Guyana Times International 13-Dec-19

INTERNATIONAL THE BEACON OF TRUTH

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You can also read Guyana Times daily edition online at www.guyanatimesgy.com ISSUE NO. 478

WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 15, 2019

Granger downplays 'firing' of mission heads See story on page 3

‘Hold us accountable’

- Ali promises clean, transparent governance Peoples Progressive Party/ Civic Presidential Candidate Irfaan Ali, a few days ago, took some time off his busy schedule to distribute copies of the party’s Manifesto and listen to the concerns of residents in Downtown Georgetown (See story on page 7)

Bisram’s murder trial stalls over State’s unpreparedness Page 9

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NEWS 3

WEEK ENDING december 15, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Granger downplays 'firing' of mission heads

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Hamley Case

ix Guyanese diplomats who served in foreign states were fired by the David Grangerled Administration but the President downplayed the issue on Wednesday, saying that his Administration’s actions were “just a planned change”.

This newspaper understands that those terminated are Hamley

Bayney Karran

Case, who was posted in the United Kingdom; Bishwaishwar Ramsaroop, stationed in the twin-island republic Trinidad and Tobago; Clarissa Riehl, who was posted in Canada; Bayney Karran in China, Cheryl Miles in Venezuela, and JR Deep Ford in Switzerland. Riehl had taken the Government to task in 2016, when

Cheryl Miles

Attorney General Basil Williams attempted to take control of a plot of land she owns at Middle and Carmichael Streets, Georgetown under the Acquisition of Lands for Public Purposes Act. Efforts to contact the diplomats for comments on Wednesday proved futile.

Along with the recalled diplomats, Director-General of the

Bishwaishwar Ramsaroop

Foreign Affairs Ministry, Audrey Waddell was replaced by a permanent secretary. She is cited as one of the newest recruits for a diplomatic position outside of Guyana.

On the sidelines of an event at the Ministry of the Presidency on Wednesday, the President downplayed the situation by insisting that it was the

JR Deep Ford

Clarissa Riehl

Government’s intention to recruit new diplomats who have reached the eligible requirements.

According to him, there is no ‘shakeup’.

“There has been no shakeup. At the start of my presidency, I had made it clear that the Ambassadors who would be appointed would be there for only three years and that with my Government’s intention

to professionalise the foreign service, that is to say, to reduce or remove political appointees and to allow career officers who had been recruited as diplomats and have been trained and educated as diplomats, to be diplomats,” Granger said.

He further asserted that the Guyanese Ambassadors and High continued on page 8

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WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 15, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

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EDITORIAL

Scapegoating sugar

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ecause of its ethnicised workforce due to historical circumstances, the sugar industry has been used by the People’s National Congress (PNC) as a trope for accusing the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) of making decisions based on political or racial considerations, to favour its traditional base. The decision to embark on the Skeldon Modernisation Project, which included a new factory, has been severely criticised by the PNC when in Opposition, conveniently ignoring that the project was approved by all stakeholders including the World Bank (as a lender) and the European Union (as the major purchaser of our sugar).

The background is succinctly summarised by Booker Tate, which managed GuySuCo, and had been brought in by the PNC in 1990: “Background: The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) approached Booker Tate in 2000 to assist them in developing their sugar industry with the intention of increasing sugar production, lowering operating costs and thereby improving profitability. Booker Tate carried out a viability and expansion study which recommended developing sugar production in the east of the country where agricultural conditions were more favourable than in the west. This resulted in GuySuCo deciding to construct a new cane sugar factory at the Skeldon Sugar Estate, in the Berbice region of Guyana and the Skeldon Sugar Modernisation Project was realised.

Project Scope: The overall scope of the project included the construction of an 8400 tonne cane/day sugar factory as well as the development of around 5000 ha of surrounding land to provide a consistent supply of high-quality cane. Technical: One of Booker Tate’s roles as the Client’s Representative was to provide a comprehensive and detailed factory specification which incorporated latest designs and technologies. The overall factory design was undertaken by a Chinese design institute and approved by Booker Tate…Included in the factory design is a cogeneration plant which allows the factory to generate 10 MW of electricity into the national grid, and provide a much-needed stable power supply for the region. Booker Tate’s role included the monitoring of construction progress and ensuring quality standards of workmanship were maintained.”

The factory was commissioned in 2008, but never performed to specifications and Booker Tate was let go. No one excepting the PNC has questioned the rationale for the Skeldon Expansion Project.

The PNC is now once again using the sugar trope to question the motives of the PPP when it announced that it would be reopening the four shuttered sugar estates after it returned to office next March. Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo explained that the PNC was using only a financial analysis of GuySuCo’s balance sheet, which was in the red, to justify its closure, but instead should have used an “economic” analysis. But, the PNC Government had ignored its CoI – including its appointed Chair, Clive Thomas – which used those same financial criteria to recommend that the subsidies continue for another three years, during which the Corporation would embark on a stipulated consolidation plan, and be brought to a point of sale.

Unlike what the PNC Government has been insisting, it would not have been “pouring money into a black hole”.

The economic analysis proposed by the Opposition is a standard tool used by Governments in making decisions even in this era of “market fundamentalism”, which preaches that the market should be used to make decisions such as those posed by GuySuCo. “In general, the focus of economics is more “big-picture” in nature, such as how a country, region, or market is performing. Economics also focuses on public policy, while the focus of finance is more companyor industry-specific.”

In the case of sugar, the Government would look at the externalities provided by GuySuCo, such as drainage for the coast; foreign currencies brought in; taxes paid; spending by employees in the communities and its multiplier effect, etc.

The US Government used these economic rather than financial criteria in 2008-2009 to inject more than US$1 billion, when it declared that its banks and auto makers were “too big to fail”. They were all turned around, as will the entire GuySuCo.

The Vryman’s Erven Secondary School in New Amsterdam held its graduation ceremony yesterday in the school’s auditorium and the graduates were encouraged to be goaloriented as they move into another phase of life and development. (DPI photo)

When will the President dissolve Parliament?

Dear Editor, The vulgar refusal of Mr Granger to dissolve Parliament in keeping with his obligations under the Constitution of Guyana further exposes the flagrant dictatorial hegemony of his and the PNC’s abuse of the presidential authority.

Given the continuous and relentless exposure of their clandestine contaminating intent at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), the cabal now attempts to further influence and scapegoat the organisation’s willing or unwilling patrimony to justify the ongoing exploitation of Guyanese decency. Citizens must, therefore, be prepared and decisively stop this runaway train now!

Public media recently reported the most unacceptable and flimsy excuses proffered by Joseph Harmon who said that “there is a likelihood that additional funds would be needed to facilitate the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections,” while Mr Granger also spoke to the media about having to access funds in the event of national emergencies.

The exigencies to which this abusive stand-in president refers are only in the conception of the PNC and their conveniently dumb coalition partners.

Although by now, most citizens have recognised the untrustworthiness of Mr Granger and his cabal from the fallacies they have adumbrated, one would have hoped in advancing national interests for some form of validity in the cabal’s statements. These false pretences, however, would be quickly recognised and extinguished with even the most cursory examination of the GECOM financial scenario.

The facts reveal that the or-

ganisation received over G$9 billion between April 2019 and November 2019. In the 2019 National Budget, appropriations approved for GECOM amounted to G$5.546 billion, while Parliament also approved an additional amount in the sum of G$3.482 billion in May 2019. This was after James Patterson indicated to caretaker President Granger, that the Commission lacked the financial resources to facilitate early elections.

Further, a substantial amount of money was ‘rolled over’ from 2018 for which GECOM must be accountable.

It is of note that the Auditor General had serious questions with respect to the 2014 and 2015 Audit done for GECOM, and it is important that Mr Keith Lowenfield clear the entire documented audit queries in the interest of transparency.

Certainly, GECOM will have to account for all excessive and lavish spending, and the GECOM budget must address the use of over G$10 billion before other allocations are considered. How they will account for the use of these finances will be interesting because the House-to-House (H2H) activities were truncated, and GECOM never utilised more than G$4 billion to conduct General and Regional Elections.

At the time of writing, it is a known fact that audits for the years 2016, 2017, 2018, and now 2019 are pending. We must, therefore, not allow our taxpayers’ money to fund the reported thieving occurrences at the GECOM Secretariat.

There is simply no trust, confidence, or accountability in the Lowenfield styled operations, even as we depend on the involvement of these same people to deliver credible elections.

It is, therefore, necessary that Chairperson Justice Claudette Singh move swiftly to address the counterchecks towards restoring the trust, confidence, and accountability, that are critical to the delivery of free and fair elections.

Further, the question of the renewal of Lowenfield’s contract must be carefully looked at and fully discussed at the level of the Commission, since the renewal of any staff contract falls under its mandate.

Given the apparent conjuring up which resulted in the Lowenfield’s partisan H2H, it is very necessary for this column to sustain the strong public advocacy for improvements regarding the Secretariat’s apparent hesitancy to provide timely information with respect to the Revised List of Electors (RLE), and by extension, the Official List of Electors (OLE).

Political parties expect to have sufficient time to scrutinise the RLE before GECOM produces the OLE. In this respect, they must be given a suitable period to review the changes, and not be overrushed at Lowenfield’s fantasy.

It is also a known fact that in addition to the PPP/C and APNU, there are at this time about six emerged parties who have signalled their intention to contest the upcoming elections. These parties would have to find backers of their list from the OLE and GECOM’s delays and inefficacy is not helping the process.

Rather, the delayed approach would serve to complicate the fluency required in a transparent process.

Readers would have observed that Vincent Alexander, after making all sorts of wicked and slanderous contrary continued on page 9

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WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 15, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Jordan defends decision to deposit Guyana’s oil funds offshore

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mphasising that Guyana’s oil money will be safe and better able to earn interest in the hands of the United States Federal Reserve, both Finance Minister Winston Jordan and Central Bank Governor, Dr Gobind Ganga defended the move on Wednesday.

The two officials met on Wednesday at the Finance Ministry to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that laid the groundwork for the operationalisation and management of the Natural Resource Fund (NRF).

When asked about the decision to bank the oil revenue at the Federal Reserve, Ganga noted that Guyana has long-held foreign assets at the Federal Reserve and it is in safe hands, when the other available options are considered.

Moreover, Jordan pointed out that Guyana stands to make an average of three per cent interest on its investment.

The Minister noted that Guyana could not earn interest if the money was saved locally.

“There are different classes of assets. And these different classes

of assets are invested in different markets, institutions and so on. The aim is to meet an average of 32 per cent longterm (interest),” he said.

“After investing in all these different assets, the aim over time is 3 per cent. So sometimes you may get 1.5 per cent, sometimes you might be lucky to get 4 and a half per cent. Sometimes we might get 3.2, 2.8 per

cent. The safer the asset, the lower the interest”.

NRF Act

Part VI of the act speaks to the management of the fund and states that the Minister shall be responsible for the overall management of the fund and shall – (a) be responsible for preparing the Investment Mandate and include

the items specified in section 36; (b) when preparing or amending the Investment Mandate, seek the advice of the Investment committee established under section 13; (c) be assisted by the Senior investment Adviser and Analyst; and (d) enter into an operational agreement with the Bank for the operational management of the Fund.

Section 12 (I) states that the Bank shall be responsible for the operational management of the Fund and shall manage the Fund in accordance with the Investment Mandate and the operational agreement. It further noted that the operational agreement shall state (a) the fee charged by the Bank for the operational management of

the Fund;(b) the liability for paying damages to the Government for losses that occur due to negligence or intent on the part of the bank or private mangers in managing the Fund and (c) all other matters required for the effective operational management of the Fund.

The Federal Reserve The Act also provides for the committee to include a media representative proposed by the Guyana Press Association (GPA).

Other entities that will have to propose representatives include the Guyana Bar Association, the Guyana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (GY-EITI), Transparency Institute of Guyana Incorporated (TIGI), the Guyana Consumers’ Association and the various trade unions.

The Act specifically excludes persons such as Members of Parliament, Ministry staff, persons of unsound mind, ex-convicts and the bankrupt from serving on the Committee. It also lists the functions of the Committee, which will include monitoring turn to page 13

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Sugar workers kept Guyana economically alive during turbulent 1970s and 1980s

Dear Editor, We need big structural changes in Guyana that create new value and we need a grassroots movement to get it done. This is what Team Granger does not understand – they are econom-

ically destructive rather than value creative.

What Team Granger did to the sugar belt was a failure to do three vital things: improve operations; effectively tap the potential value of the human beings in the in-

dustry, and finally, unleash the potential of the assets.

The sugar industry in Guyana is a “country within a country” and cannot be treated as if it is some standalone company. So when the bean

counters rush forward using the cash flows as a means to analyse an outcome, it highlighted clearly how they have missed the entire point.

Financial feasibility is not the same as economic feasibility. Mr Bharrat

Granger has disregarded the Constitution yet Caricom remains silent Dear Editor, It is a body or organisation that is supposed to represent the “Caribbean Community,” that is, every last member in its jurisdiction, however, to date, this organisation has remained the most partisan and racially biased in the Caribbean.

I make those bold remarks after reviewing their actions as it regards the political situation in Guyana.

Up until this time, Caricom has been reticent on matters of urgent attention and maybe intervention, but they remain deaf and undisturbed to the goings-on in Guyana.

Their reaction in the present circumstances betrays their previous stance on things in Guyana especially when the PPP/C party was in Government. In those circumstances, they asked for respect and for the PPP/C to abide by the Constitution, but now is strangely silent in the face of gross constitutional violations by the

Granger Government.

So, where have their voice gone, have they suddenly gone to sleep or deaf altogether? The answer is they are neither of the two, the only thing this time around is that they have become more duplicitous and deeply involved in their deceit. They act totally oblivious to the political situation in Guyana because they have to speak to “one of their own” now and they are not prepared to do that. They are called to discipline or at least reprimand an errant Government, but they would not say a word.

Had it been the PPP/C caught up in such atrocities, the movers and shakers at Caricom would have sprung into action to get rid of them, they would have done all that is necessary to force that Administration to conform. However, this time it is, as it were, “one of their own” so act as if you are amnesiac, pretend as if nothing serious has happened.

Granger has disregarded the Constitution yet Caricom remains silent. He has turned up his nose on every directive given by the courts to the point where his Government is an illegal entity at the present moment. He continues to act in defiance of the Constitution and in addition, is spending millions of our tax dollars on campaign pursuits while the entire populace lays waste.

This brings us to the question, is Caricom interested in democracy or the rule of law in our country? And the answer comes back with a resounding no! As far as Guyana is concerned, for all intents and purposes, the democratic process is dead. We are not talking about a Caricom Body that is some distance away from Guyana, we are talking about an organisation that is right here in our midst, a Caribbean homegrown organisation that is acting aloof to our democratic process. It is most

despicable – and if I may add – racist to say the least that this foolishness should exist. But, exist it does and flourishes all under the direct auspices of the Caribbean Community.

Well, I would not mince words with what I am about to say, but suffice it to say was I the next president of Guyana I would kindly ask Caricom to relocate to someplace else that is more conducive to that sort of deceitful behaviour. And don’t you dare call me draconian because my position would not have been a unique occurrence in the Caribbean, as history would have proven that when another regional organisation, The WICBC became inimical to the interest of the Bajans they kicked them out of Barbados.

So, my advice to Caricom is to come clean with the Guyana situation or get out.

Respectfully, Neil Adams

Bullying in our schools needs to be addressed from all fronts Dear Editor, I know the issue has been discussed at length in various fora, but I ask you for some space in your newspaper to offer my views on the matter of the recent spate of fights and cases of bullying in schools.

For decades the public education system has had to deal with fights and bullying in the school system.

As a Guyanese in the diaspora, I should say that these issues are not isolated to Guyana.

These are matters that the education systems across the globe are forced to deal with on a daily basis.

However, this must

not be interpreted as me arguing that the Guyanese education system should be relaxed in its efforts to address these issues. The Ministry is working and I am sure we can agree that more needs to be done.

At the end of the day Editor, these are behavioural issues which are linked to the upbringing and socialisation of children within our society. We have children that are teasing and bullying their peers and we have students that don’t know how to deal with situations where they are provoked.

The first place where the socialisation process

begins is the home Editor.

However, we must be realistic and understand that children still learn some behavioural traits away from home.

This is why it is imperative that parents and guardians pay greater attention to their children. Parents might be teaching their children one thing and when around their friends or other relatives they are taught something different and may end up embracing the wrong values and principles which are displayed through their deeds.

Editor, I say all these things to make the point that the display of violence in schools can

only be stopped or significantly reduced if we change the quality of our upbringing of children thereby improving the quality of citizens that are produced.

This would significantly reduce the strain placed on social services in this country and the Judiciary because if children embrace violent behaviours, some of them become menaces to society when they become adults.

Children need to be taught that they must not bully others and why.

They must be taught how to deal with instances when they are provoked to anger. They must turn to page 11

Jagdeo seems to be one of the few that get it; Guysuco is not financially profitable in local currency but is economically viable from a human development perspective and a key source of foreign exchange inflows into the Central Bank.

This and only this is the crux of the matter.

There is more to GuySuCo than quantitative metrics. There is a bigger economic issue as to what GuySuCo does for rural Demerara and rural Berbice. Regional areas like the East Coast of Demerara and Corentyne were devastated after Mr Granger and his team closed four (4) sugar estates in a most uncompassionate manner.

The facts will show that the West Bank of Demerara went into an economic tailspin and is now a social and economic mess, so much so that places like Wales and Patentia are depressed communities these days when they once were thriving economic hubs where people lived in dignity and had jobs. Jobs matter!

What Mr Granger failed to do was to focus on human development. Rather, he fell for the trap set by his bean counters and got mesmerised by the cash flows, clearly unaware of the fact that cash in fungible when it comes to running a nation. Mr Granger clearly is not someone who understands the big picture of human empowerment and how it is tied to national development.

What was done on the sugar belt was the following: Team Granger failed to treat the fired employees with dignity, fairness, and respect.

Today there are massive levels of human mental illness across these former estates, which culminate in the expansion of social ills, poverty, and human inefficiency. Many of these people have lost their purpose in life and are struggling to reinvent themselves.

So if Dr Ali and the PPP/C can immediately re-open two (2) of the factories it will add value immediately to the nation, unlike the wasted resources lost on the failed billion-dollar projects like the D’Urban Park Parade Ground

and the two (2) GDF aircraft that remain unserviceable.

Guyana has failed to honour its commitment to the sugar workers who kept the country economically alive during the turbulent 1970s and 1980s. No one is reflecting on the sugar levy that was drained from the workers to feed the nation. That is why the comments from Mr Robert Badal is uninformed and disappointing. Mr Badal is happy to secure hundreds of millions of dollars in tax holidays for his personal business but is unprepared to offer the same sort of comparable and equitable financial benefits to thousands of ordinary sugar workers.

Until Mr Badal can put himself in the shoes of the fired sugar workers, he has placed himself in the unenviable position of being unfit to speak of their plight of the sugar industry.

The manner in which this sugar industry was closed lost more value for the nation than it gained and this is reflected in the head office cost, which moved from 20 per cent of the operating cost before the closures to approximately 35 per cent today.

That is not progress, Mr Badal.

In the final analysis, Dr Mohammed Irfan Ali and the PPP/C have placed their focus on human development. The focus of the PPP/C and Dr Ali, as I am reading in the “summary version” of their manifesto, is to ensure that the tangible and intangible assets of the industry can be best leveraged.

As a turnaround specialist who did this for a living as a former banker in the UK, the loss of value created by the decisions from Team Granger may never ever be recovered but re-opening at least Enmore and Rose Hall on Day One of the PPP/C taking office will roll back some of the lost value and half of a bread is certainly better than no bread at all.

Think about this.

Can some of the Wales Estate sugar workers be relocated to Canje to power the Rose Hall factory?

Sincerely, Sase Singh

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WEEK ENDING december 15, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

‘Hold us accountable’ - Ali promises clean, transparent governance

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rfaan Ali, the Presidential Candidate of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), has committed to strongly disciplining his Ministers, even having them fired, if they are found to be disrespectful to the people.

During a recent outreach to Moraikobai Village in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), Ali reflected on the incident where Minister with responsibility for Labour, Keith Scott, insinuated that the Indigenous peoples are greedy.

“As your President, if one of my Ministers make a statement like that they will have to hand in their resignation because no Minister, no Government has the right to disrespect people, disrespect their communities and disrespect their wishes,” Ali posited.

Minister Scott had staunchly refused to

PPP/C Presidential Candidate, Dr Irfaan Ali being welcomed by residents of Moraikoba

apologise for making the remark, even under fire from various officials including executives of the National Toshaos Council (NTC).

The Minister had called the Indigenous peoples “avaricious” during a 2017 sitting of the National Assembly.

“For that statement alone, this Government should be removed and for not apologising, they should be given no vote from this community in protest,” Ali expressed to rounds of applause from the community, which comprises of mainly Amerindian folks.

Meanwhile, Ali called on the people to hold his Government accountable and ensure they deliver on the promises they are currently making.

“You can hold my feet and your next

Government feet to the fire. And, if we do not deliver, based on this contract we are establishing with you, then you will get to make a choice five years from March 2020 and you will let us know how you feel,” he explained, noting that “you are trusting us by voting for us to deliver on those promises and if we don’t deliver on those promises we will be breaching that trust you give to us.”

In this regard, Ali contended that the PPP/C has a track-record of always keeping its promises to the people. And he noted that in situations where they were unable to deliver, reasonable explanations were provided.

He contrasted this with the promises made by the A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition

Government.

“Over the last five years, remember the promises? ‘More scholarships for the children’, has scholarships increased for the children?” Ali questioned.

“More resources to be spent on the communities, has the presidential grant been doubled?

Better healthcare, has your healthcare been improved? Better access to education and transportation, has it been improved?”

“A higher standard of living, more jobs and greater opportunities.

Have you seen any of this in your community? Then they have betrayed you,” Ali said, ex-

plaining that the words in a manifesto are an honour.

“And you have to upkeep and uphold that honour,” he stated.

Ali had stated that 50,000 jobs will be created for Guyanese should his party return to office. He reminded of the coalition Government’s promise to stimulate job creation, especially for youths, but instead, they have caused the country to face 37,000 job losses in various economy-driven sectors.

He went on to reveal that under the APNU/ AFC, Guyana has slipped four positions in the employment rate for the 25-54 age group

and seven positions for the age group 54 to 64 on the Global Human Capital Index. With regards to youths, he disclosed that the country declined nine positions in unemployment for the 15-24 age group.

As such, Ali had stated that unlike the coalition Administration, his party will not falter in its efforts to ensure that what is being promised to the populace is achieved.

Guyana is slated to hold elections on March 2, 2020, and Ali is urging people who did not vote for the party during the last elections, to seriously consider them now at the upcoming polls.

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Reelected G/town Mayor to focus on City Hall, Stabroek Market restoration

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eorgetown Mayor Ubraj Narine was on Wednesday re-elected unchallenged to serve again in the same capacity for 2020.

Councillors gathered at City Hall where indi-

Councillors at City Hall during the election on Wednesday

vidual votes were tallied.

Members of the Private Sector also showed up to witness the election process.

Narine, who was the sole nominee, received 22 votes. Alfred Mentore,

the former Deputy Mayor, also returned to serve in that capacity.

Meanwhile, the Council also elected a Finance Committee, which included People’s National Congress

UG student benefits from Iwokrama scholarship funded by ExxonMobil

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Iwokrama Chief Executive Officer Dane Gobin; UG Centre for Biological Diversity Director, Dr Guyanpriya Maharaj and former Faculty of Natural Sciences Dean and Iwokrama Science Committee member Calvin Bernard

he Iwokrama International Centre recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of Guyana (UG) to support a PhD scholarship under a science programme funded by ExxonMobil.

The student, Arianne Harris, will work with the Centre under its science programme’s biodiversity project while completing work in fulfilment of the requirements for a PhD degree in biodiversity from UG. Her research involves understanding how bird and bat species respond to forestry practices, and what role these animals play in helping the forest to regenerate following commercial activities.

To date, the Iwokrama Science Committee has done some of the most pioneering work in this area, and Harris’s research will continue to build on this.

She will be supervised by a UG team as well as scientists from the United Kingdom and United States who are on Iwokrama’s Science Committee.

ExxonMobil has been a significant supporter of the Iwokrama Science Programme, providing some US$600,000 in funding since 2017.

In addition to the biodiversity project, the Centre is also implementing a hydrology programme at Iwokrama and in the Rupununi Savannahs.

Other outputs from the Science Programme include outreach activities, capacity building and awareness programmes for the local communities; the production of a “legal field guide for natural resource practitioners” – Guyana’s first; and the development of Guyana’s first 3D map of community lands (Fairview Village).

The Centre recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of the offer of the Iwokrama Forest for research into climate change and sustainable development by the Government of Guyana to the international community at the 1989 Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Malaysia.

(PNC) member, Oscar Clarke; Trichia Richards, Bishram Kuppen, Ivelaw Henry, Yvonne Ferguson, Cynthia Stewart and Alfred Mentore.

The Mayor was first elected to the post in 2018 after the Local Government Elections (LGE). After his re-election, Narine indicated that there have been many challenges throughout his first year as Mayor. He committed to the restoration of the dilapidated City Hall building, which leaked profusely during the ceremony, forcing him to take shelter under an umbrella.

“We had our ups and downs, countless misunderstandings, disagreements and many more.

Yet, we have had a year of success…If we’re able to put our shoulders to the wheel as councillors, everybody sees us as one.

We must operate as one.

I want to focus 2020 on projects, especially City Hall building, green spaces, the disposal of garbage. Those are critical areas that we need to address,” he explained.

Meanwhile, after leaving the confines of

the Council’s chambers, he identified some other areas which should be rehabilitated – the first listed was Stabroek Market.

“I want to see a different Stabroek area…I do have a proposal which I submitted to the Ministry of Communities. We need Central Government’s blessings so that we go forward with that project to restructure and revamp the Stabroek Market area,” Narine told the media.

Last year, the City Constabulary had identified the Stabroek Market as one of the prime hotspots for criminal activities. Chief Constable

fied in terms of criminal hotspots. The Stabroek section: on the weekends, you find a number of criminal activities that are taking place primarily on the bus parks in front of the Stabroek Market,” he had stated.

He had explained that at the Stabroek Market, since it is a transportation hub, persons entering and leaving public transportation are the main targets.

On the other hand, another major issue, which has been difficult to combat, is the illegal dumping of garbage and littering by citizens.

The Mayor is currently in the middle of a con-

Re-elected Mayor Ubraj Narine speaking with the media under an umbrella in the lobby of the chambers

Andrew Foo, who is on administrative leaving pending a current investigation, would have indicated at that time that the marketplace would have been on the radar for quite a while on the basis of the increase in criminal activities.

“Those are two areas that have been identi-

troversy with Chairman of Houston Estates, Michael Vieira, whom he publicly said owes City Hall G$400M in taxes.

The businessman has since called the Mayor out for being untruthful since Houston Estates has been punctual in its tax payments.

Granger downplays...

Commissioners were aware of this intention.

This decision, he said, was made after the elections were announced for March 2, 2020.

“It so happened that the contracts of many of the Ambassadors and High Commissioners expired during the time there was some uncertainty about when elections would be held and as a result of that uncertainty, some of the changes were not made.

But when it became certain that elections wouldn’t be held until March 2020, a decision was taken to proceed with those changes. So it is not a shakeup.

It is a planned change and the Ambassadors

and High Commissioners knew that the intention of the Government has always been to professionalise the service”.

After news of the recall spread last week, former Attorney General Anil Nandlall had contended that Government is a caretaker mode, and, therefore, has no authority to make such decisions.

However, the President contended, “There is no change really, it is a smooth transition from having political appointees as head of Guyanese missions to having professional Ambassadors and High Commissioners…I do not see that it would have any impact that is

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negative for this country because it is typical in most countries to have professional Foreign Service officers”.

Granger, meanwhile, confirmed that Waddell was moved from her portfolio.

But the President insisted that she has been earmarked for a foreign post. It was his decision to replace her with the Permanent Secretary.

However, while Granger points to the fact that he wants professionalise the foreign service, Guyana’s Ambassador to Cuba, Halim Majeed is not a career diplomat but his services have been retained.

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Bisram’s murder trial stalls over State’s unpreparedness

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n light of delays in the Marcus Bisram case, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan says it is embarrassing that the State is not ready to prosecute the extradited murder accused, who is charged with orchestrating the murder of a 26-year-old carpenter in 2016.

When the case was called up at the Whim Magistrate’s Court, the prosecution indicated that it is not fully prepared to move ahead with the case. The matter was then adjourned to December 9 for the prosecution to submit all files relating to the matter.

But on that day, the presiding Magistrate, Alex Moore, reported sick. The defence team has since complained bitterly about the delays, especially since the State had to prepare its

case while the extradition process was ongoing to get Bisram in Guyana from the United States.

When asked about these delays, Ramjattan told reporters on the sidelines of an event on Wednesday that situation is embarrassing.

“Well, that is very embarrassing if that is what the behaviour is… what you’re telling me there is rather disheartening,” he asserted.

According to the Public Security Minister, he will be looking into the matter. He noted that he will be talking to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) as well as the Chief Justice and Chancellor of the Judiciary in relation to the prosecutor and the Magistrate, respectively.

However, Ramjattan noted that there is a file containing evidence upon which Bisram was

Murder accused: Marcus Bisram

charged last month. In fact, he posited that the necessary documents are all there and that the Police, particularly,

When will the... remarks about the unuplifted ID cards, is now very quiet as GECOM agrees to an indefinite extension for citizens to pick up their ID cards.

GECOM must also review the proposed plan to put out a supplemental list.

Any supplemental list will be a challenge and it will lead to confusion. Notably, the truncated H2H Registration is in serious trouble given that cross-matching done in Jamaica is highly questionable, with over sixty thousand names being queried. While

GECOM awaits the results of the cross-matching data, it is clearer that the H2H cannot be used as a consideration for the RLE and that exercise was a total waste of money and time.

More serious is the fact that up to the last statutory meeting on Tuesday, the Commission was still waiting for the cross-matching results from the just-concluded Claims and Objections exercise. GECOM must produce the Revised List of Electors and all Guyanese are waiting

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to see the Official List of Electors. This has serious consequences for Nomination Day scheduled for January 10, 2020. The RLE will have to be out for public and party scrutiny twenty-one days before the CEO has his final say and produces the OLE. Now the ball is in the Illegal President’s court, as we all know that GECOM has enough money. So why wait?

Dissolve Parliament now!

Yours respectfully, Neil Kumar

the Crime Chief would have those documents.

But it was pointed out to the Minister that some of the statements in that file are yet to be submitted to the Court for the commencement of the Preliminary Inquiry (PI).

As such, he said “Well that again is rather surprising. It will be entirely embarrassing for the State to demand [Bisram’s] coming over

and now that he’s extradited these officers are not up to the task of ensuring that they get the documents in time”.

Bisram is charged with the murder of Fayaz Narinedatt, a carpenter of Number 70 Village Corentyne, on November 30, 2016.

He is accused of ordering the death of the 26-year-old, which was initially reported as a suspected hit-and-run

accident. It was later revealed that Narinedatt was murdered after he rejected sexual advances made by Bisram.

Further investigations led to five persons being charged and are now committed to stand trial in the High Court for the carpenters’ murder. Bisram was initially charged here in absentia and local Police have been trying since to get Bisram, a US-based citizen, in Guynaa but he had been fighting his extradition over the past two years.

But his efforts were futile and Bisram was eventually handed over to local authorities on November 20. He was then arraigned the following day at the Whim’s Magistrate Court.

After the court was told that the prosecution was not ready for commencement of the trial at the December 2 hearing, State Prosecutor Stacy Goodings did not show up when the matter was recalled on Monday.

Additionally, a scheduled visit to the scene of the murder was also postponed after the Magistrate had reported sick.

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Lowenfield’s contract renewed by majority vote at GECOM

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overnment-nomi n a t e d Commissioners with support from Chair of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), retired Justice Claudette Singh on Tuesday renewed the contract of the Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield.

The contract has been renewed despite the fact that it expires until the end of March 2020.

Speaking with the media following the Commission’s statutory meeting, People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Commissioner, Sase Gunraj indicated that the Opposition-nominated Commissioners requested that the vote for the CEO’s contract renewal be taken after elections is held in March 2020.

He added that nonetheless, the Commission went ahead and renewed Lowenfield’s contract.

Government Commissioners Desmond Trotman, Vincent Alexander and Charles Corbin

“I asked that the matter be deferred until after elections has been concluded because I believe that the true test of the performance of the CEO would be these

elections. The Chair disagreed and they took a decision to renew the contract,” Gunraj stated.

He further indicated that PPP’s Commissioners ab-

stained from the vote as they believe it to be too soon for such a critical decision to be made without a clear assessment of Lowenfield’s performance, which can

only be ascertained after the conclusion of General and Regional Elections in March 2020.

“We believe that this vote should have been taken or this decision should have been taken afterwards…after the elections have been concluded because the contract would still have some life at that time,” Gunraj stated.

According to

of General and Regional Elections this year, Lowenfield was hospitalised.

According to reports, he was admitted at the Caribbean Heart Institute located in the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation’s (GPHC) compound.

The CEO’s hospitalisation came at a time when GECOM had been instructed to start preparations for polls which was constitutionally due in March following the passage of a No-Confidence Motion in Parliament.

Prior to his hospitalisation, Lowenfield has been leading the Elections Secretariat at GECOM to ascertain the body’s preparedness to host elections within the constitutional 90day deadline, which was effected following the December 21, 2018, passage of the No-confidence Motion.

The CEO plays the key leadership role in the secretariat of GECOM, with responsibility for implementing all aspects of its operations, particularly the conduct of elec-

Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield

the Commissioner, Lowenfield had given notice that his contract would expire in three months and as per the terms spelt out in his contract, expressed interest in having it renewed.

Gunraj stated that the CEO’s contract has been renewed for another three years.

M e a n w h i l e , Government-nominated Commissioner, Vincent Alexander told the media that the decision to renew Lowenfield’s contract was taken after he submitted a notice, as per contract terms, expressing the desire to renew. He stated that there is no plausible reason why the CEO’s contract renewal should be stymied given the upcoming elections period.

In February, on the heels of GECOM being ordered to start preparations for the holding

tions, and ensuring that results achieved are consistent with the laws of Guyana and the policies determined by the Commission.

The CEO is the Commission’s primary point of contact for the staff of the secretariat, whose activities include the registration of registrants, the distribution of identification cards; the provision of information and guidance on electoral operational matters to community organisations and other stakeholders.

The CEO also represents the Commission’s policies and activities in interactions with stakeholders and other interest groups, including political parties, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), donor and international agencies, in matters relating directly to the operations of GECOM.

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WEEK ENDING december 15, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Opposition maintains Housing Minister is ‘lying’ about house lots allocation H ours after Junior Communities Minister Annette Ferguson denied that she was not the holder of three house lots, the Opposition – People’s Progressive Party (PPP) – has called her out for lying on the issue. In photos and videos shared on social media, the minister’s sprawling mansion sits on a huge plot of land. This also led to questions about her meteoric rise in wealth in just a couple years as minister.

Ferguson called a press conference on Tuesday morning, inviting only a selected group of media houses, where she claimed that Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo was untruthful when he said

Minister Annette Ferguson’s new residence

Junior Communities Minister Annette Ferguson

that in just a few years in Government, she owns several house lots.

However, in providing the evidence, the PPP on its social media page on Tuesday, showed that

the Junior Minister owning a substantial piece of land and constructing a palatial property on the land just two years after she became Minister.

The posts came complete with video

of Ferguson’s old residence and video of her new, two-storey edifice in Eccles, East Bank Demerara (EBD) – a housing scheme that was developed under the PPP Government – that dwarfs the surrounding homes in the area. The party demanded that the Minister account for her sudden change in fortune.

“We urge you to look at the video yourselves which depicts the size of Ferguson’s property and land and compare it to the surrounding lots. Ferguson also owns the adjoining lot, which represents the entire semi-circular section,” the Party said in its statement.

Earlier in the day, Ferguson was critical of statements made by Jagdeo at a recent press conference, in which the former President had expressed concern over her unexplained wealth.

According to Ferguson, “Jagdeo claimed that the cronies raked in a big part of (land). The question

Bullying in our... know that the best thing to do is to walk away from violent situations and report same to the relevant persons – parents or teachers.

Additionally, a point I wish to note is the quality of content and information that we expose our children to. For example, at a young age, some children are allowed to watch content on television that is violent and not rated for their age. While among their friends at school they tend to want to perform the actions and stunts that they saw

which can cause injury to themselves and peers.

Children must be allowed to be children and as they grow, they are introduced to things which they can understand for their age. This might seem as insignificant to some readers but it is a very important point.

There are parents today that are mothering and fathering children and leaving the teaching of proper core principles, values, soft skills and behavioural practices to teachers and the society at large.

Sometimes I sym-

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pathise with the work that teachers and education officials have to deal with, but, Editor, I must say I am encouraged by recent developments. For example, the continuous development of the welfare system with the acquisition of psychosocial units.

It will be a gargantuan task but it can be much easier if all stakeholders, particularly parents and guardians, step up in the performance of their duties.

Yours sincerely, Leon Persaud

is who are these cronies. Annette Ferguson has one house lot allocation, which, as a citizen of Guyana, I have a right to.”

“This is my title for that one house lot…I have just pointed you to my title, which is 0.25 of an acre or equivalent to 10,000 square feet, which also is equivalent to a normal house lot, which is 10,000 square feet, except for areas such as re-migrants

schemes, where the square feet is more”.

Ferguson insisted in July she only received a “regular lot” of 1/4 acre or equivalent to 10,000 square feet however the photos of the minister’s residence suggested otherwise, with vast yard space on the massive plot.

When Ferguson was appointed Junior Minister, her biography was released. According to that, she previous-

ly worked as a Field Support Officer, USAID (Admin). She also collaborated and facilitated coordination with NGOs, FBOs and community-based organisations with a bias for social issues, inclusive of children, education, health and family. According to her bio, she was also a Properties Manager of the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) – 2004 to 2008.

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US expert says PPP ‘likely’ to return to power in Guyana

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he People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is likely to return to power in the next general and regional elections. So said a respected American academic, in a paper exploring the dynamics of Guyana’s political system.

The paper in question is Journals of America, Third Edition, and was written by Dr Evan Ellis, PhD, a research professor and author at the Institute of Strategic Studies of the US Army War College who specialises in China and its engagements with non-Western nations.

According to Dr Ellis, the PPP has been citing a number of plans for new infrastructural development, projects that are likely to be funded from oil revenues. He also noted that Chinese companies are likely to participate in some of these projects.

“With the likely return of the PPP to power in 2019 elections, its leadership is talking about a new generation of infrastructure and other projects likely to be built by the Chinese and funded by the revenues from oil, including the resurrec-

Research professor and author, Dr Evan Ellis, PhD

tion of the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project and an interconnection to the Brazilian power grid,” Dr Ellis said in his journal.

Ellis noted that sharp divisions have arisen leading up to elections, with the PPP heavily critical of the Government’s delay to call elections. He

also warned that whatever the outcome, a large section of Guyanese will be dissatisfied, raising the prospect of violence as they lose faith in traditional democratic measures.

“The PPP views the Government’s efforts to delay elections through a combination of legal

challenges and obstacles generated by what they view as a purely partisan electoral commission (GECOM) as an attempt to short-circuit the nation’s democratic process and the will of the majority, as they contend the PNC did repeatedly in the past.”

“Moreover, as the conflict escalates, neighbouring Venezuela could take advantage of internal disorder to pursue its territorial claim, as many Guyanese perceive it tried to do in December 2018 with the attempted intercept of the Ramform Tethys.”

He also delved into the area of internal security, noting that the Guyana Police Force (GPF) is undermined by internal corruption and woefully underfunded.

Dr Ellis described the minimum pay of a police officer, some G$60,000 a month, as “half that of the next worst-paid police department in the Caribbean.”

“As a consequence, the GPF does not attract the most capable members of society to be part of its organisation, and Police personnel are readily tempted to en-

gage in bribe-taking just to survive. GPF members are also frequently poorly equipped, sometimes delaying their responses to serious crimes because of the non-availability of Police cars. A number of GDF facilities are literally falling down from disrepair.”

Dr Ellis acknowledged that Guyana benefits from European Union (EU) funds that go towards improving Police training, equipment, and infrastructure. He cited the Citizen Security Strengthening Programme (CSSP).

“Through CSSP, approximately 20 per cent of Guyanese Police Stations have been refurbished, although the conditions of those that remain is, in some cases, appalling,” Dr Ellis noted in his journal.

Ellis then went on to speak about the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), which he described as controversial. He noted that while SOCU was originally formed to conduct investigations of persons flagged by the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), the Unit has been criticised for focus-

ing its investigations almost entirely on senior PPP-affiliated functionaries of the previous Government. He noted that to date, this focus has produced no criminal convictions.

“Those more sympathetic to SOCU would say the focus was driven by the involvement of the members of that Government in corruption, and that the reason for the lack of convictions has been the inability or unwillingness of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) chambers to take cases forward.”

“As with the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), the GPF has interactions with the Chinese.

Most prominently in November 2017, when the PRC donated US$2.6 million in vehicles and other equipment including 56 pick-up trucks, 44 motorcycles, 35 all-terrain vehicles, and 5 buses, helping the GPF to compensate for its severe shortage of vehicles.

Nonetheless, several of these cars have been lost to accidents since their arrival, including one just a day after being donated,” Dr Ellis said.

Brazilian teen jailed for narco-trafficking

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Brazilian teen who admitted to trafficking cannabis was sentenced to three months in jail on Monday when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Nathan De Almeiba appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan and admitted to the charge which stated that on November 30, at Karasabai Village, South Pakaraimas, Rupununi, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), he had in his possession 66.2 grams of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.

Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield told the court that on November 30, at about 08:05h, the 19-yearold was arrested by the Karasabai Toshao on an allegation of murder in Brazil.

The court heard that the Toshao contacted the Police and handed him over. However, the Police conducted a search on his person and found a number of narcotics in his underwear. The Chief Magistrate jailed

Nathan De Almeiba

him and also fined him G$99,000.

It was also ordered that upon completion of

serving his time, he will be escorted to the nearest port of exit and deported to Brazil.

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WEEK ENDING december 15, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Bank of Guyana mulls penalties for Republic Bank

…wants customers to be compensated for inconvenience

I

n the wake of weeks of complaints from Republic Bank customers about the service following an upgrade to its system, the Bank of Guyana is considering amendments to the legislation to allow it to institute specific penalties against commercial banks for poor service and other infractions.

This was revealed at the Ministry of Finance on Wednesday

by Bank of Guyana Governor, Dr Gobind Ganga, after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the Natural Resource Fund.

According to Ganga, they are, in fact, considering a suite of legislation to give the central bank the teeth it needs to discipline banks.

“There are a number of persons who have been

disappointed as to their conduct when it comes to this new platform they’re trying to put in place. The central bank is also very disappointed. We’ve been in contact with Republic Bank to ensure they have the

Jordan defends decision... from page 5

and evaluating the compliance of Government and other officials related to the NRF, with the provisions of the Act. The Stabroek Block, by far the most successful oil block in Guyana, is 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometres). Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited is the operator and holds a 45 per cent interest in the Stabroek Block. Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd holds a 30 per cent interest, and CNOOC Nexen Petroleum Guyana Limited holds a 25 per cent interest.

A contract was inked on October 7, 2016, between the coalition Government, ExxonMobil and its partners in the Stabroek

Block. In the renegotiated contract, Guyana agreed to a two per cent royalty for every barrel of oil, a 50 per cent share of profit oil and a US$18 million signing bonus.

Guyana’s profit-sharing arrangement with ExxonMobil is for 50 per cent of profit oil.

But with Exxon reclaiming its investment costs as cost oil, it means Guyana will initially get 12.5 per cent of profit.

Originally scheduled for 2020, first oil production has been moved up to this month. It is understood that the initial crude lifts will be one million barrels. With the first lift going to Exxon, Guyana is not expected to get its share until February to March.

necessary structure in place but I should tell you they have been very, very slow”.

He added that at the

last meeting that was held with the Bank’s CEO, Amral Khan, it was conveyed that the Bank was trying its best to rectify the issue.

“But that very best is still not what we are accepting. So we are ensuring that they are continuously addressing this issue to make it more acceptable to the public.

We are hoping that when this platform is put in place, they’ll be able to compensate the customer some way or the other”.

It was pointed out

by Finance Minister Winston Jordan that the Bank of Guyana does have the authority to issue circulars reprimanding banks. Ganga also noted that the central bank will be meet-

ing with the Guyana Association of Bankers on Friday to discuss its concerns.

The Bank’s Governor noted that when they do move towards sanctions, it’s going to be a substantial one. When asked, however, Ganga shied away from singling out Republic Bank for sanctions.

Republic Bank was in the process of transitioning its services for much of last month. During that time, customers complained of long lines and in some cases, the unavailability of certain services.

This came little over a month after the Central Bank of Guyana denied Republic Financial Holdings Limited, the parent com-

pany of Republic Bank (Guyana), permission for the purchase/acquisition of the operations of Scotiabank in Guyana.

In late November 2018, after the proposed buyout was announced, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo had stated that Republic Bank Limited’s acquisition of Scotiabank’s operations in Guyana could be unhealthy for the local financial sector.

His statements came on the heels of the Canadian-based Scotiabank announcing that it has signed an agreement to sell its banking operations in Guyana and eight other Caribbean nations to Republic Financial Holdings Limited.

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Overseas-based couple attacked, robbed moments after landing in Guyana …bandits escape with US$7000

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rentyne, Berbice home where they were robbed

n overseas-based couple and their taxi driver were on Tuesday morning robbed at gunpoint shortly after the couple arrived in Guyana.

Reports are the couple arrived at their Fourth Street Johns, Corentyne, Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) home at about 01:00h

and were about to enter the yard when three masked men carrying cutlasses and guns attacked them.

The bandits relieved the couple of US$7000 along with a number of security cameras, which they had in their possession. The bandits also grabbed the couple’s passports.

Meanwhile, the taxi driver, who drove the couple from Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), was also robbed.

No attempt was made by the bandits to enter the couple’s home.

Police have launched an investigation and have since questioned several persons.

Soesdyke farmer accused of trafficking 2lbs cannabis granted bail

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59-year-old farmer, who is accused of trafficking two pounds of cannabis, was on Tuesday released on G$200,000 bail when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Tuesday.

Michael Melville, of Moblissa, SoesdykeLinden Highway, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan. He denied that on December 7, 2019, at Moblissa, SoesdykeLinden Highway, he had in his possession 1113 grams (2lbs) of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.

The Police prosecutor informed the court that at about 11:30h, Police, act-

ing on information, went to the location where they met with Melville and another individual, who quickly made his good escape. According to the Prosecutor, the ranks then conducted a search and a quantity of cannabis was found at the back of the home on zinc. A further search was carried out and more marijuana was found in a haversack and in a bulky plastic bag. As such, Melville was then arrest-

ed and charged.

The Prosecutor objected to bail on the grounds of the prevalence of the offence and the penalty the charge attracts.

Melville was, however, released on G$200,000 bail. As a condition for bail, he was ordered to report at the Amelia’s Ward Police Station every Friday until the conclusion of the trial. The case will continue on January 16, 2020.

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PPP calls on int’l community, ERC to condemn President’s “irrational and incendiary utterance”

T

he Opposition – People’s Progressive Party – last Saturday condemned President David Granger’s accusation that the Party is waging “civil war” in Guyana. In a strongly-worded statement, the Party said that it was drawn to the attention of the Leader of the Opposition that “de facto President, Mr David Granger, accused the Opposition of ‘waging civil war’ in the country. He was speaking on a radio programme”.

The statement said that the Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, unreservedly rejects this allegation and condemns such language since it is as inflammatory as it is irresponsible.

According to the Party, “it is obvious that the de facto President cannot speak to a track record of accomplishments by his Government, neither can he articulate his party’s developmental plan and vision for Guyana. As a result, he resorts to such inane assertions”.

It must take a special mind to perceive le-

President David Granger

gitimate actions of an Opposition Party in the discharge of its constitutional duty to the citizenry, which is a norm in any democracy, as “waging civil war”, the Party said.

“Fortunately, we have a sensible and intelligent population who are very much aware of the political activism of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) in the Parliament, in the Judiciary and on the streets of this country”.

According to the statement from the PPP, not a single violation of the law has ever been alleged against the PPP in relation to any of these

political pursuits.

“In fact, they were largely intended to get the de facto President and his recalcitrant Government to obey the Constitution, to comply with democratic norms and practices and to uphold the rule of law in our country”. The Party said that having regard to his party’s political history, Granger should be the last person to accuse anyone of “waging civil war” in Guyana.

The PPP also called on the international community and the Ethnic Relations Commission to condemn this “irrational and incendiary utterance of Mr Granger”.

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Jamaican wins Caribbean Impact Award in New York (Jamaica Gleaner) Jamaican public relations practitioner and media relations specialist Lyndon Taylor is one of the recipients of this year’s Impact Awards in New York, presented

by Caribbean Life and Schneps Media for outstanding contribution to the Caribbean diaspora community.

Taylor was among a group of CaribbeanAmerican individuals honoured recently for having made significant inroads in the development of their newly adopted home or towards improving the quality of life of those in their homeland.

Taylor is employed to Finn Partners, the public relations agency for the

Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB).

With more than 25 years of experience in media and communications, Taylor worked in radio and television in Jamaica before migrating to the United States where he has worked in media for more than 15 years.

He is key to the public relations efforts for the JTB and has secured placements in top consumer publications such as The New York Times and USA Today. Other Caribbean brands he has represented include Grace Foods, Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery & Grill, and VP Records.

With a passion for volunteerism, Taylor has served as a men-

tor with Bigs & Littles NYC Mentoring, formerly Catholic Big Sisters & Big Brothers, and serves as the communications director with the New York-based Jamaican charity, Children of Jamaica Outreach, a post he has held for the past 15 years.

Taylor’s passion for fashion and lifestyle, sports and the arts, has also enabled him in serving on the boards of House of D’Marsh and Momentum Collective Inc. He currently serves as communications di-

Lyndon Taylor

rector for Men of Color in Communication, a community for multicultural men in the communications industry.

Taylor is a graduate of the University of Westminster in London, where he completed a postgraduate diploma in broadcast journalism and a master of arts in journalism. A former member of the International Association of Business Communicators, he holds an MBA in media management from the Metropolitan College of New York.

Miner accused of attempting to murder cousin granted bail

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Treshan Thomas

21-year-old miner was on Monday taken to the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts where he was arraigned for the attempted murder committed on his cousin during a misunderstanding.

Treshan Thomas of Baramita, North West District (NWD), Region One (BarimaWaini), appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan and was not required to plead to the indictable charge which alleged that on December 2, 2019, at Baramita, NWD, with intent to commit murder, he wounded Kevon David.

Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield told the court that on the day in question, the men were at a camp when they had a misunderstanding, during which Thomas pulled out a knife from the waist of his pants and dealt his cousin several stabs to his left arm and upper abdomen.

The injured man reportedly collapsed to the ground and was subsequently picked up and rushed to a health centre and due to the injuries he sustained, he was air-dashed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where he remains a patient.

The matter was reported and Thomas was arrested and charged for the offence.

The prosecutor highlighted that the victim’s injuries are life-threatening and will cause permanent disability.

Thomas was released on G$150,000 bail.

The bail condition is that he has to report to the Matthews Ridge Police Station every Friday until the hearing and determination of the Preliminary Inquiry (PI).

He is slated to make his next court appearance on February 4, 2020, at the Matthews Ridge Magistrate’s Court.

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WEEK ENDING december 15, 2019| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Duo to face High Court trial over plot to kill businessman

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he proprietor of Rocky’s Hotel and his alleged hired ‘hitman’ who were jointly charged for conspiring to murder a businessman in Lethem, Region Nine (Upper TakutuUpper Essequibo) were on Monday committed to stand trial at the Demerara High Court after a prima facie case was made out against them.

Fifty-seven-yearold Mark Grimmond, of Grove Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara (EBD), and Chatterpaul Singh, a 36-year-old miner of First Street, Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara (ECD), were charged with the offence on June 13, 2019.

It is alleged that between April 1, 2018 and June 7, 2019, in Georgetown, they conspired with each other and persons unknown to kill Dwayne Grant.

The men were on trial before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

When the matter was called on Monday, the Chief Magistrate ruled

Mark Grimmond and Chatterpaul Singh

that there was sufficient evidence against the duo for them to stand trial before a Judge and jury at the next sitting of the Demerara Assizes.

The case was prosecuted by Inspector Neville Jeffers.

It was reported that the Virtual Complainant, a businessman in Lethem, reported to the Police that he received information that the defendants were plotting to kill him.

As such, an investigation was conducted by the Police during which Singh was arrested after a firearm was found in

his possession.

When questioned, Singh reportedly had a detailed conversation with the ranks and admitted that he and Grimmond were planning to kill Grant.

Officers were also able to obtain recordings of telephone conversations between the defendants. Advice was sought from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who recommended that charges be instituted.

The defendants are currently out on G$500,000 bail each.

United States Ambassador to Guyana Sarah Ann-Lynch enjoyed a tour of the National Library in Georgetown earlier this week. In photo: Ambassador Lynch read a poem,"Twas the Night before Christmas," and a selection of children's books including "Pete the Cat." (US Embassy photo)

Cops destroy 5-acre ganja cultivation in Region 10 A five-acre ganja cultivation with close to 10,000 plants was destroyed by ranks of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) in close proximity to 18 Miles, Ituni, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), in the wee hours of Saturday morning.

Reports are that between 11:30h on Friday night and 12:00h on Saturday morning, policemen, who were acting on information, conducted a “drugs eradication exercise”.

About four miles off of the road, the cannabis cultivation was discovered along with a ‘makeshift’ camp that had five (5) kgs of dry cannabis.

According to the police, the dry cannabis along with the camp and the cannabis farm were all destroyed by fire.

However, no arrest has been made up to press time in relation to this exercise.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, a 53-year-old farmer of Moblissa Linden-Soesdyke Highway was arrested by Police after a quantity of ganja was found in his home.

According to reports received, Police swooped down at the man’s residence and conducted a search, which led to the discovery of 1113 grams of cannabis. He is presently in Police custody and being processed for court.

Region 10 has been identified as one of the top two locations in Guyana where sever-

The five-acre cannabis cultivation with close to 10,000 plants that was destroyed by fire during a police eradication exercise at 18 Miles, Ituni, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice)

al major cannabis busts and fields with cultivated marijuana were unearthed since the start of the year but much work is being done to curb the phenomenon.

In the month of May, 10,000 ganga plants were destroyed during separate eradication exercises in Linden.

Police had destroyed almost 7000 cannabis plants, ranging from two (2) to six (6)

feet in height, at a seven 7-acre marijuana farm. These plants were estimated to weigh about 485 kilograms.

Several ranks had conducted a raid at 11 Miles, off of the Ituni Main Road, Upper Demerara, where the discovery was made.

At the time of the discovery, there was also a makeshift camp along with a quantity of kitchen utensils and foodstuff

at that location. However, when the police arrived at that location, there was no one in sight.

The farm was subsequently destroyed by fire. One day prior to this eradication exercise, ranks also made a similar discovery at the back of the Wisroc village, Wismar, Linden.

Police acting on information ventured to that location

where the one-and-a-half-acre marijuana farm was found. It is averaged that there were close 2500-3000 cannabis plants cultivated there ranging from one foot to six and a half feet.

The police said that there was also a makeshift tent at that location comprising one hammock, a quantity of ut ensils, as well as green and dried suspected cannabis on the farm. The cannabis plants had an estimated weight of 250 kilograms and were also destroyed by fire.

In both cases, each location was marked and samples were taken. No arrests were made.

Earlier this year, former Head of the Police Narcotics Branch, Senior Superintendent Kurleigh Simon, who was promoted to the post of Police Commander, had told Guyana Times International that the leading regions for cannabis cultivation since the commencement of 2019 have been identified as Linden in Region 10 and the Berbice River locations in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

Simon said that in the first quarter of the year, the Police Narcotics Branch had already completed in excess of 15 eradication exercises in Berbice, and these were done in more than 30 fields where marijuana was being cultivated and harvested.

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Top Tullow officials resign after company suffers oil production setbacks

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series of production setbacks from Tullow’s oil blocks in West Africa and Guyana have resulted in two top executives of the British oil company resigning with immediate effect; even as the company’s shares tumbled by more than 60 per cent on the stock market.

Chief Executive Officer, Paul McDade, and Exploration Director, Angus McCoss, both resigned after being stalwarts at the company for over a decade. The duo had presided over discoveries from West Africa to Guyana, but also encountered a slew of operational setbacks.

“Whilst financial performance has been solid, production performance has been significantly below expectations from the group’s main producing assets, the TEN and Jubilee fields in Ghana,” London-based Tullow noted in a statement on Monday.

Meanwhile, group output in 2020 is forecast at 70,000 to 80,000 barrels per day, which is a reduction from the 87,000 barrels a day expected for 2019.

Additionally, production for the following three years will hover around the bottom of that range.

According to British media outlets, the executive departures come

Tullow Oil Plc Exploration Director Angus McCoss

after a year of disappointments at Tullow, where technical difficulties have hampered output in Ghana, projects in Uganda and Kenya have faced delays, and results from wells in Guyana missed expectations.

The company reduced its 2019 production forecast several times as the glitches in Ghana dragged on.

Stock dive

It was reported that the shares sank 61 per cent to 55.28 pence as of 11:54h on Monday, London time. This is recorded as the biggest decline since the oil company started trading in the city 30 years ago.

The stock has dropped more than 90 per cent since 2012.

Tullow’s dollar notes due 2025 declined the most

since they were issued in March 2018.

“There is a risk that the market will lose sight of the true value of our underlying assets,” interim Chairman Dorothy Thompson said by phone to the media, insisting that the Jubilee development and Uganda reserves remain world-class oil fields. The company is conducting a review “to create a sustainable business, which we believe we can do,” she said.

Thompson declined to comment on whether Tullow is actively seeking buyers, but reiterated the standard position that the company would always be open to any offers that were attractive to shareholders.

Here in Guyana, just three months ago, Tullow announced its second oil discovery offshore the

Stabroek Block.

At that time, Guyana’s Department of Energy Director, Dr Mark Bynoe, announced that UK-based Tullow Oil Plc’s (Tullow) Joe-1 exploration well had successfully opened a new Upper Tertiary oil play in the Guyana basin.

That was the second discovery of oil in two different wells operated by Tullow, in less than six weeks.

The Joe-1 exploration well was drilled by the Stena Forth drillship to a total depth of 2175 metres in a water depth of 780 metres. The evaluation of logging and sampling data confirms that Joe-1 has encountered 14 metres of net oil pay in high-quality oil-bearing sandstone reservoirs of Upper Tertiary age.

The Energy Director had explained that the Joe-1 well is the first oil discovery to be made in the Upper Tertiary play type, which further derisks the petroleum system of the western area of the Orinduik Block, where a significant number of Tertiary and Cretaceous age prospects have been identified.

“Guyana’s future is bright but more importantly, the time is ripe for all Guyanese to focus on how they want to see their oil revenues spent and invested”, Dr Bynoe had said.

Tullow Oil Plc former CEO Paul McDade, who resigned with immediate effect

Meanwhile, the Repsol-operated Carapa-1 well on the Kanuku licence (Tullow 37.5 per cent) is scheduled to commence drilling in late September with the Rowan EXL II jack-up rig and will test the Cretaceous oil play with a result due in the fourth quarter of 2019.

Dr Bynoe had added that Tullow and its partners, at that time, would have evaluated data from the Joe-1 discovery alongside data from the Jethro-1 discovery announced in August 2019. It would have then awaited the outcome of the Carapa well to determine the optimal follow-on exploration and appraisal programme.

The well was drilled on the Orinduik licence, offshore Guyana by Tullow’s wholly-owned

subsidiary Tullow Guyana BV. Tullow Guyana BV is the operator of the Orinduik Block with a 60 per cent stake.

Total E&P Guyana BV holds 25 per cent with the remaining 15 per cent being held by Eco (Atlantic) Guyana Incorporated.

Meanwhile, according to the UK-oil company, Dorothy Thompson has been appointed Executive Chair on a temporary basis and Mark MacFarlane, Executive VicePresident, East Africa and Non-Operated, has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer in a non-Board role.

Les Wood continues as an Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer. The Board has initiated a process to find a new Group Chief Executive.

Probe continues into rape of 6-yr-old boy …parents call for perpetrators to be removed from school

Child Care and Protection Agency Director Ann Greene

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n light of reports that a 6-year-old pupil of an East Coast Demerara Primary School was sodomised by older boys in the school’s washroom, the parents have come out in solidarity and called for the removal of the perpetrators.

The parents turned up in their numbers in front of the school’s premises and voiced their con-

cerns by expressing fear for their children attending the school, where the alleged attack occurred.

One parent stated that her child was cut with a razor on the hand by another student last Monday but she was not informed of the incident until Friday.

Another parent claimed that her daughter was bullied in the school’s washroom earlier in the week and complaining to the Head Teacher did not bear any fruit.

The parents are contending that they were disappointed by the manner in which the school’s teachers and Head Teacher handled serious incidents which occur in the school on a regular basis.

Just a few days ago, Social Protection Ministry’s Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA) Director, Ann Greene, confirmed that three primary school students have been implicated in the alleged sod-

omy of the six-year-old boy, who complained to his parents that he was sexually assaulted in the washroom.

Greene had told Guyana Times International that the traumatised child is receiving the necessary care he requires.

According to Greene, the CCPA, which is spearheading the probe, is in receipt of information that three other stu-

dents were involved.

It was revealed that the matter is still under investigation and that the six-year-old child will be subjected to a forensic interview.

This interview will be conducted in the presence of relevant authorities and video recorded so that the boy would not have to repeat the story and endure more emotional and/or mental fatigue, she added.

Police Commander of Region Four (DemeraraMahaica) Subdivision C (East Coast Demerara), Assistant Police Commissioner Royston Andries-Junor also confirmed that investigators are currently probing the incident, which was reported to law enforcement authorities.

The Commander explained that in matters relating to child abuse in any form or manner,

there are channels which have to be followed and that the first step is to ensure that the child (victim) receives the medical attention and counselling he/she may need before the police take a statement.

He added that at this juncture, the most important part is that the child is taken care of and receives the care he needs in order to recover as soon as possible.

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Jagdeo talks up opportunities for youth in a PPP Govt

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ontrary to the coalition Government, which is dominated by senior citizens at the top of the hierarchy, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo is assuring that his party, if elected into Government, will propel youths into positions that will allow their dynamism to bring about real change.

Jagdeo was at the time being interviewed on the radio show “Hot Seat” by radio host Curtis Armstrong, popularly known as “DJ Casual” when it was pointed out that the majority of the voting population are youths.

“We have always kept our promise to young people. I started off in the PPP as a Minister in my 20s. I became President at 35 years old. I’m still in the party.

When I was President, over 60 per cent of my Cabinet was in their 20s, 30s and 40s. You had young Permanent Secretaries. You had young people representing us everywhere.”

“It’s the same with the party leadership now. If you look at it, it’s a combination of young people and older people. Look at our representation in Parliament.

And most importantly,

President David Granger’s original Cabinet

we chose a Presidential Candidate who is now 39 years old. And he came into Government when he was in his 20s. He has experience.”

In fact, Jagdeo noted that the People’s Progressive Party’s (PPP) Presidential Candidate, Irfaan Ali, has more experience in Government than President Granger himself. And he pointed to

the fact that the older generation even dominates the narrative being spun by the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC).

“He [Irfaan Ali] has experience, unlike President Granger himself. He [David Granger] didn’t have governmental experience when he came into office. And so this is why they are lost,

visionless, floundering at sea. So to us, young people are important, not just for sports or culture,” he said.

“You cannot be burdened by the past generation. Every time you open the papers, it’s Lincoln Lewis, people who are in their 60s, 70s already, trying to define our future. Where are the young people? We want to get past all this

stuff. The young people of this country want to move forward.”

Jagdeo noted that under the coalition Government, housing has slowed and jobs have dried up. These things, he said, are issues that youths care about. It was earlier this year that Minister of Social Cohesion, Dr George Norton had revealed that youth unemploy-

ment was at 40 per cent.

In April of this year, hundreds of young people who were unemployed had crowded the National Sports Hall, Homestretch Avenue, Georgetown, where the Department of Youth held its first job fair to address the scourge of unemployment.

Senior Research, Planning and Development Officer within the Department, Adeti De Jesus told Guyana Times International that the unemployed youths turned up to the Sports Hall before 07:00h to be interviewed.

According to her, when the officials arrived to open the doors, youths were already lined up outside. In fact, youths who had become desperate for employment after being at home for a number of years took the opportunity to apply online for the job fair prior to Friday’s event.

Some 701 online applications were received, De Jesus said, while other youths showed up to the event without being registered. Those persons were referred to the Central Recruitment and Manpower Agency where they were interviewed for future employment.

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Road carnage claims over 115 lives in Guyana so far for 2019 W ith just over three weeks remaining for 2019, the Traffic Department of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has already recorded 115 road deaths throughout the country, a figure that surpasses the total number of road fatalities for the entire 2018.

Traffic Chief, Superintendent Linden Isles told Guyana Times International last Saturday that for last year, there were 92 deaths recorded from a total of 79 accidents while in 2019 to date, 98 accidents claimed the lives of 115 persons.

On December 3, 18-year-old cyclist Deshon Morris lost his life while his pillion rider was injured after the motorcycle they were riding collided with a truck at Industrial Estate, Ruimveldt, Greater Georgetown.

Morris, of Lot 4 East La Penitence, Georgetown, was pronounced dead on the spot while Keon Granville, 27, of Phase 2 Lot 1 East Ruimveldt, was treated for minor injuries.

On Sunday, December 1, a pedestrian identified as 39-yearold Romel Carter of D Field South Sophia, Greater Georgetown, was killed after being hit by a truck that was allegedly speeding along the Leonora Public Road, West Coast Demerara (WCD).

and eight-year-old sister, was standing on the parapet when a speeding car slammed into them, killing the young boy instantly.

Meanwhile, at about 19:30h on Tuesday, Senior Superintendent of Police Brian Eastman and his high school friend businessman Dillon DeRamos, who owns the Kosmos Restaurant & Bar, were killed in a horrific smash-up at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown.

The SUV that the men were travelling in slammed into a concrete fence and was wrecked beyond repair.

5 dead, 18 injured

Traffic Chief, Superintendent Linden Isles

Meanwhile, in the month of November, 15 accidents resulted in the deaths of 21 persons inclusive of three children.

In total for this year to date, nine children were killed in fatal accidents.

In the last week of November, 12 persons lost their lives on the roadways.

Policeman, banker

Just after midnight on Sunday, November 24, 29-year-old Police Officer Carl Roach died after his Ducati motorcycle collided with a car at the corner of Brickdam and Chalmers Place, Georgetown. The impact is said to have

killed him instantly.

The second fatal accident took place hours later, at about 05:00h, at Felicity on the East Coast Demerara (ECD) Public Road. Republic Bank employee 31-yearold David Matthew Headly was killed after his car allegedly slammed into a bridge.

Reports are that Headly was driving his car, PRR 253, at a fast rate when the accident took place.

He is said to have died on the spot.

Hit-and-run

On Monday, November 25, 52-yearold Essequibo labourer Raymond Cassal had his

life snuffed out when he was hit by a vehicle that quickly sped away from the accident scene.

Residents later discovered his body lying on the roadway with several visible injuries.

He was taken to the nearest hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Child, cop & businessman

On Tuesday, November 26, in Bush Lot, West Coast Berbice, a seven-year-old child lost his life while in the company of his mother and sibling who had collected him from school.

Nifran Nazamadeen, along with his mother

Early Saturday morning, on November 30, another Republic Bank employee, 25-year-old Riley Charles Newton, died after allegedly falling asleep at the wheel of his car while travelling to Parika, East Bank Essequibo (EBE) to drop a friend home.

The father of a onemonth baby, who hailed from Windsor Forest village, WCD, died at about 05:00h in the vicinity of the Leonora Police Station after he lost control of his vehicle (PRR 1703)and it ended up turning turtle.

There were two other occupants inside of Newton’s car at the time of the accident.

The trio had been imbibing in Georgetown and was heading to Parika, East Bank

Essequibo when the accident occurred.

Public-spirited persons managed to pull the three men out of the badly-damaged vehicle and rush them to the Leonora Cottage Hospital but Newton was pronounced dead on arrival, while his two friends, who had sustained injuries, were treated at that health facility.

Meanwhile, on Saturday last at about 19:20h, minibus BYY 2981 slammed into motor car PTT 691, killing four persons and leaving 16 others injured.

Dead are 52-yearold Rawle Williams, 29-year-old Ayesha Sealey, 22-year-old Zavira Jona and 12-yearold Maria Bisnauth.

Williams, of Canal Number One, West Bank Demerara (WBD), had been the driver of the car. Sealey had lived at Patentia Housing Scheme, WBD, while Jona had been from Patentia village, WBD, and Bisnauth had resided at Lot 125 Sideline Dam, Sisters Village, WBD. The accident occurred on the Nismes Public Road, WBD. According to Police, the accident resulted when the front right side of the minibus collided with the front right-side door of the motor car, causing both vehicles to spin off the road and end up on the grass parapet before plunging into a trench.

Linden Mayor, Deputy re-elected unopposed

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ayor Waneka Arrindell and her Deputy, Wainewright Bethune, were both re-elected on Tuesday to serve the Linden Mayor and Town Council.

The two, who were re-elected unopposed, will now serve a third term in office.

Additionally, the Council’s Finance Committee will also remain the same. In an invited comment following the election, Arrindell said that it was truly an honour and privilege to be re-elected, as she indicated that she now has the opportunity to do more for the community.

“My desire is that as a Council we’ll work together for the betterment of the township, for the betterment of our citizens and to truly portray Linden to the rest of the world…so that we can be able to bring the much-needed investment to the residents,” she stated.

She noted that the Council has, over the years, been trying to increase its revenue collection and as such, is cur-

Re-elected: Mayor Waneka Arrindell and her Deputy, Wainewright Bethune

rently working along with the Central Housing and Planning Authority to hand over several new housing schemes, which

do not yet fall under the purview of the municipality.

This, she added, should be possible within the new year.

She further outlined plans to rethink and readjust operations at the Kara Kara toll booth as well as to take a look

at rates and taxes owed to the Council and to find workable solutions for residents.

Arrindell said that the Council will also seek to have residents more informed of what is happening within the municipality.

Meanwhile, Bethune, speaking after being re-elected, said his sole purpose continues to be to serve the people regardless of the capacity he is in.

He said the aim is now to continue to execute already established plans more efficiently. The Deputy Mayor further made calls for a more disciplined workforce as well as for Councillors to be more actively involved both within the Council and community.

Bethune also pointed to the need for the Council to keep the general public more informed of its activities as he noted that most of the complaints received are that the “Council is not doing anything”. In this regard, he said that while the Council has been doing a lot, its public relations is very poor.

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FEATURE 29

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n Guyana, our roads have many stories. Stories of speeding, hit and runs, blatant disregard for traffic rules among a whole host of other stories. It is imperative that we create safe roads because of the number of unnecessary accidents. Drinking and driving is, by far, our most challenging story to deal with and is also the cause of numerous accidents.

It is time we start using our roads more cautiously. Do not be afraid to ask the driver to slow down because your life matters.

In Guyana, thus far, for 2019 some 114 persons have died in 97 accidents. Of this number, 9 were children. November, which is also Road Safety Week, proved to be the deadliest with 21 deaths as a result of 15 accidents.

These numbers are distressing and they only include the reported fatalities. They do not take into account the others who were critically injured or even received minor injuries. The situation on Guyana’s roadways deserve the attention of every stakeholder.

Drivers, especially in the public transportation system, are using our roadways callously with very little regard for the life or limbs of those in their charge.

The callous use of our roadways have prompted President David Granger to express his distress.

“This insane increase in road fatalities has been caused, mainly, by persons driving at excessive speeds; driving under the influence of alcohol; driving without due care and attention (or inattentiveness) and driving on roads which are congested or unsafe for other road users, particularly pedestrians, thirty of whom were killed,” the President said in an address to the nation.

The President had proposed a three-point approach to road safety.

That included: • more stringent enforcement of traffic laws • greater road safety education through a systematic and sustained countrywide campaign must be conducted • improved engineering solutions to ensure safer roadways World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims

The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDR) is commemorated on the third Sunday of November each year – to remember the many millions killed and injured on the world’s roads, together with their families, friends and many others who are also affected. It is also a Day on which we thank the emergency services and reflect on the tremendous burden and cost of this daily continuing disaster to families, communities and countries, and on ways to halt it.

Road deaths and injuries are sudden, violent, traumatic events. Their impact is long-lasting, often permanent. Each year, millions of newly-injured and bereaved people from every corner of the world are added to the countless millions who already suffer. The cumulative toll is truly tremendous.

The grief and distress experienced by this huge number of people is all the greater because many of the victims are young, because many of the crashes could have and should have been prevented and because Governments’ and society’s response to road deaths and injury and to bereaved and injured victims is often inadequate, unsympathetic, and inap-

propriate concerning a loss of life or quality of life.

This special Remembrance Day is, therefore, intended to respond to the great need of road crash victims for public recognition of their loss and suffering. It has also become an important tool for Governments and those who work to prevent crashes or respond to the aftermath, since it offers the opportunity to demonstrate the enormous scale and impact of road deaths and injuries and the urgent need for action.

Many varied commemorative events are held on each World Day, or on the days before or after.

From 1995, road victim organisations under the umbrella of the European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (FEVR) observed this Day together – first as European Day of Remembrance, but soon as World Day when Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) from Africa, South America and Asia who were associated members of FEVR joined the commemoration.

Therefore, FEVR is the creator and first owner of the World Day of Remembrance. From 2000 onwards, the Pope and other religious leaders remembered road victims worldwide on the third Sunday of November, calling it ‘World Day’ 10 years after it began – on October 26, 2005; the World Day was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly as “the appropriate acknowledgement for victims of road traffic crashes and their families”.

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National Security…

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…at UN? ven diplomats have to defend themselves from the PNC’s brutish displays of power. And so the facts behind the night of the long knives in our Ministry of Foreign Affairs are inevitably oozing out – albeit anonymously, because even in self-defence, diplomats will be diplomats! As your Eyewitness mentioned cryptically yesterday, the shakeup arises from the ambitions of our Permanent Representative to the UN, who wants to become Chair of G-77 or Group of 77.

So the questions arise: Who’s this Rep? What’s G-77? And what’s in the Chair for us?? The fella’s name is Rudolph Ten-Pow, and while he started out in our Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he absconded over thirty years ago, and served in language/ translation services in the UN and affiliated bodies since 1986. Lest your Eyewitness is accused of hiding other diplomatic “light” possessed by Ten-Pow, he quotes from the Ministry of Foreign Service’s website: “Ambassador Ten-Pow began his career in the Foreign Service of Guyana in 1980 as Desk Officer for Venezuela and later Head of the Frontiers Division. He joined the UN in 1986 as a Translator from French and Spanish and served for a number of years at ECLAC in Santiago, Chile. Upon his return to UN HQ in 1991, he served successively as Reviser, Training Officer, Chief of the English Translation Service, and Acting Director of the Documentation Division of the United Nations.

During the period from 2013-2015, he joined the World Bank in Washington DC as Senior Programme Manager for Conference Services, returning to the United Nations in 2015 as Acting Director of the Documentation Division, and later as Special Adviser to the United Nations Coordinator for Multilingualism.”

And this glorified translator was appointed our UN Rep in 2016 by Granger!! As with the “old boy” network he’s established since 2015, once someone ferrets around, the PNC connection’s sure to be found. Like Ivelaw Griffith at UG, who’d been fired from his last job in Georgia!!

And G-77? This, like the mini-skirt, is from the 1960s and harks back to when the Third World had the grand idea that there was strength in numbers for economic advancement, and 77 of them got together. Burnham became an enthusiastic member, and hosted the foreign ministers of the affiliated Non-Aligned Movement meeting in Guyana to boost his “radical” credentials.

Even before NAM collapsed, G77 crippled itself when it changed its rules to require consensus rather than majority decision-making. This gives extremists the edge in the largest voting bloc in the UN, and inevitably sets it up against the US – the single most important member.

What’s in the G-77 Chair for Guyana? Nothing, but boosting the libido of a faceless, faded bureaucrat!! …and sugar So GuySuCo’s CEO confirmed they’re looking to establish a PLANTATION WHITE SUGAR PLANT at Albion.

Hope GAWU’s listening. Now, let’s get something straight: Plantation white sugar is a DIFFERENT product from REFINED white sugar. The impurities from brown sugar aren’t REMOVED, as in the former, but are simply BLEACHED. Hence manufacturers of various condiments and other products that use refined white sugar claim PLANTATION white sugar changes the marketability of their product.

And that’s the stance of the T&T manufacturers as well as most others in Caricom. Even with Plantation White, the extra cost of production can only be justified if the 40% CET is applied on imports. Which, not so incidentally, COTED isn’t even requesting until production of Plantation White will satisfy total Caribbean demand!!

So, is the local GSMA, which has backed GuySuCo’s venture into Plantation White, saying they’ll purchase Albion’s projected 57,000 tons even if the CET isn’t applied? And extra-regional refined white’s cheaper?

Do these people even know what they’re doing, as they gamble with sugar workers’ livelihood?? …and drones Ramjattan and the army brass have been pinned to the wall on their astounding decision to purchase 5 drones for G$180million. For surveillance of our borders, they say!! What

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By Utamu Belle

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lthough two years have passed since her son was killed after being struck down while riding his motorcycle along the Amelia’s Ward Public Road in Linden, Paulette Sydney and her family still remember it like it was just yesterday.

They are more so reminded with the recent fatal road accidents occurring almost daily across the country. Wilbert Sydney, a former Linden ambulance driver attached to the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC), was only 28 years old when he was killed while riding his motorcycle back in June 2017.

Reports at the time had indicated that his motorcycle had collided head-on with motor car PNN 4510, which was driven

by Michael Luckhoo, 21, of Linden. Sydney, a father of two, who resided at Lot 70 Half Mile, Wismar, was reportedly proceeding east along the northern side of the roadway on his motorcycle, registration number CH 5634, when the accident occurred.

Several other vehicles were also said to be involved in the accident. As a result of the collision with the motor car, Sydney and his motorcycle were reportedly thrown into a motor lorry, thence to the northern parapet. He was later picked up, along with the drivers of the motor car and motor lorry, and taken to the LHC, where he was examined by a doctor on duty who pronounced him dead on arrival. While the drivers involved in the accident were questioned, no one has so far been held accountable in relation to the accident.

But memories of the accident remain fresh in the minds of his family.

The Sunday Times Magazine recently sat down with Sydney’s mother and his sister Shondell, a nurse attached to the LHC. His sister related that the pain of loss only increased recently as she also lost her nursing batchmate to a recent road accident in Linden involving an ambulance and motor car. The male nurse killed in the accident was also a friend of the family.

“That just brings back all the memories. We just keep remembering he all the time ... It’s hard, it’s hard,” Sydney’s mother Paulette related.

She said not a day went by without her thinking of her son. She related that each time she would learn about someone being killed in a motor vehicular accident, she would automatically begin to think about the pain the mothers experience, having been in that position herself.

“I was telling my husband that I could just imagine these mothers, because I was there...When I watch at the parents on the television, I could relate. Every day, every day, it ain’t got a day pass that we don’t talk about my son. It ain’t easy,” she reiterated.

According to Mrs Sydney, her deceased son’s daughter, who is almost four years old now, was only two years old at the time of his death, but she still remembers him to this day.

“He didn’t live to see her go to nursery [school] and now she gone into primary… she stays just like that and start to cry. She remembers all the fun moments she had with her father and she talks about it all the time,” Mrs Sydney said.

She added that the child would also tell the family about her dreams of her father. The child would also remember when her father used to go out and tell her that he would return home. To this day, Mrs Sydney said the child would speak as though her father would return home one day.

“So now she says, ‘don’t lock the door, my father said he coming back’. Sometimes, I would try to talk to her and say, ‘Well, you know your father is dead’. She does say, ‘Granny, you must pray a lot for your son and your son would come back to you. Stop crying and pray’,” Mrs Sydney related between tears.

Her son is also survived by a twoyear-old son who was just a few months old when he died. Mrs Sydney said that both children are growing in the image of their father.

His sister Shondell related between tears that she still thought of her brother with each passing day. She said she was comforted with words of encouragement from her friend, who related a story about an entire family that was killed in a road accident. She said the words of her friend were comforting as she was encouraged to be thankful that she still had other family members who were alive.

Nevertheless, she said the grief was hard to dismiss.

Mrs Sydney is urging motorists to slow down on the roadways, as she referenced recent accidents.

“This speeding, I don’t know what they speeding for,” she noted, as she expressed her view that motorcyclists weren’t really safe.

Reminiscing, she recalled that her son had kept the purchase of the motorcycle a secret from her until he brought it to Linden. She noted that at the time, she wasn’t too keen on him having a motorcycle, since he already had a car. Mrs Sydney noted, however, that being the fun-loving person that he was, he had used one of his favourite quotes which was everyone should just “live life” after she had raised her concern.

“That is what he used to tell me. I used to say, ‘I don’t want nothing happen to you, because I ain’t know what I gon do’. He used to say ‘Mommy, you strong don’t worry with that; you gonna be alright’. And I lived to see it. Honestly, it took a toll on me for the longest while ‘til now. Now I can sit down and talk about him. At first, whole day I used to lock up in my bedroom,” Mrs Sydney related.

She continued that she could not have ventured into her son’s room following his death. It wasn’t until recently that she mustered up the courage to do so.

feature 33

She shared that she dreamt of her son for the first time since his death a few days ago. This, she noted, was not surprising since he loved the holidays. Mrs Sydney joked that he enjoyed eating lots of meat around this time. The accident has really taken a devastating toll on the family, as Mrs Sydney explained that she was now fearful whenever she travelled to Georgetown.

“Somehow, like I value my life even more than before,” she related.

Coping with grief The family agrees that coping with grief has not been an easy task. According to Sydney’s sister Shondell, it is a daily task.

“I don’t know how some people does cope with grief, but when you lose a loved one due to accident – if you know someone is sick or ailing, I can understand – but when you see it’s so unexpected, it is really upsetting. I don’t know if people actually get over losing loved ones, but for me, it’s more than two years since I lost my brother and there isn’t a day that pass that he don’t pass across my mind...it is not something easy. Especially when you remember the kind of relationship that you and this person had,” she remarked.

She related that she has had moments when she would just begin to cry, explaining that the grief was hard to shake, even with time.

“I could actually relate to not eating, not getting to sleep ... I tried to be strong throughout the whole process ... but I broke down ... Why people can’t take their time on the road? Going forward is going forward already. You don’t have to go forward with speed,” she stressed.

Shondell explained that people needed to value their lives and those of others, noting that not even justice could help bring them back once they were gone.

“You might go to court, you might win or you might not win, but nothing still ain’t bringing back your loved one. Some of these people got children that are dependants.

Some people got other siblings that are dependent on them and these people’s lives are snuffed out like this. And these drivers, they might go to court and then still get to drive again where they could kill somebody else. People need to be more careful,” she urged.

Shondell remembered feeling the same grief when her co-worker died in an accident recently. She recalled thinking about his family and wondering how they would cope when she got the news.

M r s Sydney believes that drivers get off too easily when they are involved in accidents which claim the lives of others. She said stiffer penalties were needed for a clearer message to be sent about speeding on our roadways.

“They should take away their licence forever. When they realise that if they hit somebody down and they can’t get to drive back again, they will take caution ... we went to court and not a thing ain’t come out of the story.

They say they didn’t have enough evidence,” she related.

Mrs Sydney explained that the family was told that too many drivers were involved in the accident and it was difficult to ascertain who was really responsible for it.

Shondell believes that drivers involved in accidents which claim the lives of others should be held accountable.

“It is hard. When you lose a loved one, nobody ain’t checking to see if you get financial assistance or something off of the case,” she noted.

Following the death of her son, Mrs Sydney related that the family received another blow as she also lost a sister who passed away e -route to America after vacationing in Guyana. Months later, she recalled, she lost another sister. Both women had expressed grave concern over the number of road accidents occurring almost daily on the roadways in Guyana. Mrs Sydney encourages drivers to “take their time” on the roadways and to be each other’s keeper.

“Look out for each other. Stop the speeding. That is what does cause them accidents,” she scolded, noting her belief that speed played a major role in her son’s death.

On every anniversary of her son’s death, his friends host a ‘Night of Reflections’ in his memory, where they would reminisce on his life. His mother explained that they would wear jerseys with his image, cook, and share memories.

The family calls for support groups to be set up for families who would have lost their loved ones owing to road accidents where they can receive counselling, prayers and find solutions. Reflecting on their own experience, the women related that such situations could lead to depression. Sydney is remembered as a fun-loving person who was always there for his family and would lend a helping hand to even a stranger in need. Had he lived, he would have celebrated his 30th birthday this past October.

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njoy incredible grassroot experiences and fall in love with Guyana. The country’s true ethos can be felt in the many community-based tourism initiatives, where villages have pooled their resources and come together to invest in tourism as one of their main sources of income. Guyana is a leading pioneer in community driven, owned and led tourism in the Caribbean and South American Regions. Stay in villages eco-lodges, have meaningful interactions during hikes and river trips, and learn about the rhythm of life of the indigenous Peoples of Guyana. Your experiences here will be both fulfilling and transformational and will

WEEK ENDING december 15, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

runs deep amongst its inhabitants and before you know it you will be meeting the locals.

Take the Mangrove Heritage Tour and see this natural wonder in action. To add on more to the experience, visit the Victoria Honey House and get a bottle of locally-made honey as your take home souvenir.

by kids, it offers a chance to stay in benab styled huts and have access to nearby actionpacked nature trails. Fill your days fishing in the river for piranhas, treading the forest trails, trying to spot Guyana’s giants, and eating excellent local meals. The amazing birds and wildlife around Surama gives you reason enough to linger here for a few extra days.

Wowetta

Rewa Eco-Lodge

If you are a nature love, the Rewa Eco-Lodge is a dream come true. Stay amidst 300 Makushi natives who are extremely passionate about preserving their rainforests and the arapaima, the largest scaled freshwater fish in the

nut butter produced by a local factory here. Of course, this is only one of the many community initiatives of the village.

Others include nature trails, hikes and an eco-lodge, where you can stay in a thatched roof benab. At the end of an adventure filled day celebrate the Makushi traditions, culture and cuisine – all in one place.

St Cuthbert’s Mission

Recognised by many as the cultural centre of the Amerindian’s, St Cuthbert’s Mission is surrounded by savannah and dense vegetation.

For the intrepid explorer an authentic travel experience is more important than anything else. The Makushi village in the heart of the country allows you to realise this travel dream. Lying at the edge of the untouched Iwokrama forest, it gives you a chance to witness the harmony between villagers and the forest.

Cassava farming, weaving and the cock-of-the-rock birds are some of the many highlights of this village.

Konashen

have a positive and direct impact on the lives the people who visit. (Explore Guyana – Guyana Undiscovered)

Surama Eco-Lodge

The village of Surama was one of the first indigenous communities in Guyana to invest in and embark on community-based tourism initiatives.

Led by First Vice President and Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs in Guyana, Sydney Allicok, Surama Eco-

world. Consider yourself lucky to be able to learn more about over 100 species of birds, jaguars, tapirs, giant river otters and other wildlife from the people who know these creatures the best. Get breathtaking views of the rainforest from Awarmie Mountain, and cruise along rivers and ponds in a dugout canoe. Sport fishermen consider the waters around the lodge as one of the best! Filled with piranhas, tiger fish, peacock bass and much more, the Rewa River

Konashen is Guyana’s southernmost Amerindian village and the largest protected area run by a local community. Reason enough for you to follow in the steps of the Wai Wais and see the region through their eyes. Guided treks, overnighting in the community’s eco-lodge and nature immersion are some of the options in this dynamic rainforest that promises an unforgettable experience.

Rockstone

Spend a few days on the Essequibo River’s shore and enjoy village life at Rockstone near the mining town of Linden. The village does an admirable job of marrying traditional living with the needs of modern travelers. You can stay at the Arawana Lodge on stilts, cruise the river in dugout canoes and stroll on the three nature trails with local guides. Trips to Gluck Island, isolated beach time and Arapaima fishing add to the fascinating and diverse array of activities. Time your trip to see the action at the annual Rockstone Fish Festival.

Santa Mission

Lodge took its first steps to become a community that welcomed visitors in the late 1990s; this is probably why it is regarded as one of the best Amerindian hospitality. Surama Eco-Lodge lies at the edge of Burro Burro River in North Rupununi. Entirely managed by the local community and a wildlife club run

offers you an unforgettable fishing experience. But what stays with you most of all is the warm hospitality of the Makushi and the insight that they share about their culture.

Aranaputa

Aranaputa’s reputation is linked to the delicious pea-

You don’t have to travel too far from Georgetown to experience a slice of Arawak life.

Santa Mission, on the Kamuni Creek on the Demerara River, is a wonderful place to see weavers and other artisans at work, sprawling farmlands and simply stunning nature. The value of community-owned and led tourism is apparent when you see the busy handicraft shop, or travelers enjoying the nature trails around the village.

Local craft, hoatzin-watching, river trips on the Mahaica and staying in the local accommodation lie at the centre of community tourism here. Imagine time slowing down to give you ample hours to see baskets being made of liana or joining local children in splashing games along the river.

Victoria Village

The only way to feel really alive when you travel is to experience truly authentic slices of local life. Expect just that in Victoria Village on the East Coast of Demerara. It was the first village in Guyana to be bought by former slaves, who won their freedom in the 1800s. Passion for the land

Yupukari

Yupukari’s terrain if grasslands and forests is just as gripping as the village’s cultural rhythm. Home to the Makushi people, Yupukari Village is best known for Caiman House Lodge. This research centre focuses on preserving and measuring the growth of the black caiman population in this part of Guyana. Caiman tagging is a favoured activity among visitors to the village, and one you would not want to miss out on! If you’re lucky, you might catch a monthly village campfire where a stage is set for the Makushi, Parishara and Hummingbird daces in colourful costumes.

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hen construction worker Lawrence Braithwaite lost his sight to glaucoma in 2007, the road ahead was a prospect filled with misgivings and uncertainty. He had to find something else to do to make money and maintain his family. Little did he know that he was about to embark on a new path in life that would lead him to overcome immense challenges, achieve triumphs and become an admired entrepreneur with innovative products produced under the company name Braf’s Manufacturing.

Looking back on how it all started, Lawrence remembers being told he would never see again. But even more, he remembers that the news made him aware of a steely inner resolve that he never knew he possessed. “It hurt, yes; but I told myself it was not the end of the road. This is not the end of my life.”

Indeed, it was the beginning of a progressive chapter in his life.

Totally uncomfortable about accepting charity, the first major decision he made was to rely on his own wits and abilities to earn a living. His second decision was to open a small chicken-rearing business. It was a big mistake. He soon found out that raising chickens and selling them, which is not easy for persons with perfect vision, is an ordeal for sightless folk because they are easy prey for thieves. It was not long before some of Lawrence’s chickens were being

stolen, forcing him to shift to producing salted fish. But this did not work because thieves were stealing some of the fish that was being dried and cured.

These setbacks might have broken a lesser man, but not Lawrence. He was more determined than ever to succeed. The big question was: What business to do next? His bad experiences taught him that outdoor ventures were more vulnerable to thieves. “So I decided to do something that would be processed indoors,” he recalled.

Lawrence decided to experiment with making plantain flour and selling it. He bought five pounds of plantains and ground them into powder using a hand-mill borrowed from a friend. He was able to get one pound of flour. “This has potential,” he said to himself.

He bought more and more plantains and used his borrowed hand-mill to make increasing amounts of flour. He would put the flour in bags and walk around in his community of Buxton and sell to his neighbours. In almost no time at all, he had a growing number of satisfied customers.

However, his troubles were not over.

One day, while walking through the nighbourhood and selling his products, Lawrence accidentally walked into a trench. It was a stark reminder that life was tough without sight.

Then his bad experiences being a target for thieves continued. He bought 200 pounds of plantains from the market once, but a man he asked to help him take the load to a vehicle made off with the entire amount.

Lawrence was discouraged but quickly regained his cheerful personality, determined to press on.

“I never gave up,” he said. Instead, he borrowed money from his friends, bought more plantains and continued with his business.

His products had to satisfy Food and Drug certification requirements before he could go further. As a blind person, it was extraordinarily difficult for him to handle the running around and paperwork required, but he did what he had to do and his products are fully certified

for both quality and hygiene.

Meanwhile, Lawrence beefed up his entrepreneurial skills by attending workshops, and he learned quickly how to market his products more effectively and operate a small business more efficiently. He was able to benefit from a special training programme for disabled people, conducted by the Small Business Bureau.

Around that time, Lawrence moved to East Ruimveldt in Georgetown.

Through his participation in the Small Business Bureau programme, he was able to secure funding to buy dehydrators and electrical mills.

In this way, he was able to produce a wider range of products, including barley flour, tamarind balls, and instant porridge. Lawrence specialises in quickpreparation foods suitable for folk who are unable to spend much time in the kitchen.

For example, his flavoured instant porridge mix—made of whole wheat flour and milk—requires only the addition of warm water to be table-ready.

Besides this, his fish-cake mix—made from potato flour, fish, oats and seasonings—only requires being mixed with water, left to rest for 10 minutes and fried for one minute.

Lawrence’s never-say-die attitude has paid off as his business continues to grow. His long term goal is to set up a factory and create opportunities for employment. He is seeking land to achieve

this goal.

Always keen to explore new opportunities, he is one of the innovative Guyanese manufacturers who will put their local products on display at the ‘Marketplace UncappeD’ exhibition hosted by the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) on Sunday, December 8, 2019, at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, East Bank Demerara.

This is not his first time at Uncapped. According to Lawrence, “A friend encouraged me to participate in UncappeD, and I have no regrets.” He said his products gained great exposure at the event and many patrons had complimented him on their quality and presentation.

Lawrence has a treat in store for persons who visit his booth at the upcoming UncappeD event. “I will introduce a special dip made of tomatoes and bilimbi,” he said, noting that his various products will be on sale.

Right now, Lawrence’s preparations for the event are moving into high gear and, amazingly, he is putting everything together using a computer and a touch-screen smartphone.

He is looking forward to meeting customers and making new friends at UncappeD, particularly those of us who are intrigued by the incredible story of this indefatigable Guyanese entrepreneur who lost his eyesight, but never lost his inner vision. (Sagacity Inc)

"I pardoned him and he did not even say sorry" - Bhagwanlall Ramlagan

By Mohanlall Suelall

O

ne of the leading principles in Bhagwanlall Ramlagan’s life is the ability to forgive people despite their shortcomings.

He, however, expects those who are pardoned to be somewhat remorseful, but he got a rude awakening a few weeks ago.

On November 20, 2019, Ramlagan was walking along Anna Regina Market Street in the Pomeroon-Supenaam region when he was hit from the back by a young man who was riding his motorcycle in a reckless manner. The 67-yearold recalled that all he felt was a heaviness on his back and then he fell face down onto the pavement.

He lost consciousness. When Ramlagan regained consciousness, he was already being transported to the Suddie Hospital on the Essequibo Coast, where he was

treated and later sent away.

The youthful rider of the motorcycle was apparently blazing his way through the busy market area when he lost control of his bike and crashed into the Councillor.

Ramlagan never expected that he would have been in an accident that would leave him in pain to this day.

The motorcyclist was reportedly not wearing any safety gear, also putting himself at risk for serious injuries as well.

Ramlagan, popularly referred to as "Haribol", because of his religious beliefs, said that he was following a spiritual path, so he decided that forgiveness was the right thing to do. Although the young man did not render any assistance to him or even apologised for crashing into the elderly man, he was forgiven. With no strings attached to that forgiveness, Ramlagan said he later learnt that the young man

has since paid for the damage he caused to the stalls at the market, but has yet to reach out to him to check to see how he is doing.

He said that he suffered injuries to his back, knees and other parts of his body and could not have worked for more than two weeks. The elderly man is still in pain, but because of religious teachings that he should show mercy to all of God's creation, he did not report the matter to the Police. He wanted to meet the young man personally and give him some good words of advice so as to be more careful on the roadways, but he was not fortunate because the young man did not make contact with him after the accident.

Ramlagan said that he was very much concerned about the many road accidents and fatalities and was calling on drivers to apply the 5 ‘Cs’ when driving, especially at this time of the year. He is calling on them to be extra careful when

driving and also insisted that drivers stop speeding and not drink and drive.

He noted that while there were some reckless drivers, there were also some careless pedestrians who did not care how they used the roads. He urged all road users to be careful especially during the holiday season.

He said that Christmas was a time of sharing and loving and he hoped that drivers would do the right thing to show love and compassion to the other road users by driving carefully, to avoid causing grief, sadness, and pain to themselves, families, friends, neighbours and the general public.

36 NEWS

WEEK ENDING december 15, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Crab catchers found alive in Suriname

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he four crab catchers who were reported missing after going on a crabcatching expedition in neighbouring Suriname have been found alive.

The police were asked to get involved after relatives made reports that the men were missing while their boat was found abandoned.

The crew of four crab catchers had been away for one week when relatives went in search of them. They were initially expected back in two days.

They left the shores of Guyana on December 1,

for Nickerie, Suriname, and were expected back the following day.

The men, Yogeshwar Mangal, also called “Boyo”, of Number Two Village East Canje, Nelson Dejonge, 22, of Fort Ordnance Housing Scheme, Ramdat Goonraj also called “Azad”, 23, of Rose Hall Town and Anand Deoharry of Cumberland, East Canje, were found on Monday morning.

Based on information received, the men ran out of food supplies and went in search of same, leaving the boat behind.

The boat that was left abandoned

The boat, however, reportedly drifted due to the high waters.

Mangal and Dejonge,

Youth fined for slapping female Police Officer

A

21-year-old man who carried out a series of offences was on Wednesday hauled before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Daniel Boutrim, of Lot 157 Guyhoc Park, Georgetown, appeared before Magistrate Faith McGusty and admitted to one charge but denied three others.

Boutrim admitted that December 9, 2019, at East La Penitence Police Station, Georgetown, he unlawfully assaulted Lance Corporal Madessa Ajaday, causing her actual bodily harm. He denied that on the same day and same location, he made use of threatening language towards Lance Corporal Madessa Ajaday.

He also denied that on December 9, 2019, at Stevedore Housing Scheme, he unlawfully assaulted Shamaine Lamazon. Additionally, the man denied that he unlawfully and maliciously damaged six window panes valued G$1,200, the property of Shamaine Lamazon.

The prosecution’s case contended that Lance Corporal Ajaday was on duty when she received information that a male was trying to kill

nevertheless, were able to get help for the other two, who had given up on the walk and decided to camp out in the mosquito-infested bushes.

According to Mangal, as they moved towards Nickerie in the dark, they met a man and were able to get a telephone call from him.

Help arrived on Monday morning and the crab catchers were later transported across the border later in the day.

Dejonge related that this was the second time he had such an experience. His first trip to Suriname, he recalled, created problems for the

crew some three years ago.

According to the crab catchers, the trips would normally last about two days and would see them taking home about $60,000 each. Despite the ordeal, the men stated that they will continue to ply their trade.

Man pretending to be cop faces several robbery charges

A

Daniel Boutrim

a female in Stevedore Housing Scheme.

As such, a party of Police Officers were dispatched to the area and attempted to arrest Boutrim. According to the prosecution’s case, he was then taken to East La Penitence Police Station; however, a short while after the Lance Corporal instructed Boutrim to sit on the prisoners’ bench, he allegedly dealt the woman a slap. Hence, he was

charged for the offence.

The Prosecutor informed the court that Boutrim was released from prison two weeks ago, after serving time for escaping custody and stabbing his sister.

The Magistrate, after listening to the facts, fined Boutrim G$20,000 for assaulting the peace officer and released him on G$30,000 bail for the other charges. The case will continue on December 18.

21-year-old man accused of pretending to be a cop was on Wednesday slapped with several robbery charges and appeared before Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts Daquan Robinson denied that on December 7, 2019, at Church Street, Georgetown, while being armed with a gun, he robbed Keon Crandon of G$600. It was also alleged that on December 8, 2019, at Merriman Mall, Bourda, Georgetown, while being armed with a gun, he robbed Gary Hartman of a quantity of items valued G$43,000. He was also charged for robbing Desmond Daniels on December 8, 2019 at Orange Walk, Bourda, of one phone valued G$5000.

Additionally, it is alleged that on December 8, 2019 at Orange Walk, Bourda, he had in his possession two iPhones suspected to be stolen or unlawfully obtained.

Police Prosecutor David Goodman told the court that Hartman was in the Merriman Mall walking with his haversack containing documents on his back when he was approached by Robinson, who stated that he was an officer on duty and requested to conduct a search of the victim.

The court heard that when Robinson was asked by the Virtual Complainant (VC) to produce his Police badge, he pointed a fake gun at the man and relieved him of the haversack. The court heard that Robinson then told the VC to run

or he would shoot him.

Prosecutor Goodman also related that with respect to Daniels’ case, the VC, who is a security guard, was asleep in a chair when the defendant pushed his hands into his pocket and took out his phone. He then made good his escape. A Police patrol saw the defendant and carried out a search of his person and the stolen items were recovered. Following the Prosecutor’s submission, Magistrate IsaacsMarcus remanded Robinson to prison.

The case will continue on December 30, 2019.

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WEEK ENDING december 15, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

‘Short Boss’ awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to rape, armed robbery

What’s the plan…

T

wenty-four-year-old Travis Evans also known as “Short Boss” is expected to be sentenced on December 18, 2019, af-

W

…on O&G?? hile we’re all focusing on Christmas, which is nigh upon us, we seem to be forgetting that so is “first oil”. Is this because the oil operator informed us that the first million barrels will be heading up to their refineries in Galveston? And the Energy Director claimed this was because the “first lift of oil has too many impurities”!! Notice that the oil company stayed mum…since this would’ve opened them up to serious, severe snorts in the industry!!

But even with the oil company ensuring that the PNC Government doesn’t get its grubby big paws on the oil money before they’re booted out in March, you’d think they’d want to keep up pretences that they have a plan – at least for their party faithful – wouldn’t you?? So let’s talk a bit about what this PNC Govt should’ve been doing over the past four years.

Just so you don’t get suckered by the Manifesto verbiage they’re hatching. Your riposte to them should be, “How come alyuh a now buil’ latrine, when yuh ready to sh*t??”

What’s most dispiriting about the PNC’s paralysis is the oil industry’s been around for over a century, and abject lessons abound!! Let’s break this down.

There are two ways in which the country can benefit after oil is struck. First comes the “Local Content” aspects that can provide employment and other benefits to service the industry. And then comes the use of the revenues that the Government receives from signing bonuses, royalties, and profit-sharing.

On “Local Content”, we knew from the beginning that while we don’t have the capabilities to drill under one mile of water and bring up oil, there are other support activities we could’ve been trained for. And demand that we be hired! Take, for instance, something like repairing or even fabricating gantries and other equipment that need top quality welders, machinists, fitters, etc. We were once able to construct ships at Sprostons which became GNIC after Burnham nationalised it and brought it to the ground. So how come the Govt didn’t start training tradesmen like these at its Technical Institutes and bring them up to ISO standards?? What the Government did instead was to shutter the premier training institute in Guyana for mechanical and electrical tradesmen – the GuySuCo Training School at Port Mourant!!

Why your Eyewitness picked this sorta training is that it is transferable to the needs of what we should be doing with the revenues that will come our way – building, at a minimum, the infrastructural basics that we so sorely lack for any kind of development.

Building bridges, roads, factories, skyscrapers and other steel-framed buildings…

Gwan dat side, PNC!! Yuh na ready! …just being Shaggy??

Looking around at the economic wasteland he created: unilaterally and vindictively firing 7000 workers in the sugar industry and allowing four estates worth at least G$200 BILLION to revert to bush, gold mining firings (Troy), Bauxite firings (RUSAL), Plywood Firings (Barama) etc – Granger excuses himself and his Government by claiming he was handed a “bad hand” by the PPP!! Talking about rubbing your doo-doo on the other fella’s bamsie!!

The PPP handed the PNC the most consistent growing economy in the region; an upper Medium Income Level Country rating after inheriting a debtridden “Highly Indebted Poor Country” ranking with rats gnawing at babies’ toes at GPHC; with poverty rates reduced from 43% to 36% in its first decade, educational standards rebuilt, not to mention 6 months’ reserves in the treasury!! The PNC is worse than the prodigal son who frittered away his inheritance and is now for another chance, by crying “Wasn’t me!!”

The PNC fooled Guyanese once and was shame on them. If we allow them to fool us again; shame on us!! …on tourism?

The Tourism Head complained that “Too many festivals are just an excuse for rum drinking when they (reps from the 10 Regions) should be bringing out the cultural resources of the regions.”

But isn’t rum drinking emblematic of our culture??

Convicted for armed robbery, rape: Travis Evans, called “Short Boss”

ter he pleaded guilty to armed robbery and rape when he made his first High Court appearance on Monday.

“Short Boss” pleaded guilty to the charges when they were read to him by Justice Simone Ramlall.

The first indictment stated that on October 30, 2010, in the county of Demerara, whilst being armed with a dangerous weapon – a knife – he robbed Marlyn Kisson of G$650,500.

The second charge read that during the said period, he engaged in sexual penetration with a woman without her consent.

Evans was charged for both offences alongside John Sampson and Alex Williams after being on the run for several years.

He was also charged for the murders of 46-year-old Gregory “Wayne” Frank and 21-year-old Ronsley Clarke. Both murders reportedly took place in August of 2018.

It was reported that Frank’s body was discovered days after his demise, lying in his Kuru Kururu, Linden-Soesdyke Highway home

Murdered: Gregory “Wayne” Frank

with visible head injuries.

His entire home was ransacked which indicated that he was killed during a robbery.

On the other hand, Clarke was reportedly shot twice to his body by Evans in full view of his friends. The murder occurred in Sophia while the deceased and his girlfriend were at a party.

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Hustling…

S

…sugar workers tung by the electoral implications of their coldblooded treatment of sugar workers – both the ones fired and the ones left to swing in the wind – the PNC and their myrmidons have unleashed a two-pronged misdirection initiative. The first prong claims – as Volda Lawrence and Aubrey Norton did– that the PPP didn’t use EU-provided funds to mitigate the damage from their 36% slash in sugar prices.

Now you know these inveterate liars are just drawing a red herring over the bloody trail of their closure of 4 sugar estates and throwing 7000 workers into the streets. How could they accuse the PPP of not directing these funds into sugar to cause its demise and at the same time, accuse the same PPP of “pandering” to sugar workers by subsidising the industry to the tune of “billions and billions” year after year? Which subsidy, they claim, was the reason they had to shutter the said estates!!

So which is it?? The PPP withheld money or spent money on sugar?? The PNC can’t have it both ways!!

The accusation sounds just like those about the PPP “siphoning off billions and billions” from the Treasury.

But after five years, has had every case brought on these accusations thrown out of court!! We know the PNC is incompetent…but even the big-time lawyers they hired?? How many times are they going to cry wolf to a bemused citizenry??

The other prong was just floated (we can’t say “launched”!) by the AFC’s Raphael Trotman, who has defied the folk wisdom that “you can’t go back home”!! Referring to the sugar workers fired by the PNC – which his erstwhile party founder Ramjattan boasted was their brainchild! – Trotman claimed: “With oil coming, we will transition most, if not all, those workers in the sugar industry…Quite a few have been already retrained or are being retrained…

We had trained about 100 sugar workers at the Port Mourant Training Centre, and most of them have been hired by ExxonMobil or its subsidiaries”.

7000 persons fired since 2016-17 and Trotman is boasting about ONE HUNDRED retrained in their much publicised Industry Skills Training Enhancement Programme (IN-STEP)?? How many times are they going to pull out this chestnut since the training in 2018?? Can Trotman say exactly how many of these “retrained” workers were actually HIRED by Exxon or its suppliers?? After all, we know that the private outfit TotalTec had to give about a dozen ex-GuySuCo technical personnel further FURTHER training to meet the O&G standards!!

But we know this is all BS. Why hasn’t the PNC replicated for sugar workers on abandoned sugar lands the G$2.6Billion agri-scheme they unfurled behind Ithaca, Buxton, BV and Mocha??

Why different strokes…? …civilians What your Eyewitness found most interesting about the “Mona and Tina” video that went so viral it ended up even in his inbox, was how so few persons commented on the Police’s behaviour even as they lambasted the two young women. Now the Police are supposed to “serve and protect” we civilians, did you know that?? Of course, you don’t— if you’ve had even the slightest encounter with any member of the GPF. Have you ever been pulled over by a cop for a supposed infraction on the road and hauled to the station?? Have you ever experienced the complete helplessness they impose on you at the station?

The disdain? Your Eyewitness found the response to the bullying of the two women quite spunky, under the circumstances and hope there will be a full investigation.

Are the Police going to be charged for invading the privacy of the two women by uploading their video on the internet?? Why weren’t the women allowed to video the Police?

Free Mona and Tina!! …on the “troubles” Granger now says he doesn’t have evidence to even order a CoI into all the massacres between 2000 and 2008 for which the PNC’s been blaming the PPP. So with all his connections in the security apparatus, it’s nothing but hearsay??

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Scenes from PPP/C Presidential Candidate Irfaan Ali’s outreach to hinterland communities

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Weak governments create instability, and are a big obstacle to progress Continued from last week

We began to see a change in the 1985 General elections.

By that time, Forbes Burnham had died. His successor, Desmond Hoyte, began to make some reforms which gave the hope to some that the elections would have been free and fair.

The reforms included some relaxation on the press, in that period the Stabroek News was born. He also abolished overseas voting, a method used extensively by the Burnham-led PNC to rig elections. As a result, seven parties contested the poll. They were: PPP, PNC, UF, Working People’s Alliance (WPA), Democratic Labour Movement (DLM), National Democratic Front (NDF), and People’s Democratic Movement (PDM).

However, the hopes were all dashed.

Desmond Hoyte’s PNC massively rigged the 1985 elections. It was the worst rigged elections in our history.

That defeat did not daunt the participants.

They began to advocate even more vigorously for a return to Democracy.

The opposition parties decided to unite into the Patriotic Coalition for Democracy (PCD). The PCD was formed to pressure the Government for real changes. It was making important gains.

The Guyanese people’s resistance increased greatly.

In the meantime, the international situation had undergone some great changes as well.

The Cold War had ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The combination of a united opposition at home and a new international situation in which the threat of “communism” was removed created favourable conditions for change in Guyana.

The Republic Day message by President George Bush to Desmond Hoyte in 1991 clearly signalled that the US position on the toleration of rigged elections in Guyana had come to an end. That gave great hope to the democratic forces that the people’s vote would finally be counted.

As a result, eleven (11) parties contested the 1992 General Elections,

Donald Ramotar

in which the PPP/Civic emerged victorious despite many predictions that it could not win 50% of the votes. Indeed, it won 53.45%.

Since then, the amount of parties contesting the elections have more or less been constant. What has been changing is the fact that some parties have been combining before the elections. We have seen GAP/WPA; GAP/ ROAR; and later APNU, in which some seven parties have combined.

This year, we have seen a massive jump

in the amount of political parties on the scene.

Many parties are emerging, representing smaller and smaller group interests.

In an atmosphere in which there is the possibility of free elections, many are staking claims.

To get into the National Assembly, a party needs only approximately five thousand votes.

However, that one or two seats can give that party much greater bargaining power than its popular vote. This would be so in a situation where no party or combination of par-

ties gets fifty-one percent of the votes.

With free and fair elections, the second objective of the then Colonial Power when Proportional Representation was imposed began to become a reality; that is: to have “weak” coalition governments in Guyana. No doubt some, particularly leaders of the smaller parties, would see this as a good thing. However, it could be the worst thing that can happen to our country, with the exception of rigged elections and undemocratic governments.

Weak governments create instability, and are a big obstacle to progress.

Remember that we will, in the immediate future, be an oil producing country. We will have to deal with very powerful international companies with revenues bigger that the Caribbean states combined. That group would have the resources to finance parties and ensure that the major companies have the power, because of the parties they could control.

Weak governments

and undemocratic regimes can turn our country into a playground and our people into playthings in the hands of mighty transnational companies more than fifty years after we saw the contours of weak puppet government in Guyana.

The best way forward is to have a strong, democratic administration, that seeks to build consensus to deal with international capital and to give Guyana and its people the best conditions for socio-economic progress.

Those who advocate constitutional reform should consider reviewing the electoral system specifically, joining with the rest of the Caribbean and return to the First Past the Post (Constituency) System, as it is the best system to ensure strong governments.

History and experience have shown that only the People’s Progressive Party/Civic has the capacity to stand up for the good of the whole nation.

A strong PPP/Civic is indispensable for our nation.

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Chemical spill at GNIC facility forces temporary shutdown A

chemical spill at the Guyana N a t i o n a l Industrial Corporation (GNIC) wharf on Lombard Street, G e o r g e t o w n , Wednesday morning forced a temporary shutdown of the facility.

In updating the media on the issue, the GNIC said that the spilt substance is “Rheduce”, a chemical which is nonhazardous, non-toxic and harmless to human and marine life.

Rheduce is used as a thinner and conditioner in the RHELIANT thermally-stable, flatrheology drilling fluid system. It works to disperse solids in the mud without requiring dilution or changing the synthetic-to-water ratio.

Meanwhile, GNIC

The area within GNIC where the spill occurred

handling of cargo at the facility’s terminal. This resulted in the chemical leaking and accumulat-

Rain caused the chemical to seep onto the roadway at Lombard Street, Georgetown (CDC photo)

explained that the container containing the substance was ruptured on Tuesday during the

ing in an area around the container; however, as a result of the delay in the clean-up and rainfall, the substance

Clean-up efforts at the GNIC Wharf (CDC photo)

spread.

Sighting the spread, the facility’s terminal was closed.

“The chemical, which is non-hazardous,

non-toxic and harmless to human and marine life, was stored in a designated area. It leaked but accumulated in a small area around the

said container. The response action to mop up the substance was awaited. However, the rain came and caused a spread of the substance.

There was a panic reaction by customs, resulting in the closure of the terminal,” GNIC noted in a statement.

Risk assessments Nevertheless, a team was deployed from the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and other agencies to conduct risk assessments and execute the appropriate response, which later led to the clean-up and decontamination of the area.

Meanwhile, Head of CDC, Kester Craig, said that from the assessment, which was conducted in and around the vicinity of GNIC, it was confirmed that a chemical spill occurred between late Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning.

44 news

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Guyana records over 138 TIP victims so far for 2019

…SOP launched to guide investigators, prosecutors

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan with various stakeholder representatives at Wednesday’s SOP launch for Investigation and Prosecution of Trafficking in Persons cases in Guyana

O

ver 130 victims of trafficking in persons (TIP) have been recorded for the past eleven months.

These were identified from TIP-related cases filed during that period which resulted in eight successful prosecutions.

These figures were revealed by Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan on Wednesday at the launching of Standing Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the Investigation and Prosecution of Trafficking in Persons Cases in Guyana.

He noted that from January to November, the Guyana Police

sulted in 17 TIP-related charges filed compared to only one in 2017.

Over the past 11 months, all 138 victims were females with 115 below the age of 30 and seven below the age of 18. Like in the previous years, Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) continues to account for the highest prevalence of TIP-related activities, with 87 per cent of the total cases recorded thus this year.

Foreigners rank high Meanwhile, foreigners continue to rank high among the TIP victims with 84 per cent of those recorded being Venezuelans. Of the total recorded to date this

Regional Coordinating Officer for the Caribbean and Chief of Mission for IOM, Robert Natiello

Force’s Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Unit investigated 18 cases with 138 alleged victims and some 50 suspects. Twentynine charges were filed against the perpetrators of which eight were convicted.

According to Ramjattan, who is also the Chairman of the Ministerial Taskforce on TIP, this is a significant improvement compared to previous years.

Last year, there were a total of 245 alleged TIP victims from 32 cases with 57 suspects. This re-

year, four are from the Dominican Republic and 11 are Guyanese.

“It is important for you to understand these statistics… because it also identifies a number of areas that you have to pay more attention to – young people under the age of [30] and females and their location,” he asserted.

The Public Security Minister went on to say that like in the previous years, most of these victims are being exploited sexually but there are inCONTINUED ON PAGE 46

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46 NEWS

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US analyst finds SOCU focuses too much on PPP officials, politicians

US Analyst and State Department employee, Dr Evan Ellis

I

n his analysis on Guyana’s geopolitical state and its security, United States analyst and author, Dr Evan Ellis, has documented the fact that persons have complained about the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) and its witch hunt against People’s Progressive Party members.

According to Ellis, in his publication Journals of America, 3rd edition, SOCU was originally formed as one of the highest-profile elements of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to investigate persons who were flagged by the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU).

“SOCU has been criticised, however (particularly by the PPP), for focusing its investigations almost entirely on senior PPP-affiliated functionaries of the previous Government and their business partners without, to date, producing

any convictions,” Dr Ellis said.

He cited the March 2017 detention of senior People’s Progressive Party (PPP) officials, including Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, former Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, and former Natural Resources Minister Robert Persaud, all with the media present.

“Those more sympathetic to SOCU would say the focus was driven by (allegations of corruption), and that the reason for the lack of convictions has been the inability or unwillingness of the Director of Public Prosecution (chambers) to take cases forward”.

Ellis, a research professor and author at the Institute of Strategic Studies of the US Army War College, stated that SOCU is supposed to be supported by the FIU,

which is tasked with monitoring financial transactions and flagging any suspicious ones.

However, Ellis observed that there have been complaints that the work of the two agencies overlap.

“Operationally, while the work of the FIU under the current Government is well regarded, some complain that its work sometimes overlaps with the SOCU and that it focuses too heavily on politicians who are presumed to receive payoffs or otherwise benefit from illicit activities rather than the criminal leaders who actually conduct them,” Ellis added.

Guyana is slated to be evaluated in 2022 by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) and FATF. It will be the fourth round of evaluations, with Guyana having been removed from the global watch list in 2016.

The state of SOCU, Guyana’s main money-laundering investigation arm, has been a source of concern, however, ever since the information came to light that a probe into the unit being conducted by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) had unearthed irregularities that included falsified records and missing documents.

According to reports, there was even a case of an official who alleged that his signature was forged. In addition, there are reports of listed expenditure being concocted and receipts being

Special Organised Crime Unit

backdated.

In the fall-out from this case, then Head of SOCU, Assistant Commissioner Sydney James, was forced to proceed on administrative leave while investigations were carried out.

Althea Padmore consequently took over.

Sections of the media recently quoted Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan as saying that James would not be coming back. In addition, the Police re-

cently reopened further investigations into him after advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

However, James’ absence has done little to help secure convictions for the beleaguered agency.

Guyana records over... creasing cases of labour exploitation as well.

“I believe that there might be a number of our Amerindian girls who are called out from the hinterland to come work for people in Georgetown and other places, who are being hugely exploited and we have to do lots more work [to curb this],” he stated.

On this note, Ramjattan posited that the establishment of these SOPs will help guide law enforcement officers to not only understand and improve on investigating and prosecuting TIP cases but also dealing with victims to reduce or avoid re-traumatisation.

This, he stressed, is timely since Guyana needs to prepare for a possible hike in human trafficking activities as a result of its budding oil and gas industry.

“I believe that we are going to have more of this kind of trafficking in humans happening with an oil and gas industry that is going to make Guyana probably the richest country in the Americas. It is going to be a magnet, this country, for other people all across Latin America and the Caribbean, and if we do not set up the preparatory work to ensure that we are smarter and to know how to deal with them, to identify them, how to prosecute them [then] we are

not going to be that successful, notwithstanding that we’re going to have lots of money,” he contended.

While Guyana still remains on the Tier One category of the United States Department of State report on Trafficking in Persons, the country still has a lot more work to do in combatting the scourge and according to Ramjattan, they have already started acting on some of the recommendations made in the report.

The SOPs are aimed at strengthening Guyana’s technical capacity to combat TIP and assist victims of human trafficking.

Attorney Diana Shaw, the Jamaican legal consultant who worked on compiling the document, urged stakeholders to adopt the guidelines, which she explained were built on existing practices here to conform to international standards.

Funded by the US State Department, the Guyana Government worked in collaboration with the International Organisation of Migration (IOM) to establish the SOPs. IOM’s Regional Coordinating Officer and Chief of Mission of IOM’s Guyana Office, Robert Natiello, noted that while the compilation of the SOPs is a milestone, it is only the beginning.

FROM PAGE 44

He pointed out that the work now starts in implementing the guidelines.

To this end, Natiello underscored the need for continued stakeholder cooperation in tackling the scourge of human trafficking.

“It’s now that we have to work together for the implementation of the standard operating procedures. This is when the real work begins. Officers who are in charge with prosecuting and investigating cases will really have to quickly become acquainted with the document and they will have to put these guiding principles into practice as Guyana continues to contend with the growing number and the variety of trafficking in persons cases,” the IOM official stated.

In addition to the GPF, among the other stakeholder representatives at Wednesday’s SOP launch were acting Chief Justice Roxane George and Assistant Director at the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Chamber, Teshana Lake, both of whom committed to continue support the fight against human trafficking.

Members of the various stakeholder agencies are expected to undergo training over the coming weeks to familiarise themselves with the SOPs.

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Exposing

E

…PNC’s panic ven without the benefit of all the fancyschmancy psychological verbiage that’s thrown around so glibly nowadays, even five hundred years ago, they’d figured out that when you jump up and down carrying on about something you insist ain’t true, you’re just confessing that, in fact, it IS so!!

“Methinks thou protest too much,” said the Bard!!

So when the PNC issues an official but hysterical press release about a report in an online news portal that headlined: “PPP ‘likely’ to win next elections” is flawed, you know that they’re shell-shocked that an influential outsider has revealed that they’re electorally naked!! They protested too much!!

It’s not that they don’t KNOW their days are numbered – counting down from March 2!; their own internal polls showed they’re in trouble. Why else do you think they’ve been making fools of themselves with the hare-brained contention that 33 isn’t the majority of 65?? So how do they respond to the reported assessment of their imminent ouster?

Another giveaway!! They started out by defaming the messenger – insisting that he’s an “ASSET” of the lobbying firm the PPP has hired in Washington!! Now if you’ve seen any one of those spy movies, you’d know that declaring the fella to be an “ASSET” of the lobbying firm, is to say they’ve bought him and he’s their agent!!

Now here it is, the writer lectures at the UN National War College – which declares that its “mission is to educate future leaders of the Armed Forces, Department of State, and other civilian agencies for high-level policy, command and staff responsibilities by conducting a senior-level course of study in national security strategy.

“The curriculum emphasises the joint and interagency perspective. Reflecting this emphasis, 59 per cent of the student body is composed of equal representation from the land, air, and sea (including Marine and Coast Guard) services. The remaining 41 per cent are drawn from the Department of State and other federal departments and agencies, and international fellows from a number of foreign countries”. And the PNC’s insisting that this fella – with access to the movers and shakers in Washington – has been BOUGHT!!

Your Eyewitness knows that the PNC knows when someone at this level puts out the kinda analysis he did – especially with its damning conclusion – it would’ve been vetted by folks way up the food chain.

And this is what got the PNC so rattled. They’ve been going around telling their supporters that the US administration prefers them to be in charge of the oil economy – which, not so incidentally, was the assessment of the same analyst back in February!!

But the PNC has just dug a deeper hole to bury the dead meat they’ve become like the AFC!! …the PNC’s bluff But the PNC shouldn’t be worried about the analyst’s opinion on who’s gonna win the next elections. They should be worried that a top-level strategic military analyst has ripped apart their pretentions on being better qualified to take on Guyana’s security – one that encompasses Exxon’s massive investment in oil. Not to mention being next door to Venezuela – which is really the BIG enchilada!!

What are these security challenges?? There’s Venezuela on the west and Suriname on the east claiming huge chunks of our territory. Granger boasts of getting the army back to “battle strength” – including the revived Peoples Militia. “Guns not butter” he implicitly tells sugar worker folks. But for what?? The War College expert says even Suriname could take us on!! He bemoaned the PNC inability to take on the syndications, money laundering, narcotics production and trafficking, human smuggling and trafficking, (esp Cubans and Haitians); Chinese penetration etc.

Imagine if the fella knew the PNC would then completely degut our Foreign Service!! How can the US trust them?? …the end result The analyst warns, “While Guyana has already been prejudiced…by a lack of capability to respond to its existing internal and external security challenges, without the ability to protect its oil…development will ultimately be unsustainable”.

Voting in the next elections in Guyana

L

ast week, we wrote about voting patterns in Guyana and what we may expect on March 2, next year.

By 1992, the left-right ideological divide had disappeared and it surprised some when in the elections of that year after the PNC had brought the country to its knees, it yet received 42.3% of the votes cast – even surpassing their 40.5% garnered in 1964 – the last free and fair elections.

The WPA, which some thought had broken the back of “racial voting proclivities” because of the multiracial crowds they pulled in the 1970s, received a mere 2%. It confirmed what a poll conducted by Baytoram Ramharack’s TRPI had shown the year before: the electorate was still oriented “racially/ethnically”: African-Guyanese voted for PNC; IndianGuyanese for the PPP and the remainder cast their lots somewhat more randomly.

One may look at the voting behaviour of the Indian segment as “rational” because of the failure of the PNC to deliver their promise to develop Guyana. But what about the African section?

Their behaviour was just as “rational” because of their fears that the PPP would only reward their own (Indian) supporters and discriminate against them – echoing what the PNC had done during their tenure. In fact, those fears were exacerbated when the WPA took out full-page ads in the newspapers warning African Guyanese to “organise for their survival” against a “triumphalist” PPP. The PPP did not help matters when they insisted that their “Civic” appendage satisfied their promise that they would not practice “winner-takes-all” politics were they to win. The PNC, under Desmond Hoyte, immediately unleashed a rear-guard war of attrition, claiming that the PPP’s policies— from government staffing to house lot allocation – were “racist”.

It did not matter that objective, internationally sanctioned “Household Income and Expenditure Surveys” (HIES) between 1992 and 1999 showed that poverty was significantly reduced on the coastland, with urban residents (where African Guyanese predominated) doing significantly better.

When the PPP won the December 1997 elections, street protests by the PNC against the results escalated into an armed uprising against the PPP Government, its supporters and the State by gunmen based in Buxton, led by 5 prison escapees calling themselves “African Freedom Fighters”. Back in 1995, this writer had warned of this violence erupting because of the operation of what he had labelled the “ethnic security dilemmas” in the country.

African-Guyanese, a minority in a majoritarian electoral system could potentially be locked out of office in perpetuity.

However, since they overwhelmingly dominated the Police Force, Army, Civil Service and most crucially, the capital Georgetown, their leadership in the PNC could always hope that

their “kith and kin” (as Desmond Hoyte called them) would not be unsympathetic against efforts to take extra-parliamentary measures to “manners” the PPP. The Indian-Guyanese Security Dilemma was that while they may win elections because of their superior numbers, would “their government” – the PPP – be allowed to govern because of the above-mentioned forces that could be arrayed against them? Harking to the “principle of anticipated reactions”, the PPP Government was always on the back foot and eventually, presumably under the doctrine that the state must be protected by any means, allowed private groups to engage in vigilante action against the forces arrayed against the State. This standoff only ended with the

killings of the last gang members in 2008, but left a bitter taste in the African-Guyanese community, while heightening the unprotectedness of Indian Guyanese.

But by then, there were two significant developments.

Firstly, heavier IndianGuyanese migration destroyed their majority status and thus ending the African-Guyanese Security Dilemma.

Secondly, a significant number of citizens from across the divide voted in 2006 for the “multiracial” AFC, signalling that the reflexive racial/ ethnic voting orientation was loosening. This increased in 2011 and served to oust the PPP in 2015 after they coalesced with the PNC. With the failure of the PNC/AFC coalition to deliver development, as discussed last week, it is up to the PPP to convince the fragile “multiracial” bloc that they are more competent on this “valence” metric all agree on. In addition, African-Guyanese political leadership, now knowing that Indian Guyanese cannot win on their own and the PPP must, therefore, be accommodative – especially with the augmented coercive arms of the state they dominate, watching on – hopefully, will accept the majoritarian imperative.

48 Bollywood

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B

ollywood star Alia Bhatt has been voted as the Sexiest Asian Female for the year 2019, with fellow actor Deepika Padukone being crowned sexiest for the decade in an online poll released in London on Wednesday.

Topping the annual list, released by UKbased weekly Eastern Eye, rounds off a dream year for Alia Bhatt, which included acting awards as well as starring in India’s official 2020 Oscar entry Gully Boy. “I’ve always believed that true beauty goes beyond what is seen and that is what really counts,” said Bhatt, who said she was flattered by the votes.

“We’ll grow older, our appearances will change, but a good heart will always keep you beautiful and that is really what we should focus on, said the 26-year-old actress.

The Sexiest Asian Female list is based on online votes, media coverage, impact and heat generated across various social media platforms.

‘Eastern Eye’ en-

The Sexiest Asian Female list is based on online votes, media coverage, impact and heat generated across various social media platforms (Photo: Deepika Padukone/Instagram, Alia Bhatt/Instagram, Hina Khan/Instagram)

tertainment editor and founder of the list, Asjad Nazir, said: There is no one on a bigger role than unstoppable star Alia Bhatt and nothing will prevent her from dominating the next decade of commercial Hindi cinema as the queen of Bollywood.

More than a movie star she is a powerful symbol of girl power,

who is a representation of the empowered modern day woman.

Padukone, the topper of the 2018 list, comes in at second place for 2019 but holds on to her crown for the decade.

The highest-placed TV star Hina Khan is ranked third in the 2019 list. Fourth-placed Mahira Khan holds on to her title of the sexiest

sexy. And I hope I can continue to do just that, she said.

The top 10 for 2019 include Surbhi Chandna (5), Katrina Kaif (6), Shivangi Joshi (7), Nia Sharma (8), Mehwish Hayat (9) and Priyanka Chopra (10).

The youngest in the list is 21-year-old Bollywood newcomer Ananya Panday (36) and

A

B

ollywood star Priyanka Chopra has reiterated that she is not pro-war, clearing the air on an incident where a Pakistani woman had accused the actor of supporting the nuclear war between India and Pakistan.

Priyanka was severely criticised by Pakistani people on social media for a tweet following India’s February airstrike in Balakot area of Pakistan. She had tweeted, “Jai Hind #IndianArmedForces”.

Later, at an event in US, the former Miss World and Hollywood headliner was accused of being a “hypocrite” and “encouraging nuclear war against Pakistan” by a Pakistani woman named Ayesha Malik.

In an interview with Daily Beast, Priyanka was asked about the incident, which she said was “unfortunate” as she has always maintained her anti-war stance.

“A couple of things. I feel like this is not an opportune moment to talk about it. Second of all, it was unfortunate what happened, and third of all, I never have, never was, and never will be

Pakistani woman on the planet for a fifth year in a row and is also named sexiest Pakistani of the decade.

I am so grateful to all my fans who continue to vote for me every year.

This one is for a decade of love, ups and downs, support and magic. I have never considered myself sexy, but I believe when you do you – that’s

the oldest is 46-year-old Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (39). The highest placed newcomer is YouTube superstar turned TV host Lilly Singh (14).

One thing that connects all the women featured on the list is that they have all become symbols of girl power and are empowering women and girls globally, adds Nazir.

On the list for the decade’s sexiest include Priyanka Chopra (2), Mahira Khan (3) and Katrina Kaif (4). Fifthplace Drashti Dhami bagged the sexiest TV star of the decade title, with the top 10 completed by Freida Pinto (6), Alia Bhatt (7), Anushka Shetty (8), Nia Sharma (9) and Sonam Kapoor (10).

The complete list of the Top 50 sexiest Asian women for 2019 and the decade is published in the ‘Eastern Eye’ newspaper this Friday. Hrithik Roshan was named the Sexiest Asian Male for 2019 and the decade by the newspaper last week. (Indian Express)

pro-war and that is in my statements itself.

“My work for all of these years is a testament to that, and I don’t feel I need to keep regurgitating it,” the 37-yearold actor said.

Pakistan had also tried to get Priyanka removed as UN Goodwill Ambassador with its Minister for Human Rights, Shireen M Mazari, sending a letter to UNICEF and accusing the actor of supporting “violations by the Modi government of international conventions and UNSC resolutions on Kashmir”.

The actor believes being an influential person

is “an extremely important power” but it also comes with a “lot of responsibility”.

“It doesn’t have the responsibility that heads of states might have, because obviously we are not lawmakers or we cannot change those things, but we can influence, and I have always hoped to be able to use my influence in terms of philanthropy, and creativity in the arts, and to be able to, if I have opinions as a citizen, be able to speak about my opinions, and be able to give people perspective that they might not have seen because of my travels,” she added. (Indian Express)

nushka Sharma and Virat Kohli celebrate their second marriage anniversary this week.

Despite being busy with the T20I series against West Indies, Kohli expressed his love for Anushka and his ladylove also didn’t leave the opportunity to profess her love for him.

Sharing a photo from their wedding in Italy, Anushka wrote on Instagram, “To love another person is to see the face of God” -Victor Hugo. The thing about love is that it’s not just a feeling, it’s much more than that. It’s a guide, a propeller, a path to the absolute truth. And I am blessed, truly, wholly blessed, to have found it” Soon, the Indian skipper also wished wife Anushka on their second marriage anniversary. He posted an adorable photo from their wedding festivities and captioned it, “In reality there is only love and nothing else. And when god blesses you with the person who makes you realise that everyday, you have just one feeling, gratitude”.

Anushka and Virat

took the wedding vows on December 11, 2017.

Their wedding became the talk of the town, not just for its grandeur but also the way two celebrities kept it an intimate affair. The countryside resort in Tuscany hosted close friends and relatives of the couple and witnessed the getting together of two stars of the country.

In an earlier interview, Anushka Sharma had shared she kept her wedding a secret affair since she wanted the marriage to be about her and Virat. “We wanted to have a home-style

wedding. There were only 42 people there, with all our friends and family present. I wanted it to be about Virat and me marrying each other, and not this big celebrity wedding. The energy at our wedding was blessed,” Anushka told Vogue.

Ever since their wedding, Virushka, as their fans address them fondly, have been sharing several photos. They don’t shy away from expressing their love for each other and have often credited each other for their success. (Indian Express)

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Frozen 2 leads box office again

G

al Gadot says Wonder Woman 1984 was physically more gruelling for her than its 2017 predecessor and she suffered many spine injuries during the making of the film.

Gadot is back as the titular superhero with the new film that is set in the 80s, taking a time leap of over 60 years.

Patty Jenkins is also back as the director for Wonder Woman 1984 and so is Chris Pine, who reprises his role of Steve Trevor.

Speaking at the Comic-Con Experience in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Gadot said she has forged a close bond with Jenkins, as per The Hollywood Reporter.

“She’s one of my very best, closest friends and it’s hard for me to say no to her. Also, she has great will.

“I’ll find myself trying to negotiate my stance with Patty and she’d be like, yeah, yeah yeah, I see what you’re saying, I know, but don’t you think it’s going to be so much better if…’ Those were

F the moments where I was like, ‘argh…!” the actor said.

Gadot said the entire shoot was hard but believes it was all “worth it”.

“The physical moments, because it is hard, and I have found myself with many different spine injuries because shooting this

movie, for real. But at the same time, it’s worth it. And watching the movie now a few times, it’s totally, totally worth it,” she added.

Wonder Woman 1984, which also features Pedro Pascal and Kristen Wiig, will hit the theatres worldwide in June next year.

(Indian Express)

but the reality is that you’re create your own identity. You don’t want to be told that you are similar to your father. So, for me, it didn’t come for 20 years. After I won an Oscar for Wall Street, I finally felt that the Oscar part was more important for me than for the other people. I felt like I have stepped out of my father’s shadow and have created my own identity.”

Douglas said his father’s perception about him changed when he successfully got the criticallyacclaimed book, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest made into the 1975 blockbuster film, which had bagged the five major Oscars, including the Best Picture, at the Academy Awards in 1976. My father had acquired a book called One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

He took to Broadway and made into a play at the height of career… Yet he could not get it made into movie. He tried for a while but couldn’t. I was out of college and was beginning to work. I had read this book and I told him, ‘Let me get it together dad! Just give me a chance and run with it for a little while.’ After a couple of years, I was able to get the picture made.

After that, he looked at me with

a whole new look in his eyes.”

Zeta-Jones, who has made a name for herself with films such as The Mask of Zorro (1998), Entrapment (1999) and Chicago (2002), also shared her own story of making it big in Hollywood.

“I had no family connections to the industry and so I was out there on my own. There was this fearlessness that I had of wanting to make it.

Movies were so far removed from my life, growing up in Wales.

“For me, it was going to London for the theatre. I wanted to be on the stage in any capacity. My first professional engagement was when I was nine years old in the professional theatre at West End in London.”

The 50-year-old actor said she was driven by ambition in early days of her career, which was something that was not promoted by the industry.

“I had this fearlessness about ambition. As you get older that gets diminishes as you got more to lose. You wonder what people think, sometimes as a woman in any industry, the word ambition is something you are not supposed to say but I’m ambitious and I still am. ” Her advice to people coming up is to never lose track of their dreams.

“Once you fulfilled what you think is a dream, then you have to dream again. You have to dream big. And there is nothing wrong in being ambitious. Especially as a woman,” she added. (Indian Express)

G

rowing up in his father, the great Kirk Douglas’ shadow, Hollywood veteran Michael Douglas says acting was not on his mind but he ended up in the profession on a whim.

Speaking at the HT Leadership Summit, where he was joined by wife Catherine Zeta-Jones, the 75-year-old actor said acting was a last minute career decision for him.

“I was a late bloomer in becoming an actor. It was not some passion I had. It was probably the rejection to my father and the fact he was gone a lot… So I was not one of those who always wanted to be an actor,” Douglas said.

It was during college that the actor decided to venture into doing theatre, which he said was just a whim.

“I was in college and I was undeclared. I didn’t have a major.

This was in the 1960s and I guess you can call me a hippie. It was in the final year of that they said you have to declare a major. So I was like, ‘Okay man! I’ll do theatre.’

“So I was late and not good. My father came to all my college productions and the first time he saw me, he said, ‘Michael, you were terrible.’ So I began from there and sort of worked hard at it to became better,” Douglas added.

The actor said he worked his way up in the shadow of elder Douglas. Wall Street, for which he won an Oscar for Best Actor in 1988, was the first film that made him realise that he had finally overcome his father’s shadow.

“I was always in the shadow.

People used to say, ‘That’s just like your father.’ I used to appreciate

rozen 2 blanketed multiplexes for the third straight weekend, continuing its reign at No. 1 with 34.7 million dollars in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Walt Disney Co. animated sequel has already grossed 919.7 million dollars worldwide.

It will soon become the sixth Disney release this year to cross 1 billion dollars, a record sure to grow to seven once Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters later this month. Early next week, Disney will cross 10 billion dollars at the global box office this year.

But the weekend overall at the box office was yet another disappointing one for the movie industry. A handful of under-performing releases and a relatively thin wide-release schedule hasn’t helped the 5.6% slide in domestic ticket sales from last year, according to data firm Comscore.

This weekend produced an outright flop in Playmobil: The Movie, the week’s only new wide release. The STX Films release was never expected to do well, but it bombed so thoroughly that it will rank among the worst-performing wide-releases ever. It grossed 668,000 dollars in 2,337 venues, giving it a per-theater average of just 286 dollars.

A handful of companies combined to produce the 75 million dollars French film, including Wild Bunch and Pathe.

The top five films were almost unchanged from last weekend.

Rian Johnson’s acclaimed, star-studded whodunit Knives Out remained in second place with 14.2 million dollars, declining a modest 47% in its second week of release. With 63.5 million dollars cumulatively and 124.1 million dollars worldwide, the Lionsgate release has been one of the season’s bright spots.

So has James Mangold’s Ford v Ferrari, which stayed in third place with 6.5 million dollars over its fourth weekend. The racing drama, starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale, has sped to a global take of 168 million dollars for Disney, which acquired the film’s original studio, 20th Century Fox, earlier this year. The film cost about 100 million dollars to make.

Melina Matsoukas’ outlaw romance Queen & Slim moved up to fourth in its second week with 6.5 million dollars, swapping places with Marielle Heller’s Mister Rogers drama A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (5.2 million dollars in its third weekend).

Todd Haynes’ true-story legal drama Dark Waters, starring Mark Ruffalo as a defense attorney who takes on the DuPont chemical company, expanded nationwide to 2,011 theaters. The Focus Features release made 4.1 million dollars.

Celine Sciamma’s acclaimed period romance Portrait of a Lady on Fire opened at two locations with a very strong 33,552 dollars per-theater average. Neon will release the French film wider in February.

Some of the weekend’s most widespread movie watching may have been on Netflix, though the streaming service doesn’t disclose viewership tallies or box-office receipts.

After a three-week theatrical run, Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story, one of the year’s most critically acclaimed films, began streaming Friday. On Friday, Nielsen said Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman last weekend drew an average audience of 13.6 million viewers from Nov. 27 to Dec. 1. Netflix has said Nielsen numbers, which only estimate U.S. viewership, reflect an incomplete picture.

Amazon likewise didn’t release ticket sales for The Aeronauts, which opened in 52 theaters over the weekend. Tom Harper’s film, which cost $40 million to make, stars Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones as 19th century balloonists.

A week before it opens in North America, Sony’s Jumanji: The Next Level debuted in 18 international countries where it made 52.5 million dollars. The sequel to 2017’s “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” which grossed 962 million dollars worldwide, is expected to lead the box office next weekend. (Indian Express)

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Shorter BPL 'more fun' than BBL - Andre Russell

A

ndre Russell prefers the "shorter" and "more fun" Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) to Australia's Big Bash League (BBL). The two tournaments often occupy the same space in the global cricket calendar, forcing players to choose one or the other.

Russell is set to play for the Rajshahi Royals in the 2019-20 BPL season, and was unveiled as their captain on Tuesday.

"This tournament is more fun," Russell said, during Rajshahi's jersey launch on Tuesday. "It is shorter [than the BBL]. So less time away from home. I get a lot of love here. The hospitality and everything is amazing. You get a warm welcome on this side of the world. I never really think twice."

Russell has been a BPL regular, and winning the title twice, with Comilla Victorians in 2015-16 and Dhaka Dynamites in 201617. He has featured in three BBL seasons too, but hasn't played in the Australian competition since 2016-17.

Last year too, Russell chose the BPL over the BBL, and played 15 matches for Dhaka Dynamites.

ESPNcricinfo understands

that Rajshahi Royals are paying Russell slightly more than the USD 170,000 offered by a BBL side for the 2019-20 season.

Russell said the changes to the BPL this year - the BCB owns all seven teams - piqued his interest in signing up for the BPL once again.

"Once I heard this was happening - new rules, new teams, new owners, new franchise - I was interested to be part of it. I wanted to get the ball rolling.

"I am honoured to be given the responsibility of lead-

ing the team. Regardless, I always look at myself as a player in the heat. I have a very big role in any team I play for. It is going to be something new for me outside the Caribbean.

I have led Jamaica Tallawahs before. It will be interesting and I am up for a challenge."

Rajshahi will begin their BPL season on December 12, the second day of the tournament, with a match against Dhaka Platoon. Their squad contains plenty of experienced cricketers including Shoaib Malik, Ravi Bopara and Russell himself.

"I won't say we have the best squad but we have a good team on paper," Russell said.

"It is a good start for any captain, coach and any team. We want to use the experience of each player, which will put us in the right foot.

"We have Shoaib Malik, myself, Ravi Bopara and [Hazratullah] Zazai and [Liton] Das at the top. We have a few good local talents.

I have been watching videos, seeing what they can do. We have a balanced squad including local and international fast bowlers. We have good

options."

Unlike Rajshahi, Sylhet Thunder don't have too many big names to call upon, and are seen as underdogs leading up to the new season.

Their coach Herschelle Gibbs said they are happy to be the unknown quantity in the tournament opener against Chattogram Challengers, but pointed to one gap in their line-up.

"If you fly under the radar it is nice to get one out of the way. There will be nervous excitement and energy for everybody including me," Gibbs said. "Once tomorrow comes, if you play with freedom, you can achieve anything irrespective of who play against.

"There is no guarantees in the game which is fantastic.

You do not need big names.

You need one guy to fire. The unknown is a good place to be in because no other teams know the unknown.

"As far as our skillset is concerned, we have got a variety of spinners. We have [Krishmar] Santokie from West Indies as our only leftarm seamer. Unfortunately, we do not have top order lefthanded batsman. We might be little be short there. We have to do with what we have." (ESPNCricinfo)

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India take series after Rohit, Rahul, Kohli sixathon

India 240 for 3 (Rahul 91, Sharma 71, Kohli 70) beat West Indies 173 for 8 (Pollard 68, Chahar 2-20, Shami 2-25) by 67 runs

T

hree years ago, India were asked to bat first in a World T20 semi-final by the same team at the same ground in similar conditions. They lost just two wickets in their 20 overs, but were possibly not aware that their 192 was "only" 192 in those conditions in T20 cricket. Three years later, in the series decider at Wankhede Stadium, India came with doubts still persisting if they had shed their conservatism.

The answer was an emphatic yes with their three main batsmen taking two, two and five balls to hit their first boundary. And the big hits just kept coming as Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli hit 35 boundaries between them in just 119 balls. India's attitude was clear: if it is tough to defend totals in this format, they were going to give their bowlers a well above-par total, or get dismissed trying.

Under the mountain of runs, West Indies, hit by an injury to Evin Lewis, crumbled spectacularly.

What will especially please India is that this is the second successive series decider they have won batting first.

Start as you mean to go on

It is arguable India lost that 2016 semi-final in the first powerplay when Ajinkya Rahane went at a strike rate of around 100. Here both Sharma and Rahul went for it. Sharma even made a technical change, opening his front leg to face Sheldon Cottrell. He threw his bat at the second ball he faced, crashing it over cover. Rahul did the same the second ball he faced, getting a thick outside edge past slip. It was remarkable because Sharma is known to take his time before he starts hitting, but here he had taken the lead over Rahul, who caught up soon enough.

Both struck at 200 in the powerplay, giving India their second-best powerplay batting first, a good 17 more than what they had scored in 2016.

Post powerplay, Sharma took over the mantle of chief aggressor, launching Khary Pierre for six, six and four in the eighth over. India 102 for 0 in eight overs.

Walsh, Williams

for 3 after four overs.

Full toss extinguishes flickering light

Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 70 off 29 balls had taken India to a massive total of 240/3 in their 20 overs (AP Photo)

slow India down

Amid the carnage, Hayden Walsh bowled the ninth over without a boundary. India made up for it with a six and two fours in the 11th over, but in the 12th Kesrick Williams managed to get the better of Sharma with a slower legcutter. That brought about a promotion for Rishabh Pant, who tried to hit boundaries off the two balls he faced. He missed one, and drilled the second straight to long-off.

The idea was right, but his dismissal had buoyed West Indies with a spell of play that read 17 balls, 13 runs, two wickets.

India 145 for 3 in 13.5 overs.

Kohli goes

he last ball of the 14th over, with his score reading two off four, Kohli went for his second slog and sent it over midwicket for a six. This was the start of an onslaught that was the need of the moment with Rahul having slowed down out of a combination of fatigue and the need for stability at one end. Once again, as in the first T20I of this series, it was a Jason Holder over in which Kohli cut loose. That 22run 15th over seemed like it had put India back on track at 173 for 2.

Williams comes back

Williams then came back to bowl a superb 16th over where Kohli and Rahul struggled to pick his pace, managing only three runs. Cottrell followed it up with a decent one for 11. India 187 for 2 after 17.

Decision time

Pollard now had an over each from his gun bowlers, Williams and Cottrell, but three overs to bowl. He had to decide when to bowl the best bowler of the night, Williams, and whom to use for the third over.

Both calls went awfully wrong for West Indies.

Williams was asked to bowl two in a row, and it turned out both Rahul and Kohli had the measure of him. They both waited for the slower ball, hitting a six each, giving Kohli the final word in what has been an entertaining contest between the two.

Well, it turned out Kohli was not done with Williams yet. Pollard took it upon himself to bowl the 19th, and Kohli got stuck into it, hitting three sixes, India taking 27 runs off the over.

The second off those sixes brought up India's fifth-fastest T20I fifty, and Kohli pointed the bat to Williams at short fine leg. This, ladies and gentlemen, was the final word.

India seal it off quickly

Apart from Walsh and Williams, Lewis was the only man having a good day in the field. In the first few exchanges, he pulled off a ridiculous save overhead at the boundary, threw the ball back in play, jumped over the boundary hoardings, came back, and nearly ran Sharma out when taking the second run.

In the 12th over, as he made a regulation save at the fence, he jammed his knee into the ground, causing himself soft tis-

sue damage that ruled him out of the rest of the match.

In Lewis' absence, and facing a tall task, West Indies felt the pressure pretty early and started to play lower-percentage shots. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Deepak

Chahar got a wicket each, but the biggest positive was Mohammed Shami's return. A specialist bowler playing ahead of an allrounder, Shami looked the most difficult bowler to hit, and also took out the dangerous Lendl Simmons. West Indies 19

Pollard and Shimron Hetmyer gave India a brief scare with effortless hitting for 60 runs in the next five overs. In the sixth, Hetmyer had it in for Kuldeep Yadav, who had replaced Yuzvendra Chahal, who had been taken apart by left-hand batsmen. The first two balls were effortless sixes again, and the third from around the wicket was a full toss. Six sixes seemed squarely on, but Hetmyer shanked this one to be caught at longon.

This wicket-induced slowdown put the matter beyond West Indies, but Pollard's flame kept flickering at his IPL home ground. It was in the 15th over that Kumar got rid of Pollard for a career-high 68, but 100 off 31 required at that point was anyway improbable.

(ESPNCricinfo)

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Not difficult to pick ourselves up again - Kieron Pollard A

fter Rohit Sharma pulled left-arm fingerspinner Khary Pierre against the turn, the ball seemed destined to soar over the midwicket boundary.

Until Evin Lewis' athletic intervention. Lewis literally plucked out the ball out of thin air with his right hand, but lost his balance and tumbled over the boundary.

But, before that, he had the presence of mind to toss the ball back into play. His captain Kieron Pollard was so impressed that he sprinted all the way from the infield to deep midwicket to congratulate Lewis for his outstanding piece of fielding.

Soon after, though, Lewis injured his right knee and was stretchered off the field. He was later sent to the hospital for scans and didn't bat in West Indies' chase of 241. Pollard, though, led West Indies' fight with a 39-ball 68, which included some trademark, towering sixes, while Shimron Hetmyer pitched in with 41 off 24 balls.

West Indies eventu-

ally lost by 67 runs, after which headline-hungry reporters questioned Pollard on what went wrong for them at the post-match press conference. While Pollard put the defeat in the decider down to the execution - or the lack of it - he was particularly pleased with how West Indies' youngsters had dug deep into their reserves and challenged a strong India side at various points during the T20I series.

Pollard was even asked if a revamped West Indies ODI side might find it difficult to pick themselves up after conceding the T20I series. He swatted all of those questions - and doubts - aside and urged the youngsters to learn the lessons from the T20Is and perform better in the ODIs. "Not difficult [to pick ourselves up]. Again, there is [are] a lot of positives coming out of this series," Pollard said.

"You're talking about it being difficult and I'm talking about positivity. But, no, it's a different format altogether

and a couple of different guys - six guys I think coming in who haven't been here since the start of November, I think.

So, they've been working hard to get an opportunity to see how the Indian team goes about things and hopefully we can plan and execute it better.

"It's not going to be difficult at all - we've brought the series into a final game here, which I'm sure a lot of you guys didn't think it wouldn't happen, if I'm being honest. But, it has happened for us, which means guys are doing the right thing and we're going to continue our way how we prepare."

Among the major positives for West Indies has been Kesrick Williams, who has carried his CPL 2019 form into the T20Is against India. On Wednesday evening, even as the rest of the West Indies bowlers travelled for runs, Williams held his own with his deceptive cutters and variations in length.

Williams was the only bowler to pin down

Sri Lanka stun West Indies U-19s in 1-wicket thriller L

ed by a fighting knock from Sonal Dinusha, Sri Lanka defeated West Indies Under-19s by one wicket and 59 balls to spare in the third youth One-Day International (ODI) in the Tri-nation series in Antigua.

Chasing 138 for victory, Sri Lanka were reduced to 101-9, but the final pair held their nerve to complete a nail-biting win. Dinusha made an unbeaten 46 to ensure Sri Lanka steal victory at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.

Ahan Wickramasinghe made 13 while Amshi de Silva made an unbeaten 10. For West Indies Under-19s, Ramon Simmons took 3-31 in eight overs while Nyeem Young and Jayden Searles took two wickets each.

Earlier, West Indies laboured their way to 137-9 in their allotted 50 overs, with Guyana’s Kevlon Anderson top-scoring with 43 from 69 balls, batting at number five. The West Indies boys lost some quick wickets with a bit of rain intervening.

After Anderson’s top-score, Jayden Seals scored 23 and Guyana’s Ashmead Nedd hit an unbeaten 21. Kavindu Nadeeshan took 4-20 for the visitors while Amshi de Silva bagged 3-18.

West Indies will play England on Thursday, December 12 from 09:00h local time.

Virat Kohli, giving up just nine runs off seven balls to the India captain. All of this, after he had leaked 14 runs off his first three balls.

Williams ended with 1 for 37 in his four overs, the most economical figures by a West Indies bowler in the decider.

Pollard, who has also captained Williams at St Lucia in the CPL, was happy with how the seamer hit back after opener KL Rahul had taken him on.

Legspinner Hayden Walsh Jr. also did well in patches, returning 0 for 38 in his four overs on a flat track.

"You see his stats in T20 cricket, it's up there in terms of being able to do well," Pollard said of Williams. "Again, it's a positive for us. And him bouncing back after that first game as well and coming and showing his

mettle I think that was well done. There's still room for improvement for him and each and every one of us. But again, yes, that's a positive he can take out of this series.

"Even young Walshy.

He bowled very well in the last couple of games.

I think it was a very good track here and a couple of bad balls and you are going to get that.

He's finding his feet now in international cricket.

All in all, yes we lost 2-1, but I thought the guys stood up for themselves this series and that was very, very well done in that aspect."

Pollard also said the IPL auction, which will be held next week, hasn't been a distraction for West Indies' stars from the CPL. Walsh Jr., the top wicket-taker in CPL 2019, had echoed Pollard's com-

ments after playing his part in West Indies' series-levelling triumph in the second T20I in Thiruvananthapuram.

"To be honest you guys will be thinking more about the IPL more than our guys would have in the dressing room," Pollard said. "You can't control whether you are selected or not. I have seen a guy score a hundred against India and not get picked in the IPL either. So, again, one score gets you in and one doesn't get you in.

"One of the conversations was control what you can control: that is, go out and learn this series and the rest takes care of itself. How many franchises are there, eight? The owners will decide what they want to do at the end of the day." (ESPNCricinfo)

Maxwell, Cummins poised for big bids at IPL auction

A

llrounders Glenn Maxwell and Chris Morris, as well as fast bowler Pat Cummins are all expected to fetch big money as part of the second set of players at the 2020 IPL auction, scheduled for December 19 in Kolkata. The auction, a one-day affair, will kick off with a set of seven batsmen which includes Aaron Finch, Chris Lynn, Jason Roy and Robin Uthappa.

On Wednesday, the IPL sent the eight franchises the final list of players, which has been trimmed from the original 971 to 332, including 19 Indian capped players. The final list also includes 24 new players that were added after those names were requested by the franchises.

The two-dozen strong new list includes West Indies pacer Kesrick Williams, senior Australian journeyman Dan Christian, legspinner Adam Zampa, former Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim, and 21-year-old Surrey batsman Will Jacks, who had smoked a 25-ball century in a pre-season T10 match against Lancashire in the UAE. The players have been grouped as per their specialty, with the auction order starting with batsmen, allrounders, wicketkeeper-batsmen, fast bowlers and spinners. The auction will commence with different sets of capped players followed by the uncapped players.

A total of 73 slots are available for the eight teams to fill up, 29 of which could be overseas players. Although most franchises would be aiming to plug some gaps and looking out for back-up for key slots, some of the bigger names will be optimistic about securing a hefty payday.

Maxwell tops that list. He was among the seven players - along with Cummins, Josh Hazlewood Mitchell Marsh, Dale Steyn, and Angelo Mathews - to list their base price at the maximum of INR 2 crore (US $279,000 approximately). In October, Maxwell had taken an indefinite break from international cricket to tackle mental health issues and made

Australia's Glenn Maxwell during the ICC Cricket World Cup (Action Images via Reuters)

a successful return to club cricket in November. Maxwell, who has featured for three IPL franchises previously, opted out of the IPL auction last year to focus on the World Cup and the Ashes.

As far as the Indians are concerned, most of the attention will be on Uthappa, who has listed his base price at INR 1.5 cr ($209,000 approx).

Uthappa has been part of the Kolkata Knight Riders for several years and had even been retained through the rightto-match card option during the 2018 auction. However, the diminishing returns from Uthappa, a 2007 World T20 winner, meant the franchise decided to release him.

One man who might fancy going for big money once again is Saurashtra and India left-arm fast bowler Jaydev Unadkat. This week, Unadkat led Saurashtra to victory in the first round of the Ranji Trophy with a match-winning performance against Himachal Pradesh. Unadkat became the most expensive Indian player at the last auction (December 2018) after Rajasthan Royals paid INR 8.4 cr.

Incidentally Unadkat had a base price then of INR 1.5 cr. This time, he has listed his reserve price at INR 1 cr ($139,000 approx).

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WEEK ENDING december 15, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Guyana Sport Shooting Foundation Closes Off 2019 …

Mckinnon & Dharry claim top positions

L

ast Saturday 7th December, 2019, local practical shooters braved the rainy weather and headed to Timehri Rifle Range to participate in what would be Guyana’s last Practical Shooting Match for 2019.

Saturday’s match sought to measure the shooters’ ability in all three elements and coordinated under strict safety guidelines.

The competition included one classifier stage which consisted of 6 paper targets and 3 no-shoots. Competitors were required to stand relaxed in a demarcated box facing downrange with the handgun loaded and holstered. After the audible timer beeped, competitors engaged the targets with one round each from within the shooting box then had to make a mandatory reload before engaging all again with another round each from within the shooting box.

Usually all scoring on practical shooting stages is by comstock scoring.

However, the second stage named ‘Raw Deal”

Group Photo of some of the Participants of the 2019 Woodpecker Products sponsored G.S.S.F. Practical Shooting Match

with the handgun loaded and holstered. Upon the start signal, competitors had to engage either the first 3 targets on the left or the right with only two rounds per target. Then he/she had to perform a mandatory reload and engage the 3 remaining targets with only 2 rounds per

the fault lines. Upon the start signal being given targets had to be engaged from within fault lines.

The Fourth Stage called “Down Low” designed by David Dharry, required shooters to stand with their palms touching identified XX marks on a screen with

Ryan McKinnon on left receiving trophy from Match Director David Dharry

was deemed the most interesting stage of the afternoon as the first stage to be hosted in a competition using the Virginia Count scoring method.

This stage even saw seasoned shooters registering so many misses it was commented that it was not only raining cats and dogs but mikes.

Competitors were required to start seated in a chair at a table holding two standard playing cards, one in each hand, being held by the thumb and index fingers

target. Competitors had to remain the designated box for all shots fired but did not have to remain seated.

The Third stage designed by Ryan McKinnon was a long stage that was adjudged the favourite stage of the day which tested competitors’ fitness as they navigated through a course engaging 13 classic targets and 2 poppers. This stage ‘RM-28” required participants to stand relaxed in Area A which was not within

firearm loaded and holstered. On start signal competitors had to engage targets as they became visible with the mandatory requirement that 3 paper targets and 2 poppers must be engaged from below the screen/simulated wall.

Needless to say, there were several variations as to how shooters chose to go down low to complete this stage.

The Fifth Stage “Horsing Around” comprised of 2 Classic tar-

gets and 4 poppers.

Start position was hands touching barricade, handgun loaded and holstered. On start signal, shooters had to engage all targets.

However, the steel poppers could only be shot while holding onto a rope on the ground. The way the rope was positioned, shooters had to go to the ground and

hold with one hand.

Scores were computed on the go thanks to the use of electronic scoring methods by way of a special application called Practiscore.

Match results were announced as follows:

Limited Division:

1st Place – Ryan McKinnon (342.7725 Points)

2nd Place – John Phang (292.2822 Points) 3rd Place – Pravesh Harry (272.1620 Points)

Production Division:

1st Place – David Dharry (345.9295 Points) 2nd Place – Andrew Phang (313.4308 Points) 3rd Place – Vidushi Persaud-McKinnon (279.5950 Points)

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Guyana sweep Goodwill Basketball Series against Grenada T

he curtains came down on the 2019 three-match Basketball Goodwill Series with Guyana decimating Grenada 97– 73 in the final match to clean sweep the series 3-nil.

The three nights of

intense action at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) saw Guyana play their best basketball as a precursor to the 2020 CBC Championships, wherein Guyana will be defending the title they won last year in Suriname.

As per norm, the Grenada side were outscored in the first quarter to trail 17-21 heading into the second. They showed some intent of securing a consolation win early on, but that faded as time ticked over.

However, heading

The victorious Guyana side

Part of the action on the final night

into the second quarter, luck was not on their side as their composure fell apart and that saw them only picking up 13 points before the half time whistle, while Guyana cashed in 35 points.

The half ended with Guyana sitting pretty with a 26-point lead as the score read 56–30.

Despite showing some fight in the third quarter, matching the locals with bucket for bucket, the massive lead still remained; and the penultimate period ended 81 – 55.

For Guyana it was smooth sailing in the fourth, as they put on

only 16 points and allowed the opposition some consolation shots, which brought them 22 points before the final buzzer.

Guyana was once again led by the in-form Ray Victor who scored 17 points, while he was supported by Nikkoloi Smith (16), Travis Belgrave (15) and Terron Welch (10).

Victor accumulated the most points for the series with 72 points while Welch ended with 57 and Belgrave counted 33.

This display has proven that 2018 CBC Champions are well on course to defend their title in 2020.

WEEK ENDING december 15, 2019 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

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