-needed training as it will help to enhance the Forces’ capabilities against the difficulties it may experience daily as they execute analytical work in solving and preventing crime.

a position.

“As far as I know, he has absolutely no technical qualification there, this should be a technical position. So, a politician for convenience has replaced, without any competitive process, a technical staff and he has no competence in the area. It is a sinecure position to support this.”

The Opposition Leader added that even the retention of services of former Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine as Director of Public Service Training is not a wise move either.

“We have the same issue there, Rupert (Roopnaraine) has not functioned a single day in Government and now they just give him another sinecure position. This is precisely what we are saying, this cabal looks out for itself, corrupt Ministers, terms of contracts, everything that goes for themselves and they defend each other. So now, if there was any hope in Guyana that would see the last of these Ministers, that is not so.”

Only recently, President David Granger announced the new positions for Gaskin and Roopnaraine – one that did not sit well with the business community and other stakeholders.

The Head of State has also indicated that he has the intention of restricting the various Ministries and Permanent Secretaries.

10 news

friday, may 17, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

2 under close arrest 29 more touts arrested during Police operation after prisoner escapes from Police Station

Prison escapee Kevin Wilkinson

T

wo ranks attached to the Cove and John Police Station are under close arrest following the escape of a prisoner who was expected to make his court appearance on Thursday morning. The prisoner was reportedly under their watch when he escaped.

The escapee has been identified as 23-year-old Kevin Wilkinson of Lot 271 Hope East, Enmore, East Coast Demerara. He had been taken into custody on Monday, and was charged for rape and four counts of armed robbery.

Based on the Police version of events, the detainee managed to escape from lawful custody at about 7:20h on Thursday. Guyana Times understands that the man was supposed to appear in court on Wednesday, but the file had been sent to another magisterial district. As such, his case was rescheduled for Thursday.

However, the escapee was recaptured later in the day in close proxmity of this home.

He is being processed for court and is expected to be face additional charges.

Nevertheless, a thorough investigation in regard to the circumstances surrounding the detainee’s escape has since been launched by the Office of Professional Responsibility.

A

total of 29 touts who engage in activities at the routes 40, 41, 42, 44, 45 and 47 minibus parks were arrested between Monday and Tuesday as the Police continue their activities to restore order and civility at those parks. This particular Police initiative was started in March of this year, and will be ongoing until the desired results are achieved.

On Monday, 13 touts were arrested, charged and placed

Some of the touts at the Brickdam Police Station

before the courts. Those who pleaded guilty were fined, while others who pleaded not guilty were released on bail.

Traffic Chief, Senior Superintendent Linden Isles, has said that, through the ongoing campaign and determination of the traffic ranks, notable progress has been made to address issues being faced by commuters.

This latest operation was spearheaded by Sergeant Michael Ramdas and a team

from Traffic Headquarters.

Continuing the campaign, on Tuesday, Inspector Shawn Massay, Sergeant Sheldon Wickham and other ranks of the Brickdam Police Station conducted a similar exercise at all of the mini-bus parks throughout Georgetown, and 16 other touts were arrested and charged with soliciting of passengers.

Meanwhile, at the station, the team from Brickdam took the opportunity to educate

the individuals on the recently released Code of Conduct for Minibus Operators and other personnel by the Department of Consumer Affairs.

They were also briefed on breaches of the Traffic and Road Safety Regulation, such as obligation to carry passengers, speeding, loud music; and failing to adhere to traffic light signals, road markings and signs.

11

FRIday, may 17, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

12

FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2019 | guyana

7, 2019 | guyanatimesGY.com

13

14

FRIday, may 17, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

15 $60M Water Quality Laboratory to be commissioned T news

friday, may 17, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

he Agriculture Ministry has announced the completion of a state-of-the-art Water Quality Laboratory, which will be commissioned as soon as it is fully functional.

Stationed at the Hydromet Department at Brickdam, Georgetown, the project was listed at $60 million and is expected to boost the capacity to acquire and process data that is necessary to evaluate the quality of Guyana’s water resources.

According to Chief Hydromet Officer, Dr Garvin

Chief Hydromet Officer, Dr Garvin Cummings

Cummings, the laboratory would further enhance the hydrometeorology services and carry out extensive du-

ties as it relates to water resource management. This is one the areas where significant development is required.

“This laboratory is a very important and significant addition to the hydrological monitoring framework within the service. It adds to the existing resources that the service has for the monitoring of water quantity and places the Hydromet Department in a position to undertake its broader responsibilities for water resources management in Guyana,” he said.

9 hours of ‘service interruption’ on May 19 – GPL

T

he Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL) has announced a ninehour-long interruption to the supply of electricity in areas in Georgetown and on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD) on Sunday, May 19, 2019.

Affected areas are: A to E Fields Sophia; North Sophia to Success, ECD; North and South Ruimveldt; Festival City; Shirley Field Ridley Square; Guyhoc Park and Gardens; Meadow Brook Gardens; Roxanne Burnham Gardens; Tucville; Stevedore Housing Scheme; and Lamaha Park and Springs.

GPL has said that interruption to the power supply is because it will be conduct-

ing vital maintenance work at its Sophia Substation.

These works include servicing of the 69kv busbars, and line maintenance activities on the critical L5 transmission line linking the Kingston to Sophia Substations, as well as the 69kv line linking the Sophia and New Georgetown

Substations.

“As a result of this (development), customers (within the listed areas) will experience an interruption in the supply of electricity from 08:00hrs to 17:00hrs,” the GPL has said as it apologised for any inconvenience that would be caused.

The project commenced in 2018 and fulfils the mandate for national monitoring of water systems, which is clearly specified under the Water and Sewerage Act of 2002. Some of the other services will include testing water samples from surface and ground water and establishing a database for national water quality.

“Among the services to be performed, the Hydromet Department would possess the ability to facilitate the testing of water samples gathered from both ground and surface water sources to determine their quality, in addition to establishing a database for Guyana’s baseline national water quality. Such a database would support and inform environmental protection, infrastructural development and agriculture,” the Ministry stated.

Meanwhile, Junior Agriculture Minister Valerie Patterson-Yearwood, has

dubbed this initiative as a medium for persons to access safe water that meets international standards.

“Essentially, water quality testing ensures that water is safe and meets local and international standards. This facility will offer internationally recognised testing procedures through detailed water sampling techniques and other technology to ensure water is safe for the purposes intended,” Minister PattersonYearwood said.

She mentioned that the facility will be commissioned

in the near future, allowing for these services to be initiated. The Ministry has also announced early notices on water borne diseases and the link between water patterns to the quality.

“Among the services to be offered, the facility will also allow the Hydromet Department to issue early detection bulletins for water borne diseases, provide insight into the effects of water patterns on water quality and influence future policies in relation to the management of the country’s water resources.”

16 news

friday, may 17, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

Ministers at CCJ Trinidad

Judges wanted to see if political parties had support

D

irector General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon on Thursday confirmed that the decision was made by Cabinet to send Government Ministers to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) hearing of the Validity of the No-confidence Motion against the Government.

Harmon made this disclosure during his post-Cabinet media briefing in response to questions posed by media operatives.

He said the trip to the CCJ was official and funded by the Government of Guyana as the Ministers were sent to represent the said Government.

He explained that it was necessary for the Ministers to attend the hearings as Judges presiding in the matter would have been looking to see the party’s interest in the matter and whether they attended or not.

This is in addition to the legal representation the Government would have had there. He added that the decision was made after long

Director General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon

and careful deliberations by Cabinet.

The Ministers that attended the CCJ hearing were Education Minister Nicolette Henry; Public Service Minister Tabitha Sarrabo-Halley; Business Minister Haimraj Rajkumar; Vice President Sydney Allicock; and Social Cohesion Minister, Dr George Norton.

The Government has come under much scrutiny for this move as none of the Ministers is in any way connected with

the cases, nor is any one of them legally trained.

Attorney Christopher Ram has also criticised the Government for sending the Ministers there and called for the Finance Minister to give taxpayers a full account of the expenditure incurred during the trip.

“There is no apparent reason for any of the Ministers to be in Trinidad as a spectator of court proceedings that were live streamed and could have been accessible from any place in Guyana. One suggestion was a show of force to the Court or moral support for the Attorney General (AG), hardly a justification for their presence. Responsible Government requires that taxpayers’ money is properly spent and fully accounted for,” Ram had stated.

So far, the Attorney General has retained at least five Senior Counsels from abroad who command very high fees.

Guyana is awaiting the ruling of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), the Caribbean Community’s highest court, on the Co-confidence Motion ap-

peals.

That ruling will ultimately decide if the coalition Government will continue its term in office, or if elections have to be held before the 2020 due date.

The Trinidad-based court entertained arguments over a two-day period – May 9 and May 10 – on the matters brought before them.

There were the likes of Trinidad and Tobago-based Senior Counsel Douglas Mendes, who along with former Belizean Attorney General Courtenay presented arguments on behalf of the Opposition and Government respectively.

Their Guyanese counterparts included Attorney General Basil Williams, Attorney Anil Nandlall, Senior Counsel Neil Boston, Attorneys Sanjeev Datadin, Kamal Ramkarran and others.

Apart from President Saunders, the panel of Judges comprised Justices Winston Anderson, Jacob Wit, David Hayton and Maureen Rajnauth-Lee.

DIPCON vs Finance Minister

High Court grants State 2 weeks to file defence

T

he court hearing into the legal proceedings filed against Finance Minister Winston Jordan by Trinidadian company DIPCON Engineering Services over non-payment of monies which the Government was ordered to pay back in 2015, on Thursday commenced in the chambers of Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Demerara High Court.

Attorney General Basil

Finance Minister Winston Jordan

Williams appeared on behalf of the State. During the hearing, an application was made for an extension of 14 days (two weeks) for the respondent (State) to serve and file a defence into the case challenging the Finance Minister. As such, the application was accepted by Justice SewnarineBeharry, allowing the respondent to have two weeks to file their defence.

The Attorney General in an invited comment revealed

that following Thursday’s decision, they would have to write to the Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards in order that a new court be constituted to hear the matter.

DIPCON has recently moved to the court over non-payment of some US$2.2 million which the Government was ordered to pay back in 2015. The legal proceedings were this time brought against the Finance Minister as he failed to adhere to the court order, compelling the State to pay the aforementioned amount of money to the Trinidadian company.

Minister Jordan during last week informed the media that the company will receive the monies it is legally due, but the Government needs some time. “…but the judgement is a huge judgement. Our lawyers, the Attorney General’s (AG) Chambers, will deal with the matter. The Government, through the AG Chambers, will start examining the matter to pay them (DIPCON)… we will provide a response shortly” Minister Jordan stated.

In 2017, Justice Rishi Persaud had ruled that DIPCON recover from the Government of Guyana some US$665,000 as monies due to the engineering company for road-building and construction works undertaken for and at the request of the Government, along with some US$1.5 million for increased costs incurred by DIPCON. The engineering company also requested a six per cent per annum interest from February 10, 2009 to October 21, 2015 and thereafter at a rate of four per cent per annum until fully paid. It was also ordered that Government pay DIPCON costs to the tune of $1,200,000 along with a stay of execution for six weeks from the date of the ruling.

S RAIGHT M.Sc. - Finance, ACCA

The Indian Elections: Lessons for the Guyanese youths and women

By Sase Singh; MSc - Finance, ACCA

I

t is quite intriguing observing these Indian Elections over this 5-week period. The journalists that I have been following closely, like Economist/ Journalist Dr. Prannoy Roy, Dr. Yogindra Yadav, and those of their ilk have done a fantastic job of bringing truth to the Indian experience. For me, these psephologists use their quantitative power to augment their qualitative observations to present some astonishing conclusions.

India is now off the chart with respect to the quality of its electoral polls and informed conversations, which are giving its population a sense of higher confidence and fearlessness in these times. I am amazed at how actively involved the 45 million first-time voters are in expressing their political positions publicly. The easy answer for this boldness comes down to the fact that India is younger and more educated now than in past generations.

The country is currently in a youth bulge phase. It has the largest youth population in the world — a veritable army of almost 650 million people under the age of 25 years.

This demographic change is what will power India over the next generation, and allow it to gain significant competitive advantages over swiftly aging countries like China and Japan.

But what is even more observable in these elections is how involved the women in South India are in their politics. I saw a study wherein it has been found that the South Indian women are more likely to be politicians, more likely to be more educated, and more likely to be income-earners; and less likely to be exposed to social crime, like domestic violence and rape, than their North Indian counterparts. The answer is simple — education.

On the eve of independence in 1947, the British left India with 17 universities and about 636 colleges, teaching approximately 238,000 students. Today, the tertiary student population is estimated at 37,600,000 (that is 37.7 million). The number of universities likewise grew from 17 when the British left to over 925 today, with most of these new schools opening in the South. The British left 636 colleges, but India today has over 18,000 colleges, with most of these offering highly technical courses. India also has a master plan to build 700 more universities and 35,000 colleges over the next decade.

When my colleague Dr. Euclid Rose suggested that UG should have a Linden and Essequibo Coast campus closer to Supenaam, I did not buy his idea in 2011. But I have finally seen his wisdom.

Universities and colleges generate not only economic activities, but social changes in a society, by empowering the marginalised; and that intangible asset cannot be measured easily.

In India when the British left, women were more likely to be excluded, “dalits” (the untouchable class) were excluded, Muslims were excluded, and the “OBC” (other backward classes) were also excluded. But today, in India, inclusion is the name of the game. In India, there are more women candidates in office and running for office than ever before. However, it is disturbing how their North Indian counterparts are behind in representation, compared to the South.

Women in southern states like Tamil Nadu are forging ahead because many doors were broken down for them by Mrs Jayaram Jayalalithaa, a Chief Minister who ruled for 14 years until her death in 2016. Revered by her followers as “Amma” (Mother), she single-handedly brought to the women of Tamil Nadu opportunities and a work ethic that was all about excellence. Today Chennai is known as the “Detroit of India” and many of those jobs with spanners and welding plants are being done by skilled women.

What are the lessons for the women of Guyana? If you are not in the game, then the chances of you being at the table where the decisions are being made is contained. Thus I encourage first-time voters to sign on to political movements and express yourselves, share your ideas, and put yourselves forward for political positions.

Despite being a young nation with the median age of 24.9 years, Guyana hasn’t been able to elect younger leaders through its elections, with the average age of the current National Assembly being 58.2 years.

Guyana is in a mess, and one of the reasons, in my opinion, is that too many women are on the periphery of the political process. From their marginal seats, they are excluded from the table where the key decisions are being made.

I think it is time the youths under 50 years of age and women collaborate and demand at least 50 per cent of the spots on all the political lists. And if they get more, then it’s even better. It is not a privilege for the youths and women to serve at the highest levels in Guyana; it is their right, demographically speaking!

Please share your thoughts at sasesin1@yahoo.com.

News

17

friday, may 17, 2019 | guyanatimesgy.com

GA-FDD urges public to report businesses that prepare unsanitary foods

A

startling revelation derived from a survey is that only 25 per cent of food businesses meet the sanitary requirements set out in regulations emanating from the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD), and that body is now urging the public to report businesses that engage in unsanitary practices.

Director of GA-FDD, Marlan Cole, has related that

if reports are made, Food Inspection Officers would be armed with the information, which they would use to ensure the affected businesses comply with the regulations.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Cole said the public has a right to ensure and to demand proper services in terms of the sanitation of food businesses. He is calling on the public to share information with GA-FDD to assist the depart-

Commemorative stamps released in honour of Guyanese composer

S

everal commemoratives stamps were on Thursday unveiled in honour of the 100th Birth Anniversary of famous Guyanese composer Valarie Roadway.

In a simple event held in the auditorium of the National Library, some who had personally known Roadway and others who had heard of her gathered to reflect on her life.

Roadway had composed several National Songs, including “O Beautiful Guyana,” “Kanaïma,” “Hymn for Guyana’s Children,” “Arise, Guyana,” and “Guyana the Free”.

She also put to music the famed Guyanese Independence poem by Martin Carter, “Let Freedom Awaken.”

Roadway, who had also been a teacher, died in 1970. She was awarded the Cacique Crown of Honour (CCH) for her contributions to the country.

Earlier this year, Government commissioned the Valerie Rodway House on Carmichael Street in Cummingsburg, Georgetown.

The house was previously the home of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, and had been an annex to the Governor’s House.

Delivering remarks, Public Telecommunications Minister Catherine Hughes noted that Guyana’s history is sprinkled with contributions from remarkable women, one of whom was Roadway.

The Minister noted that the event is the celebration of the great strides that Roadway had made to the development of Guyana with respect to its identity.

“She was a Guyanese who never got tired of the beauty of our country, a true lady to who everything was a thing

of beauty. Every sound had a musical note; she wrote about it, she put music to it, and in the 1960s helped to bring about a period in Guyana’s history when national songs were sung by everyone and all the time,” Hughes reflected.

The Minister further encouraged Guyanese to read a short biography on the life of Roadway written by Dr Vibert Cambridge and published. According to her, it would increase appreciation for the composer. “…to read a portion of the article, titled Women in History, and I quote: ‘Her music gave the words of our poets a special kind of majesty.

She probably selected poems that encouraged and nurtured positive values, service to the nation, respect of our heritage, and the creation of a caring society’, end quote”, the Minister paraphrased.

Speaking on behalf of the Rodway family, a niece of Roadway reflected on the life of her aunt. She revealed that event though Roadway died when she was just 12 years old, her memories of her aunt entail music.

“I do remember going to her house for Christmas carols, and I remember visiting (an) event when she was in a choir; but from the time she was a small child, she used to make up music, I remember my uncle saying. And her music was really prolific during the last 10 years of her life; and as you can see, her music transcends time, it is as current now as it was back then,” the woman reflected.

Over time, becoming one of Guyana’s most celebrated patriotic and classical music composers, Roadway’s work is widely known and valued for its qualities of diversity, national pride and commitment.

Director of Government Analyst Food and Drugs Department, Marlon Cole, and other officials

ment is carrying out its mandate.

“We believe in information-sharing and information for action, and the public could demand…. If persons are not using gloves, maybe the public should say, ‘Well, you should use gloves’; if they are not using hairnets in the facility to prevent the hair from going into the food…. The public is very vigilant in terms of where they go to eat, and so we are not advising people to stop supporting fast-food businesses, but they are eyes out there that can help us in our work, and the expectation is to prevent diarrhoeal diseases and food poisoning etc, be-

cause that will have a strain on our health systems,” Cole explained.

Dr Susan Reynolds, Chief Medical Officer of the City Public Health Department, who was also present at the press conference, noted that if reports are made, then GA-FDD would immediately take action.

“What the public can do is, if they have come down with an infectious disease like diarrhoea and vomiting, report it early; because if others have been eating from the same establishment, it means that we can categorise that as a food-borne illness and we could take further action immediately,” the

CMO assured.

However, in addition to the public support, Onika Alleyne-Blackman, Chief Meat and Food Inspector, has called for more staff, and more training of staff coupled with more frequent inspections for the food sanitation issue to be tackled.

Coming out of the survey, which was carried out between September 2018 and April 2019, is that an alarming number of food businesses were found to be breaching sanitary regulatory requirements, with transgressions ranging from employees not properly washing their hands to the storage and preparation of meals;

and this has now become a cause for concern.

The survey was conducted on some 55 businesses in Georgetown, Corentyne, New Amsterdam, and those in the vicinity of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).

Microbiological samples were taken of the food, from workers’ hands, from food contact surfaces, from food service containers, and air quality. Of the 99 food samples submitted, 37 per cent was unsatisfactory. Of the 102 hands of workers that were swabbed after washing, 47 per cent was unsatisfactory. In regard to food contact surfaces (cutting boards and utensils), 30 per cent of the 125 surfaces swabbed after cleaning was unsatisfactory, and 46 per cent of the 48 food service containers (food boxes) sampled were unsatisfactory.

The air quality in most establishments was generally satisfactory, since 95 per cent of the 64 air quality samples taken was satisfactory.

UNAIDS calls for removal of discriminatory laws against LGBTI community

UNAIDS Executive Director, Gunilla Carlsson

I

nternational Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT) is being observed today and the UNAIDS is calling on all countries to remove discriminatory laws against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people.

Stigma towards key populations – gay men and other men who have sex with men, sex workers, transgender people, people who inject drugs and prisoners and other incarcerated people – is reinforced by criminal laws.

These in turn fuel violence, exploitation and a climate of fear, hindering efforts to make HIV services available to the people who need them. “We all have a moral and legal obligation to remove discriminatory laws and enact laws that protect people from discrimination,” said Gunilla Carlsson, UNAIDS Executive Director, that is “To end the AIDS epidemic, people need to be protected from harm. We need justice and equality for all.”

More than 65 countries criminalise same-sex sexual relations, including at least

eight that impose the death penalty. Globally, gay men and other men who have sex with men are around 28 times more likely to acquire HIV than the general population and are much less likely to access HIV services.

In 2017, gay men and other men who have sex with men accounted for 18 per cent of new HIV infections worldwide. “It is critically important that we create a world where all people can access the health and social services they need without the threat of violence and discrimination.

Universal health coverage means reaching all people – sexual and gender minorities have the same right to health as everyone else,” Director General of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus related.

Transgender people, who account for an estimated 0.1–1.1 per cent of the global population, often face stigma, discrimination and social rejection in their homes and communities. Discrimination, violence and criminalisation prevent transgender people from accessing the HIV services they need to stay healthy.

It is estimated that transgender women are 13 times more likely to acquire HIV than other adults of reproductive age and that 16.5 per cent of transgender women are living with HIV. “Justice and protection for all are central to driving progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Enacting and enforcing non-discriminatory laws and policies, repealing punitive

UNAIDS Latin America and Caribbean Regional Support Team Director, Dr César Antonio Núñez

laws and ensuring access to justice for all are critical to delivering on the commitment to leave no one behind,” Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme Achim Steiner posited.

UNAIDS joins with the United Nations Secretary General and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in calling for the decriminalisation of LGBTI people and for LGBTI people to be protected from violence and discrimination and to have full access to health and other social services.

IDAHOT, a worldwide celebration of sexual and gender diversity, is commemorated annually on May 17. Latin America and the Caribbean Latin America and the Caribbean have made significant strides in protecting and recognising the rights of LGBTI people.

Some key country achievements include the official recognition of gender identity for transgender people, the adoption of anti-discrimination laws that in-

clude protections for LGBTI people and measures to address the discrimination, violence and socioeconomic disadvantages that many in these communities’ face.

This year, Cuba amended its Constitution to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

In 2018, Uruguay passed a model transgender law that provides for national registration according to gender identity, comprehensive healthcare as well as access to education, training and employment. In 2018 local, national and regional courts helped advance jurisprudence in support of equal rights for LGBTI people.

Last year the Trinidad and Tobago High Court ruled that laws criminalising sex between men and other consenting adults were unconstitutional. The Caribbean Court of Justice decided that Guyana’s cross-dressing law was unconstitutional and disproportionately affected transgender people.

In Buenos Aires, Argentina, the Court for Oral Criminal Proceedings for the first time recognised the crime of “travesticide” – murder due to hate of the victim’s gender identity.

Despite these advancements, many LGBTI people throughout the region remain profoundly vulnerable to violence and face stubborn barriers to accessing justice, opportunities and healthcare,” said UNAIDS Latin America and Caribbean Regional Support Team Director, Dr César Núñez.

“We need to find common ground that recognises and upholds the inherent dignity of every person”.

guyanatimesgy.com

T

he wait is finally over – the highly anticipated Guyana Carnival 2019 is here and is expected to rock the country. The event was launched on Thursday and a list of events have been released that will see partyholics getting their grooves on between May 17 and 27.

Ten days of fun and excitement.

This year, the organisers have events that cater for all; the young, the old and the the in-different. The action gets underway today with two big events – the Block Soca Party billed for Main Street, Georgetown; and the All Black Affair to be held at Palm Court, Main Street.

The Soca Block Party will feature the likes of Gully Ras and Selector Diamond, Deejay Akelo, Shizzle, Biggs, Energy and others. They are expected to transform the avenue into a carnival-like atmosphere with the best in music.

The All Black will feature Deejay Banky Hype, Selector Carl, Deejay Blank, Deejay Energy and others. The action continues on Saturday with the UK Boat Cruise, Pulse Carnival Jumpstart, Stink and Dutty Jouvert in Berbice and the All Black Affair at the McKenzie Sports Club Ground, Linden.

On Sunday, there will be the NYC Fete and Boat Cruise up the Demerara River, Guyana Carnival Curry Fest at the Demerara Cricket Club Ground com-

mencing at 12:00h, the Carnival Rugby Tournament at National Park and LIAT Touch Down at Hits and Jams Water World, Providence, East Bank Demerara, staring at 16:00h.

On Monday, May 20, Farmer Nappy will headline “Rum N Ramajay”.

On Tuesday, Jamaican dancehall artistes Shensea will perform at UG Fete, along with Tamika Marshall, Michelle Big Red King, Vanilla and a host of deejays.

This event is billed for the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.

On Wednesday, one of the biggest events, Wet Wednesday, featuring Soca King Machel Montano will be held at the Guyana National Stadium. The other artistes slated to perform at Wet Wednesday are Mr Killa, Jumo “Rubber Waist” Primo, Adrian Dutchin and others.

On the same night, if you don’t want to be at the Guyana National Stadium, then Palm Court is it for “I Love Soca” with some of the best deejays in the business heating things up.

On Thursday, the Guyana Carnival Committee presents “Elysium” at the Tower poolside commencing at 15:00h, followed by “Stinging Nettles” featuring Kes the Band and Tamika Marshall on the lawns of the Arthur Chung Conference Centre commencing at 20:00h.

“Brunch Me Deh” will be held on Friday, May 24, at the Marriott Hotel commencing at 11:00h, followed by Bel Air “Champaign Life 9” at the official residence of Brian Tiwari, Garnett Street, Lamaha Gardens, featuring Trinidad’s Shal Marshall at 15:00h.

friDAY, may 17, 2019

On the same day at the National Park, there will be the “Stink and Dutty”, “Ultra” and “Chocolate” J’Ouverts. The action commences at 20:00h.

On Saturday, May 25, all roads will lead to the Guyana National Stadium for the “I Am Legend” concert, with Jamaican reggae artiste Buju Banton, First Born, Alabama and Natural Black. Showtime is 20:00h.

On Sunday, Independence Day, all eyes will be on the roads as the Masquerade Road

Parade is held. The parade will leave the Kitty round-about and head into D’Urban Park. After the tramping, the party continues with “Soca Rave” at the National Park, with the headliner being Nylah Blackman along with Patrice Roberts, Jumo Primo, Tamika Marshall, Voice, Blaxx and others.

Finally, the curtains will be pulled on the 10-day non-stop action on May 27 with “Soca and Wine” at the Promenade Gardens at 20:00h.

set for May 25

at Theatre Guild

T

he annual Miss Guyana Princess Pageant under the artistic direction of Nandre’s Kreations is poised to produce yet another pageant that caters to the pre-teen participants between the ages of eight and 12 years old.

Auditions for applicants will be held on Saturday, May 25, at the Theatre Guild Playhouse commencing at 09:00h.

After the audition and orientation, the girls will be presented to the public at a launching ceremony and charity fashion show in The Theatre Guild’s Eucalyptus Garden on Sunday, July 21.

Proceeds from the fashion launch will

go towards displaced Radio Broadcaster Mia Ritchie-Comacho and family, who lost their D’Urban Backlands home to a fire in April of this year.

Patrons will be treated to collections from local designers and the show promises to create yet another fun, family-oriented afternoon featuring some “tiny tot” models.

The Miss Guyana Princess Pageant was designed to provide each participant with the opportunity to promote school, community, talent and culture and at the same time learn more about the other participants while encouraging networking, integration and promoting social cohesion among our chil-

dren.

The princesses are each given pageant names after Disney Princesses who were characters of strength, poise, beauty and bravery.

Traditionally, the role of women in society have been greatly overlooked, however, in these contemporary times, women are empowered and emboldened to take revolutionary action that drives change within our society.

The Miss Guyana Princess Pageant is slated for Sunday, August 18, at the National Cultural Centre with an interesting twist – the princesses will be presenting on outstanding and empowering Guyanese women.

O

for May 27

n Monday, May 27, a national holiday in Guyana, partyholics on the West side are in for a treat as with the Bushy Park Beach Independence Day bacchanal titled Independence Washdown and Beach Party.

For the first time after winning the Chutney Monarch, Steven Ramphal will be performing live as well as former Chutney Monarch Bunty Singh. Also performing live will be Carib Soca Monarch finalist, Lil

Colwyn.

It will be a day of fun, excitement and good entertainment as soca meets chutney.

Known for their versatile performances, the three are bound to throw a party. The trio are prepared and ready to invade Bush Park Beach.

In addition, there will be the deejays from the Notorious Sound with West Side No 1 deejay, Danglez.

Admission to the beach is easy.

The event is sponsored by Stag – a Man’s Beer.

FRIday, MAY 17, 2019

W

hen

Chris Gayle returned to the West Indies squad in September 2017, it was just in time, with the 2018 World Cup qualifiers in sight.

Since then, with qualification sealed, he’s had

Could never have dreamt of playing so many World Cups – Chris Gayle

a sensational year of ODI batting, the peak coming during the home performances against England two hundreds and two fifties in four matches - earlier this year.

He now has the IPL out of the way, and is set to play in what would be his fifth World Cup. That’s every World Cup held since his ODI debut in September 1999.

“Honestly [I do it for] the fans, I am not going to lie. Maybe

a couple of years ago the thought did cross [that I have had enough],” he said to Press Trust of India. Then the fans came out and said ‘don’t go’. They actually drive me to go on. I know nothing lasts forever and hopefully, I can give them a few more games and it also pushes you to win the World Cup.” Gayle’s making the team in his 20th year at this level is a remarkable feat, made doubly impressive by the fact that he had 30 months of no ODI cricket after West Indies’ quarter-final exit in

the 2015 World Cup. “Never really considered thinking about it but time does fly quickly,” Gayle said.

“I could never dream of playing so many World Cups but it has happened. It shows consistency in the career.

That keeps you going and earn a lot of praise. Hard work in the last couple of has years paid off. People want to see you more and you are trying to deliver as much as possible.”

Among the challenges and a direct reason for that 30-month hiatus after 2015

- was the well-documented stand-off between players and board in the West Indies, an issue that continues to make several elite players from the region stay freelancers. A robust change has taken place recently, however, with the appointment of Ricky Skerritt as Cricket West Indies president. And with increasing success on the field under the captaincy of Jason Holder, there seems to be a decided step to move on from all parties involved.

Gayle is optimistic about the progress.

19

“We have seen changes [in the cricket board] in the last couple of months,” he said.

“Hopefully, the new team gets it right, gets the structure in place. Cricket is the most important thing for the Caribbean. Hope they take the game to where it is supposed to be.

“It will take time, of course.

Lot of things need to be rebuilt. On the field, we had a good series against England, now the World Cup is coming up and that is another opportunity for us to turn things around.” (ESPN cricinfo)

Magic, Bird to receive NBA Lifetime Achievement Awards

N

BA legends Magic Johnson and Larry Bird will once again share center stage when they receive the NBA’s Lifetime Achievement Award on June 24.

The award comes 40 years after Johnson led Michigan State to the NCAA championship in a 75-64 win over Bird’s Indiana State team on March 26, 1979.

Their matchups as the central figures in the historic Lakers-Celtics rivalry, combined with the emergence of Michael Jordan, re-energized the NBA in the 1980s.

Johnson and Bird each won three NBA Most Valuable Player awards and were selected to nine All-NBA first teams and 12 All-Star games. Both are enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as individual players and as part of the 1992 Olympic “Dream Team.”

Johnson, 59, won five NBA championships in 13 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. Bird, 62, won three titles in his 13 years with the Boston Celtics.

They will be honored at the 2019 NBA Awards show in Los Angeles. Previous winners of the Lifetime Achievement Award are Bill Russell (2017) and Oscar Robertson (2018). (Reuters)

Italian Open: Federer saves 2 match points to beat Coric

W

orld number three Roger Federer saved two break points in defeating 13th seed Borna Coric 2-6 6-4 7-6 (9-7) to reach the quarter-finals of the Italian

Open.

Federer, playing in the event for the first time since 2016, beat Joao Sousa in straight sets earlier in the day.

Coric, 22, had not played since beating Cameron Norrie on Tuesday and returned superbly to race 4-0 ahead but Federer, 37, won in two hours, 31 minutes.

There were comfortable wins for Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

It was the first meeting on clay between Federer and Coric, with the Swiss leading 3-2 on previous encounters, having won the most recent 6-2 6-2 in Dubai this year.

Having lost the opening set comprehensively, during which he was treated for a blister, Federer had his first break point opportunity at 3-2 up in the second.

Though it was not taken, a magnificent cross-court forehand created another which led to a succession of exchanges of serve, culminating in another break from Federer to seal the set in 47 minutes.

The Swiss maestro saved a break point in both the fifth and nine games of the decider but a rare wayward forehand saw him slip 3-1 behind in the tie-break.

To tumultuous cheers from the crowd in the late evening, Federer, four times a beaten finalist in the tournament, rallied and served out for victory on his second match point.

He will next face eighth-seed Stefanos Tsitsipas or Italian Fabio Fognini.

Defending champion Nadal, seeking his ninth Italian title, conceded only two games in winning his two matches on

Thursday.

The 32-year-old Spaniard, who has lost in the semi-finals of his last four events, took one hour eight minutes to beat France’s Jeremy Chardy 6-0 6-1 and six minutes fewer to see off Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia 6-1 6-0.

Nadal next plays fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, who defeated 11th-seeded Russian Karen Khachanov 7-5 3-6 6-3.

World number one Djokovic, having beaten 20-year-old Denis Shapovalov 6-1 6-3 earlier in the day, needed only an hour and three minutes to oust German Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3 6-0.

The 31-year-old Serb, who won the last of his four Italian titles in 2015, next plays seventh seed Juan Martin del Potro, who saw off Casper Ruud - the Norwegian who had progressed after Nick Kyrgios forfeited their second-round match - 6-4 6-4.

Konta wins twice in a day British number one Johanna Konta reached the Italian Open quarter-finals with a 6-2 6-4 win over Venus Williams her second match of the day.

Konta, 27, came from a set down to beat world number eight Sloane Stephens before overcoming seven-time Grand Slam winner Williams, now ranked 50th.

Williams was hampered by injury and an assured Konta won in 72 minutes.

She will play Marketa Vondrousova in the last eight in Rome after the Czech beat Russian Daria Kasatkina.

Having come from a set down to beat world number two Simona Halep earlier in the day, 19-year-old left-hander Vondrousova was again taken to three sets against Kasatkina,

Konta has won three WTA titles

recording a 7-5 2-6 6-2 win in two hours 13 minutes.

Williams received a bye into the third round after sister Serena withdrew because of a knee injury.

The 38-year-old had won her past three meetings with Konta, including the 2017 Wimbledon semi-final.

She had her right knee strapped in Thursday’s contest and, although she improved as the match wore on, Konta reached the first Premier clay-court quarter-final of her career.

World number one Naomi Osaka recorded consecutive 6-3 6-3 wins over Dominika Cibulkova and Mihaela Buzarnescu to set up a last-eight meeting with world number four Kiki Bertens.

Former French Open and Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza withdrew from her match against Victoria Azarenka with a thigh injury when 6-4 3-1 down. (BBC Sport)

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

FRIday, MAY 17, 2019

Wicket-less Allen, run-less Bravo worry for Windies ahead of WC

Fabian Allen

F

abian Allen is one of two spinning options in the West Indies World Cup (WC) squad and he has limited experience in International cricket. The 24-year old Allen, has played six One Day Internationals (ODIs) and is yet to pick up a wicket in his blooming career. His teammate, Darren Bravo had an ordinary return to the Caribbean side; in his last seven ODIs he only has one score above 50.

With the West Indies playing their final match in the Tri-nation series against Bangladesh today, Allen and Bravo may have put

themselves under pressure with their patchy form heading into the World Cup that is slated for two weeks’ time. Bravo scored a 61 since February 27, 2019 against England but he has been inconsistent from that point.

Bravo has been a concern and the great Sir Curtly Ambrose has expressed his concerns recently on the left-hander, Bravo’s form.

Allen is also a concern, with an inconsistent and less-effective Ashley Nurse being the other spin bowling option in the World Cup (WC) team, he will have to step up to this ‘A’ game quickly.

The 30-year old Bravo, is the most experienced middle-order batsman in the team with 106 ODIs and 2817 runs to his name.

Bravo who is often compared to the great Brian Lara in the technical aspect of the game, has failed to lived up to his expectations. With an average of 31.30, Bravo has only three ODI centuries and 18 half-centuries.

Due to his layoff from being absent in the West Indies teams, the likes of Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer has surpassed Bravo in terms of century scored in ODI cricket. In Bravo’s last six innings, he had scores of 61, 07*, 09* 01, 17 and 06. A player as Bravo, who possess so much class, will certainly bounce back soon but he has failed to capitalize on teams such as Ireland and Bangladesh. His teammates in Hope and Sunil Ambris have filled their boots with runs.

It seems as if this is the end of the road for Guyanese legspinner, Devandra Bishoo in white-ball cricket, since he has not attained selection to the tour to Ireland or the WC due to his ordinary season for West Indies and was involved in the homeseries against England.

Clearly, West Indies have invested in young Allen, ahead of the 33-year old Bishoo; but a mega-event as the ICC Cricket World Cup, Allen will have to be mentally strong. From the looks of it, West Indies are lacking quality spinners without an unavailable Sunil Narine, the likes of Khary Pierre and even the leg-spinner, Imran

Darren Bravo

Khan may have been better wicket-taking options for the WC. Today’s final match against Bangladesh will be an important match for the players who are in the WC squad to register a significant performance. West Indies will be encamped after this Tri-nation series and they will officially start their WC warm-up matches on May 26, 2019. The Caribbean team will meet the South Africans in their warm-up fixture where most players will be eying to earn a place in the starting XI with some stellar performances prior to the opening match on May 31agaisnt Pakistan.

Banks DIH’s Rainforest Waters Cycle Race set for tomorrow

S

ome of the country’s top cyclists will be competing in the second edition of the Banks DIH’s Rainforest Waters 11-Stage Cycle Meet on Saturday May 18 at the National Park. This race marks the return of cycling at the National Park after a few weeks’ break, and is expected to be run on the inner circuit of the Park.

This event is slated to commence from 9:00 hours local time, and will feature a 35-lap School Boys and Invitational Race as the highlight of the exciting programme. Paul De Nobrega and Christopher Griffith, both products of Team Evolution, and Team Coco’s Marcus Kilier will be looking to continue their great form. However, Deeraj Garbarran of We Stand United and Andrew Hicks who was in top form in last week’s race in Berbice are set to ride in this event.

Alanzo Ambrose of Team Alanis has been building up his form, and will no doubt be aiming for the title, along with the Arokium Memorial winner Michael Anthony and Berbice lads Balram Narine and Curtis Dey, among others.

With the feature race set as the final event, fans will see the younger riders taking part in BMX 6-9, 9-12 and 12-14 competition in addition to the Mountain Bike racers and Veterans. Known veterans Junior Niles, Ian Jackson, Lennox Jackman, Leer Nunes and Paul Choo-Wee-Nam will also be on show.

According to race organiser Hassan Mohammed, there will be a special surprise for a young outstanding rider.

guyanatimesgy.com

FRIday, may 17, 2019

21

Christianburg-Wismar Secondary v MHS in Independence Athletics C’ships

Guyana Power and Producing Inc boosting event

P

ast and present athletes from the premier track and field secondary schools in Region 10 -- Mackenzie High School (MHS) and Christianburg/ Wismar Secondary (Multi) – are set for a head-to-head Independence Day collision in what is being termed “Old School versus New School”.

In an initiative created by former athletes of the two institutions, Shawn ‘Baldhead’ McNeil formerly

CLASSIFIED ADS FOR SALE 1 COMPLETE 6 BASS MUSIC SYSTEM. TEL: 601-9855 / 253-3070 • SMALL BUS/VAN – GOOD CONDITION $380,000 NEGOTIABLE680-3863 • TOYOTA COROLLA CAR, LEFT HAND DRIVE $380,000 NEGOTIABLE -680-3863 • STAND UP FREEZER - $85,000- 680-3863

NOTICE INVITATION TO REGISTER IN THE CARICOM SECRETARIAT’S VENDORS, CONSULTANTS AND HOUSING DATABASES. The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat herewith invites all consultants and suppliers of goods and services (including those vendors who provide housing accommodation) to register as preferred suppliers. Online registration of consultants and suppliers of goods and services can be done through the web portal that is available at http:// vendors.caricom.org/. For vendors who provide rental housing accommodation, online registration in the Housing database can be done through the web portal that is available at https://housing.caricom. org/. Queries regarding the registration process in any of the databases should be addressed to: Programme Manager, Procurement, CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana. Email: procurement@caricom.org. Or procurement.group2@caricom.org APPLICATION FOR MONEY LENDER CERTIFICATE. PURSUANT TO SECTION 4 OF THE MONEY LENDER ACT. I CEDRIC JOEL WEEKES OF LOT 8 DEN AMSTEL OLD ROAD, WEST COAST DEMERARA GUYANA IS HERE

BY GIVING NOTICE THAT I HAVE APPLIED TO THE MAGISTRATE OF THE GEROGETOWN MAGISTERIAL DISTRICT FOR A CERTIFICATE UNDER THE MONEY LENDER LICENSE, AUTHORISING THE GRANT TO ME OF A MONEY LENDER LICENSE TO CARRY ON THE BUSINESS OF A MONEY LENDER UNDER THE TITLE, WEEKES FAST CASH PAWNSHOP AT LOT Y BLANKEN BURG PUBLIC ROAD WEST COAST DEMERARA. NOTICE OF ANY OBJECTION TO THE APPLICATION SHOULD BE SENT FORTHWITH TO THE CLERK OF THE COURT OF GEORGETOWN MAGISTERIAL DISTRICT AND A COPY OF SUCH NOTICE SHOULD BE SENT TO THE SUBSCRIBER CEDRIC JOEL WEEKES (APPLICANT) DATED AT GEORGETOWN DEMERARA THE DAY MAY 2019.

TO LET FURNISHED AND UNFURNISHED APARTMENT TO RENT 3 E PUBLIC ROAD LUSIGNAN -638-9803, 6564163

VACANCY • COOK-624-0033 • DRIVER AND PORTER FOR WATER DELIVERY TRUCK – 680-3863

WANTED TAILOR AND SEAMSTRESS TEL: 6019855 / 253-3070

of MHS, and Floyd Cameron formerly of ‘Multi’, the athletics championship is set for the Mackenzie sports Club ground, and among the sponsors of this inaugural meet are the Guyana Power and Producing Inc., who through Chief Executive Officer Aron Fraser has already handed over a cash donation for its promotion. On behalf of the organisers of the meet, Mrs. Haley Rutherford collected the cheque from CEO Aron Fraser, and thanked the power people for their donation.

McNeil said things are going on as planned, and other entities showing positive interest in this meet so far are beverage giants Banks DIH, Star

Party Rentals, the Guyana Defence Force’s Medical Officer Nigel Langhorne and Manager Eaton Cordis.

McNeil recalled that, as two athletes of the 1980s, he and Cameron had shared a common desire to give back to the schools they attended, and they now feel they can collectively make a bigger impression on the young athletes’ minds and at the same time include some former athletes from the two schools in taking to the field.

“We decided to host a championship in our names and pit the two schools against each other. We are calling it the “Old School vs New School Track Athletic Championship,” McNeil quipped.

Looking at what is at

stake, McNeil said in a release that, “The only thing a school will get that the other wouldn’t is the bagging rights and trophy, which is being sponsored by Marilyn DeAbreu from the GIVE Foundation, as she has sponsored the winning trophy.”

The events will be for past athletes in the Over20, Over-40, Over-50 categories, and normal events will be for the athletes who are currently attending school.

He said, “We are also giving each school nothing less than $100,000, (which) will go towards their individual track and field programme,” and hinted, “we also plan to recognise eight former athletes, two males and two females from each school.”

RFA Champions League…

Quarter-final action concludes

A

ction in the quarterfinal playoffs of the Rupununi Football Association’s (RFA’s) Champions League continued on Sunday at the Saints Sports Club ground in St Ignatius Village with the first matchup of the female quarterfinals featuring Guyana Rush Saints versus the Sun Parakeets, whom they dominated for the entire match, in the process administering them a 5-0 thrashing.

Star of that encounter, Amanda Cabral, scored her goals in the 16th, 24th, 31st and 87th minutes, with a goal in support of the effort coming from Rosie Ritchie in the 65th minute.

In the male category, the Kanuku Harpies defeated the Jaguars FC 4-2, while Quarter-final 2 commenced with female teams Kanuku Harpies and Flash FC battling it out in a one-sided affair that the Harpies lost 1-5.

In Quarterfinal 3, the female Paiwomak Warriors defeated the Gladiators FC 2-1 in a thrilling encounter, thanks to the efforts of Samantha Roberts who registered goals in the 21st and 85th minutes respectively, while Vandette

Guyana Power and Distribution Inc’s Aron Fraser presents a cheque to Haley Rutherford of the MHS/Multi track meet

Transcend Entertainment’s Tapeball Tournament for June 30

M

Flash FC also advanced in the female quarter-finals match-up

Henry scored the lone goal for Gladiators in the 70th minute.

And in quarterfinal 4, the male Guyana Rush Saints managed to tie their match with the Strikers FC 2-2. Paiwomak Warriors FC also defeated Gladiators FC 2-1 to culminate the quarterfinals.

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).

The male competing teams 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 provides a platform for both male and female teams from across the Rupununi to showcase their skills and talents. Teams are competing for a first place prize of $500,000, while second and third place will receive $300,000 and $150,000 respectively. Medals and trophies are included in the prizes. Prizes for the Most Valuable Player and Best Goal Keeper will also be up for grabs.

The return legs will be played on May 18, 19, 25 and 26.

ore than 20 teams have signalled their interest in competing in the third annual Transcend Entertainment’s Seven-a-Side Independence Cricket Festival which is scheduled to be held on June 30 and July 1at the National Cultural Centre Tarmac in Georgetown, with action commencing at 20:00 hrs on both days.

Some of the teams that are expected to participate are: Team Corruption, Village Rams, Tallawahs United, Tarmac, Eccles All Stars, Outlaws and Hangover. Many other teams are expected to participate.

The organizer, Dodson, told Guyana Times Sport that the initiative behind holding the tournament is to provide opportunity for players to continue their cricket even with the current weather pattern. There have thus far been three new sponsors on board, namely Regal Stationery & Computer Centre, Movement Auto Rental & Bus Service, and Sankar’s Auto Works.

Dodson related that

during the May-June rainy season, there is a decrease in hardball cricket, as most grounds are washed out.

At a simple presentation ceremony, Director of Sport, Christopher Jones, said he is very happy that the event will be contested after already being postponed. He also said he endorses the event, and sees it as one that would bring people together.

This event, which has gained the support of the National Sports Commission (NSC), is so far sponsored by Superbet, Banks DIH, Ramps Logistics Ltd, Imperial Trading, Red Carpet Wash Bay, Regal Stationery and Computer Centre, Star Party Rentals, Xavier’s Investment, Movement Auto Sales, Precision Auto Works, W&J Enterprise, Fung-A-Fat Hatchery, Ole’s Jewellery, Seeta’s Bar, Regent Household Electronics, Royal Real Estate, Church’s Chicken, Fireside Grill, Magic City, S&D Enterprises, Movement Auto Rental & Bus Service, and Sankar’s Auto Works.

CONCACAF Beach Soccer C’ships 2019…

Golden Jags end 2019 stint on a high

G

uyana finished their CONCACAF Beach Soccer campaign on a high after suffering two crushing losses in their group.

Drawn in ‘Group D’ of the tournament, along with El Salvador, Guadeloupe and Belize, the local team knew it would take excellent playing and skill to help them advance out of the group stage. Playing their final group match on

Thursday against Belize, Guyana registered a composed performance to bag their first win 3-2.

The local team was on the verge of a win last Wednesday, but faltered to a loss in the penalty stage.

The Guyanese boys had tied their game with Guadeloupe 3-all, but could not hold on, and went down 2-0.

In their first game, Guyana had lost to El Salvador 8-4.

Overall, the Guyanese ended with three points and 10 goals scored in total. They finished third in the group, ahead of Belize, and are left to ponder that they could have advanced if they had held out during the penalty stage with Guadeloupe. El Salvador finished on top of ‘Group D’ with 2 wins and six points, and Guadeloupe finished second with a win and a draw.

A snippet of the final match which Guyana won

22

FRIday, MAY 17, 2019

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

Hand-in-Hand 1-day U-19 Inter-county Tournament…

Anderson and company confident of remaining dominant – B’ce lead tournament with 17.7 points Garfield Benjamin will be hungry for a big-score

By Brandon Corlette

T

he Kevlon Andersonled Berbice team remains a dominant

unit in cricket in Guyana.

From the conclusion of the three-day tournament to the second round of the oneday tournament, they have

remained the strongest team. Berbice are the double defending champions, and are on the verge of completing another double un-

GFF-KFC Under-20 Tournament…

Richards Jr’s heroics boots Rivers View win

O

n a rain-damped pitch at the Bartica Secondary School Ground, Mil Ballers FC’s hopes of going forward in the Bartica leg of the GFFKFC Under-20 Tournament were swamped by a resilient Rivers View FC and Mark Richards Jr. Richards, with a depleted team behind him, continuously raided the Mil Ballers’ goal area, and eventually notched four goals to his name before the final whistle. Coach Kenneth Edwards team’s attack strategy helped them to overcome a hardy opponent, 4 goals to 1, with Colin May burying one at the other end for Mil Ballers.

Rivers View will now wait to meet the winners after the Lazio FC and Agatash United FC battle in the sec-

der Anderson’s captaincy.

Speaking to this reporter after their 32-run win over Demerara, Berbice captain, the West Indies U-19 selectee Kevlon Anderson, said it was a good feeling to come out on top against Demerara.

“Our bowlers came to the forefront…and delivered under pressure,” Anderson explained.

He said that the likes of Nigel Deodat, Leon Swamy and Kelvin Umrao, among others, kept it simple. Anderson, who has not had the best of inter-county tournaments with the bat, has been impressive with the ball. In the recently-concluded second round match against Demerara, he starred with three wickets in a player-of the-match performance.

Berbice are leading the points table with 17.7 points, while Demerara are on 9.7 points and the Guyana U-17 Team has 9.3 points. Essequibo continues to struggle at the bottom with only 0.3 points.

The dominant Berbice team will play the Select U-17 Team in their third round match today, Friday May 17, and are expected to feature in Sunday’s final.

Peeking into the future, Anderson said his team are confident of reaching the final and coming out on top. “Everyone is fully confident. We got this (the match) and it’s just time for us to execute all our plans”, Anderson told this reporter.

Heading into the third round today, Berbice will continue to rely on the in-form Junior Sinclair, and the out-of-colour Alex

Rising Stars, Lazio, Wolves United, Potaro Strikers, Rivers View, Mil Ballers and Agatash and will run from May 13 to 19 at the Bartica Secondary School Ground with match from 16:00 hrs.

The winner of each leg will participate in the national playoffs in Georgetown.

The association matches are from April 27 – May 20 while the National playoffs are May 31 – June 9 and eligible players must be born on or after January 1, 1999.

At the association level, should scores remain levelled at 90 minutes, the match goes straight to penalty kicks, while for national playoffs, extra time will be given.

Prizes for the tournament are as follows: first place, $500,000; second place, $300,000; and third place, $200,000.

The tournament is the Bartica leg of a national collaboration between the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) and the franchise-holders of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC)

Algoo who had dominated the early part of the three-day tournament.

The middle order looks solid with Kevlon Anderson, Garfield Benjamin, Seon Glasgow and the new-comer Deonauth Persaud.

Berbice bowlers have shown their worth with the bat; the likes of Nigel Deodat and Leon Swamy offering more with the bat.

Their opponent, Select U-17, will continue to rely on Matthew Nandu and Mavindra Dindyal, who are their most competent players, along with Chanderpaul Ramraj, who has bowled well. Former Guyana U-15 captain Zeynul Ramsammy and middle order batsman Andre Seepersuad are expected to play against the Berbicians at Everest.

Meanwhile, Demerara will be aiming to bounce

back against a jaded Essequibo team when they meet at GCC Bourda. The struggling Sachin Singh will be eager to take advantage of the much weaker Essequibo, since he has not had a score over 50 in this year’s inter-county tournament. Robin Williams, another talented batsman, will be aiming to get some runs, while Adrian Hinds and Alphius Bookie will be aiming to convert their starts from the second round.

The bowling department is no doubt led by West Indies U-19 World Cup player Ashmead Nedd. He will be supported by Guyana U-19 speedster Qumar Torrington and talented off-spinner Joel Spooner.

Both matches will commence from 9:30h local time.

Linden Guinness “Greatest of the Streets” Competition

Mark Richards scored four for Rivers View FC

ond semi-final on Saturday.

The first semi-final will be contested on today between Potaro Strikers FC and Rising Stars FC. The Bartica leg of the tournament will be played among eight clubs, namely Beacon,

West Indies U-19 selectee and Berbice captain Kevlon Anderson

Who will amaze in tomorrow’s final?

T

he fact that a new champion will be crowned is enough motivation for the two combatants High Rollers and Amazings to give the anticipated large turnout a fitting conclusion to this year’s Linden Zone of the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Competition.

Set to be played tomorrow evening at the Mackenzie Market tarmac, the two survivors of penalty shootouts in their respective semi-finals are promising a riveting showdown for the coveted title that goes with $400,000, winning trophy and an automatic berth to the nation al playoffs later this year.

The loser will go home with $150,000, trophy and a spot in the national playoffs, while the third and

fourth place finishers win $100,000 and $75,000 respectively along with trophies.

High Rollers slayers of defending champion Silver Bullets in their semi- final clash should be brimming with confidence following their impressive performances Jehu Regis and Shane Haynes will most likely be the key for victory for High Rollers and they would be hoping to duplicate their form and win in regulation time.

On the other hand, Amazings have proven to be the most deadly in the penalty shootout and while they would be eager to settle things in regulation time, they certainly would not feel any discomfort if it goes to penalties to determine the outcome.

In the playoff for third place, dethroned champion Silver Bullets will no doubt be aiming to show the fans how unfortunate they were not to meet the final by closing the competition with a win.

They face a good Capital Storm team that will also want to prove that their last four loss was just as unfortunate.

However, before that there will be a few exhibition games where the winner will take home $60,000 and this segment is the appropriate precursor for the championship game.

Expected to be present are officials of Banks DIH Ltd including Guinness Brand Manager Lee Baptiste, Branch Manager Shondel Easton among others.

guyanatimesgy.com

FRIday, MAY 17, 2019

23

Independence Classic to feature 273 athletes

By Jemima Holmes

T

his weekend over 200 Guyanese athletes sourced from all around the country will gather at the Leonora Track and Field Center, with hopes to make the podium in the AAG’s Independence Classics.

The two day event that will take place over the weekend, May 18 and 19, has quickly become a staple in the athletics calendar, with this year being the fourth edition. The event is coordinated through collaborative efforts of the Athletics Association of Guyana and the Guyana Overseas Based Sports Association.

Speaking to the media at a press briefing on Thursday, President of the AAG Aubrey Hutson shared the magnitude of this year’s competition.

“But so far we have 273 athletes set to compete over the two day period. This is going to be a tough task for the athletics association of Guyana and it’s technical team because we have some events with very, very large numbers.

For example, the 800M has 24 athletes. It’s going to be good competition,” Hutson stated.

Of the clubs mentioned, the Guyana Police Force has the largest contingent thus far with 74 athletes, Running Brave is a close second with 58 athletes and Upper Demerara Schools (Linden) will be represented by 24 athletes.

Also bring 24 athletes is the Hopetown Flames Club, out of Berbice.

The competition that will feature athletes in 8 and Under, 9 – 11 years, 12-14 years, 15-17 years, 18 years and above and the over 35 years Masters.

For the younger categories, the players will be expected to participate in four events, namely the 80M race, 400M race, turbo javelin throw and long jump.

When these events are

Anisha Gibbons is presented with a javelin by GOBSA’s David Thomas in the presence of Orin Thomas and her coach Raymond Daw

completed, then an overall winner will be determined.

AAG President Hutson shares why: “Because we don’t them to specialize too early.

We had the classic case of Princess Browne who was a 200-400 athlete all her life, she moved to another club and they said let us try the triple jump and in that first year she got a bronze medal at the CARIFTA games. So we want to give the athletes the opportunity to try everything at that young age, before they start specializing at the youth level,” the

ing them to the sport at the earliest age is beneficial to development.

“The question is, why am I so Interested in the youths. We cannot have adults without first being a youth, therefore we have to start identifying the talents from a young age. It is impossible to get what we want if we don’t start at a young age. We want to make sure we can capture that talent young and groom it, so we’ll definitely be ready when the kids reach Junior CARIFTA age and beyond,” Thomas explained.

AAG President Aubrey Hutson receives batons from GOBSA’s Gordon Lewis

AGG boss explained.

Orin Thomas of the Guyana Overseas Based Sports Association is confident in the belief that athletes should be groomed from a young age. Citing the accomplishment of 14 year old Anisha Gibbons, he explained why introduc-

Also in attendance was CARIFATA Under 17 Gold Medalist Anisha Gibbons and her coach Raymond Daw. A donation of two Javelins was made to the fourteen year old star.

Addressing Anisha’s abilities and this weekend’s competition, Daw ex-

pressed confidence in his athletes and encouraged more female athletes to get in the game.

“I can safely say for my athlete there is no competition. Competition in female javelin is lacking. I would like to encourage more females to take up Javelin throwing, I think it’s a very good event. Unfortunately, most females don’t have the equipment,” Daw confidently said.

On the other hand, the tight lipped Gibbons noted that she feels normal and is ready for the weekend’s competition.

The action will run off from 10am on Saturday and Sunday and an entrance fee of $300 will

be charged at the gate.

MAongst the Sponsors for the Independence classic are Banks DIH, Forrestor Lumber Yard, Sybil’s of the USA, Guyana Committee of Services and the National Sports Commission (NSC).

The gift that keeps on giving

While the focus was on briefing the media for the upcoming vent, the Guyana Overseas Based Sports Association took the opportunity to donate some items to the Athletics Association of Guyana and young Anisha Gibbons, which will surely go a long way.

Shortly after Gibbons returned from the 2019 CARIFTA Games with her

glistening medal, it was disclosed that the javelin she used for practice is 45 years old. As such, a gift a two javelins was presented to the 14 year old, which she intends to share with her colleagues.

“We are very happy to present you with this javelin so that you can continue shining,” David Thomas of the GOBSA stated.

On the other hand, the GOBSA followed up their last donation of two computer to the AAG with a collection of batons and running shoes, on Thursday.

AAG Presidnet Aubrey Hutson was very pleased with the Association’s continued supported and expressed his gratitude.

FRIday, MAY 17, 2019

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

guyanatimesgy.com

Page 23

Independence Classic to feature 273 athletes Hand-in-Hand 1-day U-19 Inter-county Tournament…

Anderson and company confident of remaining dominant – B’ce leads tournament with 17.7 points

Team Berbice are a confident unit

Ashmead Nedd pulls during one of his promising innings

Page 22

GUYANA TIMES - www.guyanatimesgy.com, email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, NEWS HOTLINE: 231-8063 EDITORIAL: 223-7230, 223-7231, 231-0544, 225-7761 SPORT: sport@guyanatimesgy.com SALES AND MARKETING: 231-8064 - marketing@guyanatimesgy.com - PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY GUYANA TIMES INC.